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Bone marrow embolism (BME) is likely a consequence of fractures in which pulmonary vessels are the most affected. However, some cases of BME were reported in the absence of trauma. Thus, a traumatic injury might not be necessary for developing BME. This study discusses BME cases in patients without signs of fractures or blunt trauma. The discussion addresses various possible mechanisms for the appearance of BME. Options include cancer in which bone marrow metastasis is a suggestive cause. Another proposal is the chemical theory where bone marrow fats are released via lipoprotein lipase in a pro-inflammatory state, resulting in vascular/pulmonary obstruction. Other cases discussed in this study are hypovolemic shock and drug-abuse related BME. All autopsy cases with BME were included regardless of the cause of death for a period of 2 years. Autopsies involved complete dissection with the macroscopic evaluation of the affected organs, including the heart, lungs, and brain. Tissues were also prepared for microscopic examination. Of the 11 cases, eight showed non-traumatic BME (72%). These findings conflict with theories in the literature that BME most commonly occurs after fractures or trauma. One of the eight cases exhibited mucinous carcinoma; one is presented with hepatocellular carcinoma; and two cases showed severe congestion. Lastly, one case was found to be associated with each of the following conditions: liposuction, drug abuse, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure. Each case suggests a different pathophysiology for developing BME, yet the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Further study of non-traumatic associated BME is recommended.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential neuroprotective effects of ketogenic diet (KD) against the neuronal disruptions induced by SE in lithium-pilocarpine rat model of status epilepticus (SE). Four groups of female rats include; groups I and III received standard diet and groups II and IV received KD for 3 weeks. Groups I and II were left untreated, while groups III and IV were injected with LiCl (127 mg/kg, i.p.) followed by pilocarpine HCl (10 mg/kg, i.p.) 18-24 h later, repeatedly, till induction of SE. 72 h post-SE, KD effectively ameliorated the balance between excitatory (glutamate) and inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmitters and the oxidative stress indices, increased adenine nucleotides and decreased immunoreactivity of iNOS, TNFα, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and synaptophysin. Thiswas in association with improvement in inflammatory response and neuronal tissue characteristics in hippocampus of SE rats. Histological changes showed preservation of neuronal integrity. These findings highlight the protective effects of KD in the acute phase post-SE via ameliorating biochemical and histological changes involved. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder that requires lifelong treatment. It stigmatizes patients and their families. The use of the ketogenic diet (KD) as a therapy for epilepsy developed from observations that fasting could reduce seizures. From 1920s, the KD was a common epilepsy treatment until it was gradually superseded by anticonvulsant drugs so that by the 1980s it was rarely used. However, there has been a resurgence of interest and usage of the KD for epilepsy since the turn of the century. Despite its long history, the mechanisms by which KD exhibits its anti-seizure action are not fully understood. Our study aims to identify the mechanism of KD which may help further studies to achieve the same benefits with a drug or supplement to overcome its unpalatability and gastrointestinal side effects.

