Immunohistochemical evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 and estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast carcinoma in Jordan

INTRODUCTION: Although breast carcinoma (BC) is the most common malignancy affecting Jordanian females and the affected population in Jordan is younger than that in the West, no information is available on its biological characteristics. Our aims in this study are to evaluate the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) and Her-2/neu overexpression in BC in Jordan, and to compare the expression of these with other prognostic parameters for BC such as histological type, histological grade, tumor size, patients' age, and number of lymph node metastases. METHOD: This is a retrospective study conducted in the Department of Pathology at Jordan University of Science and Technology. A confirmed 91 cases of BC diagnosed in the period 1995 to 1998 were reviewed and graded. We used immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of ER, PR, and Her-2. Immunohistochemical findings were correlated with age, tumor size, grade and axillary lymph node status. RESULTS: Her-2 was overexpressed in 24% of the cases. The mean age of Her-2 positive cases was 42 years as opposed to 53 years among Her-2 negative cases (p = 0.0001). Her-2 expression was inversely related to ER and PR expression. Her-2 positive tumors tended to be larger than Her-2 negative tumors with 35% overexpression among T3 tumors as opposed to 22% among T2 tumors (p = 0.13). Her-2 positive cases tended to have higher rates of axillary metastases, but this did not reach statistical significance. ER and PR positive cases were seen in older patients with smaller tumor sizes. CONCLUSION: Her-2 overexpression was seen in 24% of BC affecting Jordanian females. Her-2 overexpression was associated with young age at presentation, larger tumor size, and was inversely related to ER and PR expression. One-fifth of the carcinomas were Her-2 positive and ER negative. This group appears to represent an aggressive form of BC presenting at a young age with large primary tumors and a high rate of four or more axillary lymph node metastases

Bioavailability in soils

The consumption of locally-produced vegetables by humans may be an important exposure pathway for soil contaminants in many urban settings and for agricultural land use. Hence, prediction of metal and metalloid uptake by vegetables from contaminated soils is an important part of the Human Health Risk Assessment procedure. The behaviour of metals (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc) and metalloids (arsenic, boron and selenium) in contaminated soils depends to a large extent on the intrinsic charge, valence and speciation of the contaminant ion, and soil properties such as pH, redox status and contents of clay and/or organic matter. However, chemistry and behaviour of the contaminant in soil alone cannot predict soil-to-plant transfer. Root uptake, root selectivity, ion interactions, rhizosphere processes, leaf uptake from the atmosphere, and plant partitioning are important processes that ultimately govern the accumulation ofmetals and metalloids in edible vegetable tissues. Mechanistic models to accurately describe all these processes have not yet been developed, let alone validated under field conditions. Hence, to estimate risks by vegetable consumption, empirical models have been used to correlate concentrations of metals and metalloids in contaminated soils, soil physico-chemical characteristics, and concentrations of elements in vegetable tissues. These models should only be used within the bounds of their calibration, and often need to be re-calibrated or validated using local soil and environmental conditions on a regional or site-specific basis.Mike J. McLaughlin, Erik Smolders, Fien Degryse, and Rene Rietr

Anti-Inflammatory properties of Salograviolide A purified from Lebanese plant Centaurea ainetensis

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Assessment of personal care and medical robots from older adults' perspective

Demographic reports indicate that population of older adults is growing significantly over the world and in particular in developed nations. Consequently, there are a noticeable number of demands for certain services such as health-care systems and assistive medical robots and devices. In today's world, different types of robots play substantial roles specifically in medical sector to facilitate human life, especially older adults. Assistive medical robots and devices are created in various designs to fulfill specific needs of older adults. Though medical robots are utilized widely by senior citizens, it is dramatic to find out into what extent assistive robots satisfy their needs and expectations. This paper reviews various assessments of assistive medical robots from older adults' perspectives with the purpose of identifying senior citizen's needs, expectations, and preferences. On the other hand, these kinds of assessments inform robot designers, developers, and programmers to come up with robots fulfilling elderly's needs while improving their life quality

A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

Case Report: ANCA Negative Pulmonary Renal Syndrome with Pathologic Findings of Thrombotic Microangiopathy

Introduction: Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is characterized by aggregation of platelets in the renal and/or systemic circulation, thrombocytopenia and intravascular hemolysis. The syndrome classically spares the lung. The term pulmonary-renal syndrome describes a number of diseases in which pulmonary hemorrhages and glomerulopathy coexist. Case Report: We report a 44-year-old man admitted to hospital because of chronic unexplained fever. Six days after admission he developed hemoptysis, respiratory distress and biochemical evidence of acute renal failure. High-resolution computed tomography scan of the chest demonstrated alveolar hemorrhages. The patient developed hypoxia and was shifted to the intensive care unit to be supported by mechanical ventilation. He also received two sessions of continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration. Kidney biopsy revealed pathological findings of TMA. Serology for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, anti-cardiolipin antibodies and anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies was negative. The patient was treated with pulse steroids followed by prednisolone with mild improvement. Seven days later, his condition deteriorated with an increase in serum creatinine and pulmonary hemorrhages. His hemoglobin level dropped and he developed features of intravascular hemolysis. A diagnosis of TMA was made and treatment with plasma exchange was initiated. The patient showed dramatic improvement and was discharged in good condition. He remained in remission throughout his subsequent follow up. Conclusion: TMA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary renal syndromes, and can be successfully managed by corticosteriods combined with plasma exchange. Keywords: Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody; Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome; Pulmonary Renal Syndrome; Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Direct Chill Casting and Extrusion of AA6111 Aluminum Alloy Formulated from Taint Tabor Scrap

AA6111 aluminum automotive body-sheet alloy has been formulated from 100% Taint Tabor scrap aluminum. Direct chill casting with and without high shear melt conditioning (HSMC) was used to produce the AA6111 alloy billets. Both homogenized and non-homogenized billets were extruded into sheets. The optical micrographs of the melt conditioned direct chill (MC-DC) samples showed refined equiaxed grains in comparison to direct chill (DC) cast and direct chill grain refined (DC-GR) samples. Optical metallography showed extensive peripheral coarse grain (PCG) for the DC, DC-GR and MC-DC planks extruded from the homogenized standard AA6111 billets while planks extruded from modified AA6111 billets (with recrystallization inhibitors) showed thin PCG band. The co-addition of recrystallization inhibitors Mn, Zr, and Cr with elimination of the billet homogenization step had a favorable impact on the microstructure of the AA6111 alloy following the extrusion process where a fibrous grain structure was retained across the whole section of the planks. The mechanical properties of as-cast planks extruded from non-homogenized billets were similar to those extruded from homogenized billets. Eliminating the homogenization heat treatment step prior to extrusion has important ramifications in terms of processing cost reduction

Proposed formulas for estimating splitting tensile, shear and flexural strengths, and long term deflection assessment of self-compacting concrete elements

This paper investigated the splitting tensile and shear strengths and the modulus of rupture of Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) elements with fly ash, micro silica and polycarboxylate ether superplasticizer for various grades and water-to-binder ratios. The immediate and long term deflections of SCC beams were also studied. Finally, the experimental values of the mechanical properties of SCC elements were compared to those computed using ACI-318 design code equations that were formulated for Normally Vibrated Concrete (NVC). The novelty of this study lies in the proposal of alternatives to ACI-318 design code formulas to account for the use of SCC in place of NVC. Moreover, the paper provides an assessment of the long term deflection of SCC beams. 1 2017 by American Scientific Publishers.Acknowledgment: This report was made possible by a National Priority Research Program award [NPRP 6-280-2-117] from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The technical support of ALWATANIYA ready mix company at Qatar in the development of this work is gratefully acknowledged.Scopu