Background Vitamin D may play a role in breast cancer prevention. While the association between V... more Background Vitamin D may play a role in breast cancer prevention. While the association between Vitamin D and breast cancer risk/prognosis is still controversial, a high proportion of women at-risk for breast cancer or affected by the disease have deficient vitamin D levels. Objectives This study was designed to detect the incidence of osteoporosis and circulating concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D level in breast cancer patients as well as their relation to the treatment received and to stage of breast cancer. Methods Seventy-four female patients with breast cancer were included in the study; their mean age was 47.89±9.59years. Another fifty-two age and sex matched subjects were included as control. All patients were receiving chemotherapy, 40 received hormonal therapy, 50 radiotherapy and 10 surgically removed. Vitamin D level and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were performed for patients and control Results Vitamin D level was significantly higher in the control (23.66±5.2 IU/L) than in patients (18.37±6.25 IU/L) (p<0.0001). There was a tendency to a normal DXA score in the forearm of the patients while the score of the hip and spine were significantly different from that of the control (p=0.001 and p=0.034 respectively). In patients, there were significant correlations between 25(OH)D3 and hip DXA (r=0.25, p=0.03), and significant negative correlations between tumor grades and DXA of hip, forearm and spine (r= -0.42, r=-0.39, r=-0.45 respectively; p<0.0001). Conclusions Our finding support low serum vitamin D concentration in breast cancer patients. In addition, their BMD of the hip is obviously reduced. The sub-clinically detected hypovitaminosis D and osteoporosis throw light on the importance of offering calcium and vitamin D supplements to breast cancer patients. It is further recommended that breast cancer patients have a DXA scan performed at baseline and repeatedly on a yearly basis. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Background It has been reported that Moringa oleifera (MO) has different medicinal properties. Th... more Background It has been reported that Moringa oleifera (MO) has different medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective role of Moringa oleifera extract on acetaminophen-induced liver fibrosis in albino rats on a biochemical and histological basis. Forty male albino rats were divided into four groups: group I (control group), healthy rates; group II (acetaminophen group), rates received acetaminophen for induction of liver fibrosis; group III (treated group), liver fibrosis of rates treated with Moringa oleifera extract; and group IV (prophylactic group), rates treated with Moringa oleifera extract before and after induction of liver fibrosis. Serum liver function parameters were quantified using a spectrophotometer, while tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and transformed growth factor beta (TGF- β) in liver tissue homogenate by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and expression of liver tissue TNF-α and TGF-genes was measured by real-...
Thymoquinone (TQ) has shown substantial evidence for its anticancer effects. Using human breast c... more Thymoquinone (TQ) has shown substantial evidence for its anticancer effects. Using human breast cancer cells, we evaluated the chemomodulatory effect of TQ on paclitaxel (PTX). TQ showed weak cytotoxic properties against MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells with IC50 values of 64.93 ± 14 µM and 165 ± 2 µM, respectively. Combining TQ with PTX showed apparent antagonism, increasing the IC50 values of PTX from 0.2 ± 0.07 µM to 0.7 ± 0.01 µM and from 0.1 ± 0.01 µM to 0.15 ± 0.02 µM in MCF-7 and T47D cells, respectively. Combination index analysis showed antagonism in both cell lines with CI values of 4.6 and 1.6, respectively. However, resistance fractions to PTX within MCF-7 and T47D cells (42.3 ± 1.4% and 41.9 ± 1.1%, respectively) were completely depleted by combination with TQ. TQ minimally affected the cell cycle, with moderate accumulation of cells in the S-phase. However, a significant increase in Pre-G phase cells was observed due to PTX alone and PTX combination with TQ. To disse...
