Clinico-Etiological Profile and Predictors of Mortality of Nontraumatic Coma in Children of Upper Egypt: A Prospective Observational Study.

Nontraumatic coma (NTC) is a considerable cause of morbidity and mortality in children. This prospective observational study aimed to determine the clinico-etiological profile of NTC in children and delineate clinical signs predicting mortality in Upper Egypt from June 2019 to May 2020. All children from 1 month of age to 16 years who were admitted with NTC were included in the study.

Distant education in Moroccan medical schools following COVID-19 outbreak at the early phase of lockdown: Were the students really engaged?

The Coronavirus pandemic outbreak has induced many urgent adaptation measures in Morocco including medical education that had to abruptly adopt an exclusive distant education approach, without former sufficient preparation. The present study aimed to assess medical students' engagement in their acutely implemented distant learning and to identify factors that could be associated to the students' studying engagement levels. Medical students from 1st to 5th years of medical studies, enrolled in all Moroccan public medical faculties were invited to fill-in an anonymous online questionnaire.

Association between vascular endothelial dysfunction and the inflammatory marker neopterin in patients with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Background And Aims: Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are at increased risk of cardiometabolic abnormalities. We aimed to evaluate vascular endothelial dysfunction and its association with serum neopterin (NP) levels in CAH patients.

Methods: The study included 40 patients, with a mean age of 14.

Midkine: Utility as a Predictor of Early Diabetic Nephropathy in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the role of serum midkine (MK) as a biomarker for early detection of diabetic nephropathy in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) before microalbuminuria emerges.

Methods: A total of 120 children with T1DM, comprising 60 microalbuminuric patients (Group 1), 60 normoalbuminuric patients (Group 2), and 60 healthy participants as a control group (Group 3) were included. Detailed medical history, clinical examination, and laboratory assessment of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), hemoglobin A1c percentage (HbA1c%), lipid profile, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR), serum MK and estimated glomerular filtration rate based on serum creatinine were performed in all participants.

Terminally sialylated and fucosylated complex N-glycans are involved in the malignant behavior of high-grade glioma.

Gliomas are the most common intracranial primary tumors, for which very few therapeutic options are available. The most malignant subtype is the glioblastoma, a disease associated with a 5-year survival rate lower than 5%. Given that research in glycobiology continues highlighting the role of glycans in tumor cell biology, it offers an interesting niche for the search of new therapeutic targets.

Role of bone marrow derived-mesenchymal stem cells against gastric ulceration: Histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study.

The current study aimed to assess the antiulcerogenic impact of mesenchymal bone marrow stem cells (BMMSCs) against gastric ulcer induced by the use of piroxicam in rats and to compare this effect with the antiulcer drug "Pantoloc ®" proton pump inhibitors. The study included histological, histochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural examination in stomach of rats in different study groups. In the ulcerated group, the glandular region of the stomach displayed clear mucosal lesions occurring as perforations along the stomach axis.

A Web- and App-Based Connected Care Solution for COVID-19 In- and Outpatient Care: Qualitative Study and Application Development.

Background: From the perspective of health care professionals, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) brings many challenges as well as opportunities for digital health care. One challenge is that health care professionals are at high risk of infection themselves. Therefore, in-person visits need to be reduced to an absolute minimum.

Expression of bladder cancer-associated glycans in murine tumor cell lines.

The characterization of murine cell lines is of great importance in order to identify preclinical models that could resemble human diseases. Aberrant glycosylation includes the loss, excessive or novel expression of glycans and the appearance of truncated structures. MB49 and MB49-I are currently the only two murine cell lines available for the development of preclinical bladder cancer models.

Aberrant O-glycosylation modulates aggressiveness in neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common pediatric malignancy diagnosed before the first birthday in which MYCN oncogene amplification is associated with poor prognosis. Although aberrant glycosylation is an important actor in cell biology, little is known about its role in pediatric cancers such as NB. In this work we characterized the glycophenotype and the enzyme expression involved in glycans biosynthesis in five established human NB cell lines and in patient-derived primary tumors with different MYCN status.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity induced by active immunotherapy based on racotumomab in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Antitumor strategies based on positive modulation of the immune system currently represent therapeutic options with prominent acceptance for cancer patients' treatment due to its selectivity and higher tolerance compared to chemotherapy. Racotumomab is an anti-idiotype (anti-Id) monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed to NeuGc-containing gangliosides such as NeuGcGM3, a widely reported tumor-specific neoantigen in many human cancers. Racotumomab has been approved in Latin American countries as an active immunotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment.