Urinary bladder cancer is a common malignancy in Egypt, thus reliable methodologies are required for screening and early detection. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression of a Schistosoma hematobium specific microRNA “Sha-miR-71a” and mitogen-associated protein kinase-3 (MAPK-3) in the urine samples of 50 bladder cancer patients and 50 patients with benign bilharzial cystitis. Fifty control subjects were also tested. Indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) diagnosed 70% of studied cancer cases as bilharzial associated bladder cancer (BBC), while histopathological examination detected only 18%. Urinary Sha-miR-71a & MAPK-3 revealed enhanced expression in BBC (p-value = 0.001) compared to non-bilharzial bladder cancer (NBBC) cases. Patients with chronic bilharzial cystitis exhibited a significant increase in gene expression compared to those with acute infection (p-value = 0.001). Sha-miR-71a and MAPK-3 showed good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of BBC when analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. They were also prognostic regarding malignancy grade. Both biomarkers showed a positive correlation. Our results revealed that IHA is a reliable test in the diagnosis of bilharziasis associated with bladder cancer, and that Sha-miR-71a and MAPK-3 provide non-invasive specific biomarkers to diagnose BBC, as well as a potential role in testing bilharzial patients for risk to develop cancer.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a widespread and devastating disease and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. So much is there to understand about atherosclerosis. And although a lot is already discovered, yet most of the studies are performed in cell cultures and animal models. Recent technologies for genetic engineering and imaging are mainly performed on animal models, with few studies in human tissues. A better understanding of their role is required. AIM: We aim to study the expression of CD 34 hematopoietic progenitor stem cell, CD 68 macrophages, and smooth muscle actin (SMA)-positive smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the human coronary arteries and correlate their differential expression with the atherosclerosis progression. RESULTS: CD 68 and CD 34 expression increase as the atherosclerotic process proceeds from early atheroma to advanced atheroma and start to decrease as the process proceeds to fibroatheroma with a significant p < 0.001. Conversely, SMA expression decreases as the atherosclerotic process progresses with a significant p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: CD34 progenitor cells in conjunction with CD 68 macrophages have a major role in the development of atherosclerosis, whereas the SMCs are minimal in the early stages and reach their maximal levels during the stage of fibroatheroma.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate common in older men. Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a major component of garlic, has been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects. However, the underlying protective immunomodulatory mechanism of DAS on BPH remains vague. Herein, experimental BPH was induced in rats by daily subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate (TP) (3 mg/kg, s.c.) for 4 weeks. In parallel, finasteride (Fin) (5 mg/kg, p.o) or DAS (50 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered orally during BPH induction. TP-induced histological alterations and the immune-inflammatory cascade. On the other hand, DAS or Fin administration alleviated all abnormalities induced testosterone. Fin and DAS administration markedly reduced prostate weight by 53% with Fin, and by 60% with DAS. Moreover, serum testosterone and DHT were reduced by 55% and 52%, respectively, with Fin and by 68% and 75%, respectively, with DAS, in concordance with decreased protein expression of androgen receptor (AR), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Furthermore, both regime lessen immune-inflammatory milieu, as evidenced by decrease CD4+ T-cells protein expression and associated inflammatory cytokines. Concomitantly, Fin and DAS exhibited marked mitigation in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signaling. Besides alleviating oxidative stress by 53% and 68% in prostatic MDA and by 27% and 7% in prostatic iNOS with Fin and DAS, respectively. In conclusion, this work highlighted a potential therapeutic approach of DAS as a dietary preventive agent against BPH via its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect along with suppression of the ERK pathway.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Lutein (LU) possesses numerous pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects. This study aimed to investigate the cardioprotective potential of LU in isoprenaline (ISO)-induced MI and to explore its molecular mechanisms of action. AMI was induced by two consecutive subcutaneous doses of ISO (65 mg/kg; s.c.). The LU group was pretreated with LU (20 mg/kg; p.o.) for 30 days followed by ISO injections on Days 29 and 30. ISO group showed elevated serum creatine kinas-MB (CK-MB) and considerable electrocardiographic changes along with reduced ejection fraction compared to the normal group. LU pretreatment could decrease serum CK-MB activity, normalize QRS and QTc intervals and restore ejection fraction compared to the untreated group. The ISO group demonstrated infarcted-like lesions, which were ameliorated in the LU-pretreated group. Immunohistochemical investigation revealed upregulated cardiac troponin T (cTn T) and desmin expressions in the LU-pretreated group. LU pretreatment also enhanced cardiac thioredoxin (Trx) and glutathione (GSH) contents as well as reduced lipid peroxidation, compared to the untreated group. Importantly, LU pretreatment could downregulate long noncoding MI associated transcript (lncRNA MIAT) and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and augment micro RNA (miR)-200a and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expressions compared to the ISO group. Moreover, a significant inverse correlation between MIAT and miR-200a was observed. In conclusion, this study revealed that LU could ameliorate ISO-induced MI in rats by modulating MIAT/miR-200a/Nrf2 pathway.

