Dual targeting nanoparticles based on hyaluronic and folic acids as a promising delivery system of the encapsulated 4-Methylumbelliferone (4-MU) against invasiveness of lung cancer in vivo and in vitro

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Thereby, new treatment strategies as targeting nano-therapy present promising possibilities to control the aggressiveness of lung cancer. Dual CD44 and folate receptors targetable nanocapsule based on folic-polyethylene glycol-hyaluronic (FA-PEG-HA) were fabricated to improve the therapeutic activity of 4-Methylumbelliferone (4-MU) toward lung cancer. In this study, we fabricate 4-MU Nps as a hybrid polymeric (protamine) protein (albumin) nanocapsule, then functionalized by targeting layer to form 4-MU@FA-PEG-HA Nps with encapsulation efficacy 96.15%. The in vitro study of free 4-MU, 4-MU Nps and 4-MU@FA-PEG-HA Nps on A549 lung cancer cells reveal that the 4-MU Nps and 4-MU@FA-PEG-HA Nps were more cytotoxic than free 4-MU on A549 cells. The observed therapeutic activity of 4-MU@FA-PEG-HA Nps on urethane-induced lung cancer model, potentiality revealed a tumor growth inhibition via apoptotic mechanisms and angiogenesis inhibition. The results were supported by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELIZA) of transforming growth factors (TGFβ1) and serum HA, histopathological analysis as well as immunohistochemical Ki67, CD44, Bcl-2 and caspace-3 staining. Moreover, 4-MU@FA-PEG-HA Nps exhibited a promising safety profile. Hence, it is expected that our developed novel nano-system can be used for potential application on tumor therapy for lung cancer.

Vaccine hesitancy: Beliefs and barriers associated with COVID-19 vaccination among Egyptian medical students

Background

Vaccine hesitancy poses serious challenges for achieving coverage for population immunity. It is necessary to achieve high COVID‐19 vaccination acceptance rates and medical students’ coverage as future health care providers. The study aimed to explore the level of COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy and determine the factors and barriers that may affect vaccination decision‐making.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was carried out among medical students in Tanta and Kafrelsheikh Universities, Egypt. Data collection was done via an online questionnaire during January 2021 from 2133 students.

Results

The majority of the participant students (90.5%) perceived the importance of the COVID‐19 vaccine, 46% had vaccination hesitancy, and an equal percentage (6%) either definitely accepted or refused the vaccine. Most of the students had concerns regarding the vaccine's adverse effects (96.8%) and ineffectiveness (93.2%). The most confirmed barriers of COVID‐19 vaccination were deficient data regarding the vaccine's adverse effects (potential 74.17% and unknown 56.31%) and insufficient information regarding the vaccine itself (72.76%).

Conclusion

The government, health authority decision‐makers, medical experts, and universities in Egypt need to work together and make efforts to reduce hesitancy and raise awareness about vaccinations, consequently improving the acceptance of COVID‐19 vaccines.

Prostatic Carcinogenesis: More Insights

BACKGROUND

Prostatic carcinoma ranks as the second most common malignant tumor and the fifth cause of cancer-related deaths in men. Many studies now focus on the different molecules involved in prostatic carcinogenesis. Maspin and prohibitin (PHB) are suggested to play crucial roles in the development and progression of many cancers; however, their roles in prostatic carcinogenesis have not been fully elucidated.

AIM

This work was designed to study the immunohistochemical expression of maspin and PHB in prostatic carcinoma in comparison to their expression in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to give more insights about their roles in prostatic carcinogenesis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Archival blocks of 30 cases of prostatic adenocarcinomas and 15 cases of BPH were subjected to histopathological examination and immunohistochemical evaluation of maspin and PHB expression.

RESULTS

Maspin showed higher expression in prostatic carcinoma (88.9% of cases) compared to BPH (20% of cases). PHB expression was detected only in prostatic carcinoma (84.4% of cases), while all cases of BPH were negative. The expression of both maspin and PHB showed statistically significant increase with increasing Gleason score (P = 0.0125 and 0.0065 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpression of maspin and PHB in prostatic carcinoma reflects their vital roles in prostatic carcinogenesis. Their upregulation with increasing Gleason score indicates their prognostic significance. Moreover, PHB may differentiate between prostatic carcinoma and BPH being expressed only by malignant cells.

Atorvastatin and metformin administration modulates experimental Trichinella spiralis infection

The host-parasite interaction can be altered by the changes in the host environment that may be or may not be in favor of successful invasion by the nematode parasite Trichinella spiralis. Metformin and atorvastatin are applied on a wide scale, to the degree that they could be considered as part of the host biochemical environment that can affect the parasite. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of alteration of the host's biochemical environment by these commonly used drugs upon the course of T. spiralis infection. Mice were divided into three groups: (1) received atorvastatin, (2) received metformin, and (3) untreated, then after one week, animals were infected with T. spiralis. The treatment continued until the end of the experiment. From each group, small intestines and muscles were removed for histopathological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical analyses as well as total muscle larval counts. We found that the oxidative stress and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the muscles were significantly reduced in both drug-receiving groups, while the total larval counts in muscles were only significantly reduced in atorvastatin-receiving group as compared to the infected control group. Moreover, marked reduction in the inflammatory cellular infiltration, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and oxidative stress was noted in the small intestines of the treated groups as compared to the infected control group. In conclusion, this study provides many insights into the different biochemical changes in the host that the parasite has to face. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects should be taken into consideration when treating infections in patients on therapy with atorvastatin or metformin.

Immunopathological changes in the brain of immunosuppressed mice experimentally infected with Toxocara canis

Toxocariasis is a soil-transmitted helminthozoonosis due to infection of humans by larvae of Toxocara canis. The disease could produce cognitive and behavioral disturbances especially in children. Meanwhile, in our modern era, the incidence of immunosuppression has been progressively increasing due to increased incidence of malignancy as well as increased use of immunosuppressive agents. The present study aimed at comparing some of the pathological and immunological alterations in the brain of normal and immunosuppressed mice experimentally infected with T. canis. Therefore, 180 Swiss albino mice were divided into 4 groups including normal (control) group, immunocompetent T. canis-infected group, immunosuppressed group (control), and immunosuppressed infected group. Infected mice were subjected to larval counts in the brain, and the brains from all mice were assessed for histopathological changes, astrogliosis, and IL-5 mRNA expression levels in brain tissues. The results showed that under immunosuppression, there were significant increase in brain larval counts, significant enhancement of reactive gliosis, and significant reduction in IL-5 mRNA expression. All these changes were maximal in the chronic stage of infection. In conclusion, the immunopathological alterations in the brains of infected animals were progressive over time, and were exaggerated under the effect of immunosuppression as did the intensity of cerebral infection.

Effect of propranolol on IL-10, visfatin, Hsp70, iNOS, TLR2, and survivin in amelioration of tumor progression and survival in Solid Ehrlich Carcinoma-bearing mice

BACKGROUND

β-Adrenergic signaling could contribute to initiation and progression of breast cancer. This research investigated some potential mechanisms of propranolol in amelioration of progression and survival in breast cancer.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Solid Ehrlich Carcinoma (SEC) xenograft model was induced in 30 mice divided into 3 groups; where group I served as untreated SEC group. In groups II and III, propranolol treatment i.p. in low (5mg/kg) and high dose (10mg/kg) caused significant increase in interleukin-10 (IL-10) and decrease in heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity with non significant change in visfatin in tumor tissues compared to untreated SEC. In untreated SEC, tumor volume (V) exhibited significant negative correlation with IL-10 levels and toll like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression with significant positive correlation with Hsp70 levels and iNOS activity. While propranolol in either doses caused reduction of tumor volume (V), and improved percentage tumor growth inhibition (% TGI) only its high dose exhibited significant impact on survival rate. Propranolol dose-dependent effect was evident for IL-10 and Hsp70, and even only the high dose significantly increased and decreased TLR2 and survivin, respectively. This comes in favor of recommending high dose of propranolol in cancer therapy. Nonetheless, use of low dose cannot be ignored when benefit to risk balance have to be considered.

