SERUM ZINC LEVELS IN SUDANESE PATIENTS WITH ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

Background: Zinc acts as growth protector for neoplastic cells and its deficiency was contributed to carcinogenesis. However, the determinations of serum zinc in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) prediction and prognosis requires more investigations. Objective: To evaluate and compare serum zinc in ALL patients and healthy controls and to correlate the serum zinc levels with hematological prognostic markers. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in Khartoum state-Sudan during the period from December 2013 to September 2014, it involved a case group of ALL patients (N=100) matched for age and gender with a control group (N=100). Serum copper and zinc levels and full blood count were investigated. Results: The ALL patients showed lower levels of Zn 0.73 ± 0.18 mg/dl compared to controls 1.01 ± 0.25 mg/dl [P = 0.003]. The serum Zn levels were inversely correlated with total white cell (-0.804, P < 0.0001) and blast counts (-0.935, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: These findings ALL associated with lower serum zinc levels and higher serum copper levels. The determination of serum zinc and copper could be used as ALL prognostic markers. KEYWORDS: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Zinc; Carcinogenesis

SERUM ZINC LEVELS IN SUDANESE PATIENTS WITH ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA

Background: Zinc acts as growth protector for neoplastic cells and its deficiency was contributed to carcinogenesis. However, the determinations of serum zinc in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) prediction and prognosis requires more investigations. Objective: To evaluate and compare serum zinc in ALL patients and healthy controls and to correlate the serum zinc levels with hematological prognostic markers. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in Khartoum state-Sudan during the period from December 2013 to September 2014, it involved a case group of ALL patients (N=100) matched for age and gender with a control group (N=100). Serum copper and zinc levels and full blood count were investigated. Results: The ALL patients showed lower levels of Zn 0.73 ± 0.18 mg/dl compared to controls 1.01 ± 0.25 mg/dl [P = 0.003]. The serum Zn levels were inversely correlated with total white cell (-0.804, P < 0.0001) and blast counts (-0.935, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: These findings ALL associated with lower serum zinc levels and higher serum copper levels. The determination of serum zinc and copper could be used as ALL prognostic markers. KEYWORDS: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Zinc; Carcinogenesis

THE FINGERPRINT OF THE HUMAN GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT MICROBIOTA: A HYPOTHESIS OF MOLECULAR MAPPING

The precise etiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) remains unclear and several factors are believed to play a role in its development and progression, including the composition of microbial communities resident in the gastrointestinal tract. Human intestinal microbiota are extensive with at least 15.000-36.000 bacterial species. However, thanks to the new development in sequencing and molecular taxonomic methodologies, our understanding of the microbiota population composition, dynamics, and ecology has greatly increased. Intestinal microbiota play a critical role in the maintenance of the host intestinal barrier homeostasis, while dysbiosis, which involves reduction in the microbiome diversity, can lead to progression of the inflammatory disorders, such as IBD and colorectal cancer. It is hypothesized that fingerprinting characterization of the microbiota community composition is the first step in the study of this complex bacterial ecosystem and a crucial step in the targeted therapy. Molecular fingerprinting of human gastrointestinal tract microbiota could be performed by different techniques including the semi quantitation, 16srRNA, the DNA-microarray as well as other relatively new methods which were developed to study many complex bacterial ecosystem. These techniques provide individual data of the human intestinal microbiota and provide estimation of the relative presence of the microbial target groups within each individual. such personalized information serves as a remarkable and unprecedented opportunity to improve targeted medical treatment and probably develop strategies to prfevent disease

COLORECTAL CANCER: AN UPDATE ON THE EFFECTS OF LYCOPENE ON TUMOR PROGRESSION AND CELL PROLIFERATION

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Various factors, including oxidative stress, where excessive productions of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) occur, contribute to its pathogenesis. Numerous studies have investigated the effect of antioxidant substances derived from food such fruits and vegetables; however, data on Lycopene are still rare. Stidies on HT-29 colorectal cancer cells and on animal models have shown that Lycopene has effects on cell proliferation and on the progression of the CRC by interacting with variuos cellular signaling pathways. this analysis of the literature focused on the antioxidant effect of Lycopene, a substance that is found in the tomato

COLORECTAL CARCINOGENESIS; ROLE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ANTIOXIDANTS

One of the contributory causes of colon cancer is the negative effect of reactive oxygen species on DNA repair mechanism. Currently, there is a growing support for the concept that oxidative stress may be an important etiological factor for carcinogenesis. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the role of oxidative stress in promoting colorectal carcinogenesis and to highlight the potential protective role of antioxidants. Several studies have documentes the importance of antioxidants in countering oxidative stress and preventing colorectal carcinogenesis. However, there are conflicting data in the literature concerning its proper use in humans, since these studies did not yeld definitive results and were performed mostly in vitro on cell population, or in vivo in experimental animal models

