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Background: Given the limited understanding of individuals' positive gains, this study aimed to identify these gains that could be leveraged by policymakers to enhance future health and societal resilience., Methods: We used a global qualitative approach to survey adults over 18 from 30 countries across six World Health Organization (WHO) regions, who detailed up to three personal positive gains from COVID-19 pandemic via an open-ended question. Inductive thematic analysis was employed to identify main themes, and quantitative methods were used for demographic and regional comparisons based on the percentage of responses for each theme., Results: From 35 911 valid responses provided by 13 853 participants, six main themes (one negative theme), 39 subthemes, and 673 codes were identified. Five positive gain themes emerged, ordered by response frequency: 1) improved health awareness and practices; 2) strengthened social bonds and trust; 3) multi-dimensional personal growth; 4) resilience and preparedness building; 5) accelerated digital transformation. The percentage of responses under these themes consistently appeared in the same order across various demographic groups and economic development levels. However, there were variations in the predominant theme across WHO regions and countries, with either Theme 1, Theme 2, or Theme 3 having the highest percentage of responses. Although our study primarily focused on positive gains, unexpectedly, 12% of responses (4304) revealed 'negative gains', leading to an unforeseen theme: 'Distrust and emerging vulnerabilities.' While this deviates from our main topic, we retained it as it provides valuable insights. Notably, these 'negative gains' had a higher percentage of responses in areas like Burundi (94.1%), Rwanda (31.8%), Canada (26.9%), and in the African Region (37.7%) and low-income (43.9%) countries, as well as among non-binary individuals, those with lower education, and those facing employment challenges., Conclusions: Globally, the identified diverse positive gains guide the domains in which health policies and practices can transform these transient benefits into enduring improvements for a healthier, more resilient society. However, variations in thematic responses across demographics, countries, and regions highlights need for tailored health strategies., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2025 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: We aimed to identify the central lifestyle, the most impactful among lifestyle factor clusters; the central health outcome, the most impactful among health outcome clusters; and the bridge lifestyle, the most strongly connected to health outcome clusters, across 29 countries to optimise resource allocation for local holistic health improvements., Methods: From July 2020 to August 2021, we surveyed 16 461 adults across 29 countries who self-reported changes in 18 lifestyle factors and 13 health outcomes due to the pandemic. Three networks were generated by network analysis for each country: lifestyle, health outcome, and bridge networks. We identified the variables with the highest bridge expected influence as central or bridge variables. Network validation included nonparametric and case-dropping subset bootstrapping, and centrality difference tests confirmed that the central or bridge variables had significantly higher expected influence than other variables within the same network., Results: Among 87 networks, 75 were validated with correlation-stability coefficients above 0.25. Nine central lifestyle types were identified in 28 countries: cooking at home (in 11 countries), food types in daily meals (in one country), less smoking tobacco (in two countries), less alcohol consumption (in two countries), less duration of sitting (in three countries), less consumption of snacks (in five countries), less sugary drinks (in five countries), having a meal at home (in two countries), taking alternative medicine or natural health products (in one country). Six central health outcomes were noted among 28 countries: social support received (in three countries), physical health (in one country), sleep quality (in four countries), quality of life (in seven countries), less mental burden (in three countries), less emotional distress (in 13 countries). Three bridge lifestyles were identified in 19 countries: food types in daily meals (in one country), cooking at home (in one country), overall amount of exercise (in 17 countries). The centrality difference test showed the central and bridge variables had significantly higher centrality indices than others in their networks (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: In 29 countries, cooking at home, less emotional distress, and overall amount of exercise emerged as common central lifestyle, health outcome, and bridge lifestyle factors, respectively. However, notable regional variations necessitate tailored interventions and resource allocations to effectively address unique local key variables and promote holistic health in each locale. The study's cross-sectional design and self-reported data may limit generalisability, emphasising the need for cautious interpretation and further longitudinal research., Keywords: global; across-country comparisons; lifestyle; health outcomes; network analysis., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2025 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Memory loss is becoming an increasingly significant health problem, largely due to Alzheimer's disease (AD), which disrupts the brain in several ways, including causing inflammation and weakening the body's defenses. This study explores the potential of medicinal plants as a source of novel therapeutic agents for AD. First, we tested various plant extracts against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in vitro , following molecular docking simulations with key AD-related protein targets such as MAO-B, P-gp, GSK-3β, and CD14. Rosemary extract was found to be the most inhibitory towards AChE. The compounds found in rosemary (oleanolic acid), sage (pinocembrin), and cinnamon (italicene) showed promise in potentially binding to MAO-B. These chemicals may interact with a key protein in the brain and alter the production and removal of amyloid-β. Luteolin (from rosemary), myricetin (from sage), chamigrene, and italicene (from cinnamon) exhibited potential for inhibiting tau aggregation. Additionally, ursolic acid found in rosemary, sage, and chamigrene from cinnamon could modulate CD14 activity. For the first time, our findings shed light on the intricate interplay between