CONCLUSIONS

Propranolol could provide palliative effects in progression and survival of breast cancer that are mainly mediated via direct immunomodulatory and apoptotic mechanisms and probably associated with indirect anti-angiogenic activity.

Congenital exposure to Schistosoma mansoni infection: impact on the future immune response and the disease outcome

Schistosomiasis mansoni is a widespread parasitic infection that may lead to several serious complications, such as hepatic periportal fibrosis and portal hypertension, mainly due to deposition of schistosome eggs in the tissues. However, people in endemic areas infrequently exhibit severe pathology and complications; this may be explained, in part, by modulation of the disease in indigenous populations by in utero exposure to the parasite. This study investigated the differences between mice born to Schistosoma mansoni-infected mothers and those born to non-infected ones in subsequent postnatal schistosomal infections. We found that the intensity of infection, evidenced by hepatic egg load, was much reduced in mice born to infected mothers. No difference was found as regards total and Schistosoma-specific immunoglobulin levels except for total IgG. The levels of gene expression of two regulatory cytokines, namely interleukin-12 (IL-12) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) were found to be significantly increased in prenatally exposed animals. Moreover, liver fibrosis was significantly decreased in animals born to infected mothers as revealed by histopathological and histochemical examination as well as by immunohistochemical identification of activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) using antibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). In conclusion, congenital exposure to S. mansoni seems to ameliorate the immunopathological changes in future postnatal infections.

Immunohistochemical expression of topoisomerase II alpha and Her-2/neu in prostatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Topoisomerase II a (Topo II a) and Her-2/neu are two important targeted therapeutic molecules. The immunohistochemical expression of both of them has not been widely studied in prostatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of Topo II a and Her-2/neu in prostatic carcinoma and BPH and compare the expression patterns of both genes in cases of prostatic carcinoma in relation to Gleason score and hormonal status.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Paraffin blocks of 30 cases of prostatic carcinoma (categorized by Gleason score and hormonal status) and 5 cases of BPH presented to the Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University during the period from 2005 to 2008 were retrieved from the files. The immunohistochemical expression of Topo II a and Her-2/neu antibodies in the above-mentioned diagnostic categories was investigated and compared. The percentage of nuclei staining for Topo II a was semiquantitated; overexpression was defined as >or=5% nuclear staining. Her-2/neu immunoreactivity was scored from 0 to 3 + depending on membrane staining intensity and pattern.

RESULTS

The expression of Topo II a varied significantly among the different studied groups (p<0.001). Topo II a expression increased significantly with increased Gleason score in prostatic carcinoma (p=0.001). Its expression in both moderately and poorly differentiated carcinomas was significantly higher than in BPH (p=0.005 and 0.002 respectively); however the difference between its expression in well-differentiated carcinoma and in BPH was statistically insignificant (p=0.171). Her-2/neu expression was higher in prostatic carcinoma than in BPH, however the difference did not reach the level of statistical significance (p=0.084). Also, the increase in its expression within prostatic carcinoma cases with increased Gleason score was statistically insignificant (p=0.100). There was a significant correlation between Topo II a and Her-2/neu expression (p=0.008, r=0.478). Hormone resistant carcinomas showed higher expression of Topo II a and Her- 2/neu than carcinomas with no hormone treatment, however, the differences were statistically insignificant (p=0.594 and 0.667 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Topo II a expression was significantly higher in poorly differentiated and moderately differentiated prostatic carcinoma compared to BPH. There was a significant increase in Topo II a expression with increased Gleason score. Her-2/neu expression was higher in prostatic carcinoma than in BPH, however the difference did not reach the level of statistical significance and the increase in its expression with increased Gleason score was also statistically insignificant. Topo II a and Her-2/neu were co-expressed significantly. Hormone resistant carcinomas showed higher expression of both markers, however, the differences were statistically insignificant. The latter finding may have important therapeutic implications, however, further large scale studies are required for confirmation.

KEYWORDS

Topo II a - Her-2/neu - Prostatic carcinoma - BPH.