From inflammation to gastric cancer: Role of .

Gastric cancer is a multifactorial disease and a leading cause of mortality and the risk factors for this include environmental factors and factors that influence host-pathogen interaction and complex interplay between these factors. Gastric adenocarcinomas are of two types, namely intestinal and diffuse type, and () infection has been suspected of being causally linked to the initiation of chronic active gastritis, which leads to adenocarcinoma of the intestinal type. Even though most individuals with infection do not show any clinical symptoms, long-term infection leads to inflammation of gastric epithelium and approximately 10% of infected patients develop peptic ulcers and 1-3% of patients develop gastric adenocarcinoma.

Thymoquinone inhibits growth of human medulloblastoma cells by inducing oxidative stress and caspase-dependent apoptosis while suppressing NF-κB signaling and IL-8 expression.

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood. The transcription factor NF-κB is overexpressed in human MB and is a critical factor for MB tumor growth. NF-κB is known to regulate the expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8), the chemokine that enhances cancer cell growth and resistance to chemotherapy.

Transcriptional profiling of breast cancer cells in response to mevinolin: Evidence of cell cycle arrest, DNA degradation and apoptosis.

The merging of high-throughput gene expression techniques, such as microarray, in the screening of natural products as anticancer agents, is considered the optimal solution for gaining a better understanding of the intervention mechanism. Red yeast rice (RYR), a Chinese dietary product, contains a mixture of hypocholesterolemia agents such as statins. Typically, statins have this effect via the inhibition of HMG‑CoA reductase, the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.

Expression profiling of selected microRNA signatures in plasma and tissues of Saudi colorectal cancer patients by qPCR.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) have been advocated as potentially robust and highly stable biomarkers of diverse disease conditions including cancer. The primary aim of this study was two-fold: i) to profile the expression levels of selected mature miRNA signature genes, such as miR-145, miR-195, miR-29 and miR-92, in a paired-study design of 20 colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues from patients versus adjacent neoplasm-free mucosal tissues employing reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction; and ii) to examine their expression level in the plasma of the same CRC patients in relation to the age-matched plasma of healthy controls. Statistically significant (P<0.

Effects of plant-derived anti-leukemic drugs on individualized leukemic cell population profiles in Egyptian patients.

Leukemias are a group of cancer types that originate from blood-forming tissues. In this disease, an abnormally large number of immature white blood cells is produced by the bone marrow. The relationship between treatments with plant-derived drugs and leukemia-associated immunophenotypes (LAIPs) of clinically isolated leukemia cells has yet to be established.

Superoxide dismutase activity and gene expression levels in Saudi women with recurrent miscarriage.

The antioxidant activities of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and SOD2, as well as the levels of the oxidant superoxide anion (SOA) and the micronutrients zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn), were assayed in plasma, whole blood and placental tissue of non‑pregnant (NP), healthy pregnant (HP) women and recurrent miscarriage (RM) patients. The results showed that SOD1 and SOD2 activities and the levels of Zn, Cu and Mn in plasma and whole blood of HP women were slightly, but significantly lower, and even more significantly decreased in RM patients compared to those observed in NP women (P<0.05 and P<0.

The effect of Walterinnesia aegyptia venom proteins on TCA cycle activity and mitochondrial NAD(+)-redox state in cultured human fibroblasts.

Fibroblast cultures were used to study the effects of crude Walterinnesia aegyptia venom and its F1-F7 protein fractions on TCA cycle enzyme activities and mitochondrial NAD-redox state. Confluent cells were incubated with 10 μg of venom proteins for 4 hours at 37°C. The activities of all studied TCA enzymes and the non-TCA mitochondrial NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase underwent significant reductions of similar magnitude (50-60% of control activity) upon incubation of cells with the crude venom and fractions F4, F5, and F7 and 60-70% for fractions F3 and F6.

A54T polymorphism in the fatty acid binding protein 2 studies in a Saudi population with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Fatty acid-binding protein 2 (FABP2) is an intracellular protein expressed exclusively in the enterocytes of proximal small intestine. FABP2 has a high affinity for saturated and unsaturated long-chain fatty acids and is believed to be involved in the absorption and transport of dietary fatty acids.

Methods: This is a case-control study conceded in 438 T2DM cases and 460 subjects with normal glucose levels and non-obese considered as healthy controls.

Seasonal concentrations of lead in outdoor and indoor dust and blood of children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Because detrimental effects of exposure to lead (Pb) on human health have been observed, we previously investigated concentrations of Pb in water supplies and blood of adult residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The objectives of the present study were to: (1) examine seasonal rates of deposition of Pb in dust in several areas of Riyadh city, (2) measure concentrations of Pb in both outdoor and indoor dust, (3) compare concentrations of Pb in dust in Riyadh with those reported for other cities, and (4) quantify Pb in blood of children living in Riyadh. Mean, monthly deposition of PB in outdoor dust was 4.

Improvement of mercuric chloride-induced testis injuries and sperm quality deteriorations by Spirulina platensis in rats.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect of the filamentous cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis (S. platensis) on mercury (II) chloride (HgCl(2))-induced oxidative damages and histopathological alterations in the testis of Wistar albino rats. The animals were divided into four equal groups, i) control, ii) HgCl(2), iii) S.

Regulation of the fruit-specific PEP carboxylase SlPPC2 promoter at early stages of tomato fruit development.

The SlPPC2 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC; EC 4.1.1.

Daily intake of selenium and concentrations in blood of residents of Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

Concentrations of selenium (Se) in food from local markets of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were measured and daily intake calculated based on information from a questionnaire of foods eaten by healthy Saudis. The daily intake of Se was then compared to concentrations of Se in blood serum. Primary sources of Se in the diet of Saudis were as follows: meat and meat products (31%), egg (20.

Phorate-induced oxidative stress, DNA damage and transcriptional activation of p53 and caspase genes in male Wistar rats.

Male Wistar rats exposed to a systemic organophosphorus insecticide, phorate [O,O-diethyl S-[(ethylthio) methyl] phosphorothioate] at varying oral doses of 0.046, 0.092 or 0.

Hepatoprotective effects of vitamin E/selenium against malathion-induced injuries on the antioxidant status and apoptosis-related gene expression in rats.

The present study is undertaken to evaluate the protective effect of vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and selenium (Se) against malathion (MTN)-induced oxidative stress and hepatic injuries in experimental rats. Male rats were randomly divided into eight groups comprised of 10 rats each. The 1(st) group served as a negative control (C(N)), whereas the 2(nd) was supplemented with a combination of α-tocopherol (100 mg kg(-1) body weight, b.

Mosquito vectors survey in the AL-Ahsaa district of eastern Saudi Arabia.

The present study aimed to identify the mosquito vectors distributed throughout AL-Ahsaa district situated in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Mosquito larvae were collected seasonally for one year (October 2009 to September 2010) from different breeding sites in seven rural areas utilizing long aquatic nets. Salinity and pH of these breeding sites were also measured seasonally.

Nitric oxide triggers specific and dose-dependent cytosolic calcium transients in Arabidopsis.

Calcium (Ca(2+)) transients have been shown to take place in response to diverse developmental and physiological cues. Also, it is involved in biotic and abiotic stress signaling. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that plays a crucial role in plant growth and development, starting from germination to flowering, ripening of fruit and senescence of organs.

Cloning of a novel antifungal promoter from Phaseolus vulgaris and the determination of its activity in stably transformed Nicotiana tabacum plants.

To investigate the transcriptional regulation of gene expression, chimeric fusions, between the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene (GUS) and the isolated promoter regions of the pvPDF gene (pvPDF-PRO: GUS), were constructed and introduced into Nicotiana tabacum. Analysis of transgenic pvPDF-PRO:GUS tobacco plants indicated that GUS activity was observed with all the promoter constructs with the strongest being in leaf followed by stem and roots. These results clearly demonstrate that pvPDF-PRO is a strong inducible and near-constitutive promoter and emphasize the great application potential for plant genetic engineering studies.

Transformation of Fusarium oxysporum by particle bombardment and characterisation of the resulting transformants expressing a GFP transgene.

Fusarium is the causative agent of a variety of economically significant vascular wilt diseases of vegetables, flowers and field crops. The completion of the first Fusarium genome and the availability of an EST database now provides a platform for both forward and reverse genetic approaches to ascribe gene function in this phytopathogen. To underpin these strategies effective gene transfer procedures will be required.