Liver Protective Effects of Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibition Have No Survival Benefits in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Induced By Repetitive Administration of Diethylnitrosamine in Mice

BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies have demonstrated that renin-angiotensin system (RAS) signalling has strong tumour-promoting effects and RAS inhibition was associated with improvement in the overall survival in some cancer types including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin-II-receptor blockers (ARBs) on the survival of mice with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced HCC.METHODS: HCC was induced by weekly i.p. administration of DEN. Mice were treated with sorafenib (SO) (30 mg/kg), perindopril (PE) (1 mg/kg), fosinopril (FO) (2 mg/kg), losartan (LO) (10 mg/kg), PE (1 mg/kg) + SO (30 mg/kg), FO (2 mg/kg) + SO (30 mg/kg), or LO (10 mg/kg) + SO (30 mg/kg). Survival analysis was done using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was used for assessing the significance of difference between groups.RESULTS: The administration of PE, FO and LO as monotherapy or as combined with SO resulted in marked improvement in the liver histologic picture with no impact on overall survival of mice.CONCLUSION: Interfering the RAS either through the inhibition of ACE or the blockade of angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptors has similar effects on the liver of DEN-induced HCC mice and is not associated with longer survival due to detrimental effects of DEN on other organs. Hence, repetitive administration of DEN in such models of HCC is not suitable for mortality assessment studies

Assessment Of The Global Fallout Of Plutonium Isotopes In The Topsoil Of Qatar: Establishing A Baseline Concentrations Of 238pu, 239pu, And 240pu

A radio-analytical technique for determination of plutonium (Pu) isotopes in soil samples is tested against NIST and IAEA standard reference materials to determine its accuracy and precision for reliable results. The technique is then used in the investigation of 132 topsoil samples, collected from the natural environment of Qatar, to assess the effect of global fallout accumulation of these radionuclides in the region. Plutonium was sequentially leached form 1000 g of each soil sample using nitric and hydrochloric acids. The residual fine particles were separated by filtration and centrifuge. The solution was reduced to 1 ml by evaporation in dry oven and measured directly by CRC-ICP-MS/MS without prior chemical separation of Pu. The concentrations of 238Pu in the collected soil samples vary from < 0.026 - 0.058 fg/g (< 0.0160 - 0.0266 Bq/kg) with a mean value of 0.034 fg/g (0.0195 Bq/kg) and a median value of 0.032 fg/g (0.0195 Bq/kg). The concentrations of 239Pu fall in the range 5.67 - 166.09 fg/g (0.014 - 0.381 Bq/kg) with a mean value of 67.33 fg/g (0.154 Bq/kg) and a median value of 63.21 fg/g (0.145 Bq/kg). The concentrations of 240Pu fall in the range 1.48 - 28.21 fg/g (0.013 - 0.240 Bq/kg) with a mean value of 11.46 fg/g (0.098 Bq/kg) and a median value of 10.835 fg/g (0.093 Bq/kg). The isotopic and activity concentrations ratios of 238Pu/239Pu, 240Pu/239Pu, and 238Pu/239+240Pu can be used to identify the source. The main isotope ratios of 238Pu/239Pu in Qatari soils is (3.33 ± 1.02) x 10-4. A reported global and Chernobyl fallouts isotope ratio of 238Pu/239Pu are 1.77 x 10-4 and 4.3 x 10-3, respectively. The main isotope ratio of 240Pu/239Pu in Qatari soils is 0.1749 ± 0.0211. A reported global and Chernobyl fallouts isotope ratios of 240Pu/239Pu are 0.18-0.19 and 0.34-0.57, respectively. The average isotopic and activity ratios of 238Pu/239,240Pu in Qatari soils are (2.856 ± 0.881) x 10-4 and 0.0505 ± 0.0032, respectively. The activity ratio 238Pu/239+240Pu in releases from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, nuclear tests, weapons grade, and Chernobyl fallout are about 0.25, 0.026, 0.014 and 0.47, respectively. Accordingly, it is difficult to identify the source, but it may be due to the contribution of more than one source. The most probable sources are both Chernobyl fallout of Pu isotopes and several decades of fallout Pu accumulation due to nuclear weapons testing. Novel Aspect New data base was established for the concentration and isotope ratios of Pu isotopes (238Pu, 239Pu, and 240Pu) in Qatar topsoil.qscienc