The long-term effects of probiotics in the therapy of ulcerative colitis: a clinical study

Aim. Intestinal dysbiosis seems to be the leading cause of inflammatory bowel diseases, and probiotics seems to represent the proper support against their occurrence. Actually, probiotic blends and anti-inflammatory drugs represent a weapon against inflammatory bowel diseases. The present study evaluates the long-term (2 years) effects of combination therapy (mesalazine plus a probiotic blend of Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus strain BGN4) on ulcerative colitis activity. Method. Sixty patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis were enrolled: 30 of them were treated with a single daily oral administration of mesalazine 1200 mg; 30 patients received a single daily oral administration of mesalazine 1200 mg and a double daily administration of a probiotic blend of Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus strain BGN4. The treatment was carried out for two years and the clinical response evaluated according to the Modified Mayo Disease Activity Index. Results. All patients treated with combination therapy showed better improvement compared to the controls. In particular, the beneficial effects of probiotics were evident even after two years of treatment. Conclusions. A long-term treatment modality of anti-inflammatory drugs and probiotics is viable and could be an alternative to corticosteroids in mild-to moderate ulcerative colitis

Statistical evaluation of a new resistance model for cold-formed stainless steel cross-sections subjected to web crippling

This paper presents a statistical evaluation according to Annex D of EN 1990 (2002) of a new resistance function for web crippling design of cold-formed stainless steel cross-sections. This resistance function was derived by Bock et al. (2013) through the use of carefully validated numerical models with the aim to propose a design expression for stainless steel sections, which are currently designed following the provisions for cold-formed carbon steel sections given in EN 1993-1-3 (2006). Although it was shown that the proposed design equation is appropriate for application to various stainless steels, the statistical uncertainties in material properties that the different types of stainless steels exhibit require an assessment of various partial safety factors. The statistical assessment showed that the proposed resistance function by Bock et al. (2013) requires adjustment to satisfy the safety level set out in EN 1993-1-4 (2006); A recalibration is performed herein. The web crippling design provisions given in EN 1993-1-3 (2006) and SEI/ASCE 8-02 (2002) American standard for application to stainless steel are also statistically evaluated herein. Comparison with test and numerical data showed that the predictions of the recalibrated resistance function are better suited and consistent than existing design provisionsResearch Fund for Coal and Stee

Identification of a Novel Signaling Pathway and Its Relevance for GluA1 Recycling

We previously showed that the serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 3 (SGK3) increases the AMPA-type glutamate receptor GluA1 protein in the plasma membrane. The activation of AMPA receptors by NMDA-type glutamate receptors eventually leads to postsynaptic neuronal plasticity. Here, we show that SGK3 mRNA is upregulated in the hippocampus of new-born wild type Wistar rats after NMDA receptor activation. We further demonstrate in the Xenopus oocyte expression system that delivery of GluA1 protein to the plasma membrane depends on the small GTPase RAB11. This RAB-dependent GluA1 trafficking requires phosphorylation and activation of phosphoinositol-3-phosphate-5-kinase (PIKfyve) and the generation of PI(3,5)P2. In line with this mechanism we could show PIKfyve mRNA expression in the hippocampus of wild type C57/BL6 mice and phosphorylation of PIKfyve by SGK3. Incubation of hippocampal slices with the PIKfyve inhibitor YM201636 revealed reduced CA1 basal synaptic activity. Furthermore, treatment of primary hippocampal neurons with YM201636 altered the GluA1 expression pattern towards reduced synaptic expression of GluA1. Our findings demonstrate for the first time an involvement of PIKfyve and PI(3,5)P2 in NMDA receptor-triggered synaptic GluA1 trafficking. This new regulatory pathway of GluA1 may contribute to synaptic plasticity and memory

Changing foreign policy: the Obama Administration’s decision to oust Mubarak

This paper analyses the decision of the Obama administration to redirect its foreign policy towards Egypt in the wake of the Arab Spring. It attempts to highlight the issue of how governments deal with decision-making at times of crisis, and under which circumstances they take critical decisions that lead to major shifts in their foreign policy track record. It focuses on the process that led to a reassessment of US (United States) foreign policy, shifting from decades of support to the autocratic regime of Hosni Mubarak, towards backing his ouster. Specifically, the paper attempts to assess to what extent the decision to withdraw US support from a longstanding state-leader and ally in the Middle East can be seen as a foreign policy change (FPC). A relevant research question this paper pursues is: how can the withdrawal of US support to a regime considered as an ally be considered, in itself, as a radical FPC