An Overview of Medullary Thyroid Cancer Cases Treated at Kuwait Cancer Control Center.

Introduction: Medullary thyroid cancers (MTC) constitute about 5% of all thyroid cancers. The 10-year overall survival (OS) rate of patients with localized disease in thyroid for this pathology is 80% to 90% which is comparable with differentiated thyroid cancers, figures drop to 75% for cases with nodal metastases. Only 20% of patients with distant metastases at diagnosis survive for 10 years.

Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Trachea: Two Cases Report.

Tracheal squamous cell carcinoma is the most common pathology in smokers while ACC is more prevalent among non-smokers. These tumors tend also to be diagnosed late on account of delayed specific symptoms as hemoptysis, dyspnea, cough, hoarseness, and stridor being the most common. Management of tracheal tumors is essentially multidisciplinary.

Phase II/III Randomized Controlled Trial of Concomitant Hyperfractionated Radiotherapy plus Cetuximab (Anti-EGFR Antibody) or Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer.

Introduction: Globally, there is marked variation in overall incidence and presentation of head and neck cancers, these cancers account for 11.5 per 100,000 population in G.C.

A comparison of two digestion methods for assessing heavy metals level in urban soils influenced by mining and industrial activities.

A comparison between two digestion methods of hot plate Hossner (total-total) and USEPA method 3051 (total-recoverable) was carried out to suggest a proper method for determining nine heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) content of three urban soils affected by mining (Mahd AD'Dahab) or industrial activities (Riyadh and Jubail) at Saudi Arabia. The results showed no significant differences between two digestion methods for Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in soils affected by mining and for Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in soils affected by industrial activities. Additionally, lower biases were obtained between two methods for metals Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb in the urban soil samples from mining area with the percent biases of -16.

The E glycoprotein plays an essential role in the high pathogenicity of European-Mediterranean IS98 strain of West Nile virus.

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most widespread arbovirus in the world. Several recent outbreaks and epizootics have been reported in Europe and the Mediterranean basin with increased virulence. In contrast to the well-characterized American and Australian strains, little is known about the virulence determinants of the WNV European-Mediterranean strains.

Timing and Outcome of Referral to the First Stand-Alone Palliative Care Center in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the Palliative Care Center of Kuwait.

Background: Compared to other regions of the world, palliative care (PC) in the Eastern Mediterranean region is at an earlier stage of development. The Palliative Care Center of Kuwait (PCC-K) was established a few years ago as the first stand-alone PC center in the region. This study was conducted to investigate the timing of referral to the PCC-K and its outcome.

Hepatitis C Virus Envelope Glycoprotein E1 Forms Trimers at the Surface of the Virion.

Unlabelled: In hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected cells, the envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 assemble as a heterodimer. To investigate potential changes in the oligomerization of virion-associated envelope proteins, we performed SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions but without thermal denaturation. This revealed the presence of SDS-resistant trimers of E1 in the context of cell-cultured HCV (HCVcc) as well as in the context of HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp).

Vascular coil erosion into hepaticojejunostomy following hepatic arterial embolisation.

Background: Right hepatic arterial injury (RHAI) is the most common vascular injury sustained during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, occurring in up to 7% of cholecystectomies. RHAI is also the most common vascular injury associated with a bile duct injury (BDI) and is reported to occur in up to 41 - 61% of cases when routine angiography is employed following a BDI. We present an unusual case of erosion of vascular coils from a previously embolised right hepatic artery into bilio-enteric anastomoses causing biliary obstruction.

Large retroperitoneal isolated fibrous cyst in absence of preceding trauma or acute pancreatitis.

Background: Isolated retroperitoneal cystic masses are uncommon with an estimated incidence of 1/5750 to 1/250,000. The majority present with size related symptoms, complications, or a mass. Approximately a third of patients are asymptomatic and are diagnosed incidentally.

Additional glycosylation within a specific hypervariable region of subtype 3a of hepatitis C virus protects against virus neutralization.

Background: The envelope glycoprotein E2 of hepatitis C virus (HCV) contains several hypervariable regions. Interestingly, 2 regions of intragenotypic hypervariability within E2 have been described as being specific to HCV subtype 3a. Based on their amino acid position in E2, they were named HVR495 and HVR575.

Hepatocyte-derived cultured cells with unusual cytoplasmic keratin-rich spheroid bodies.

Cytoplasmic inclusions are found in a variety of diseases that are characteristic morphological features of several hepatic, muscular and neurodegenerative disorders. They display a predominantly filamentous ultrastructure that is also observed in malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT). A cellular clone containing an intracytoplasmic body was isolated from hepatocyte cell culture, and in the present study we examined whether this body might be related or not to Mallory-Denk body (MDB), a well characterized intracytoplasmic inclusion, or whether this cellular clone was constituted by malignant rhabdoid tumor cells.

Identification of basic amino acids at the N-terminal end of the core protein that are crucial for hepatitis C virus infectivity.

A major function of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is the interaction with genomic RNA to form the nucleocapsid, an essential component of the virus particle. Analyses to identify basic amino acid residues of HCV core protein, important for capsid assembly, were initially performed with a cell-free system, which did not indicate the importance of these residues for HCV infectivity. The development of a cell culture system for HCV (HCVcc) allows a more precise analysis of these core protein amino acids during the HCV life cycle.

Identification of GBF1 as a cellular factor required for hepatitis C virus RNA replication.

In infected cells, hepatitis C virus (HCV) induces the formation of membrane alterations referred to as membranous webs, which are sites of RNA replication. In addition, HCV RNA replication also occurs in smaller membrane structures that are associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. However, cellular mechanisms involved in the formation of HCV replication complexes remain largely unknown.