neuroinflammation, neuroprotective mechanisms, and the immune system's role in AD. Further research is needed to validate the in vivo efficacy and safety of these plant-derived compounds, as well as their interactions with key protein targets, which could lead to the development of novel AD therapeutics., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Background: In this study, we assessed the general population's fears towards various diseases and events, aiming to inform public health strategies that balance health-seeking behaviours., Methods: We surveyed adults from 30 countries across all World Health Organization (WHO) regions between July 2020 and August 2021. Participants rated their fear of 11 factors on an 11-point Likert scale. We stratified the data by age and gender and examined variations across countries and regions through multidimensional preference analysis., Results: Of the 16 512 adult participants, 62.7% (n = 10 351) were women. The most feared factor was the loss of family members, reported by 4232 participants (25.9%), followed by cancer (n = 2248, 13.7%) and stroke (n = 1416, 8.7%). The highest weighted fear scores were for loss of family members (mean (x̄) = 7.46, standard deviation (SD) = 3.04), cancer (x̄ = 7.00, SD = 3.09), and stroke (x̄ = 6.61, SD = 3.24). The least feared factors included animals/insects (x̄ = 3.72, SD = 2.96), loss of a mobile phone (x̄ = 4.27, SD = 2.98), and social isolation (x̄ = 4.83, SD = 3.13). Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was the sixth most feared factor (x̄ = 6.23, SD = 2.92). Multidimensional preference analyses showed distinct fears of COVID-19 and job loss in Australia and Burundi. The other countries primarily feared loss of family members, cancer, stroke, and heart attacks; this ranking was consistent across WHO regions, economic levels, and COVID-19 severity levels., Conclusions: Fear of family loss can improve public health messaging, highlighting the need for bereavement support and the prevention of early death-causing diseases. Addressing cancer fears is crucial to encouraging the use of preventive services. Fear of non-communicable diseases remains high during health emergencies. Top fears require more resources and countries with similar concerns should collaborate internationally for effective fear management., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2024 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: Central and bridge nodes can drive significant overall improvements within their respective networks. We aimed to identify them in 16 prevalent chronic diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to guide effective intervention strategies and appropriate resource allocation for most significant holistic lifestyle and health improvements., Methods: We surveyed 16 512 adults from July 2020 to August 2021 in 30 territories. Participants self-reported their medical histories and the perceived impact of COVID-19 on 18 lifestyle factors and 13 health outcomes. For each disease subgroup, we generated lifestyle, health outcome, and bridge networks. Variables with the highest centrality indices in each were identified central or bridge. We validated these networks using nonparametric and case-dropping subset bootstrapping and confirmed central and bridge variables' significantly higher indices through a centrality difference test., Findings: Among the 48 networks, 44 were validated (all correlation-stability coefficients >0.25). Six central lifestyle factors were identified: less consumption of snacks (for the chronic disease: anxiety), less sugary drinks (cancer, gastric ulcer, hypertension, insomnia, and pre-diabetes), less smoking tobacco (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), frequency of exercise (depression and fatty liver disease), duration of exercise (irritable bowel syndrome), and overall amount of exercise (autoimmune disease, diabetes, eczema, heart attack, and high cholesterol). Two central health outcomes emerged: less emotional distress (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eczema, fatty liver disease, gastric ulcer, heart attack, high cholesterol, hypertension, insomnia, and pre-diabetes) and quality of life (anxiety, autoimmune disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome). Four bridge lifestyles were identified: consumption of fruits and vegetables (diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and insomnia), less duration of sitting (eczema, fatty liver disease, and heart attack), frequency of exercise (autoimmune disease, depression, and heart attack), and overall amount of exercise (anxiety, gastric ulcer, and insomnia). The centrality difference test showed the central and bridge variables had significantly higher centrality indices than others in their networks (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: To effectively manage chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic, enhanced interventions and optimised resource allocation toward central lifestyle factors, health outcomes, and bridge lifestyles are paramount. The key variables shared across chronic diseases emphasise the importance of coordinated intervention strategies., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2024 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: The interconnected nature of lifestyles and interim health outcomes implies the presence of the central lifestyle, central interim health outcome and bridge lifestyle, which are yet to be determined. Modifying these factors holds immense potential for substantial positive changes across all aspects of health and lifestyles. We aimed to identify these factors from a pool of 18 lifestyle factors and 13 interim health outcomes while investigating potential gender and occupation differences., Methods: An international cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 countries across six World Health Organization regions from July 2020 to August 2021, with 16 512 adults self-reporting changes in 18 lifestyle factors and 13 interim health outcomes since the pandemic., Results: Three networks were computed and tested. The central variables decided by the expected influence centrality were consumption of fruits and vegetables (centrality = 0.98) jointly with less sugary drinks (centrality = 0.93) in the lifestyles network; and quality of life (centrality = 1.00) co-dominant (centrality = 1.00) with less emotional distress in the interim health outcomes network. The overall amount of exercise had the highest bridge expected influence centrality in the bridge network (centrality = 0.51). No significant differences were found in the network global strength or the centrality