Egyptian Journal of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Objectives: This study aims to investigate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of anti-mut... more Objectives: This study aims to investigate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) antibodies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in comparison to IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) and Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies (anti-CCP) and to assess their clinical significance particularly as a marker of RA activity. Patients and Methods: 60 patients with different rheumatic diseases 40 patients with RA and 20 patients with other rheumatic diseases (disease controls) were recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals, and 20 persons (healthy controls) All participants underwent history taking, clinical examination, laboratory and radiological investigations, and calculation of disease activity score DAS-28 for each RA patient. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques were used to detect RF-IgM, anti-CCP antibodies, and anti-MCV antibodies. Results: The sensitivity of anti-MCV antibodies was 95 % with 97.1% specificity. For anti-CCP antibodies the sensitivity was 95% and the specificity was 100%. The sensitivity of RF was 72.5% with 97.1% specificity. Anti-CCP antibodies have higher diagnostic specificity and positive predictive value than RF and anti-MCV antibodies. The best cutoff value for the anti-MCV test was found at 22.7 U/L, while that for Anti-CCP antibodies and RF were 20 u\l and 44 IU/ml respectively. Of RA patients with positive RF, 86.2% were anti-MCV antibodies positive, including only 6.8% with negative Anti-CCP. Of patients with negative RF, 81.8% were positive for anti-MCV, including 9% who tested negative for anti-CCP. Conclusion: Our results suggest that anti-MCV antibodies may be valuable for diagnosing RA and that, it may be better to assay both anti-MCV and anti-CCP in RF-negative RA patients without replacing them. Long-term study is required to find out whether anti-MCV antibodies can be used as predictive test for incidence of RA.
Objective Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a main risk factor for development of cardiovascular... more Objective Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a main risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and endothelial dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate serum levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), and endothelium selectin (sE-selectin) in T2DM patients with macrovascular complications. Methods A cross-sectional study of 21 controls, 30 T2DM patients without CVDs, and 30 T2DM patients with CVDs was conducted. Serum levels of soluble adhesion molecules including sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin were determined using ELISA. Results Serum levels of sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin were higher in T2DM patients than in controls. Levels of serum sVCAM-1 were higher in T2DM patients with CVDs compared with T2DM patients without CVDs. In T2DM patients with CVDs, significant positive associations were observed between sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin levels (r = 0.575, p = 0.001 and r = 0.378, p = 0...
Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) represents the main reason for acute kidney injury (AKI).... more Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) represents the main reason for acute kidney injury (AKI). Dexmedetomidine (Dex) and Benincasa cerifera (BC) have wide benefits due to their antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study aims to illustrate the protective effects of BC and Dex on renal IRI in a diabetic model. Sixty adult male albino rats (Wistar strain), weighing 250-300 g, were included in the study. The rats were divided into four groups, as follows: sham group: (non-diabetic); diabetes mellitus (DM) + IRI group: streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats exposed to renal IRI on day 30 after diagnosis of diabetes; DM + IRI + BC group: STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with BC (500 mg/kg) for 30 days after diagnosis of diabetes, then exposed to renal IRI; and DM + IRI + Dex group: STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with Dex (100 µg/kg intraperitoneally) 5 min before induction of ischemia on day 30 after diagnosis of diabetes, then exposed to renal IRI. Biochemical parameters, histopathological examination, and immunohistochemical markers were evaluated. A significant improvement in the biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical parameters were observed in the DM + IRI + BC group, while the DM + IRI + Dex group showed improvements in renal IRI and dyslipidemia. The present study demonstrated that oxidative stress plays a chief role in renal IRI in the STZ-induced diabetic model. Treatment with BC achieved excellent ameliorative effects, while treatment with DEX improved renal IRI.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are systemic inflammatory autoimm... more Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are systemic inflammatory autoimmune disorders characterized by a large spectrum of clinical and laboratory features. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible use of serum level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1(sICAM-1) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2Ra) as biomarkers for monitoring of SLE and SSc disease activity. Moreover, it aimed to compare the specificity and sensitivity as well as cut-off value of both biomarkers in a sample of Egyptian patients. 50 SLE patients, 30 SSc patients and 60 age and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled in our study. sICAM-1and sIL-2Ra were measured in serum samples obtained from all participants. In addition to Erythosedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count (CBC), Antineuclearantibodies (ANA) estimation, disease activity of both diseases were also assessed. sICAM-1and sIL-2Ra levels were higher in SLE and SSc patients versus control....
Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging clinical problem among obese ... more Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging clinical problem among obese adolescents. Methods: This study was conducted on 40 obese adolescents, previously diagnosed by ultrasonography to determine liver status and confirmed to have NAFLD, and 40 non-obese healthy controls matching in age and sex. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) test was performed. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were measured, and the biochemical parameters like blood glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and liver enzymes (ALT and AST) were also measured. Results: Anthropometric measurements were significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Obese adolescents had significantly higher values of serum insulin, HOMA-IR, CRP, ALT, triglycerides, total cholesterol (P < 0.05), and NGAL (P < 0.01) and a lower HDL-C value than the control group. Also, we found a highly significant correlation between the CRP, insulin, and NGAL levels where P < 0.01. Conclusion: NGAL can be used as a biomarker for predicting incidence of NAFLD in obese adolescents.
The use of anti-cancer adjuvant therapy is rationalized by potentiating the efficacy, and/or prot... more The use of anti-cancer adjuvant therapy is rationalized by potentiating the efficacy, and/or protecting from major side effects of chemotherapeutics. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a naturally occurring compound with cumulative evidence of anti-cancer properties. In this study, we assessed the chemomodulatory potential of TQ to gemcitabine (GCB) against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), and ductal carcinoma (T47D) cells. TQ showed cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 and T47D with IC 50 's of 64.9 ± 14 µM and 165 ± 2 µM, respectively. The IC 50 's of GCB against MCF-7 and T47D were 0.9 ± 0.18 µM and 14.3 ± 2.8 µM and were significantly reduced after combination with TQ to 0.058 ± 12 µM and 2.3 ± 0.2 µM, respectively. The CI-values were indicative of synergism in MCF-7 and T47D cells (0.15 and 0.30, respectively). Further investigation showed that GCB caused significant anti-proliferative effect reflected by increasing cell population in S-phase in both cell lines. TQ potentiated GCB-induced anti-proliferative activity in both cell lines. GCB induced considerable apoptosis in T47D cell line, and TQ significantly increased GCB-induced apoptotic effects by 1.5 to 3.6 folds. Interestingly, GCB, TQ and their combination induced significant autophagic cell death in the apoptosis defected MCF-7 cells. In addition, TQ, GCB and their combination depleted breast cancer associated stem cell (CD44 (+) / CD24 (−)/(low)) clone within MCF-7 and T47D cells by 3.8% to 27.5%. In conclusion, TQ showed promising chemomodulatory effects to GCB against breast cancer cells via inducing apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, in addition to depleting tumor associated resistant stem cell fraction. Cancer is a global health problem which is increasing with population growth, aging, and inappropriate lifestyle 1. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in females and there are over one million newly diagnosed breast cancer cases, and 502,000 breast cancer related deaths per year 2. Breast cancer tissue is made up of different cell types expressing different cell surface markers, with different microscopic appearances and growth rates 3. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) are depot cell clone characterized by indefinite self-renewal ability, and high resistance to chemotherapy 4. Various breast cancer treatment options such as; surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal and targeted therapy are currently in clinical practice 5. However, targeting and depleting the intratumoral associated cancer stem cells remain to be clinical as well as scientific challenge. Gemcitabine (GCB) is a nucleoside analog chemotherapy which is widely used for different types of neoplasia and was clinically approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer since 2004 6. It requires triphosphate activation to get incorporated into DNA double helix resulting in inhibition of DNA synthesis 7. Despite the widespread use of GCB, it suffers from many drawbacks such as; lack of selectivity, exaggerated normal tissue toxicity,
Obesity is a global health problem, increasing susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and Cardi... more Obesity is a global health problem, increasing susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Varieties of products have been proposed for treatment with varying degrees of success. Recent studies, suggested Oligonol; an optimized phenolic product mixture from Lychee Fruit Polyphenols (LFP); as such treatment in Japanese population. We aimed to investigate the effect of oligonol on weight, insulin resistance by (HOMA-IR), lipids profile, leptin, Adiponectin, and resistin in healthy overweight and obese Saudi females. 60 Saudi healthy overweight and obese females were enrolled in a double blind case/control study to take either Oligonol or placebo for 12 weeks without dietary or lifestyle re-strictions. Weight, height, Waist Circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and blood pressure were measured, and fasting blood samples of participants were taken before, and at the end of study. Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, le...