There is an urgent need for more diverse methods for student evaluation, given the sudden shift to online learning necessitated by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Innovative assessment tools will need to cover the required competencies and should be used to drive self-learning. Self and peer assessments may be added to the traditional classroom-based evaluations in order to identify individual insecurities or overconfidence. Identification of these factors is essential to medical education and is a focus of current research. A modified operational assessment was introduced for the evaluation of third-year medical students. This intervention has facilitated sustained education and has promoted interactive student learning. Members of the entering class of 2017 participated in an integrated team and a competency-based online project that involved innovative item creation and case presentation methods. Results: The new assessment process has been implemented successfully with positive feedback from all participants; a usable product has been generated. Conclusions: We created new assessment tools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that have been used successfully at our institution. These tools have provided a framework for integrated and interactive evaluations that can be used to facilitate the modification of traditional assessment methods.

Background: Implementing case-based learning (CBL) in the Integrated Modular Curriculum has proved a great efficiency in teaching medical students. We aim to develop and validate a customized model of CBL to integrate disciplines while meeting the requirements of our national academic reference standards. Phase I medical students reflection is presented. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we present our experience in introducing CBL in a hybrid mixed model of teaching the pathology course to phase I, first batch (2016-2022 ) students. The data are collected from feedback questionnaires, the CBL implemented in the teaching of the pathology course is compared to the other implemented methods (didactic lectures, students presentations, PBL, and skillslabs), in the integrated modules. Also, a focus group has been conducted to receive the students reflection and suggestions for improvement. Results: Students satisfaction with CBL was the highest among all the teaching methods of the modules and other learning modalities with a mean of 4.770.46. Results were statistically significant (< 0.001). Conclusion: Most of the students declared that the customized CBL model is a convenient tool to be used in the Integrated Modular Curricula. Satisfaction is superior to that of didactic lectures and even other interactive teaching methods.

Students’ anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic was expressed by some medical students in the form of anger and mistrust. This study aims to explore the reasons for mistrust between students and faculty among medical schools in Egypt that have flared during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a three-phase exploratory qualitative study depending on thematic emergence from appreciative interviews (AI) sessions. Students are revealed to be very well-educated regarding contemporary medical education concepts. The most important factors from the student perspective were the presence of a well-designed assessment system aligned with the learning outcomes and teaching methodologies and the presence of extracurricular activities and soft skills, respectively. A balanced student life respecting their mental health was found important to increase trust. A roadmap to breaking the mistrust must be planned on several pivots: curriculum structure, extracurricular life, communication strategies, and identifying student roles in their learning and in decision making.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate common in older men. Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a major component of garlic, has been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects. However, the underlying protective immunomodulatory mechanism of DAS on BPH remains vague. Herein, experimental BPH was induced in rats by daily subcutaneous injection of testosterone propionate (TP) (3 mg/kg, s.c.) for 4 weeks. In parallel, finasteride (Fin) (5 mg/kg, p.o) or DAS (50 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered orally during BPH induction. TP-induced histological alterations and the immune-inflammatory cascade. On the other hand, DAS or Fin administration alleviated all abnormalities induced testosterone. Fin and DAS administration markedly reduced prostate weight by 53% with Fin, and by 60% with DAS. Moreover, serum testosterone and DHT were reduced by 55% and 52%, respectively, with Fin and by 68% and 75%, respectively, with DAS, in concordance with decreased protein expression of androgen receptor (AR), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Furthermore, both regime lessen immune-inflammatory milieu, as evidenced by decrease CD4+ T-cells protein expression and associated inflammatory cytokines. Concomitantly, Fin and DAS exhibited marked mitigation in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signaling. Besides alleviating oxidative stress by 53% and 68% in prostatic MDA and by 27% and 7% in prostatic iNOS with Fin and DAS, respectively. In conclusion, this work highlighted a potential therapeutic approach of DAS as a dietary preventive agent against BPH via its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect along with suppression of the ERK pathway.

Medical education is facing great challenges and uncertainties amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical Education Institutions are required to build a task force team for crisis management. These should be committed to supporting a sudden online education transition, academic support, and psychological well-being of students, staff members, health care professionals, paramedics, and faculty administration. As the situation evolves, the task force has to monitor the challenges and provide appropriate plans, guidance, and solutions. Leaders in medical education have a crucial role in response to the pandemic crisis in securing a successful educational process while ensuring the mental and psychological well-being of the stakeholders. Herein, we provide tips that can provide a guide for medical education leaders to coordinate crisis management.

In Egypt, there is a national concern towards a transition to integrated modern medical educational system. However, the lack of students’ motivation and engagement have been frequently observed and reported. Therefore new strategies should be adopted to improve the quality of education and inspire students and encourage them. This includes implementation of E-learning modality to introduce a variety of teaching materials, to meet the various teaching and learning styles. We aim to report the students’ perception to the newly applied online modality and to compare the level satisfaction of the first three batches. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we compared students’ satisfaction regarding the e-Learning tools introduced throughout Phase I. First batch students experienced interactive blended e-Learning, whereas second and third batches received a less interactive e-learning modality. Students’ satisfaction and comments were collected by questionnaires. Results of the feedbacks of the three batches are compared regarding the students’ satisfaction. The mean scores of the rating the blended online modules of the first batch are 4.63±0.69, compared to the second and third batches 1.95± 1.10, and 3.00±1.26 respectively. The entire first batch students agreed that e-Learning is a convenient tool, in contrast to the second and third batches that showed lesser levels of satisfaction owing to the inconsistency of the content. All three batches recommended implementing it regularly and efficiently in all other disciplines.

BACKGROUND: The gathered archeopathological evidence has confirmed that Schistosomiasis has been endemic in Ancient Egypt for over 500 decades. The association between Schistosoma hematobium and increase bladder cancer risk is also well acknowledged. However, over the years, there is a proved changing pattern of bladder cancer that needs to be investigated. AIM: We aim to discuss the truths and myths about bladder cancer and its association with Schistosomiasis in Egypt. METHODS: A cross-sectional, case-control study was performed to collect recent data on the topic. RESULTS: Of the reported cancer cases, 79.3% were transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), an additional 6% showed associated squamous features. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) constituted only 13.8% of cancer cases. Schistosomiasis was histologically confirmed in 19 cancer cases, only one was SCC. The relative frequency of TCC is increasing, while SCC is decreasing. There is no evidence that this pattern is related to smoking or environmental factors, as the incidence of lung cancer, is not proportionately increasing. CONCLUSION: The old concept that Schistosomiasis is associated with SCC should be revaluated as most cases are associated with TCC. Relying on the histopathology for confirmation of Schistosomiasis in our research studies appears to be non-accurate and leads to irrelevant results.

Stem cell therapy represents a promising therapeutic avenue for cardiac disorders, including heart failure. Although stem cell transplantation showed encouraging preliminary results, the outcomes of clinical studies are still unsatisfactory. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of two therapeutic approaches, in vivo co-delivery of sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) concomitant with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation and in vitro preconditioning of BMSCs with NaHS, both of which are intended to promote the success of stem cell therapy in rats with isoprenaline-induced heart failure. Heart failure developed 4 weeks after the subcutaneous injection of isoprenaline (170 mg/kg) for 4 consecutive days. The in vivo approach involved the co-delivery of intraperitoneally administered NaHS concomitant with BMSC transplantation for a period of 14 days. The in vitro approach involved preconditioning BMSCs with NaHS for 30 min before transplantation. Compared to treatment with BMSCs alone, in vitro preconditioning of BMSCs with NaHS improved left ventricular function as measured by echocardiography and electrocardiography and enhanced stem cell homing, proliferation and differentiation as manifested by higher cardiac expression of GATA-4 and myocyte enhancer factor 2. Moreover, the measurement of cardiac transforming growth factor beta 1 levels and histopathological investigation revealed mitigated fibrosis and myocardial injury scores. Compared with BMSC therapy alone, the in vivo approach enhanced stem cell homing and differentiation, alleviated fibrosis and augmented vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression. In conclusion, NaHS can potentiate the efficiency of BMSC therapy for heart failure by in vitro preconditioning or in vivo co-delivery. The in vitro approach is superior with regard to improving cardiac function in addition to enhancing stem cell proliferation, while the in vivo approach is superior with regard to increasing cardiac VEGF and eNOS expression.

BACKGROUND: Many immunohistochemical markers have been used in the postmortem detection of early myocardial infarction.AIM: In the present study we examined the role of Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), in the detection of early myocardial infarction.MATERIAL AND METHODS: We obtained samples from 40 human autopsy hearts with/ without histopathological signs of ischemia.RESULTS: All cases of definite and probable myocardial infarction showed a well-defined area of H-FABP depletion. All of the control cases showed strong H-FABP expression, except two markedly autolysed myocardial samples that showed affected antigenicity.CONCLUSION: Thus, we suggest H-FABP as being one of the valuable tools facing the problem of postmortem detection of early myocardial infarction/ischemia, but not in autolysis.

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background: Implementing case-based learning (CBL) in the Integrated Modular Curriculum has proved a great efficiency in teaching medical students. We aim to develop and validate a customized model of CBL to integrate disciplines while meeting the requirements of our national academic reference standards. Phase I medical students' reflection is presented. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we present our experience in introducing CBL in a hybrid mixed model of teaching the pathology course to phase I, first batch (2016-2022) students. The data are collected from feedback questionnaires, the CBL implemented in the teaching of the pathology course is compared to the other implemented methods (didactic lectures, students' presentations, PBL, and skills'labs), in the integrated modules. Also, a focus group has been conducted to receive the students' reflection and suggestions for improvement. Results: Students' satisfaction with CBL was the highest among all the teaching methods of the modules and other learning modalities with a mean of 4.77±0.46. Results were statistically significant (< 0.001). Conclusion: Most of the students declared that the customized CBL model is a convenient tool to be used in the Integrated Modular Curricula. Satisfaction is superior to that of didactic lectures and even other interactive teaching methods.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The sudden, prolonged COVID-19 lockdown has offered a great challenge to the medical school. This was not only at the level of learning and curricular design but also the level of assessment. The traditional summative assessment tools have collapsed during this Pandemic.Herein, we provide a five-step guide for designing competency-based E-assignments for summative assessment. Innovative assignments designs are crucially required for fair summative assessment of the medical students, mainly in the pre-clerkship phase. These need to be innovative, engaging, competency-based, well-designed, with defined rubrics, integrated, and interdisciplinary whenever possible.These should also enforce the concepts of self-assessment and student peer assessment. Including the students in the formulation and design enhances their self-motivation where there is no face-to-face education. Designing an assignment with a quality product as an outcome increases the students' enthusiasm and self-confidence. A brief case-study is included as an example.Teaching after the pandemic era will greatly change with inevitable changes in the dogmatic concepts. Formative and summative assessments are probably changing seats which might be sustained for some time post-COVID-19.

Introduction: As soon as the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, many higher education facilities had to change their educational and teaching strategies to cope with the lockdown. Some medical schools decided to rely on online teaching while others depended on students' self-learning abilities. Methods of assessment also changed as some medical schools implemented pass/fail exams, online examinations, and research projects while others postponed their final exams. In Egypt, medical schools started delivering their lectures online and changed the assessment criteria of the preclinical academic years to depend mainly on research and online exams while postponed the clinical rotations and final exams of the clinical years. Aim: This study assesses medical students' awareness of the current situation regarding the safety guidelines and their satisfaction with the solutions provided by their schools for the plans to continue their learning and the new assessment methods and criteria. Methodology: The method used for data collection is an online survey filled by medical students from around Egypt. Moreover, data were statistically analyzed using IBM statistical package SPSS for doing a Chi-squared test on two variables. Results: After collecting the data and analyzing responses, we found that 66.2% of students who answered the survey do not think that the safety measures taken by their universities after the return back will be enough. Conclusion: This shows that the basic knowledge of COVID-19 among medical students is average and there is a need to start programs for infection control practices against COVID-19 for all medical students and professionals.