of the aforementioned key variables within each network between males and females or health workers and non-health workers (all P-values >0.05 after Holm-Bonferroni correction)., Conclusions: Consumption of fruits and vegetables, sugary drinks, quality of life, emotional distress, and the overall amount of exercise are key intervention components for improving overall lifestyle, overall health and overall health via lifestyle in the general population, respectively. Although modifications are needed for all aspects of lifestyle and interim health outcomes, a larger allocation of resources and more intensive interventions were recommended for these key variables to produce the most cost-effective improvements in lifestyles and health, regardless of gender or occupation., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2023 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: The health area being greatest impacted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and residents' perspective to better prepare for future pandemic remain unknown. We aimed to assess and make cross-country and cross-region comparisons of the global impacts of COVID-19 and preparation preferences of pandemic., Methods: We recruited adults in 30 countries covering all World Health Organization (WHO) regions from July 2020 to August 2021. 5 Likert-point scales were used to measure their perceived change in 32 aspects due to COVID-19 (-2 = substantially reduced to 2 = substantially increased) and perceived importance of 13 preparations (1 = not important to 5 = extremely important). Samples were stratified by age and gender in the corresponding countries. Multidimensional preference analysis displays disparities between 30 countries, WHO regions, economic development levels, and COVID-19 severity levels., Results: 16 512 adults participated, with 10 351 females. Among 32 aspects of impact, the most affected were having a meal at home (mean (m) = 0.84, standard error (SE) = 0.01), cooking at home (m = 0.78, SE = 0.01), social activities (m = -0.68, SE = 0.01), duration of screen time (m = 0.67, SE = 0.01), and duration of sitting (m = 0.59, SE = 0.01). Alcohol (m = -0.36, SE = 0.01) and tobacco (m = -0.38, SE = 0.01) consumption declined moderately. Among 13 preparations, respondents rated medicine delivery (m = 3.50, SE = 0.01), getting prescribed medicine in a hospital visit / follow-up in a community pharmacy (m = 3.37, SE = 0.01), and online shopping (m = 3.33, SE = 0.02) as the most important. The multidimensional preference analysis showed the European Region, Region of the Americas, Western Pacific Region and countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity were more adversely impacted on sitting and screen time duration and social activities, whereas other regions and countries experienced more cooking and eating at home. Countries with a high-income level or medium to high COVID-19 severity reported higher perceived mental burden and emotional distress. Except for low- and lower-middle-income countries, medicine delivery was always prioritised., Conclusions: Global increasing sitting and screen time and limiting social activities deserve as much attention as mental health. Besides, the pandemic has ushered in a notable enhancement in lifestyle of home cooking and eating, while simultaneously reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. A health care system and technological infrastructure that facilitate medicine delivery, medicine prescription, and online shopping are priorities for coping with future pandemics., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2023 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Cancer is the deadliest threat that human beings are currently facing. Prostate cancer is the second largest cancer in males all over the world. During the last decade, scientists made breakthroughs in combatting this deadliest threat through naturally identified drugs. As in the majority of the cases, the natural products have been reported as non-toxic to the healthy cells of the body; therefore, scientists are taking special interest in identifying those and making tiresome efforts to isolate compounds from the naturally occurring living resources. Marine natural products are given a special preference over other natural products because of their diverse atmospheric and structural variations as well as signaling pathways for carcinogenesis. This study covers the anti-prostate cancer agents extracted from marine organisms including algae, fungi, bacteria, sponges, soft-bodied corals, fish, and other miscellaneous organisms. These natural products belong to different classes such as terpenes, terpenoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, polyketides, peptides, lactones, quinones, polysaccharides, and steroids. These compounds act against prostate cancer cells via in vitro and in vivo pathways, show special affinity towards the targeted area, and are specific because they bind to specific signaling paths. This review article covers data published from 2003 to 2023, which consists of anti-prostate cancer agents from marine sources., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. No human or animal studies were performed. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: To determine the causes of low vision among Sudanese patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) by using ophthalmic B-scan ultrasonography., Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients with DR at different grades, were recruited prospectively between September 2016 and January 2018. Nidek (Echoscan US-4000) ultrasound unit was used to determine the causes of low vision in diabetic patients according to their glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and early treatment of diabetic retinopathy scale (ETDRS) severity levels., Results: Vitreous hemorrhage (VH) 42(66.6%), asteroid hyalosis (AH) 12(14.3%), and partial retinal detachment (PRD) 9(19%) were the main cause of low vision in patients presenting with moderately regulated HbA1c and graded with either minimal or mild nonproliferative retinopathy (NPDR). While VH 15(40.5%), total retinal detachment (TRD) 12(32.4%), posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) 7(19%), and choroidal detachment (CD) 3(8.1%), were dominant in patients with poorly regulated HbA1c and graded either as moderate NPDR; severe NPDR; and proliferative retinopathy (PR)., Conclusions: Ophthalmic B-mode ultrasound is a rapid, noninvasive imaging technique that can be used with minimum discomfort in ophthalmological practice for the detection and evaluation of DR complications that predict the visual outcome.