Background Vitamin D may play a role in breast cancer prevention. While the association between V... more Background Vitamin D may play a role in breast cancer prevention. While the association between Vitamin D and breast cancer risk/prognosis is still controversial, a high proportion of women at-risk for breast cancer or affected by the disease have deficient vitamin D levels. Objectives This study was designed to detect the incidence of osteoporosis and circulating concentration of 25-hydroxy vitamin D level in breast cancer patients as well as their relation to the treatment received and to stage of breast cancer. Methods Seventy-four female patients with breast cancer were included in the study; their mean age was 47.89±9.59years. Another fifty-two age and sex matched subjects were included as control. All patients were receiving chemotherapy, 40 received hormonal therapy, 50 radiotherapy and 10 surgically removed. Vitamin D level and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were performed for patients and control Results Vitamin D level was significantly higher in the control (23.66±5.2 IU/L) than in patients (18.37±6.25 IU/L) (p<0.0001). There was a tendency to a normal DXA score in the forearm of the patients while the score of the hip and spine were significantly different from that of the control (p=0.001 and p=0.034 respectively). In patients, there were significant correlations between 25(OH)D3 and hip DXA (r=0.25, p=0.03), and significant negative correlations between tumor grades and DXA of hip, forearm and spine (r= -0.42, r=-0.39, r=-0.45 respectively; p<0.0001). Conclusions Our finding support low serum vitamin D concentration in breast cancer patients. In addition, their BMD of the hip is obviously reduced. The sub-clinically detected hypovitaminosis D and osteoporosis throw light on the importance of offering calcium and vitamin D supplements to breast cancer patients. It is further recommended that breast cancer patients have a DXA scan performed at baseline and repeatedly on a yearly basis. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Background It has been reported that Moringa oleifera (MO) has different medicinal properties. Th... more Background It has been reported that Moringa oleifera (MO) has different medicinal properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective role of Moringa oleifera extract on acetaminophen-induced liver fibrosis in albino rats on a biochemical and histological basis. Forty male albino rats were divided into four groups: group I (control group), healthy rates; group II (acetaminophen group), rates received acetaminophen for induction of liver fibrosis; group III (treated group), liver fibrosis of rates treated with Moringa oleifera extract; and group IV (prophylactic group), rates treated with Moringa oleifera extract before and after induction of liver fibrosis. Serum liver function parameters were quantified using a spectrophotometer, while tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and transformed growth factor beta (TGF- β) in liver tissue homogenate by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and expression of liver tissue TNF-α and TGF-genes was measured by real-...
Thymoquinone (TQ) has shown substantial evidence for its anticancer effects. Using human breast c... more Thymoquinone (TQ) has shown substantial evidence for its anticancer effects. Using human breast cancer cells, we evaluated the chemomodulatory effect of TQ on paclitaxel (PTX). TQ showed weak cytotoxic properties against MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells with IC50 values of 64.93 ± 14 µM and 165 ± 2 µM, respectively. Combining TQ with PTX showed apparent antagonism, increasing the IC50 values of PTX from 0.2 ± 0.07 µM to 0.7 ± 0.01 µM and from 0.1 ± 0.01 µM to 0.15 ± 0.02 µM in MCF-7 and T47D cells, respectively. Combination index analysis showed antagonism in both cell lines with CI values of 4.6 and 1.6, respectively. However, resistance fractions to PTX within MCF-7 and T47D cells (42.3 ± 1.4% and 41.9 ± 1.1%, respectively) were completely depleted by combination with TQ. TQ minimally affected the cell cycle, with moderate accumulation of cells in the S-phase. However, a significant increase in Pre-G phase cells was observed due to PTX alone and PTX combination with TQ. To disse...