Background: Medical education is facing great challenges and uncertainties amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims and Objectives: This article aims to provide tips that can provide a guide for medical education leaders to coordinate crisis management referring to the Egyptian context. Materials and Methods: This work was done using a reflection on the COVID-19 response by Egyptian universities and analysis of such responses. Results: Medical Education Institutions are required to build a taskforce team for crisis management. These should be committed to supporting sudden online education transition, academic support, and the psychological well-being of students, staff members, health care professionals, paramedics, and faculty administration. As the situation evolves, the taskforce has to monitor the challenges and provide appropriate plans, guidance, and solutions. Leaders in medical education have a crucial role in response to the pandemic crisis in securing a successful educational process while ensuring the mental and psychological well-being of the stakeholders. Conclusion: Crisis management is the skill of the future and more investment needs to be placed in designing crisis response and in enabling universities to accommodate this response.

3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-induced neurotoxicity is an experimental model which mimics the pathology and motor abnormalities seen in Huntington's disease (HD) in human. The present investigation was directed to estimate the role of rho kinase (ROCK) inhibition in the possible protective effect of fasudil and simvastatin in 3-NP-induced striatal neurodegeneration in rats. Animals were injected s.c. with 3-NP (20 mg/kg/day) for 1 week with or without administration of fasudil (10 mg/kg/day, p.o.) or simvastatin (20 mg/kg/day, p.o.). At the end of experiment, motor and behavioral abnormalities were evaluated. Animals were then sacrificed for measurement of mitochondrial membrane potential as well as succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and caspase-3 activities in striatum. Moreover, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) level and protein expressions of proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), ROCK, phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt), endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase (eNOS and iNOS), Bax, and Bcl-2 were estimated. Finally, histological changes as demonstrated by striatum injury score, glial activation, and percentage of altered mitochondria were assessed. Both fasudil and simvastatin effectively inhibited 3-NP-induced behavioral, biochemical, and histological changes through inhibition of ROCK activity. However, fasudil provided more amelioration in histological changes, mitochondrial membrane potential and SDH activity in addition to p-Akt and PGC-1α protein expressions. The present study highlights a significant role of ROCK/p-Akt/eNOS pathway in the protective effects of fasudil and simvastatin on neurotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by 3-NP in rats. Thus, specific inhibition of ROCK may be considered a promising new approach in the management of HD.

Immunohistochemical techniques have proven effective in forensic pathology use as they can be applied to tissue samples fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. In this work, we selected a panel of antibodies, desmin, troponin T (cTnT), and myoglobin (MB), for the detection of early myocardial in

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide with highest incidence in Asia and Africa. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of non-coding single stranded RNA, which not only post transcriptionally regulate gene expression but also respond to signaling molecules to affect cell functions such as Wnt/β-catenin signaling specifically in HCC. The goal of this study is to investigate the crosstalk between Wnt/β-catenin signaling proteins and microRNAs expression in HCC patients.Fresh tissue samples of 30 primary HCC patients and 10 control subjects were included. Expression level of 13 different miRNAs (miR-10a- miR-106b- miR-99a- miR-148a- miR-125b- miR-30e- miR-183- miR-155- miR-199a- miR-199a3p- miR-24- miR-122 and miR-215) were examined using real-time PCR assay. Five proteins involved in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway (β-catenin, APC, c-myc, survivin and cyclin D1) were analysed by immunohistochemistry technique. The correlation between miRNAs expression levels with protein expressions was assessed.Up-regulation of miR-155 and miR-183 was reported in HCC patients compared to normal controls and this up-regulation was significantly correlated with liver cirrhosis in the case of miR-155 (p0.05) referring to their oncogenic activity. Down-regulation was observed for 11 miRNAs in HCC indicating their tumour suppression activity. MiRNA-10a, miR-30e, miR-215, miR-125b and miR-148a were significantly correlated with the expression of important players in Wnt/β-catenin pathway including β-catenin, APC and c-myc (p0.05). Detailed analysis revealed that miR-215 is associated with the grade of the disease and miR-125b is associated with HCV infection.Collectively, our data showed potential role of miR-10a, miR-30e, miR-215, miR-125b and miR-148a as important mediators in HCC progression. Furthermore, their association with Wnt/β-catenin cascade proteins could be exploited to develop new therapeutic target strategies in HCC.