Introduction: Many clinical studies suggest a direct association between hepatic fat content and visceral adiposity and the progression of fibrosis., Aim: This work aims to clarify the relation between the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and severity of necroinflammatory activity and liver fibrosis in Egyptian patients with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study, over a period of six months, was performed on 50 chronic HCV patients subjected to routine laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasonography, measurement of Waist Circumference (WC), calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) and VAI, ultrasound guided liver biopsy and assessment of hepatic fibrosis by METAVIR staging., Results: A total of 50 HCV positive patients, 29 (58%) males and 21 (42%) females were included in the study. Age ranged from 29-60 years (44.4±8.4). BMI was ranged from 20.3 to 41.4 kg/m 2 (31.7±5.5). VAI for males was 0.4±0.2 and for females was 0.5±0.3. There were significant positive correlations between VAI and BMI, Triglycerides (TG), fibrosis stages, grades of liver inflammation and FIB-4 Fibrosis-4 score. There were significant negative correlations between VAI and high density lipoprotein, platelets and haemoglobin., Conclusion: There is an association between visceral obesity represented by VAI and the severity of hepatic inflammatory response in chronic hepatitis C patients. Other studies are recommended to measure the clinical implication of visceral obesity on the response to the novel directly acting antivirals.

In this study, we isolated 15 endophytic fungi from five Sudanese medicinal plants. Each fungal endophytic strain was identified by sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA. Ethyl acetate extracts were prepared from each endophyte cultivated in vitro and tested for their respective antibacterial activities and antiproliferative activities against human cancer cells. Antibacterial screening was carried out against two bacterial strains: Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, by the broth dilution method. Cell viability was evaluated by the MTT procedure after exposure of MCF7 breast cancer cells and HT29 or HCT116 human colon adenocarcinoma cells to each endophytic extract. Of interest, Byssochlamys spectabilis isolated from Euphorbia prostata showed cytotoxicity (IC50 = 1.51 ± 0.2 μg mL(-1)) against MCF7 cells, but had a low effect against HT29 or HCT116 cells (IC50 > 20 μg mL(-1)). Cladosporium cladosporioides 2, isolated from Vernonia amygdalina leaves, showed antiproliferative activities against MCF7 cells (IC50 = 10.5 ± 1.5 μg mL(-1)) only. On the other hand, B. spectabilis and Alternaria sp. extract had antibacterial activities against the S. aureus strain. The findings of this work revealed that endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants from Sudan could be considered as an attractive source of new therapeutic compounds., (© FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Association between prostate cancer and obesity remains controversial. Allelic deletions of PTEN, a tumor suppressor gene, are common in prostate cancer in men. Monoallelic Pten deletion in mice causes low prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (mPIN). This study tested the effect of a hypercaloric diet on prostate cancer in Pten (+/-) mice., Methods: 1-month old mice were fed a high-calorie diet deriving 45% calories from fat for 3 and 6 months before prostate was analyzed histologically and biochemically for mPIN progression. Because Pten (+/-) mice are protected against diet-induced insulin resistance, we tested the role of insulin on cell growth in RWPE-1 normal human prostatic epithelial cells with siRNA knockdown of PTEN., Results: In addition to activating PI3 kinase/Akt and Ras/MAPkinase pathways, high-calorie diet causes neoplastic progression, angiogenesis, inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. It also elevates the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), a lipogenic gene commonly elevated in progressive cancer. SiRNA-mediated downregulation of PTEN demonstrates increased cell growth and motility, and soft agar clonicity in addition to elevation in FAS in response to insulin in RWPE-1 normal human prostatic cells. Downregulating FAS in addition to PTEN, blunted the proliferative effect of insulin (and IL-6) in RWPE-1 cells., Conclusion: High-calorie diet promotes prostate cancer progression in the genetically susceptible Pten haploinsufficient mouse while preserving insulin sensitivity. This appears to be partly due to increased inflammatory response to high-caloric intake in addition to increased ability of insulin to promote lipogenesis.

The current study was designed to investigate the potential association of serum interleukin-10 and interleukin-12 with HCV infection in chronic liver disease and to evaluate their possible role as new biomarkers in HCC development. Material and Methods. Forty-one patients suffering from chronic liver disease (33 patients harbor HCV infection and 8 are HCV-negative patients) were enrolled in the present study and histopathologically diagnosed into 15 patients with HCC, 16 patients with LC, and 10 patients with liver histology compatible with precirrhotic hepatitis (PCH). Ten patients complaining of cholecystitis were included as nondisease control. Serum levels of IL-10 and IL-12 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. HCV-infected patients showed elevated expression of IL-10 and IL-12 compared to nondisease controls (P < 0.0001) but there is no significant difference with respect to their expression in HCV-negative patients. Serum IL-10 and IL-12 were elevated significantly with disease progression (P < 0.0001) and a positive correlation coefficient was detected between IL-10, IL-12 (r = 0.785, P < 0.0001), and transaminase values suggesting their possible role in chronic inflammation progression leading to HCC. Conclusion. IL-10 and IL-12 might be involved in chronic inflammation progression leading to HCC and their evaluation could be used as new biomarkers to reflect the degree of inflammation in HCC development.

The marine endophytic fungus Coniothyrium cereale produces the structurally unusual polyketide-type alkaloids (-)-cereolactam (1) and (-)-cereoaldomine (3), incorporating a lactam and an imine functionality, respectively, as well as the related metabolite (-)-trypethelone (2). Compounds 1 and 3 showed selective inhibition of human leukocyte elastase with IC50 values of 9.28 and 3.01 μM, respectively. Compound 2 was found to be inhibitory toward Mycobacterium phlei, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli and also cytotoxic against mouse fibroblast cells (IC50=7.5 μM).

Epoxyphomalins A (1) and B (2) are highly potent cytotoxic fungal metabolites. During the course of purifying larger quantities of 1 and 2 from Paraconiothyrium sp. fermentation extracts, three new epoxyphomalins (3-5) were isolated and characterized, showing modifications to the oxidation pattern of the cyclohexene moiety or of C-9 of the decalin system. IC(50) values for cytotoxicity against a panel of 36 human tumor cell lines were determined for all new compounds. Compound 4 was found to be cytotoxic particularly toward prostate PC3M (IC(50) = 0.72 μM) and bladder BXF 1218 L (IC(50) = 1.43 μM) cancer cell lines. In addition, inhibition of chymotrypsin-, caspase-, and trypsin-like activity of purified 20S proteasomes was determined for epoxyphomalins A (1) and B (2). The results indicate that compounds 1 and 2 exert their cytotoxic effect through potent inhibition of the 20S proteasome.

Chemical investigation of a strain of the marine-derived fungus Phoma sp. has led to the discovery of epoxyphomalin A (1) and B (2), two new prenylated polyketides with unusual structural features. Epoxyphomalin A (1) showed superior cytotoxicity at nanomolar concentrations toward 12 of a panel of 36 human tumor cell lines. In COMPARE analyses, the observed cytotoxic selectivity pattern of 1 did not correlate with those of reference anticancer agents with known mechanisms of action.

Background: Despite early detection having been identified as a key factor in long-term survival of patients with breast cancer, women with locally advanced breast cancer continued to present at many medical centers., Methods: Women with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) (N = 11) and matched controls (N = 11) with Stage I or II breast cancer completed semi-structured interviews and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Life Orientation Test, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, Body Investment Scale, Monitor-Blunter Style Scale, and Religious Coping Scale. Five spouses of the LABC group and eight control partners were similarly assessed., Results: On psychological tests, no significant differences were found between patient groups; however, LABC spouses reported significantly greater active religious surrender (t = 2.37, P = 0.037) and depression (t = 3.54, P = 0.047) than control spouses. The women's semi-structured interviews identified that LABC was associated with inattention to routine breast cancer screening, denial, fatalism and reliance on alternative therapies. Spouses of the LABC group tended to be more passive in their wives' medical care, and also utilized fatalistic thinking and denial., Conclusions: It is important for health care providers to identify patients who will require extra encouragement to seek timely medical care and to follow through with treatment recommendations.

