Publications by authors named "Halema Alfarsi"

The is a tumor suppressor gene that encodes for the BRCA1 protein, which plays a vital role in DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, and the maintenance of genomic stability. The BRCA1 protein interacts with a variety of other proteins that play essential roles in gene regulation and embryonic development. It is a large protein composed of multiple domains.

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Background: Recent investigations have reported the benefits of using a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, dasatinib (DA), as well as programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors in the management of several solid tumors, including breast cancer. Nevertheless, the outcome of the combination of these inhibitors on HER2-positive breast cancer is not explored yet.

Methods: Herein, we investigated the impact of DA and PD-L1 inhibitor (BMS-202) combination on HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines, SKBR3 and ZR75.

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The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a non-enveloped double-stranded DNA virus capable of infecting skin and mucosa epithelial cells. Commonly, HPV infection is associated with sexually transmitted diseases and is considered the leading cause of cervical cancer and other carcinomas of the anogenital tract. However, several studies reported their involvement in cancers of non-sexual regions, including colorectal, head and neck, and breast cancers.

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Introduction: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and mouse mammary tumor virus-like virus (MMTV-like virus) can be present and contribute to breast cancer development and progression. However, the role of these oncoviruses and their crosstalk in breast cancer is still unclear.

Methods: We explored the co-presence of high-risk HPVs, EBV, and MMTV-like virus in 74 breast cancer samples from Qatar using PCR.

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Background: Mutated and non-mutated genes interact to drive cancer growth and metastasis. While research has focused on understanding the impact of mutated genes on cancer biology, understanding non-mutated genes that are essential to tumor development could lead to new therapeutic strategies. The recent advent of high-throughput whole genome sequencing being applied to many different samples has made it possible to calculate if genes are significantly non-mutated in a specific cancer patient cohort.

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() is used as an alternative medicine in the Middle East to manage numerous human diseases. We recently reported that flower extract inhibits cell proliferation and invasion of human oral and HER2-positive breast cancer cells. Nevertheless, the outcome of extract on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells has not been explored yet.

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Breast cancer, the most frequent disease amongst women worldwide, accounts for the highest cancer-related mortality rate. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype encompasses ~15% of all breast cancers and lack estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. Although risk factors for breast cancer are well-known, factors underpinning breast cancer onset and progression remain unknown.

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Natural chalcones possess antitumor properties and play a role as inducers of apoptosis, antioxidants and cytotoxic compounds. We recently reported that novel nitrogen chalcone-based compounds, which were generated in our lab, have specific effects on triple-negative breast cancer cells. However, the outcome of these two new compounds on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer remains nascent.

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Oncoviruses are implicated in around 20% of all human cancers including both solid and non-solid malignancies. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common oncoviruses worldwide. Currently, it is well established that onco-proteins of EBV (LMP1, LMP2A, and EBNA1) and high-risk HPVs (E5 and E6/E7) play an important role in the initiation and/or progression of several human carcinomas, including cervical, oral, and breast.

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Protein C (PC) is a natural anticoagulant, which interacts with the endothelial PC receptor (EPCR). EPCR single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 6936A/G results in high levels of a free soluble form of EPCR (sEPCR) and may affect the risk of coagulation. The objective of this study was to assess whether the 6936A/G SNP of the EPCR gene is involved in the procoagulant activity displayed by hematological malignancies.

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Identifying genes where a variant allele is preferentially expressed in tumors could lead to a better understanding of cancer biology and optimization of targeted therapy. However, tumor sample heterogeneity complicates standard approaches for detecting preferential allele expression. We therefore developed a novel approach combining genome and transcriptome sequencing data from the same sample that corrects for sample heterogeneity and identifies significant preferentially expressed alleles.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of activated protein C (aPC), known to be a physiological anticoagulant, in ovarian cancer cell activation as well as in loss of clotting of cancer ascitic fluid. The effect of aPC on an ovarian cancer cell line (OVCAR-3) was tested in regards to i) cell migration and adhesion with the use of adhesion and wound healing assays as well as a droplet test; ii) protein phosphorylation, evaluated by cyto-ELISA; iii) cell cycle modification assessed by flow cytometric DNA quantification; and iv) anticoagulant activity evaluated by the prolongation of partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) of normal plasma in the presence or absence of aPC-treated ovarian cancer cells. In addition, the soluble endothelial protein C receptor (sEPCR) was quantified by ELISA in ascitic fluid of patients with ovarian cancer.

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