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Amr J Halawani,1 Mahmoud M Habibullah,2,3 Gasim Dobie,2 Alaa Alhazmi,2,3 Farkad Bantun,4 Mohammed H Nahari,5 Ibrahim Dawmary,6 Hisham I Abu-Tawil6,7 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 3SMIRES for Consultation in Specialized Medical Laboratories, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Laboratory and Blood Bank, Prince Mohammed bin Nasser Hospital, Ministry of Health, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Laboratory and Blood Bank, King Faisal Medical City for Southern Regions, Ministry of Health, Abha, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Amr J Halawani Makkah, 24381 8156, Saudi ArabiaEmail ajjhalawani@uqu.edu.saPurpose: Knowledge of the prevalence of blood group antigens in a given population is important for the prevention of hemolytic reactions. The MNS blood group system (002) has four polymorphic antigens—M, N, S, and s. Anti-S and anti-s antibodies may result in immediate and delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions, and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn may occur. The present study investigated the frequencies of the main antigens and phenotypes of the MNS blood group system.Subjects and Methods: We randomly obtained 149 samples from anonymous Saudi blood donors living in Jazan Province. Serotyping was conducted using a gel card to investigate (M, N, S, and s) antigens and phenotypes.Results: The frequencies of MNS antigens were as follows: M = 89.26%, N = 51.67%, S = 61.07%, and s = 82.55%. Regarding the MNS phenotypes, nine phenotypes were observed in the study population. The most common phenotype was M+N–S+s+ (n = 36, 24.16%), in contrast to the least common phenotype M+N–S–s– (n = 1, 0.67%). The prevalence of the MNS phenotypes in the current study population was highly and significantly different from that in Europeans (P = 0.044) and African Americans (P = 0.000).Conclusion: In summary, this study reports the frequencies of the MNS antigens and phenotypes in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia. The most common phenotype was M+N–S+s+, whereas the least observed phenotype was M+N–S–s–. The outcomes of this study may assist the blood banks in Jazan Province to establish an extended phenotyping protocol including the MNS antigens, in particular S and s antigens, to preclude any alloimmunization events.Keywords: MNS blood group, blood donors, transfusion, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: SARS-CoV2, first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan as COVID-19 causing respiratory illness, rapidly evolved into a pandemic owing to its very high infectivity. There is insufficient evidence about if and how smoking affects the risk of COVID-19 infection, and the reports on whether smoking increases or reduces the risk of respiratory infections, are contradictory. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine the effects of nicotine consumption on the infectivity of COVID-19. Methods: We performed in silico computer simulation-based study. The structures of SARS-CoV2spike ectodomain, and its receptor ACE2, were obtained from PDB. The structure of nicotine and its metabolites NNK and NNAL were obtained from the PubChem chemical database. After optimization, they were interacted using AutoDock 4.2, to see the effect of nicotine, NNK, or NNAL presence on the docking of viral spike protein to its receptor ACE2. Results: ACE2 vs spike protein interaction results were used as a control (ZDOCK score 1498.484, with four hydrogen bonds). The NNK+ACE2 vs spike protein docking formed 10 hydrogen bonds with the highest ZDOCK score of 1515.564. NNAL+ ACE2 vs spike protein interaction formed eleven hydrogen bonds with the ZDOCK score of 1499.371. Nicotine+ACE2 vs spike protein docking showed the lowest ZDOCK score of 1496.302 and formed 8 hydrogen bonds. Whereas, NNK+spike vs ACE2 interaction had a ZDOCK score of 1498.490 and formed eight hydrogen bonds. NNAL+spike vs ACE2 docking formed eleven hydrogen bonds with a ZDOCK score of 1498.482. And Nicotine+spike vs ACE2 interaction showed a ZDOCK score of 1498.488 and formed 9 hydrogen bonds. Conclusions: The binding of nicotine to either spike of virus or its receptor ACE2 is not affecting the viral docking with the receptor. But binding of NNK, a metabolite of nicotine, is facilitating the viral docking with its receptor indicating that smoking may increase the risk of COVID-19 infection.

Objectives The association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been debated vigorously but still remains controversial. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine the possible association between ACE I/D polymorphism and T2DM and hypertension (HTN) in a population of Saudi Arabian participants. Methods A total of 143 individuals were recruited for the study, consisting of 74 controls and 69 patients with T2DM. Genotyping was performed via polymerase chain reaction. Results The genotype frequencies for DD, ID and II in controls were 52.7%, 39.2% and 8.1%, whereas in T2D patients it was 52.2%, 40.6% and 7.2% respectively. The DD frequency was highest out of the three genotypes in both the controls and the T2DM patients. Conclusion There was no significant difference found in the genotype and allele frequencies between cases and controls, suggesting that insertion/deletion polymorphism in the ACE gene may not be associated with an increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in our study population.

Background: Breast lymphomas are typical extranodal types of lymphoma, also known as Extranodal-lymphoma (ENL), which occur extremely infrequently, aggregating into a very small proportion of malignant breast tumors. The rarity of breast lymphomas is attributed to the scant lymphoid tissue content of the chest wall. Aims of Study: This case report is aimed at providing an up-to-date review of the literature on breast lymphomas for clinicians to, therefore, consider the possibility of this disease entity while treating a breast mass. Case Presentation: A case was reported of a 52-year man with chief mammary non-Hodgkin breast ENL when fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was not leading to a firm conclusion or result. Following an incisional biopsy, he was found to have a primary breast lymphoma. Later, the patient was diagnosed with the diffuse large B-cell type of lymphoma also known as non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL). He had a complete reduction and disappearances of all the signs and symptoms of the disease after a course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine and Prednisolone (CHOP). CONCLUSION: Based on the above case presentation, it is vital for health care professionals and oncologists to recognize the disease by assessing the breast mass accurately with more entities so that proper diagnosis via core biopsy (incisional biopsy) can eliminate the PBL before further treatment is required.

Purpose DNA damage is a continuous process occurring within the cells caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, but it gets repaired regularly. If the DNA repair process is faulty, the incidences of damages/mutations can accumulate in cells resulting in cell transformation. It is hypothesized that the negative variations in DNA repair pathways in even at one point viz. genetic, translational or posttranslational stage may fairly be crucial for the beginning and development of carcinogenesis. Therefore, we investigated the potential of tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNs) related carcinogens to interact with the enzymes involved in DNA repair mechanisms in the current study. Methods The derivatives of cigarettes' smoke like NNK and NNAL are very well known and recognized carcinogens. Therefore, almost 120 enzymes playing crucial role in the DNA repair process have been analysed for their reactivity with NNK and NNAL. Results The molecular docking study helped to screen out, 07 possible DNA repair enzyme targets for NNK, and 12for NNAL. Present study revealed the loss of activity of DNA repair enzymes in the presence of NNK and NNAL, and this accumulation may induce the tendency of DNA damage which can lead the transformation of exposed normal cells in to cancerous cells. This study also demonstrated the protective potential of nanoparticles like SWCNTs/MWCNTs against TSN's induced toxicity; here SWCNT against NNK (-17.16 Kcal/Mol) and MWCNT against NNK -17.01 Kcal/Mol were showing maximum binding affinities than the known biomolecular target of NNK 1UGH (Uracil-DNA glycosylase,-7.82Kcal/Mol). Conclusion CNTs can be applied as chemo-preventive agents against environmental and tobacco induced carcinogens owing to their scavenging potential and warrants for in vivo and in vitro experimental validation of the results obtained from the present study. .

Albendazolum (ABZ) is a BCS class II drug. It has challenging biopharmaceutical properties, which include poor solubility and dissolution rate. These properties have laid the ground for developing a supersaturated self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (S-SNEDDS) to form oil-in-water nanoemulsion in situ to improve the oral bioavailability of ABZ. Based on the ABZ solubility, emulsifying ability, and stability after dispersion in an aqueous phase, an optimal self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) consisting of oleic acid, Tween® 20, and PEG 600 (X:Y:Z, w/w) was identified, having 10% (w/w) hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) E15 lv as its precipitation inhibitor. The optimized system possessed a small mean globule size value (89.2 nm), good dispersion properties (polydispersity index (PDI): 0.278), and preserved the supersaturated state of ABZ. S-SNEDDS was transformed into solid supersaturated self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SS-SNEDDS) using microcrystalline cellulose as a solid material. The developed S-SNEDDS were characterized for globule size, pH, turbidity, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and flow properties. The data obtained from the results suggest that this S-SNEDDS formulation can enhance the solubility and oral bioavailability of ABZ for appropriate clinical application.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is the most frequent form of autoimmune arthritis, with a global prevalence of 0.3%–1% according to the World Health Organization. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Moringa peregrina leaves and seed oil on RA and other inflammations in male Wistar albino rats. Method: We equally divided 25 rats into five groups. One was the nonarthritic (control) group, which comprised randomly selected rats. The four other groups were injected with 0.1 ml of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant with 10 mg/ml concentration of heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis once intradermally in the right paw. These four groups were randomly categorized as follows: Arth group, arthritic group; ML group, administered with 0.5 g of Moringa leaves; MO group, administered with 1 ml of Moringa seed oil; and MLO group, administered with combined Moringa leaves and Moringa seed oil. In the biochemical measurements of the blood, we included the rheumatoid factor (RF), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1α, IL-12P70, IL-17A, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α), and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, Il-13, and IL10). Results: The Arth group had higher RF levels than the nonarthritic group; after treatment, which referred to the MO, MLO, and ML groups, the RF level decreased. Moreover, the Arth group had higher proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) than the nonarthritic group. After treatment, the IL-6 and IL-1β levels in the treatment groups declined. Furthermore, the TNF-α level significantly decreased in all treatment groups. Conversely, the treatment groups had significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) anti-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-4, IL-10) than the Arth group. Both the IL-4 and IL-10 levels significantly (both: p ≤ 0.05) increased in the MO group followed by the ML group and the MLO group. In conclusion, the M. peregrina leaves and seed oil can positively enhance anti-inflammatory activities. Moreover, the M. peregrina oil has significant antiarthritic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, further studies are needed to clarify the effective components of M. peregrina leaves and oil responsible for the antiarthritic and anti-inflammatory activities.

A major manifestation of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS1) is hypoparathyroidism, which is suggested to result from aberrant immune responses against the parathyroid glands. The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), which plays a pivotal role in maintaining calcium homeostasis by sensing blood calcium levels and regulating release of parathyroid hormone (PTH), is an autoantibody target in APS1. In this study, the aim was to characterize the binding sites, specificity, functional affinity, IgG subclass, and functional effects of CaSR autoantibodies using phage-display technology, ELISA, and bioassays. The results indicated that CaSR autoantibody binding sites were at aa 41–69, 114–126, 171–195, and 260–340 in the extracellular domain of the receptor. Autoantibodies against CaSR epitopes 41–69, 171–195, and 260–340 were exclusively of the IgG1 subclass. Autoantibody responses against CaSR epitope 114–126 were predominantly of the IgG1 with a minority of the IgG3 subclass. Only autoantibodies recognizing CaSR epitopes 114–126 and 171–195 affected receptor activity; inositol-phosphate accumulation was increased significantly in HEK293-CaSR cells, and PTH secretion from PTH-C1 cells was reduced significantly when either were incubated with purified Ab and Ca2+ compared with Ca2+ alone. In conclusion, although the majority of APS1 patients do not have CaSR-stimulating autoantibodies, the hypoparathyroid state in a small minority of patients is the result of functional suppression of the parathyroid glands.

Previous studies have identified the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) and NALP5 as parathyroid autoantibody targets in patients with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). However, although NALP5 antibodies have been associated with the occurrence of hypoparathyroidism (HP) in APECED, it is unclear whether CaSR antibodies are a specific or sensitive marker for APECED-associated HP.The objective of the study was to identify associations between the presence of CaSR and NALP5 antibodies and the disease manifestations and demographic characteristics of Finnish APECED patients.This was a case-control study including 44 APECED patients and 38 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Antibodies against the CaSR and NALP5 were detected using immunoprecipitation assays and radioligand binding assays, respectively.CaSR and NALP5 antibodies were detected in 16 of 44 (36%) and 13 of 44 (30%) patients, respectively. No statistically significant associations were found between the presence of CaSR or NALP5 antibodies and the disease manifestations of APECED including HP (P.05). For the diagnosis of HP, CaSR and NALP5 antibodies had specificities of 83% and 50%, respectively, and sensitivities of 39% and 26%, respectively. A significant association between both a shorter APECED and HP duration (10 y) and positivity for CaSR antibodies was noted (P = .019 and P = .0061, respectively).Neither CaSR nor NALP5 antibodies were found to be specific or sensitive markers for HP in APECED. Further investigations are required to determine the exact role of the autoimmune response against the CaSR and NALP5 in the pathogenesis of this autoimmune syndrome.