Background/aims: p53 gene mutation occurs in about 50-60% of colorectal carcinoma cases. This mostly occurs as a late event in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. These late stages are associated with more aneuploidy compared to adenomas and early carcinomas. However there is a controversy regarding the relation between p53 overexpression and DNA index. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between p53 status and DNA ploidy pattern., Methodology: Nuclear DNA content of paraffin-embedded material from 83 colectomy specimens for colorectal carcinoma was measured by flow cytometry. Also, p53 was detected by immunohistochemistry in 73 out of the 83 tumor cases using a monoclonal antibody that detects both wild and mutant p53 proteins (Biogenex 1801)., Results: Aneuploidy was identified in 37 cases (46.25%). Tumors with rectal location were significantly more aneuploid in comparison to other sites (P = 0.009), p53 staining showed three patterns: diffuse staining (29 cases), focal (13 cases), and negative (31 cases). Diffuse p53 staining was associated with aneuploidy (P = 0.04). The majority of DNA indices fell within the range 1.1-2.2 (32 out of 37). Twenty-one of these had DNA index = 1.1-1.8 (aneuploidy short of tetraploidy) significantly associated with diffuse p53 staining compared with peritetraploid cases (DNA index 1.8-2.2) (P = 0.034)., Conclusions: p53 immunohistochemistry demonstrates two distinct patterns in colorectal carcinoma. Diffuse p53 staining, which is associated with aneuploidy short of tetraploidy (DNA index 1.1-1.8), a finding which is different from previously published work. Focal p53 staining pattern, in contrast, is related to high G2M and more abnormal tetraploid peaks but less aneuploidy.

Background: Although direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have revolutionized the management of chronic HCV, the debatable association with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence/recurrence has raised major concerns about their long-term use, especially in cirrhotic cases. The role of epithelial tight junction proteins (TJPs) in hepatocarcinogenesis has been highlighted; however, the association of their expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with HCC has rarely been reported. This study aimed to explore the role of peripheral claudin (Cldn)1 in liver pathogenesis and its crosstalk with soluble immune mediators in HCC prognosis., Methods: The study population included six independent subgroups: healthy controls, cirrhotic/non-cirrhotic treatment-naïve HCV patients, DAA-SVR patients, and anticancer treatment-naïve de novo HCC patients. The laboratory tests included serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin, liver transaminases, total bilirubin, and CBC profiling. The serum levels of soluble cluster of differentiation (sCD)163, IL-10, and IL-12 were estimated by corresponding ELISA kits, whereas the levels of Cldn1 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in PBMCs were quantified using quantitative PCR (qPCR)., Results: Serum sCD163, IL-10, and IL-12 levels were significantly higher in the HCC patient group than in the control and non-malignant patient groups (P < 0.0001). No significant difference was detected in the serum levels of the three markers between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients, whereas their levels were significantly different between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients (P < 0.0001). Similarly, the transcriptional levels of peripheral Cldn1 and TGF-β were significantly higher in patients with HCC and non-malignant cirrhosis than in patients without cirrhosis (P = 0.0185-<0.0001 and 0.0089-<0.0001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between all the abovementioned markers and HCC (P = 0.0303 to < 0.0001), which was further confirmed by the results of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, which revealed an area under the curve (AUC) value ranging from 0.883 to 0.996. The calculated cutoff values demonstrated remarkable prognostic capacity, with ranges of 88-99.41% and 82.14-97.92% and positive/negative predictive values ranging from 84.62 to 98.3% and 92-98%, respectively., Conclusion: The proposed HCC predictors are novel non-invasive HCC biomarkers that maintain their predictive power under different pathological conditions and circumvent the drawbacks of conventional prognostic markers in patients with mild cirrhosis and/or normal AFP, albumin, and/or platelet counts., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethical approval This observational study involving human participants was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the National Research Centre (Cairo-Egypt) (Approval NO: 04130124) in strict compliance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Written consent, including patient approval for participation and publication, was obtained from all participants after a full explanation of the aim and procedures of the study. Consent for publication In this study, data were used with permission from the relevant authorities. The privacy and confidentiality of the obtained data were ensured for all participants. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Two new nonadride derivatives, namely, talarodrides G and H (1 and 2), and one new depsidone derivative, botryorhodine K (3), together with a known nonadride analogue (4), were characterized from the Magellan Seamount-derived fungus Talaromyces scorteus AS-242. Their structures were established by detailed interpretation of NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry data analysis. X-ray crystallographic analysis of compounds 1 and 3 confirmed their structures and absolute configurations, representing the first characterized crystal structure of a nonadride-type polyketide. The isolated compounds exhibited potent antimicrobial activities against the pathogenic bacterium MRSA and V. parahaemolyticus and pathogenic fungi C. gloeosporioides, F. oxysporum, and F. proliferatum, with MIC values ranging from 1 to 64 μg ml -1 ., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the Japan Antibiotics Research Association.)