Bone Height Changes of the Mandibular Edentulous Ridge in Screw Retained Versus Telescopic Restorations for Completely Edentulous Patients

AIM: This study was established to evaluate the amount of bone height changes in the posterior mandibular area of edentulous patients receiving screw-retained prostheses versus removable telescopic implant overdentures.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Every patient received four inter-foraminal implants regarding the mandibular arch and four anterior implants for the maxillary arch, computer guided surgical guides were planned for the insertion of the implants accurately with a flapless technique. Panoramic radiographs were made immediately, six months and twelve months after the prostheses` use proportional area and vertical measurements were applied to determine changes in the bone height of the posterior mandibular edentulous area.RESULTS: After twelve months, a statistically non-significant amount of bone resorption was reported for both groups.CONCLUSION: Up to the limitations of this study both treatment options the screw retained and telescopic overdenture can be used for rehabilitation of completely edentulous patients. These cases must be followed for a longer period to have a definite answer regarding their efficiency in the long run

Overview of MDM2 and B-RAF Expression in Gastric Lesions

BACKGROUND: Globally, gastric cancer (GC) it is the fourth most common cancer and the third cause of cancer-related deaths. Overexpression of MDM2 and B-RAF appeared to be increased in malignancy and associated with poor prognosis in several human tumours, but their role in gastric cancer remains controversial. AIM: We had investigated the immunohistochemical expression of MDM2 and B-RAF in 136 gastric lesions with/without H. pylori association. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Studied specimens include chronic gastritis (32), intestinal type GC (70), diffuse GC (22) and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) (12). RESULTS: MDM2 expression increased significantly in intestinal GC compared to other groups (p &lt; 0.001), while B-RAF expression increased significantly in GIST compared to other groups (p &lt; 0.001). H. pylori increased expression of MDM2 in intestinal GC cases but did not affect B-RAF expression. MDM2 expression correlated with high grade of tumor differentiation (p &lt; 0.001), deep invasion (p &lt; 0.05), nodal metastases (p &lt; 0.05) and distant metastases (p &lt; 0.1) in intestinal GC, while B-RAF expression did not correlate with TNM stage (p &lt; 0.1). CONCLUSION: MDM2 up-regulation was more frequent in intestinal GC, while B-RAF up-regulation was more frequent in GIST compared to other groups; MDM2 expression in intestinal GC was correlated with H. pylori association, high grade of differentiation, deep invasion, nodal and distant metastases, meanwhile, B-RAF expression was correlated with high-grade intestinal GC but did not correlate with H. pylori or TNM stage. The possible role of both MDM2 and B-RAF in predicting progression of gastric tumours and prognosis deserves further investigations

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

Helal A. Immunohistochemical studies on the bovine lactating mammary gland (Bos taurus

a b s t r a c t The study aimed to evaluate the validity of immunohistochemistry in the differential labeling of the diverse components of the lactating mammary gland. Paraffin-embedded sections of lactating bovine mammary glands were stained by conventional and histochemical techniques. Primary antibodies against S100, alpha smooth muscle actin (␣-SMA), connexin-43 (Cx43), cytokeratin-14 (Ck14), galactosyltransferase (GalTase), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were applied on paraffin sections. Strong cytoplasmic and nuclear S100 immunoreactivity was mainly expressed by alveolar epithelium and to a lesser variable extent by ductal epithelium. The Golgi zone of the epithelial cells expressed strong GalTase immunostaining. Myoepithelial cells displayed a strong immunostaining for ␣-SMA, Cx43 and Ck14, but not for S100. Vascular endothelium showed a moderate (for VEGF) to strong (for ACE) immunostaining. The presence of VEGF-immunoreactive mast cells within the interstitium may reflect their functional significance in angiogenesis, vascular permeability and migration of mononuclear leukocytes, suggesting their regulatory role in the secretory and immunological functions of the mammary glands

Ultra-trace Measurements of ²¹⁰Pb in natural occurring radioactive materials by ICP-MS

Collision cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CC-ICP-MS) was investigated as a possible alternative to nuclear analytical techniques for the determination of 210Pb. The formation of isobaric and polyatomic interferences was studied. Following the acid digestion, extraction chromatography was tested to assess their usefulness in reducing its interferences. A 210Pb pre-concentration of >300-fold and recoveries of 63-73% were obtained using a combined extraction chromatography and pre-concentration by evaporation protocol. Improvement in sensitivity of 210Pb was found by optimization of the collision cell parameters using krypton as a collision gas. The detection limit was improved by a factor of 300 for 210Pb. A detection limit of 0.214 ppt (0.698 Bq/mL) was obtained. The method was applied to determine 210Pb in samples of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM)

Collision/reaction cell ICP-MS with shielded torch and sector field ICP-MS for the simultaneous determination of selenium isotopes in biological matrices

The determinations of selenium isotopes in biological samples were performed using both inductively coupled plasma collision/reaction cell quadruple mass spectrometer (CRC-ICP-QMS) and inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometers (SF-ICP-MS). To significantly decrease the argon-based interferences at m/z 74 (36Ar38Ar), 76 ( 38Ar38Ar, 40Ar36Ar), 78 ( 38Ar40Ar), and 80 (40Ar40Ar), the gas-flow rates of a helium and hydrogen mixture used in the collision cell were optimized to 1.0 mL/min H2 and 3.5 mL/min He. Under the optimized condition, the precisions for natural selenium isotope ratio measurements of both instruments were evaluated and compared using 100 ppb Se standard solution. A modified external calibration quantification method was applied for the simultaneous determination of clinically used enriched selinocompounds ( 77Se-selenate, 82Se-selenite, 76Se- methylseleninic acidIV, 78Se-methylselenonic acid VI) and to examine their fate in rat organs (liver, kidney, and lung). © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Significant reductions in heart and lung doses using semi lateral decubitus techniques for left sided breast cancer patients: A comparative dosimetric study with supine techniques

Introduction: Various treatment techniques as breath hold techniques have been developed to spare the heart and lung in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. Purpose: to compare the heart and lung dosimetric parameters of semi lateral decubitus technique with and without deep inspiration breath hold with standard supine techniques for left-sided breast cancer patients undergoing breast conservative surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. Methods: Fifty patients with left-sided breast cancer were simulated using standard supine, semi lateral decubitus and semi lateral decubitus and deep inspiration breath hold. The three plans carried out using two tangential opposed photon beams were compared. Results: There was a significant reduction in heart V5Gy, V10Gy, V25Gy, V30Gy, mean dose & max dose with semi-lateral decubitus and breath hold technique compared to supine technique & semi-lateral decubitus technique (P < 0.001). There was also a significant reduction in the above mentioned heart DVPs with semi-lateral decubitus (P < 0.001) compared to supine technique. There was a significant reduction in ipsilateral lung V20Gy and mean dose with semi-lateral decubitus and breath hold technique compared to supine technique (P < 0.001) & semi-lateral decubitus technique (P = 0.003 & 0.006) respectively. There was also a significant reduction in ipsilateral lung V20Gy and mean dose with semi-lateral decubitus (P < 0.001 & 0.007) compared to supine technique. Conclusion: Semi-lateral decubitus techniques with and without breath hold for left sided breast cancer patients significantly reduce the dosimetric parameters of the heart and ipsilateral lung compared to supine technique with comparable target dose coverage