Background Immunohistochemical techniques have proven to be effective for use in forensic pathology, as they can be applied to tissue samples fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Histologic sections, including ischaemic and non-ischaemic myocardia, were studied via immunohistochemistry with three different antibodies to human cardiac troponin (cTnT), myoglobin (MB), and caspase 3, using a standard avidin–biotin–peroxidase system. Results All antibodies detected cTnT or MB in the normal myocardium as well as its loss from the necrotic myocardium, in some cases before histologic evidence of necrosis was present. Loss was non-uniform and greater at the periphery of the infarcts than at their central regions. Usually, loss of cTnT appeared to be better than loss of MB; however, MB was more sensitive, and caspase 3 was the most sensitive. Caspase 3 was detected in areas with established ischaemia and in cases with coronary occlusion where there was no histologic evidence of necrosis, as well as in cases with latent infarction. Conclusions Immunohistochemical staining using antibodies to human cTnT, MB, and caspase 3 can be used to visualize myocardial infarctions in histologic sections of the myocardium during forensic autopsy. Loss of cTnT and MB, as well as positive staining for caspase 3, occurs very early following ischaemic injury and may precede histologic evidence of necrosis. Immunohistochemical staining of hearts for cTnT, MB, and caspase 3 can assist in the recognition of myocardial necrosis at autopsy in patients suspected of dying from acute myocardial ischaemia.

Background/aim Breast carcinoma is a common, yet heterogeneous aggressive disease affecting relatively young patients. The androgen receptor (AR) is expressed in majority of breast cancers and across the main breast cancer subtypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate AR expression in hormone-negative breast cancer subtypes. Materials and methods Sixty cases of breast cancer were involved in this study; the samples were received in the Department of Pathology of Kasr El-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, Egypt. The expression of AR and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 receptors were studied by immunohistochemistry in 60 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded selected hormone-negative breast cancer surgical specimens. The immunohistochemistry expression of the marker was correlated with the clinicopathological variables. Results Of the hormone-negative cases, 61.6% show positive AR expression, 89% of which are invasive duct carcinoma, 68.3% are associated with ductal carcinoma in situ, and 55% are human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-enriched subtype. A significant correlation was found between the AR expression and tumor type. There is no evident significant correlation with tumor grade, multicentricity or lymphovascular invasion. Conclusion The AR has recently emerged as a useful marker for the further refinement of breast cancer subtype classification. Antiandrogens are thought to markedly enhance treatments and to be the first targeted therapy in hormone-negative breast cancer cases.

The current study aimed at investigating the potential hepatoprotective property and mechanism of meloxicam (MEL) against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatocellular damage in rats. Subcutaneous administration of CCl4 (2 mL/kg, twice/week for 8 weeks) induced hepatocellular damage substantiated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and significant elevation in serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and total bilirubin. In addition, CCL4 treatment led to elevation in liver contents of lipid peroxidation marker (malondialdehyde), prostaglandin E2, active caspase 3, and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells and reduction in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione- S-transferase, and reduced glutathione in the liver tissue. Prior oral treatment with MEL (5 mg/kg, twice/week) retained the normal liver histology and significantly restored all of these parameters close to normal values. These results demonstrated the hepatoprotective utility of MEL against the CCl4-induced liver injury which might ascribe to its antioxidant, free radical scavenging, antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects.