Leaf Hexane Extracts of Two Turkish Fig (Ficus carica L.) Cultivars Show Cytotoxic Effects on a Human Prostate Cancer Cell Line

The world-famous Turkish fig, grown in Aydin, is also used for the treatment of various diseases with its leaves and latex. Studies have shown that fig leaf has antioxidant, antiviral, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects. The objective of the study is to examine the anticarcinogenic and antimicrobial effects of nonpolar extracts from the leaves of two fig cultivars (Sari Lop and Aydin Black) that are the most widely grown in Aydin. The fig leaves collected in the summer of 2017 were dried in shade at room temperature and crumbled. The n-hexane extracts of the dried fig leaves obtained with manual soxhlet and semi-automated soxhlet apparatus were applied on PC3 human prostate cancer cell line for 24h. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were examined on Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus using disc and agar well diffusion methods. As a result, antimicrobial activity of the n-hexane extracts on the bacteria was not detected at the highest dose tested (100 mg/ml). The n-hexane extracts showed cytotoxic effect on PC3 cells in a dose-dependent fashion and caused close to 100% death at 1000 μg/ml. No significant difference was observed between the cytotoxic effects of n-hexane extracts of two fig cultivars and the extraction methods (P>0.05)

Variation Analysis in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Cases

Menopausal status affects the prognoses and consequences of breast cancer. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to reveal the molecular variation profile differences in breast cancer patients according to their menopausal status, with the hypothesis that the molecular variation profiles will be different at premenopausal and postmenopausal ages. Breast cancer patients (n = 254) who underwent molecular subtyping and QIAseq Human Breast Cancer NGS Panel screening between 2018 and 2022 were evaluated retrospectively. Their menopausal status was defined by age, and those aged 50 years and above were considered postmenopausal. Of the subjects, 58.66% (n = 149) were premenopausal and 41.34% (n = 105) were postmenopausal. The mean age at the time of diagnosis for all patients was 49.31 ± 11.19 years, with respective values of 42.11 ± 5.51 and 59.54 ± 9.01 years for the premenopausal and postmenopausal groups, respectively (p = 0.000). Among premenopausal patients, the percentages of patients in BCa subtypes (luminal A, luminal B-HER2(−), luminal B-HER2(+), HER2 positive, and triple-negative) were determined to be 34.90%, 8.05%, 26.17%, 10.74%, and 20.13%, respectively, while in the postmenopausal group, these values were 39.05%, 16.19%, 24.76%, 6.67%, and 13.33%, respectively (p > 0.05). Considering menopausal status, the distribution of hormone receptors in premenopausal patients was ER(+)/PgR(+) 63.76%, ER(−)/PgR(−) 23.49%, ER(+)/PgR(−) 10.74%, and ER(−)/PgR(+) 2.01%, respectively, while in postmenopausal women, this distribution was observed to be 74.29%, 23.81%, 1.90% and 0.00% in the same order (p = 0.008). The most frequently mutated gene was TP53 in 130 patients (51.18%), followed by PIK3CA in 85 patients (33.46%), BRCA2 and NF1 in 56 patients (22.05%), PTEN in 54 patients (21.26%), and ATR and CHEK2 in 53 patients (20.87%). TP53, PIK3CA, NF1, BRCA2, PTEN, and CHEK2 mutations were more frequently observed in premenopausal patients, while TP53, PIK3CA, BRCA2, BRCA1, and ATR mutations in postmenopausal patients. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of breast cancer with respect to menopausal status. This study is the first from Turkey that reflects the molecular subtyping and somatic mutation profiles of breast cancer patients according to menopausal status

Evidence of associations between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum levels and gene polymorphisms with tinnitus

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms are associated with abnormalities in regulation of BDNF secretion. Studies also linked BDNF polymorphisms with changes in brainstem auditory-evoked response test results. Furthermore, BDNF levels are reduced in tinnitus, psychiatric disorders, depression, dysthymic disorder that may be associated with stress, conversion disorder, and suicide attempts due to crises of life. For this purpose, we investigated whether there is any role of BDNF changes in the pathophysiology of tinnitus. Materials and Methods: In this study, we examined the possible effects of BDNF variants in individuals diagnosed with tinnitus for more than 3 months. Fifty-two tinnitus subjects between the ages of 18 and 55, and 42 years healthy control subjects in the same age group, who were free of any otorhinolaryngology and systemic disease, were selected for examination. The intensity of tinnitus and depression was measured using the tinnitus handicap inventory, and the differential diagnosis of psychiatric diagnoses made using the Structured Clinical Interview for Fourth Edition of Mental Disorders. BDNF gene polymorphism was analyzed in the genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples extracted from the venous blood, and the serum levels of BDNF were measured. One-way analysis of variance and Chi-squared tests were applied. Results: Serum BDNF level was found lower in the tinnitus patients than controls, and it appeared that there is no correlation between BDNF gene polymorphism and tinnitus. Conclusions: This study suggests neurotrophic factors such as BDNF may have a role in tinnitus etiology. Future studies with larger sample size may be required to further confirm our results

Never in mitosis gene A-related kinase 6 and aurora kinase A: New gene biomarkers in the conversion from ulcerative colitis to colorectal cancer

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an important risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). Histone modifications are one of the epigenetic mechanisms that may have key roles in the carcinogenesis of CRC. At present, there are no studies comparing histone modification patterns of UC and CRC in the literature. Therefore the aim of the present study was to investigate whether genes, particularly those involved in histone modification, have value in patient monitoring with regards to CRC development in UC. Key gene expressions of the histone modification enzyme were assessed and compared in CRC, UC and control groups using the RT-PCR array technique. Patients were divided into subgroups based on the extent and duration of the disease and inflammatory burden, which are considered risk factors for CRC development in UC patients. In UC and CRC groups, a significantly higher overexpression of the NEK6 and AURKA genes compared to the control group was identified. In addition, there was a significantly higher overexpression of HDAC1 and PAK1 genes in the UC group, and of HDAC1, HDAC7, PAKI and AURKB genes in the CRC group. NEK6, AURKA, HDAC1 and PAK1 were significantly overexpressed in patients with a longer UC duration. Overexpression of AURKA and NEK6 genes was significantly more pronounced in UC patients with more extensive colon involvement. HDAC1, HDAC7, PAK1, NEK6, AURKA and AURKB are important diagnostic and prognostic markers involved in the carcinogenesis of CRC. HDAC1, PAK1, NEK6 and AURKA may be considered as diagnostic markers to be used in CRC screening for UC patients

Overexpressions of RHOA, CSNK1A1, DVL2, FZD8, and LRP5 genes enhance gastric cancer development in the presence of Helicobacter pylori

© 2023 Pan-Arab Association of GastroenterologyBackground and study aims: Intestinal metaplasia (IM), and Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection can be shown as risk factors in the development of gastric cancer (GC). WNT signaling pathway plays a critical role in carcinogenesis. However, the literature studies are limited on the significance of this pathway for the transition from IM to GC. Patients and methods: We aimed to investigate the importance of the genes of WNT signaling pathways diagnostic and prognostic markers in the presence and absence of HP in conversion from IM to GC. 104 patients, (GC group n = 35, IM group n = 45, control group n = 25) were included in this case-control study. Expression of genes in WNT signalling were searched in study groups with qRT-PCR array and qRT-PCR method. Data were analysed using PCR array data analysis software. Results: Statistically significant overexpression of RHOA, CSNK1A1, DVL2, FZD8 and LRP5 genes was detected in the GC and IM groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Statistically significant overexpression of RHOA, CSNK1A1, DVL2, FZD8 and LRP5 genes was observed in patients with metastatic GC compared to patients with GC without metastasis (p < 0.05). It was found that the RHOA, CSNK1A1, DVL2, FZD8 and LRP5 genes were statistically significantly over-expressed in diffuse GC patients compared to non-diffuse GC patients (p < 0.05). Statistically significant overexpression of RHOA, CSNK1A1, DVL2, FZD8 and LRP5 genes was detected in HP positive IM patients compared to HP negative IM patients (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Overexpression of RHOA, CSNK1A1, DVL2, FZD8 and LRP5 genes in IM may suggest that these genes are important markers in the development of IM and inflammation with HP. In addition, these genes are linked to tumor burden in the GC group. Consequently, we can conclude that these genes are poor prognosis biomarkers for GC and have the potential to be used as markers for future treatment monitoring

Biological effects of tolerable level chronic boron intake on transcription factors

The mechanism of boron effect on human transcription and translation has not been fully understood. In the current study it was aimed to reveal the role of boron on the expression of certain transcription factors that play key roles in many cellular pathways on human subjects chronically exposed to low amounts of boron. The boron concentrations in drinking water samples were 1.57 +/- 0.06 mg/l for boron group while the corresponding value for the control group was 0.016 +/- 0.002 mg/l. RNA isolation was performed using PAX gene RNA kit on the blood samples from the subjects. The RNA was then reverse transcribed into cDNA and analyzed using the Human Transcription Factors RT2 Profiler (TM) PCR Arrays. While the boron amount in urine was detected as 3.56 +/- 1.47 mg/day in the boron group, it was 0.72 +/- 0.30 mg/day in the control group. Daily boron intake of the boron and control groups were calculated to be 6.98 +/- 3.39 and 1.18 +/- 0.41 mg/day, respectively. The expression levels of the transcription factor genes were compared between the boron and control groups and no statistically significant difference was detected (P > 0.05). The data suggest that boron, intake at 6.98 +/- 3.39 mg/day, which is the dose at which beneficial effects might be seen, does not result in toxicity at molecular level since the expression levels of transcription factors are not changed. Although boron intake over this level will seem to increase RNA synthesis, further examination of the topic is needed using new molecular epidemiological data. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved