The impact of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), child-turcotte-pugh (CTP) score and disease staging on the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients: a retrospective cohort from single oncology center.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cause of cancer-related death in Saudi Arabia. Our study aimed to investigate the patterns of HCC and the effect of TNM staging, Alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), and Child-Turcotte Pugh (CTP) on patients' overall survival (OS).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 43 HCC patients at a single oncology center in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2020.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of lung cancer in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study in single oncology center.

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most common neoplastic diseases and a leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia. Its incidence in Saudi Arabia has increased by more than 3% within two decades. Our study aimed to describe the epidemiological and genetic landscapes of LC in Al-Madinah city in Saudi Arabia.

Machine Learning Enabled Photoacoustic Spectroscopy for Noninvasive Assessment of Breast Tumor Progression : A Preclinical Study.

Breast cancer is a dreaded disease affecting women the most in cancer-related deaths over other cancers. However, early diagnosis of the disease can help increase survival rates. The existing breast cancer diagnosis tools do not support the early diagnosis of the disease.

Timing, reasons, and predictors for first dental visits among children seen at two university hospitals.

Background: Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease. The recommended age for the first dental visit (FDV) is 1 year, yet a minority of children visit before the age of 3 years.

Aim: The aim of the study was to estimate the patterns of and predictors for dental visits among a sample of children.

Major Histocompatibility Class-I (MHC-I) downregulation in glioblastoma is a poor prognostic factor but not a predictive indicator for treatment failure.

Background: MHC-I expression is a crucial factor in cancer immunity, and its regulations can impact tumor progression and recurrence. The mechanism through which glioblastoma use MHC-I to avoid immunosurveillance has been rarely investigated.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of 35 patients with IDH-mutant WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma and IDH-wildtype glioblastoma were examined for MHC-I using protein and gene expression assays.

The synergistic effect of IDH mutation and NDRG-2 dysregulation in the progression of WHO-grade 4 astrocytomas.

Background: NDRG2 is a tumour suppressor gene involved in tumor growth inhibition. Its effect on tumour recurrence remains controversial. The aim of this study is to explore the dual effect of IDH mutation and NDRG2 dysregulation in WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma recurrence.

Dynamic interplay between corticosteroid treatment and the role of SRC-1 gene dysregulation in the progression of WHO-Grade 4 Astrocytoma.

Background: Corticosteroid is commonly used before surgery to control cerebral oedema in brain tumours and is frequently continued throughout treatment. Its long-term effect of on the recurrence of WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma remains controversial. The interaction between corticosteroid, SRC-1 gene and cytotoxic T-cells has never been investigated.

Immune microenvironment of medulloblastoma: The association between its molecular subgroups and potential targeted immunotherapeutic receptors.

Medulloblastoma (MB) is considered the commonest malignant brain tumor in children. Multimodal treatments consisting of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have improved patients' survival. Nevertheless, the recurrence occurs in 30% of cases.

Boosting In-Vivo Anti-Tumor Immunity with an Oral Microparticulate Breast Cancer Vaccine and Low-Dose Cyclophosphamide.

Tumor cells express antigens that should induce immune-mediated rejection; however, spontaneous rejection of established tumors is rare. Recent evidence suggests that patients suffering from cancer exhibit an elevation in regulatory T cells population, a subset of CD4+ T cells, which suppress tumor recognition and elimination by cytotoxic T cells. This study investigates immunotherapeutic strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive effects exerted by regulatory T cells.

The Cancer Driver Genes IDH1 and IDH2 and CD204 in WHO-Grade 4 Astrocytoma: Crosstalk Between Cancer Metabolism and Tumour Associated Macrophage Recruitment in Tumour Microenvironment.

Purpose: IDH1 and IDH2 are hotspot mutations commonly identified in WHO-grade 4 astrocytomas. Their association with TAMs has never been investigated. We aim to explore the crosstalk between the IDH1/2 mutation metabolic effect and TAMs in tumour microenvironment and how this relationship affects the tumour recurrence.

Accuracy of Classifying Lung Carcinoma Using Immunohistochemical Markers on Limited Biopsy Material: A Two-Center Study.

Introduction Accurate classification of lung cancer into primary and metastatic carcinomas is critical for treatment approaches. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) has always been pivotal in unveiling the diverse cell differentiation lineages present in lung cancer by using specific biomarkers such as TTF1 and p63/p40, which closely reflect the relationship between genotype and phenotype..

The Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown "Home Quarantine" on the Physical Activity and Lifestyle of Children in Qatar.

Background: Several studies have investigated how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted children's lifestyle. To our knowledge, this is the first study that assesses the impact of quarantine on physical activity, screen time, sleep, and diet in children aged 5 to 12 in Qatar.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from an online survey distributed in Qatar was analyzed.

Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumor with Testicular Microlithiasis.

Testicular microlithiasis (TM) is a condition in which punctate calcifications are present in the testicle. A case of a 29-year-old Saudi male who developed a cough, hemoptysis, and shortness of breath is presented in this report. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest revealed a large mediastinal mass.

