Fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5)-related signal transduction pathway in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells: a potential therapeutic target

In this short communication, a novel fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5)-related signal transduction pathway in prostate cancer is reviewed. In castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells, the FABP5-related signal transduction pathway plays an important role during transformation of the cancer cells from androgen-dependent state to androgen-independent state. The detailed route of this signal transduction pathway can be described as follows: when FABP5 expression is increased as the increasing malignancy, excessive amounts of fatty acids from intra- and extra-cellular sources are transported into the nucleus of the cancer cells where they act as signalling molecules to stimulate their nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). The phosphorylated or biologically activated PPARγ then modulates the expression of its downstream target regulatory genes to trigger a series of molecular events that eventually lead to enhanced tumour expansion and aggressiveness caused by an overgrowth of the cancer cells with a reduced apoptosis and an increased angiogenesis. Suppressing the FABP5-related pathway via RNA interference against FABP5 has produced a 63-fold reduction in the average size of the tumours developed from CRPC cells in nude mice, a seven-fold reduction of tumour incidence, and a 100% reduction of metastasis rate. Experimental treatments of CRPC with novel FABP5 inhibitors have successfully inhibited the malignant progression of CRPC cells both in vitro and in nude mouse. These studies suggest that FABP5-related signal transduction pathway is a novel target for therapeutic intervention of CRPC cells

Medical education across three colleges of medicine: perspectives of medical students

AimThis study aimed to explore and evaluate various components of the medical education process (lectures, labs, small-group discussions, clinical rotations, and undergraduate research) in three colleges of medicine in Jordan. MethodsThis cross-sectional questionnaire-based study included 849 undergraduate students from three main medical colleges in Jordan. Statically valid responses were considered for 684 students. The participants were from Jordan University of Science and Technology, Yarmouk University, and the University of Jordan. ResultsThe distribution of students according to their admission status was 276 (40%) regular, 266 (38.9%) parallel, and 142 (20.8%) international programs. Personal interest and self-initiation were the major motives for studying medicine in 66.1%. Regarding the frequency of attending classes, University of Jordan students reported the highest rate of regular classes' attendance (93%). The study also reported that lecture notes and textbooks were the main sources of learning for medical students. The study also reported superior academic performance of students in the regular program compared to students in the parallel and international programs. Participants of the study criticized the medical curricula in the three colleges mentioned above because of the lack of active research programs. Most of the students (40%–56%) also complained that the lectures within the modules were not well-integrated, and they felt that the academic environment was moderate (48–59%). In addition, most students in the clinical phase complained of overcrowding in hospital wards during clinical rotation. ConclusionsBased on students' feedback, multiple aspects of the medical education process require substantial reform to meet the expectations of medical students in Jordan.This study was supported by the Deanship of Research at JUST (2015/513). Dr. Ayman Mustafa is currently at leave from JUST. Open access funding provided by the Qatar National Library

Co-Incidence of Human Papillomaviruses and Epstein-Barr Virus is Associated with Advanced Tumor Stage: A Tissue Microarray Study of Head and Neck Cancers

Background: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), are known oncoviruses and can be co-present and hence cooperate in the development of human carcinomas, including head and neck. Methods: We herein explore for the first time the co-prevalence of high-risk HPVs and EBV in 98 head and neck (HN) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues from Bosnian patients using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis, as well as tissue microarray methodology. Results: The majority of these cancer tissue cases were from the oral cavity (68%). We found that high-risk HPVs and EBV are co-present in 34.7% of SCC samples; with a significant correlation between various high-risk HPV types and EBV co-incidence (p=0.03). Our data showed that 30.8% of oral SCCs are positive for E6 oncoproteins of high-risk HPVs and 44.6% are positive for LMP1 of EBV. The most commonly expressed HPVs in our HNSCC samples include HPV types 16, 18, 45 and 58. More importantly, 37.5% of oral SCCs are positive for both HPVs and EBV, with statistically significant association between high-risk HPV types and EBV (p<0.05). More significantly, we report that the co-presence of HPV and EBV is highly correlated with advanced tumor stage (p=0.035). Conclusion: In conclusion, HPV and EBV oncoviruses are co-present in HNSCC, particularly in oral cancer, where they can cooperate in the initiation and/or progression of this cancer. Thus, further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of high-risk HPVs and EBV cooperation in human carcinoma

Co-incidence of Human Papillomaviruses and Epstein–Barr Virus Is Associated With High to Intermediate Tumor Grade in Human Head and Neck Cancer in Syria

High-risk human papillomaviruses (high-risk HPVs) have been recently reported to be co-present with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in different types of human cancers including head and neck (HN), where they can cooperate in the initiation and/or progression of this cancer. Accordingly, we herein explored the prevalence of high-risk HPVs and EBV in 80 HN cancer tissues from the Syrian population using polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and tissue microarray methodologies. We report that high-risk HPVs and EBV are present in 35/80 (43.7%) and 41/80 (51.2%) of our samples, respectively, and the most frequent HPV types are 33, 16, 18, 45, 52, 58, 35, 51, and 31, in this order. More significantly, our data reveal that 25/80 (31.2%) of cancer cases are positive for high-risk HPVs as well as EBV, and their co-presence is associated with high/intermediate-grade squamous cell carcinomas. These data confirm the co-presence of high-risk HPVs and EBV in HN cancers in the Syrian population of the Middle East and demonstrate that their co-incidence is linked to a more aggressive cancer phenotype. Thus, future studies are required to confirm these data and elucidate the exact role of high-risk and EBV cooperation in human HN carcinogenesis.This work was supported by Qatar University grants # QUHI-CMED-19/20-1 and GCC-2017-002 QU/KU

Comparison of co-presence of Epstein-Barr virus and high-risk human papillomaviruses in colorectal cancers in the Middle East Region

Background: Several studies have shown the presence of onco viral DNA in colorectal tumor tissues. Viral infection by onco-viruses such as Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are well-known to be involved in the onset and/or progression of numerous human carcinomas. Methods: We explored the co-presence of high-risk HPVs and EBV in a cohort of colorectal cancer samples from Lebanon (94) and Syria (102) by PCR, immunohistochemistry and tissue microarray. Results: The results of the study point out that 54% of colorectal cancer cases in Syria are positive for high-risk HPVs, while 30% of the cases in Lebanon are positive for these viruses; the most frequent high-risk HPV types in these populations are 16, 18, 31, 33 and 35. Analysis of LMP1 showed similar results in both populations; 36% of Syrian and 31% of Lebanese samples. Additionally, we report that EBV and high-risk HPVs are co-present in these samples. In Syrian samples, EBV and HPVs are co-present in 16% of the population, however, in the Lebanese samples, 20% of the cases are positive for both EBV and HPVs; their co-presence is associated with high/intermediate grade invasive carcinomas. Conclusion: These data suggest that EBV and high-risk HPVs are co-present in human colorectal cancers where they can cooperate in the progression of these cancers. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to elucidate the role of those oncoviruses in the development of human colorectal carcinomas

Co-presence of Epstein-Barr virus and high-risk human papillomaviruses in Syrian colorectal cancer samples.

We recently performed two studies exploring the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 35 in human colorectal cancers from the Syrian population. Herein, we report that EBV and high-risk HPVs are co-present in colorectal cancers from Syria. We reveal that 17 (~17%) of 102 cancer samples are positive for both EBV and high-risk HPVs and their co-presence is associated with high/intermediate grade invasive carcinomas. These data suggest that EBV and high-risk HPVs are co-present in human colorectal cancers where they might cooperate on the initiation and/or progression of these cancers. Thus, we believe that future studies are necessary to confirm the co-presence of these oncoviruses and their cooperative role in human colorectal carcinogenesis.This work was supported by grants from Qatar University: QUHI-CMED-19/20-1 and GCC # 2017-002 QU/KU

Co-presence of human papillomaviruses and Epstein-Barr virus is linked with advanced tumor stage: a tissue microarray study in head and neck cancer patients

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), known oncoviruses, can be co-present and cooperate in the initiation and/or progression of human carcinomas, including head and neck. Based on this fact, we recently reported the prevalence of both HPVs and EBV in cervical and breast cancers. We herein explore for the first time the co-prevalence of high-risk HPVs and EBV in 98 head and neck (HN) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues from Bosnian patients using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis, as well as tissue microarray methodology. The majority of these cancer tissue cases were from the oral cavity (68%). We found that high-risk HPVs and EBV are co-present in 34.7% of the SCC samples; with a significant correlation between the various HPV types and EBV co-incidence (p = 0.03). Our data showed that 30.8% of oral SCCs are positive for E6 oncoprotein of high-risk HPVs and 44.6% are positive for LMP1 of EBV. The most commonly expressed HPVs in our HNSCC samples include HPV types 16, 18, 45 and 58. Additionally, 37.5% of oral SCCs are positive for both HPVs and EBV, with statistically significant association between high-risk HPV types and EBV (p < 0.05). More importantly, our data revealed that the co-presence of HPV and EBV is strongly correlated with advanced tumor stage (p = 0.035). In this study we show that HPV and EBV oncoviruses are co-present in HNSCC, particularly in oral cancer, where they can cooperate in the initiation and/or progression of this cancer. Thus, further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of this cooperation.This work was supported by grants from Qatar University: GCC-2017-002 QU/KU, QUCG-CMED-2018\2019-3, QUCG-CMED-20/21-2 and QUHI-CMED-19/20-1