Endocrine and Cell Surface Receptor Signaling in Breast Carcinogenesis

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in female. To better understand the growth and progression as well as therapeutic management, breast cancers are grouped based on histopathological and molecular classification. A number of factors have been implicated in the development of breast cancer. Various cell surface as well as hormone receptor signaling play crucial role in breast cancer initiation and progression. This chapter briefly discusses few of the important receptor signaling pathways and the various strategies in practice as well as at different stages of development to target these pathways

Epidemiological studies on cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ad- Dawadimi District, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Ad-Dawadimi region of Saudi Arabia.Methods: Data from the patients included in this retrospective study were collected from the Leishmaniasis Control Center of Ad-Dawadimi District of Saudi Arabia. A total of 370 patients with CL were recorded from January 2009 to December 2013. The data focused on details of sociodemographics, i.e., age, gender, date of diagnosis, residence and close family members with CL.Results: Out of 370 patients with verified lesions, 280 (75.6 %) were males with a mean age of 18.26 ± 13.41 years, while 90 (24.3 %) were females with a mean age of 19.25 ± 16.10 years. The highest proportion (18.3 %) occurred in the 15 - 20 years age group. Annual distribution of CL showed that the highest rate was in 2010 with 168 cases while the lowest rate was in 2012 with 42 cases. There were no significant differences in the mean ages of the CL cases with respect to gender.Conclusion: Most of the reported cases had with single facial lesions. Although all age groups are affected by CL, a majority of the cases are aged 15 to 30 years.Keywords: Cutaneous leishmania, Epidemiology, Facial lesion, Age-relate

Variation in postoperative outcomes of patients with intracranial tumors: insights from a prospective international cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: This study assessed the international variation in surgical neuro-oncology practice and 30-day outcomes of patients who had surgery for an intracranial tumor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We prospectively included adults aged ≥18 years who underwent surgery for a malignant or benign intracranial tumor across 55 international hospitals from 26 countries. Each participating hospital recorded cases for 3 consecutive months from the start of the pandemic. We categorized patients’ location by World Bank income groups (high [HIC], upper-middle [UMIC], and low- and lower-middle [LLMIC]). Main outcomes were a change from routine management, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 30-day mortality. We used a Bayesian multilevel logistic regression stratified by hospitals and adjusted for key confounders to estimate the association between income groups and mortality. Results: Among 1016 patients, the number of patients in each income group was 765 (75.3%) in HIC, 142 (14.0%) in UMIC, and 109 (10.7%) in LLMIC. The management of 200 (19.8%) patients changed from usual care, most commonly delayed surgery. Within 30 days after surgery, 14 (1.4%) patients had a COVID-19 diagnosis and 39 (3.8%) patients died. In the multivariable model, LLMIC was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio 2.83, 95% credible interval 1.37–5.74) compared to HIC. Conclusions: The first wave of the pandemic had a significant impact on surgical decision-making. While the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 30 days after surgery was low, there was a disparity in mortality between countries and this warrants further examination to identify any modifiable factors

Potential role of dogs as sentinels and reservoirs for piroplasms infecting equine and cattle in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Canine tick-borne diseases have been considered emerging and re-emerging threats, given their increasing global prevalence. In this molecular survey, we aimed to detect and identify common tick-borne pathogens in dogs from Riyadh city in Saudi Arabia. Initially, the study included 36 dogs visiting private veterinary clinics. PCRs targeting the 18S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) of haemoparasites (Babesia, Theileria and Hepatozoon) and the 16S rDNA of Anaplasmataceae were performed. The results showed that 26 (72.2%) dogs were infected by some of the haemoparasites under investigation. The sequencing analysis of the amplicons confirmed the infections due to two parasite species Theileria equi and Theileria velifera. Further examination of guard dogs kept in the horse stables of the Riyadh Municipality revealed that the majority of the tested dogs (65.2%: 30 out of 46) were infected with either of the parasites. In addition, the genotypes of all the parasites in these dogs were identical to those of the parasites in the dogs from the veterinary clinics. Thus, it can be concluded that dogs are infected with these haemoparasites and serve as a reservoir for both T. equi and T. velifera in the study area; however, the clinical implication of this finding is to be studied

Retail brand orientation, positional advantage and organisational performance

This study adopts a resource-based view of branding referred to as brand orientation. Despite the importance of branding in retail, relatively little empirical research has been conducted to understand the degree to which retailers can be considered brand oriented. The purpose of the present research is to establish a conceptualisation of brand orientation that is applicable in a retail context across countries. Moreover, we seek to empirically validate a model of the retail brand orientation&ndash;positional advantage&ndash;organisational performance relationship and to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the factors driving retailer performance. A mail survey was used to collect data from retail firms in Australia, USA and UK. The unit of analysis is the retail firm. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the measurement properties of the study constructs and structural equation modelling was performed to test the research model. The findings suggest that four elements of retail brand orientation (functionality, distinctiveness, augmentation and symbolism) play different roles in relation to certain aspects of positional advantage, which highlights the importance of developing strength in all four areas. Similarly, a position of superiority in only one aspect of a retailer\u27s offer is insufficient to assure both financial and strategic returns.<br /

Use of Sulfur Waste in the Production of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers

This preliminary study introduces the incorporation and chemical stabilization of sulfur waste into a geopolymer matrix and explores the concept of material production for further environmental and engineering solutions. In this study, a novel synthesis procedure for sulfur-based geopolymers was introduced, and the role of sulfur in geopolymers and its optimal content to obtain a stable structure were explored. Geopolymers were synthesized by dissolving sulfur in an alkaline activator in different proportions. The alkaline solution was then mixed with metakaolin to synthesize the geopolymer matrix. Adding sulfur in amounts from 0 wt.% to 5 wt.%, compared with metakaolin, led to an increase in the compressive strength of the geopolymers from 22.5 MPa to 29.9 MPa. When sulfur was between 5 wt.% and 15 wt.%, a decrease in the compressive strength was observed to 15.7 MPa, which can be explained by defects and voids in the geopolymer’s microstructure due to the solubility of excess sulfur. Because of the incorporation of sulfur into the geopolymers, a compact and dense microstructure was formed, as reported in the SEM analysis. An XRD analysis showed that, besides quartz and analcime, a new phase, Al2·H10·O17·S3, was also formed as a result of sulfur dissolution in the alkaline activator of the geopolymers

Novel insights of waterborne human rotavirus A in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) involving G2 predominance and emergence of a thermotolerant sequence

Abstract The routine evaluation of water environments is necessary to manage enteric virus-mediated fecal contamination and the possible emergence of novel variants. Here, we detected human rotavirus A (HRVA) circulating in two wastewater treatment plants, two lakes, irrigation water and a wastewater landfill located in Riyadh. VP7-derived surface protein sequences were assessed by phylogenetic analyses and inspection of thermotolerance-mediated secondary structure and seasonal variation. HRVA was most prevalent at An-Nazim wastewater landfill (AN-WWLF; 63.89%). Phylogenetic analyzes revealed the predominance of HRVA G2 lineage for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, a single HRVA sequence (2B64I-ANLF3/2018) was recovered at 45 °C from AN-WWLF; secondary structure prediction indicated that this sequence was thermotolerant with a high hydrophobicity, an absence of Ramachandran outliers, and a higher content of proline patches on the protein surface. Varied relationships were significantly observed between sampling areas influenced by temperature ranges (p < 0.05). HRVA prevalence was influenced by seasonal variations, favoring moderate temperatures in late autumn and early winter in all locations. However, a significant temperature impact was detected in Wadi-Hanifah Lake (p = 0.01). Our study extends the knowledge of currently circulating HRVA genotypes, and indicates the probable emergence of thermotolerant strains and seasonally mediated HRVA prevalence