Characteristics of epstein barr virus variants associated with gastric carcinoma in Southern Tunisia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Backgroud</p> <p>EBV-associated Gastric Carcinoma (EBVaGC) has a distinct clinical features and its prevalence is variable worldwide.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To determine the prevalence of EBVaGC in Tunisia, EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER) expression was assessed in 81 gastric carcinoma (GC) specimens. The nuclear EBER expression was detected in 12 out of 81 GC cases (14.81%) and concordance between the score range of EBER staining and the number of EBV DNA copies as estimate by QPCR is observed. On the other hand, we found that EBVaGC strongly correlated with age at diagnosis, and weakly with tumor differentiation and venous invasion.</p> <p>Furthermore, the EBVaGC specimens were subjected to determine the EBV DNA polymorphisms. Our results show a unique genetic profile of the EBV strains regarding the A and D types, the F prototype, the retention of <it>Xho</it>I restriction site and the 30 bp del-LMP1 variant. <b><it>According to our previous studies on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), we suggested that EBV strains associated to GC and NPC shared some similarities in Tunisian patients</it>.</b></p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of EBVaGC is of 14.81% in the southern Tunisia and that common EBV strain are associated with both NPC and GC which are likely to differ from Asian strains. Our findings support therefore a certain geographical distribution of EBV strains which is not restricted to EBV-associated malignancies.</p

Biological therapy of strontium-substituted bioglass for soft tissue wound-healing: Responses to oxidative stress in ovariectomised rats.

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest concerning this article.International audienceNew synthetic biomaterials are constantly being developed for wound repair and regeneration. Bioactive glasses (BG) containing strontium have shown successful applications in tissue engineering account of their biocompatibility and the positive biological effects after implantation. This study aimed to assess whether BG-Sr was accepted by the host tissue and to characterize oxidative stress biomarker and antioxidant enzyme profiles during muscle and skin healing. Wistar rats were divided into five groups (six animals per group): the group (I) was used as negative control (T), after ovariectomy, groups II, III, IV and V were used respectively as positive control (OVX), implanted tissue with BG (OVX-BG), BG-Sr (OVX-BG-Sr) and presented empty defects (OVX-NI). Soft tissues surrounding biomaterials were used to estimate superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. Our results show that 60 days after operation, treatment of rats with BG-Sr significantly increased MDA concentration and caused an increase of SOD, CAT and GPx activities in both skin and muscular tissues. BG-Sr revealed maturation of myotubes followed a normal appearance of muscle regenerated with high density and mature capillary vessels. High wound recovery with complete re-epithelialization and regeneration of skin was observed. The results demonstrate that the protective action against reactive oxygen species (ROS) was clearly observed in soft tissue surrounding BG-Sr. Moreover, the potential use of BG-Sr rapidly restores the wound skin and muscle structural and functional properties. The BG advantages such as ion release might make BG-Sr an effective biomaterial choice for antioxidative activity

EBV latent membrane protein 1 abundance correlates with patient age but not with metastatic behavior in north African nasopharyngeal carcinomas

BACKGROUND: Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas are rare in a majority of countries but they occur at a high incidence in South China and to a lesser extent in North Africa. They are constantly associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) regardless of patient geographic origin. In North Africa, the distribution of NPC cases according to patient age is bi-modal with a large group of patients being around 50 years old (80%) and a smaller group below 25 years old. We and others have previously shown that the juvenile form of NPC has distinct biological characteristics including a low amount of p53 and Bcl2 in the tumor tissue and a low level of anti-EBV IgG and IgA in the peripheral blood. RESULTS: To get more insight on potential oncogenic mechanisms specific of these two forms, LMP1 abundance was assessed in 82 NPC patients of both groups, using immuno-histochemistry and semi-quantitative evaluation of tissue staining. Serum levels of anti-EBV antibodies were simultaneously assessed. For LMP1 staining, we used the S12 antibody which has proven to be more sensitive than the common anti-LMP1 CS1-4 for analysis of tissue sections. In all NPC biopsies, at least a small fraction of cells was positively stained by S12. LMP1 abundance was strongly correlated to patient age, with higher amounts of the viral protein detected in specimens of the juvenile form. In contrast, LMP1 abundance was not correlated to the presence of lymph node or visceral metastases, nor to the risk of metastatic recurrence. It was also independent of the level of circulating anti-EBV antibodies. CONCLUSION: The high amount of LMP1 recorded in tumors from young patients confirms that the juvenile form of NPC has specific features regarding not only cellular but also viral gene expression

Clinical Significance of Epigenetic Inactivation of hMLH1 and BRCA1 in Tunisian Patients with Invasive Breast Carcinoma

Aberrant hypermethylation of gene promoter regions is one of the mechanisms for inactivation of tumour suppressor genes in many human cancers including breast carcinoma. In the current study, we aimed to assess by MSP, the methylation pattern of two cancer-related genes involved in DNA repair: hMLH1 (mutL homolog 1, colon cancer, nonpolyposis type 2 (E. coli) and BRCA1 (breast cancer 1, early onset) in 78 primary breast cancers from Tunisian patients. The methylation frequencies were 24.36% for hMLH1 and 46% for BRCA1. BRCA1 methylation correlated with age at diagnosis (P = .015) and 5-years disease free survival (P = .016) while hMLH1 methylation was more frequent in larger tumors (P = .002) and in presence of distant metastasis (P = .004). Furthermore, methylation of hMLH1 significantly correlated with high level of P53 expression (P = .006) and with overall survival (P = .015) suggesting that silencing of hMLH1 through aberrant promoter methylation could be used as a poor prognosis indicator in breast cancer

Pilomatrixoma of earlobe

Pilomatrixomas are uncommon in children and are frequently misdiagnosed preoperatively. We report a two-year-old female patient with an unusual localization in the earlobe. The lesion was treated by simple enucleation and in two years of follow-up there has been no evidence of recurrence. The case is being reported in view of its rarity and unusual location

Pilomatrixoma of earlobe

Pilomatrixomas are uncommon in children and are frequently misdiagnosed preoperatively. We report a two-year-old female patient with an unusual localization in the earlobe. The lesion was treated by simple enucleation and in two years of follow-up there has been no evidence of recurrence. The case is being reported in view of its rarity and unusual location

Effects of Lupinus luteus on hepatic and renal extracellular compounds turnover under diabetes in rat

Abstract Hepatic and renal extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover associated with diabetes and potential beneficial effects of yellow lupin extract (YLE) need further investigations. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of yellow Lupinus luteus extract (YLE) on renal and hepatic ECM under diabetes. Composition of YLE performed by LC‐ESI‐MS. Diabetes (DM) was induced in rats by alloxan (250 mg/kg, ip). Normal and diabetic rats received 100 mg/kg of YLE for 1 month. ECM was assessed by ELISA. Gelatinases and collagenases were analyzed by a colorimetric assay. Histology was performed on sections of liver and kidney. In the liver, diabetes increases collagen, laminin, and fibronectin contents, respectively, by 49% (p < .01), 56% (p < .01), and 67% (p < .05) compared to control rats. In the kidney, total collagen and laminin contents were increased by 91% (p < .01) and 35% (p < .01) in the DM group, while fibronectin content in diabetic animals and those treated with YLE remains similar to the control group. Collagenases and gelatinases activities were significantly increased by diabetes in liver and kidney. While YLE treatment abrogates diabetes‐enhanced MMPs activities in liver. In diabetic rats, the liver shows signs of diffuse dilatation of the sinusoid veins and steatosis. However, the liver of diabetic rats treated with yellow lupine extract showed a normal histological aspect similar to controls. Diabetes causes hepatic and renal ECM turnover. YLE can be useful to partially improve tissue disorders induced by diabetes

Ostéomyélite chronique compliquée d’un carcinome épidermoïde: à propos d’une observation

La transformation maligne d’une ostéomyélite chronique est une complication rare et tardive qui survient le plus souvent au niveau des berges d’un trajet fistuleux avec extension et infiltration des tissus mous de voisinage et plus rarement une infiltration osseuse. Nous rapportons une observation. Il s’agit de Monsieur N.J. âgé de 67 ans, suivi pour une ostéomyélite chronique (OMC) du fémur droit fistulisée à la peau et évoluant depuis l’âge de 16 ans. Il s’est présenté actuellement pour des fistules productives, avec présence à l’imagerie d’une fracture pathologique sur une lésion ostéolytique de l’extrémité inférieure du fémur droit associé à une collection liquidienne mal limitée intra-médullaire étendue sur 8cm de grand axe. Une excision chirurgicale des fistules avec mise à plat de la collection et curetage de la cavité osseuse ont été réalisées. L’examen anatomopathologique a mis en évidence une prolifération tumorale maligne à type de carcinome épidermoïde différencié et kératinisant, infiltrant le trajet fistuleux avec extension au niveau des parties molles et infiltration de l’extrémité inférieure du fémur droit. Le bilan d’extension étant négatif, une désarticulation de la hanche a été pratiquée. Au dernier recule de deux ans, le patient va bien et ne présente pas de récidive locale ni de métastase à distance. La prise en charge initiale des ostéomyélites chroniques est primordiale pour prévenir les complications redoutables. En cas de transformation maligne et particulièrement en carcinome épidermoïde comme le cas de notre observation, l’amputation reste le traitement de choix pour prévenir les localisations secondaires.Mots clés: Ostéomyélite chronique, carcinome épidermoïde, fémur, transformation maligne, amputationEnglish Title: Malignant transformation of chronic osteomyelitis: a case reportEnglish AbstractMalignant transformation of chronic osteomyelitis is a rare and late complication which mainly occurs at the level of the edges of a fistulous tract with extension and infiltration to the surrounding soft tissues and more rarely to bones. We here report the case of Mr N.J. aged 67 years, followed up for chronic osteomyelitis of the right femur fistulized to the skin and evolving since the age of 16 years. He presented with secerning fistulas. Imaging examination showed pathologic fracture due to osteolytic lesion of the lower extremity of the right femur associated with poorly defined intra-medullary collection of fluid measuring 8 cm along its longer axis. The patient underwent surgical resection of the fistulas with complete evacuation and curettage of the bone cavity. Pathological examination showed differentiated keratinising squamous cell carcinoma, infiltrating the fistulous tract and extending to the soft parts and to the lower extremity of the right femur. Staging was negative. Disarticulation of the HIP was performed. At two-years follow-up the patient was doing well without local recurrence or distant metastasis. Initial treatment of chronic osteomyelitis is essential to prevent alarming complications. Amputation is the treatment of choice in patients with malignant transformation of chronic osteomyelitis in particular to squamous cell carcinoma, as in the case of our patient, in order to to prevent secondary involvement.Keywords: Chronic osteomyelitis, squamous cell carcinoma, femur, malignant transformation, amputatio