Synergistic potentiation of the anti-metastatic effect of anti EGFR mAb by its combination with immunotherapies targeting the ganglioside NGcGM3.

Several Anti-EGFR mAbs are register for the treatment of human cancer. However, their impact on patients overall survival has been limited by tumor resistance. -Glycolyl variant of GM3 ganglioside (NGcGM3) is specifically expressed in some human tumors, and it has been associated with a poor prognosis.

Minimal Disseminated Disease in Nonmetastatic Retinoblastoma With High-Risk Pathologic Features and Association With Disease-Free Survival.

Importance: Fatal metastatic relapse may occur in children with retinoblastoma and high-risk pathologic features (HRPFs). Minimal dissemination (MD) may be an additional tool for risk estimation. The use of cone-rod homeobox (CRX) transcription factor messenger RNA for MD evaluation in metastatic retinoblastoma was previously reported, but no data in nonmetastatic cases with HRPFs are available.

Frequent co-expression of EGFR and NeuGcGM3 ganglioside in cancer: it's potential therapeutic implications.

Interaction between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling with GM3 ganglioside expression has been previously described. However, little is known about EGFR and NeuGcGM3 co-expression in cancer patients and their therapeutic implications. In this paper, we evaluate the co-expression of EGFR and NeuGcGM3 ganglioside in tumors from 92 patients and in two spontaneous lung metastasis models of mice (Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL-D122) in C57BL/6 and mammary carcinoma (4T1) in BALB/c).

Comparability of Antibody-Mediated Cell Killing Activity Between a Proposed Biosimilar RTXM83 and the Originator Rituximab.

Background: Biosimilars are described as biological products that resemble the structure of original biologic therapeutic products, with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety and effectiveness from the original. A wide range of biosimilars are under development or are already licensed in many countries. Biosimilars are earning acceptance and becoming a reality for immunotherapy treatments mainly based on the alternatives for the commercial anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab.

Racotumomab for treating lung cancer and pediatric refractory malignancies.

Introduction: Racotumomab (originally known as 1E10 mAb) is an anti-idiotype murine IgG1 directed to membrane glycoconjugates expressed in aggressive solid tumors. It was developed as a mirror image of the idiotype of another antibody against N-glycolyl-containing molecules, such as the NeuGcGM3 ganglioside. After a successful phase II/III study, racotumomab formulated in alum was conditionally approved in Latin American countries as maintenance therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

A Phase I Study of the Anti-Idiotype Vaccine Racotumomab in Neuroblastoma and Other Pediatric Refractory Malignancies.

Background: Pediatric neuroectodermal malignancies express N-glycolylated gangliosides including N-glycolyl GM3 (NeuGcGM3) as targets for immunotherapy.

Procedure: We evaluated the toxicity and maximum tolerated dose and immunological response of racotumomab, an anti-idiotype vaccine targeting NeuGcGM3 through a Phase I study enrolling children with relapsed or resistant tumors expressing NeuGcGM3.

Materials And Methods: Drug dose was escalated to three levels (0.

Association of Cone-Rod Homeobox Transcription Factor Messenger RNA With Pediatric Metastatic Retinoblastoma.

Importance: Disseminated retinoblastoma is usually fatal. Identification of small amounts (minimal dissemination [MD]) of tumor cells in extraocular sites might be a tool for designing appropriate treatments.

Objective: To test cone-rod homeobox (CRX) transcription factor as a lineage-specific molecular marker for metastatic retinoblastoma and for evaluation of MD.

Immunoreactivity of the 14F7 Mab raised against N-Glycolyl GM3 Ganglioside in retinoblastoma tumours.

