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Background: Wilms tumor (WT) survival has been affected by the evolution in clinical and biological prognostic factors. Significant differences in survival rates indicate the need for further efforts to reduce these disparities. This study aims to evaluate the clinicopathological data impact on survival among patients after Wilm's diagnosis., Methods: The study utilized the SEERStat Database to identify Wilms tumor patients, applying SEERStat software version 8.3.9.2 for data extraction. Selection criteria involved specific codes based on the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDO-3), excluding cases with unknown SEER stage, incomplete survival data, unknown size, or lymph node status. Statistical analyses, including Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression models, were conducted using R software version 3.5. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were computed with SEER*Stat software, and relative and conditional survival analyses were performed to evaluate long-term survival outcomes., Results: Of 2273 patients diagnosed with Wilms tumor, (1219 patients, 53.6% were females with an average age group of 3-8 years (50.2%). The overall mean survival after five years of diagnosis was 93.6% (2.6-94.7), and the overall mean survival rate was 92.5% (91.3-93.8) after ten years of diagnosis. Renal cancers were identified as the leading cause of death (77.3%), followed by nonrenal cancers (11%) and noncancer causes (11%). Additionally, robust relative survival rates of 98.10%, 92.80%, and 91.3% at one, five, and ten years, respectively, were observed, with corresponding five-year conditional survival rates indicating an increasing likelihood of survival with each additional year post-diagnosis. Univariate Cox regression identified significant prognostic factors: superior CSS for patients below 3 years (cHR 0.48) and poorer CSS for those older than 15 years (cHR 2.72), distant spread (cHR 10.24), regional spread (cHR 3.09), and unknown stage (cHR 4.97). In the multivariate model, age was not a significant predictor, but distant spread (aHR 9.22), regional spread (aHR 2.84), and unknown stage (aHR 4.98) were associated with worse CSS compared to localized tumors., Conclusion: This study delving into WT survival dynamics reveals a multifaceted landscape influenced by clinicopathological variables. This comprehensive understanding emphasizes the imperative for ongoing research and personalized interventions to refine survival rates and address nuanced challenges across age, stage, and tumor spread in WT patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Our objective was to identify non-malignant factors that contribute to mortality in children, adolescents and young adults, aiming to improve patient follow-up and reduce mortality rates to achieve better survival outcomes., Methods: We analyzed 8,239 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2019 in the USA. Using version 8.4.0.1 of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)*Stat software, we calculated the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each cause of death., Results: Out of the 3,165 deaths observed in the study population, the majority (2,245;70.9%) were attributed to AML itself, followed by non-AML cancers (573; 18.1%) and non-cancerous causes (347; 10.9%)., Conclusions: Patients with AML are at a higher risk of developing other types of cancer and granulocyte deficiencies, which increases the risk of death from non-cancerous causes such as infections. Moreover, treatment for AML carries the risk of cardiac problems. AML is commoner in males than females., Competing Interests: All authors do not have a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright 2024, Elgenidy et al.)

Objective: This study aimed to assess the serum levels of vitamin D in an Egyptian cohort of children with allergic rhinitis (AR) and to evaluate any correlation of vitamin D status with the disease severity. Patient and methods: One hundred twenty children with AR and 100 healthy children were included in our study. We studied the serum levels of vitamin D 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D in all participants. The associations between vitamin D levels and clinical characteristics of AR were examined. Results: In AR group, the serum levels of calcium, (25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D levels were significantly lower ( p < .0001, p < .001, and p < .0001, respectively) in AR children than in controls. Furthermore, the mean 25-OHD3 levels in patients with moderate/severe AR were significantly lower than those with mild AR ( p < .001). We found significant negative correlations between mean 25(OH)D levels and total nasal symptom score ( r = -.62, p = .002) and total immunoglobulin E levels ( r = -.27, p = .013) in AR group. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is a frequent finding among Egyptian children with AR when compared to the healthy group. A significant inverse association was observed between vitamin D levels and AR disease severity.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by alternating periods of activity and remission. Evaluation of the clinical activity of SLE is important for choosing the correct treat¬ment. Current blood biomarkers for assessing SLE activity are not highly sensitive or specific to changes in disease activity. Therefore, the search for clinically useful markers of its activity is ongoing. This study aimed to evaluate serum beta-2 microglobulin (β2-MG) level in SLE patients and its relation to different clinical manifestations, laboratory parameters and disease activity using systemic lupus disease activity index (SLEDAI). The study included 40 SLE patients, divided according to SLEDAI into two groups: 20 active SLE patients with SLEDAI ≥4 and 20 inactive SLE patients with SLEDAI < 4. Also, 20 ages and sex matched apparently healthy individuals formed a control group. Serum β2-MG levels (mg/L) were measured by MININEPHPLUS. Furthermore, laboratory investigations and fundus examinations were performed. The study revealed a significant increase in serum β2-MG level in SLE patient groups (mean 6.77 ± 1.83 and 2.59 ± 0.43 mg/L), compared with the controls (0.82 ± 0.20mg/L, P=0.000), and its level increased in the active SLE group (mean 6.77 ± 1.83 mg/L) than in the inactive group of patients (mean 2.59 ± 0.43 mg/L). Serum β2-MG levels were significantly higher in SLE patients with arthritis, cutaneous and/or mucosal manifestations, Lupus nephritis, and cardiac manifestations but not in patients suffering from hematological, neurological or ocular manifestations. In active SLE patients, serum β2-MG levels correlated positively with SLEDAI, and ESR and correlated negatively with C3 and C4 complement. In conclusion, determination of β2-MG concentration in SLE patients may be helpful in assessing the disease activity as its serum level was higher in SLE patients especially those with active lupus and correlated with certain clinical and laboratory parameters., (Copyright© by the Egyptian Association of Immunologists.)

Objective: The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) calls for evolving a concomitant screening strategies for early disease detection and prediction of the complications. Progranulin (PRGN) was recently introduced as a biomarker of inflammation in T2DM. However, little data have been published as regarding progranulin in relation to diabetic micro angiopathy among Egyptian patients with T2DM. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate and evaluate serum progranulin as a biomarker for the presence and severity of micro vascular complications among Egyptian patients with T2DM., Methods: A total of 90 age and sex matched participants were included in this cross sectional study. They were divided into group 1 included 30 non diabetic healthy controls and group 2 included 60 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, diabetic patients were categorized into two subgroups depending on the presence or absence of microvascular complications. Evaluation for diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy were determined. Furthermore, laboratory investigations were performed and serum progranulin levels were measured by a quantitative sandwich enzyme linked immune sorbent assay., Results: The mean serum PRGN levels were significantly elevated in type 2 diabetic patients (20.90 ± 6.38 ng/ml) compared to control group (9.20 ± 1.41 ng/ml) ( p  < 0.001). Moreover,the serum PRGN levels were increased parallel to the severity of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) with significantly highest detectable values were in macro albuminuric group of diabetic nephropathy as well as proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) groups ( P  < 0.001). Besides, it worth mentioning that, the level of Serum progranulin started to increase significantly in stage 2 DN in spite of normal level of albuminuria. There were highly significant positive correlation between serum PRGN and disease duration, body mass index (BMI),fasting blood sugar (FBS), HbA1c, Total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG), serum creatinine, ACR (r = 0.918, 0.623, 0.430, 0.539,0.910,0.842,0.759, 0.903, resp., P  < 0.001) and a significant positive correlation with low density lipoprotein (LDL) (r = 0.344),but there was a highly significant negative correlation between serum PRGN and eGFR ( r  = -0.866, P  < 0.001) in the studied diabetic patients., Conclusion: Progranulin might be considered as a biomarker for diabetic micro angiopathy and its severity. In addition, there is a group of diabetic patients with decreased eGFR but without albuminuria in which serum PRGN level was indicated to be used as an early biomarker of diabetic nephropathy., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.