Egyptian Journal of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Objectives: This study aims to investigate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of anti-mut... more Objectives: This study aims to investigate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) antibodies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in comparison to IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) and Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies (anti-CCP) and to assess their clinical significance particularly as a marker of RA activity. Patients and Methods: 60 patients with different rheumatic diseases 40 patients with RA and 20 patients with other rheumatic diseases (disease controls) were recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals, and 20 persons (healthy controls) All participants underwent history taking, clinical examination, laboratory and radiological investigations, and calculation of disease activity score DAS-28 for each RA patient. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques were used to detect RF-IgM, anti-CCP antibodies, and anti-MCV antibodies. Results: The sensitivity of anti-MCV antibodies was 95 % with 97.1% specificity. For anti-CCP antibodies the sensitivity was 95% and the specificity was 100%. The sensitivity of RF was 72.5% with 97.1% specificity. Anti-CCP antibodies have higher diagnostic specificity and positive predictive value than RF and anti-MCV antibodies. The best cutoff value for the anti-MCV test was found at 22.7 U/L, while that for Anti-CCP antibodies and RF were 20 u\l and 44 IU/ml respectively. Of RA patients with positive RF, 86.2% were anti-MCV antibodies positive, including only 6.8% with negative Anti-CCP. Of patients with negative RF, 81.8% were positive for anti-MCV, including 9% who tested negative for anti-CCP. Conclusion: Our results suggest that anti-MCV antibodies may be valuable for diagnosing RA and that, it may be better to assay both anti-MCV and anti-CCP in RF-negative RA patients without replacing them. Long-term study is required to find out whether anti-MCV antibodies can be used as predictive test for incidence of RA.
Objective Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a main risk factor for development of cardiovascular... more Objective Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a main risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and endothelial dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate serum levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), and endothelium selectin (sE-selectin) in T2DM patients with macrovascular complications. Methods A cross-sectional study of 21 controls, 30 T2DM patients without CVDs, and 30 T2DM patients with CVDs was conducted. Serum levels of soluble adhesion molecules including sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin were determined using ELISA. Results Serum levels of sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin were higher in T2DM patients than in controls. Levels of serum sVCAM-1 were higher in T2DM patients with CVDs compared with T2DM patients without CVDs. In T2DM patients with CVDs, significant positive associations were observed between sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin levels (r = 0.575, p = 0.001 and r = 0.378, p = 0...
Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) represents the main reason for acute kidney injury (AKI).... more Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) represents the main reason for acute kidney injury (AKI). Dexmedetomidine (Dex) and Benincasa cerifera (BC) have wide benefits due to their antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study aims to illustrate the protective effects of BC and Dex on renal IRI in a diabetic model. Sixty adult male albino rats (Wistar strain), weighing 250-300 g, were included in the study. The rats were divided into four groups, as follows: sham group: (non-diabetic); diabetes mellitus (DM) + IRI group: streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats exposed to renal IRI on day 30 after diagnosis of diabetes; DM + IRI + BC group: STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with BC (500 mg/kg) for 30 days after diagnosis of diabetes, then exposed to renal IRI; and DM + IRI + Dex group: STZ-induced diabetic rats treated with Dex (100 µg/kg intraperitoneally) 5 min before induction of ischemia on day 30 after diagnosis of diabetes, then exposed to renal IRI. Biochemical parameters, histopathological examination, and immunohistochemical markers were evaluated. A significant improvement in the biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical parameters were observed in the DM + IRI + BC group, while the DM + IRI + Dex group showed improvements in renal IRI and dyslipidemia. The present study demonstrated that oxidative stress plays a chief role in renal IRI in the STZ-induced diabetic model. Treatment with BC achieved excellent ameliorative effects, while treatment with DEX improved renal IRI.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are systemic inflammatory autoimm... more Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are systemic inflammatory autoimmune disorders characterized by a large spectrum of clinical and laboratory features. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible use of serum level of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1(sICAM-1) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2Ra) as biomarkers for monitoring of SLE and SSc disease activity. Moreover, it aimed to compare the specificity and sensitivity as well as cut-off value of both biomarkers in a sample of Egyptian patients. 50 SLE patients, 30 SSc patients and 60 age and sex matched healthy controls were enrolled in our study. sICAM-1and sIL-2Ra were measured in serum samples obtained from all participants. In addition to Erythosedimentation rate (ESR), complete blood count (CBC), Antineuclearantibodies (ANA) estimation, disease activity of both diseases were also assessed. sICAM-1and sIL-2Ra levels were higher in SLE and SSc patients versus control....
Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging clinical problem among obese ... more Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging clinical problem among obese adolescents. Methods: This study was conducted on 40 obese adolescents, previously diagnosed by ultrasonography to determine liver status and confirmed to have NAFLD, and 40 non-obese healthy controls matching in age and sex. Anthropometric measurements were taken and the Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) test was performed. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were measured, and the biochemical parameters like blood glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and liver enzymes (ALT and AST) were also measured. Results: Anthropometric measurements were significantly higher in the obese group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Obese adolescents had significantly higher values of serum insulin, HOMA-IR, CRP, ALT, triglycerides, total cholesterol (P < 0.05), and NGAL (P < 0.01) and a lower HDL-C value than the control group. Also, we found a highly significant correlation between the CRP, insulin, and NGAL levels where P < 0.01. Conclusion: NGAL can be used as a biomarker for predicting incidence of NAFLD in obese adolescents.
The use of anti-cancer adjuvant therapy is rationalized by potentiating the efficacy, and/or prot... more The use of anti-cancer adjuvant therapy is rationalized by potentiating the efficacy, and/or protecting from major side effects of chemotherapeutics. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a naturally occurring compound with cumulative evidence of anti-cancer properties. In this study, we assessed the chemomodulatory potential of TQ to gemcitabine (GCB) against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), and ductal carcinoma (T47D) cells. TQ showed cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 and T47D with IC 50 's of 64.9 ± 14 µM and 165 ± 2 µM, respectively. The IC 50 's of GCB against MCF-7 and T47D were 0.9 ± 0.18 µM and 14.3 ± 2.8 µM and were significantly reduced after combination with TQ to 0.058 ± 12 µM and 2.3 ± 0.2 µM, respectively. The CI-values were indicative of synergism in MCF-7 and T47D cells (0.15 and 0.30, respectively). Further investigation showed that GCB caused significant anti-proliferative effect reflected by increasing cell population in S-phase in both cell lines. TQ potentiated GCB-induced anti-proliferative activity in both cell lines. GCB induced considerable apoptosis in T47D cell line, and TQ significantly increased GCB-induced apoptotic effects by 1.5 to 3.6 folds. Interestingly, GCB, TQ and their combination induced significant autophagic cell death in the apoptosis defected MCF-7 cells. In addition, TQ, GCB and their combination depleted breast cancer associated stem cell (CD44 (+) / CD24 (−)/(low)) clone within MCF-7 and T47D cells by 3.8% to 27.5%. In conclusion, TQ showed promising chemomodulatory effects to GCB against breast cancer cells via inducing apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy, in addition to depleting tumor associated resistant stem cell fraction. Cancer is a global health problem which is increasing with population growth, aging, and inappropriate lifestyle 1. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in females and there are over one million newly diagnosed breast cancer cases, and 502,000 breast cancer related deaths per year 2. Breast cancer tissue is made up of different cell types expressing different cell surface markers, with different microscopic appearances and growth rates 3. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) are depot cell clone characterized by indefinite self-renewal ability, and high resistance to chemotherapy 4. Various breast cancer treatment options such as; surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal and targeted therapy are currently in clinical practice 5. However, targeting and depleting the intratumoral associated cancer stem cells remain to be clinical as well as scientific challenge. Gemcitabine (GCB) is a nucleoside analog chemotherapy which is widely used for different types of neoplasia and was clinically approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer since 2004 6. It requires triphosphate activation to get incorporated into DNA double helix resulting in inhibition of DNA synthesis 7. Despite the widespread use of GCB, it suffers from many drawbacks such as; lack of selectivity, exaggerated normal tissue toxicity,
Obesity is a global health problem, increasing susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and Cardi... more Obesity is a global health problem, increasing susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Varieties of products have been proposed for treatment with varying degrees of success. Recent studies, suggested Oligonol; an optimized phenolic product mixture from Lychee Fruit Polyphenols (LFP); as such treatment in Japanese population. We aimed to investigate the effect of oligonol on weight, insulin resistance by (HOMA-IR), lipids profile, leptin, Adiponectin, and resistin in healthy overweight and obese Saudi females. 60 Saudi healthy overweight and obese females were enrolled in a double blind case/control study to take either Oligonol or placebo for 12 weeks without dietary or lifestyle re-strictions. Weight, height, Waist Circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and blood pressure were measured, and fasting blood samples of participants were taken before, and at the end of study. Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, le...
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Papers by Gehan Hegazy