Metformin-induced weight loss in patients with or without type 2 diabetes/prediabetes: A retrospective cohort study.

It is unknown whether weight loss outcomes differ with metformin monotherapy in patients with obesity with or without type 2 diabetes (T2DM)/prediabetes (PreDM). In this retrospective study, 6- or 12-month weight loss outcomes were compared in 222 patients with or without T2DM/preDM who completed metformin monotherapy. Average weight loss was similar between groups, euglycemic vs.

Clinico-Pathological Study of K-ras Mutations in Colorectal Tumors: A Single-Center Retrospective Study of 51 Patients in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading types of cancer worldwide and in Saudi Arabia. At the molecular level, CRC is very complicated and requires establishing comprehensive patient stratification models through identification of patients who will benefit or will not benefit from targeted therapy. We retrospectively investigated and analyzed the frequency of Kirsten-ras (K-ras) mutation and its correlation with patients' characteristics as weel as its association with clinicopathological features (i.

Intractable nausea and vomiting in naïve ingestion of kratom for analgesia.

Background: Kratom is a habit-forming opioid-like substance with an acute toxidrome of various symptoms such as diaphoresis, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Chronic users require increasing dosages for the analgesic effects. Although kratom use dates back to the 1800s in Asia, kratom intoxication is still a novel (but increasing) toxidrome in the Western world.

Poor graft function after T cell-depleted allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

PGF implies persistent cytopenia in the presence of predominant donor chimerism. We examined contributors to PGF in 104 HCT recipients who survived ≥100 days without relapse or major complications. Surrogate parameters for PGF were: Hg <10 g/dl, RBC transfusion dependence, platelet count <20 × 10/L or ANC < 0.

Harnessing T-cell activity against prostate cancer: A therapeutic microparticulate oral cancer vaccine.

Prostate Cancer specific immunotherapy in combination with immune stimulating adjuvants may serve as a viable strategy for facilitating tumor regression and preventing recurrence. In this study, an oral microparticulate vaccine encapsulating tumor associated antigens (TAA) extracted from a murine prostate cancer cell line, TRAMP-C2, was formulated with the help of a spray dryer. Microparticles were characterized in vitro to determine their physicochemical properties and antigenicity.

Nintedanib-cyclodextrin complex to improve bio-activity and intestinal permeability.

Cyclodextrin complex of nintedanib was prepared aiming for increased bio-activity and improved transport across intestinal membrane with reduced p-glycoprotein (p-gp) efflux. Based on preliminary phase solubility studies and molecular modeling, sulfobutyl ether derivative of β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD, Captisol) was selected to prepare inclusion complex. Complexation was confirmed using FTIR, 1H NMR, DSC, and XRD.

Nanoparticle formulations that allow for sustained delivery and brain targeting of the neuropeptide oxytocin.

Oxytocin is a promising candidate for the treatment of social-deficit disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, but oxytocin cannot readily pass the blood-brain barrier. Moreover, oxytocin requires frequent dosing as it is rapidly metabolized in blood. We fabricated four polymeric nanoparticle formulations using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the base material.

Role of In Vitro Release Methods in Liposomal Formulation Development: Challenges and Regulatory Perspective.

In the past few years, measurement of drug release from pharmaceutical dosage forms has been a focus of extensive research because the release profile obtained in vitro can give an indication of the drug's performance in vivo. Currently, there are no compendial in vitro release methods designed for liposomes owing to a range of experimental challenges, which has created a major hurdle for both development and regulatory acceptance of liposome-based drug products. In this paper, we review the current techniques that are most often used to assess in vitro drug release from liposomal products; these include the membrane diffusion techniques (dialysis, reverse dialysis, fractional dialysis, and microdialysis), the sample-and-separate approach, the in situ method, the continuous flow, and the modified United States Pharmacopeia methods (USP I and USP IV).

Surface-Modified Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles for Rapid Capture, Detection, and Removal of Pathogens: a Potential Material for Water Purification.

Enteric infections resulting from the consumption of contaminated drinking water, inadequate supply of water for personal hygiene, and poor sanitation take a heavy toll worldwide, and developing countries are the major sufferers. Consumption of microbiologically contaminated water leads to diseases such as amoebiasis, cholera, shigellosis, typhoid, and viral infections leading to gastroenteritis and hepatitis B. The present investigation deals with the development of effective method to capture and eliminate microbial contamination of water and improve the quality of water and thus decreasing the contaminated waterborne infections.

A pilot trial of FLOT neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.

Docetaxel is active in esophagogastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinoma, and DCF (docetaxel/cisplatin/5-fluorouracil) has shown good results in the neoadjuvant setting. Its high rate of grade 3-4 mucosal toxicity (stomatitis and diarrhea) has limited its widespread adoption. A more recent docetaxel-based triplet, FLOT (5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and docetaxel) may be better tolerated.