Introduction: The identification of molecules expressed selectively on the surface of retinoblastoma cells would allow applying targeted therapies. The Ganglioside, N-Glycolyl-GM3 (NeuGc-GM3), is an attractive candidate, as it has been detected in other paediatric neuroectodermic tumours, and it is not expressed in human normal tissues. The 14F7 antibody recognizes specifically the ganglioside NeuGc-GM3.

Detection of minimally disseminated disease in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with high-risk retinoblastoma by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for GD2 synthase mRNA.

Aim: To evaluate minimally disseminated disease (MDD) in cytologically negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of patients with high-risk retinoblastoma by the detection of the synthase of ganglioside GD2 mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Methods: The CSF was evaluated in 26 patients with high risk for CSF relapse: 14 with postlaminar optic nerve invasion, five of them with tumour at the resection margin, five with massive choroidal invasion, three with overt orbital extension and four patients with systemic metastasis. Serial CSF examinations were repeated at different time intervals according to stage and in the event of suspected relapse.

Preclinical evaluation of racotumomab, an anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody to N-glycolyl-containing gangliosides, with or without chemotherapy in a mouse model of non-small cell lung cancer.

N-glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) is a sialic acid molecule usually found in mammalian cells as terminal constituents of different membrane glycoconjugates such as gangliosides. The NeuGcGM3 ganglioside has been described as a tumor antigen for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in humans. Racotumomab is an anti-NeuGc-containing gangliosides anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody (mAb) (formerly known as 1E10) that has received attention as a potential active immunotherapy for advanced lung cancer in clinical trials.

Racotumomab: an anti-idiotype vaccine related to N-glycolyl-containing gangliosides - preclinical and clinical data.

Neu-glycolyl (NeuGc)-containing gangliosides are attractive targets for immunotherapy with anti-idiotype mAbs, because these glycolipids are not normal components of the cytoplasmic membrane in humans, but their expression has been demonstrated in several human malignant tumors. Racotumomab is an anti-idiotype mAb specific to P3 mAb, an antibody which reacts to NeuGc-containing gangliosides, sulfatides, and other antigens expressed in tumors. Preparations containing racotumomab were able to induce a strong anti-metastatic effect in tumor-bearing mice.

Antitumor protection by NGcGM3/VSSP vaccine against transfected B16 mouse melanoma cells overexpressing N-glycolylated gangliosides.

Background: Cancer vaccines are designed to modulate immunological responses against tumor cells through the presentation of tumor antigens.

Materials And Methods: The mouse mRNA of the cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (Cmah) gene, the enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of N-glycolylneuraminic acid (NGc), was cloned and transfected into the B16 melanoma cell line. Transfected cells (B16-H) were characterized and used as an NGcGM3-positive primary tumor model for the evaluation of the therapeutic activity of the NGcGM3/VSSP vaccine.

Detection of N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside in neuroectodermal tumors by immunohistochemistry: an attractive vaccine target for aggressive pediatric cancer.

The N-glycolylated ganglioside NeuGc-GM3 has been described in solid tumors such as breast carcinoma, nonsmall cell lung cancer, and melanoma, but is usually not detected in normal human cells. Our aim was to evaluate the presence of NeuGc-GM3 in pediatric neuroectodermal tumors by immunohistochemistry. Twenty-seven archival cases of neuroblastoma and Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT) were analyzed.

Optimization of molecular detection of GD2 synthase mRNA in retinoblastoma.

Extraocular dissemination is the main cause of death in patients with retinoblastoma (RB) in developing countries, and there are few molecular markers that are useful for the evaluation of minimal disseminated disease. The GD2 ganglioside is known to be expressed by RB cells that metastasize in bone marrow, and the activity of the enzyme responsible for its synthesis, GD2 synthase, can be detected in neuroblastoma, which shares many phenotypic features with RB. The purpose of the present study was to optimize the detection of GD2 synthase expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed by nested-PCR in human RB cell lines and patient samples.

Tissue factor as a novel marker for detection of circulating cancer cells.

Tissue factor (TF) is a molecular marker that is up-regulated in cancer cells and aids tumoral dissemination. Our purpose was to develop a nested RT-PCR strategy against TF for detecting blood-borne tumour cells. Our method detected TF expression in a minimum of 1.