Aim: Interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12 contribute to immune responses against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Polymorphisms in the IL-10 and IL-12A genes might affect the clinical outcome of HBV infection. We evaluated the association of IL-10 rs1800896 and rs3024490, and IL-12A rs568408 and rs2243115 with the progression of HBV infection and development of severe liver disease stages in a white European population., Method: A total of 636 white European patients with chronic HBV infection, 239 individuals with spontaneous HBV surface antigen seroclearance, and 254 healthy controls were enrolled. The chronic HBV infection group included patients with hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) negative chronic hepatitis B (n = 255), with HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B (n = 99) and with HBeAg negative HBV infection (n = 228). A total of 104 chronically infected patients were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Serum levels of cytokines were measured in patients with HBV infection (n = 195) and in healthy controls (n = 160)., Results: In adjusted multivariate analysis, the IL-10 rs1800896 AG/GG genotypes were significantly associated with an increased probability of HBV surface antigen seroclearance (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.04-2.94, p = 0.034), with an increased likelihood of HBeAg negative chronic infection (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.05-3.54, p = 0.034) and with increased serum cytokines levels in female patients. In contrast, the IL-12A rs568408 AG/AA genotypes were independently associated with an increased risk to develop liver cirrhosis, with an OR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.07-3.39, p = 0.029) in male patients., Conclusion: The current study shows a sex-related association of the IL-10 single-nucleotide polymorphism rs1800896 and IL-12A single-nucleotide polymorphism rs568408 with different stages of HBV infection and with HBV-related liver cirrhosis in white European patients., (© 2023 The Authors. Hepatology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Society of Hepatology.)

The genus Phoma has been explored for a wide range of secondary metabolites signifying a huge range of bioactivities. Phoma sensu lato is a major group that secretes several secondary metabolites. The genus Phoma mainly includes Phoma macrostoma, P. multirostrata, P. exigua, P. herbarum, P. betae, P. bellidis, P. medicaginis, P. tropica, and many more species from the genus that are continuously being identified for their potential secondary metabolites. The metabolite spectrum includes bioactive compounds like phomenon, phomin, phomodione, cytochalasins, cercosporamide, phomazines, and phomapyrone reported from various Phoma spp. These secondary metabolites show a broad range of activities including antimicrobial, antiviral, antinematode, and anticancer. The present review is aimed to emphasize the importance of Phoma sensu lato fungi, as a natural source of biologically active secondary metabolites, and their cytotoxic activities. So far, cytotoxic activities of Phoma spp. have not been reviewed; hence, this review will be novel and useful for the readers to develop Phoma-derived anticancer agents. KEY POINTS: • Different Phoma spp. contain a wide variety of bioactive metabolites. • These Phoma spp. also secrete cytotoxic and antitumor compounds. • The secondary metabolites can be used for the development of anticancer agents., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The crude extract of the Arctic fungus Phoma muscivora CPCC 401424 displayed anti-influenza A virus activities which led us to investigated their secondary metabolites. Four new chromone derivatives, phomarcticones A-D (1-4) and five known chromone analogs (5-9) have been isolated from Arctic fungus Phoma muscivora CPCC 401424. Compounds 3 and 4 possess rare sulfoxide groups in chromone derivatives. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data, electronic circular dichroism, and comparison with reported data. Compounds 3, 7, and 9 showed significant anti-influenza A virus activities with the IC 50 values of 24.4, 4.2, and 2.7 μM, respectively., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the Japan Antibiotics Research Association.)

Phytochemical investigation of Diospyros mespiliformis leaves resulted in the isolation of new acylated flavone isoscutellarein 7- O -(4'''- O -acetyl)- β -allopyranosyl(1''' → 2'')- β -glucopyranoside ( 1 ), along with eight known flavonoid metabolites, luteolin 3',4',6,8-tetramethyl ether ( 2 ), luteolin 4'- O - β -neohesperidoside ( 3 ), luteolin 7- O - β -glucoside ( 4 ), luteolin ( 5 ), quercetin ( 6 ), quercetin 3- O - β -glucoside ( 7 ), quercetin 3- O - α -rhamnoside ( 8 ), and rutin ( 9 ). Their structures were identified by analysis of spectroscopic (UV, NMR, and MS) data, as well as by acid hydrolysis for the isolated glycosides. The antioxidant activity of D. mespiliformis metabolites was determined by the DPPH radical-scavenging assay. The new acylated flavone ( 1 ) and flavonol O -rhamnoside ( 8 ) displayed the highest antioxidant activities with IC 50 values 15.46 and 12.32 μg/mL, respectively, with respect to the antioxidant ascorbic acid (IC 50 value 10.62 μg/mL). In addition, the isolated flavonoids were evaluated against four human pathogenic bacteria where the methylated flavone ( 2 ) exhibited potent activity against Escherichia coli with inhibition zone 34 mm, and mild activity of flavonol O -rhamnoside ( 8 ) against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC value 9.77 μg/mL. According to the MBC/MIC ratio, the antibacterial activity of the isolated flavonoids was considered flavonoid 2 is bactericidal nature against S. aureus, and flavonoids 3 and 4 are bactericidal against E. coli., (© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

An estimated 8-10 million people suffer from viral hepatitis in Egypt. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are the major causes of viral hepatitis in Egypt as 50% or more of the Egyptian population are already exposed to HAV infection by the age of 15. In addition, over 60% of the Egyptian population test seropositive for anti-HEV in the first decade of life. HEV mainly causes self-limiting hepatitis; however, cases of fulminant hepatitis and liver failure were reported in Egypt. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis D virus (HDV) are the main causes of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]) in Egypt. Globally, Egypt had the highest age-standardized death rate due to cirrhosis from 1990 to 2017. The prevalence rate of HBV (1.3%-1.5%) has declined after national infantile immunization. Coinfection of HBV patients with HDV is common in Egypt because HDV antibodies (IgG) vary in range from 8.3% to 43% among total HBV patients. After the conduction of multiple national programs to control HCV infection, a lower rate of HCV prevalence (4.6%) was recently reported. Data about the incidence of HCV after treatment with direct antiviral agents (DAAs) are lacking. An HCC incidence of 29/1000/year in cirrhotic patients after DAA treatment is reported. A higher rate of infiltrative pattern among HCC patients after DAA treatment is also recognized. Viral hepatitis is one of the major public health concerns in Egypt that needs more attention and funding from health policymakers., (© 2021 The Societies and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Many people in different African countries are suffering from different diseases many of which result in serious life threat and public health problems with high risk of infection and mortality. Due to less accessibility and high cost of modern drugs, people of this continent often depend on traditional medicine using medicinal plants to manage the diseases. Africa has large tropical rain forests, which are very rich in medicinal plants. Many of them have been scientifically proven for their medicinal values. These medicinal plants which constitute a large repertoire of endophytes have not been significantly explored for the isolation of these microorganisms and their bioactive secondary metabolites. This review summarizes the research on endophytes isolated from medicinal plants of Africa, their pharmacological potential and some of their biotechnological aspects. Novel compounds reported from endophytes from Africa with their biological activities have also been reviewed. Information documented in this review might serve as starting point for future researches on endophytes in different African countries., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Direct-acting antivirals eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) in more than 95% of treated individuals and may abolish liver injury, arrest fibrogenesis, and reverse fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, liver regeneration is usually a slow process that is less effective in the late stages of fibrosis. What is more, fibrogenesis may prevail in patients with advanced cirrhosis, where it can progress to liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the development of antifibrotic drugs that halt and reverse fibrosis progression is urgently needed. Fibrosis occurs due to the repair process of damaged hepatic tissue, which eventually leads to scarring. The innate immune response against HCV is essential in the initiation and progression of liver fibrosis. HCV-infected hepatocytes and liver macrophages secrete proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines that promote the activation and differentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) to myofibroblasts that produce extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Prolonged ECM production by myofibroblasts due to chronic inflammation is essential to the development of fibrosis. While no antifibrotic therapy is approved to date, several drugs are being tested in phase 2 and phase 3 trials with promising results. This review discusses current state-of-the-art knowledge on treatments targeting the innate immune system to revert chronic hepatitis C-associated liver fibrosis. Agents that cause liver damage may vary (alcohol, virus infection, etc.), but fibrosis progression shows common patterns among them, including chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, hepatocyte injury, HSC activation, and excessive ECM deposition. Therefore, mechanisms underlying these processes are promising targets for general antifibrotic therapies.

Acute rejection is the major determinant for the long-term survival of donor liver after liver transplantation (LT). The aim of this study was to examine the therapeutic potential of interleukin (IL)-10-FasL-overexpressing immature dendritic cells (imDCs) to induce local immunosuppression in liver grafts. imDCs derived from donors were transduced by lentiviral vectors expressing human IL-10 and/or Fas ligand (FasL) gene(s), and the expression of surface molecules and the ability to induce T-cell proliferation were measured. imDCs were intraperitoneally injected into recipient rats as a model of LT to examine the rejection grade [Banff rejection activity index (RAI)], liver functions [Alanine aminotransferase, Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin (TBIL)] and post-transplant survival. IL-10 and FasL co-transduction of imDCs induced a greater reduction in CD80, CD86 and major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) expression, as well as T-cell proliferation, but increased levels of IL-10 and FasL in culture supernatants compared with mono-transduced or untransduced imDCs (P < 0.05). The infusion of co-transduced imDCs in LT recipients reduced RAI scores, decreased plasma AST and TBIL, and prolonged survival compared with mono-transduced or untransduced imDC-treated liver allografts. These findings demonstrated that the transfusion of IL-10-FasL/imDCs enhanced immune tolerance and prolonged the survival of liver allografts after LT. The immunomodulatory activity of IL-10- and FasL-modified imDCs might be a new therapeutic approach to prevent organ rejection in clinical transplantation., (© 2019 Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology Inc.)