Towards a standardized reporting of the impact of magnetic resonance imaging on the decision-making of thoracolumbar fractures without neurological deficit: Conceptual framework and proposed methodology

Introduction

A recent meta-analysis showed that only four prior studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can change the fracture classification in 17% and treatment decisions in 22% of cases. However, previous studies showed a wide methodological variability regarding the study population, the definition of posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) injury, and outcome measures.

Research question

How can we standardize the reporting of the impact of MRI for neurologically intact patients with thoracolumbar fractures?

Material and methods

All available literature regarding the impact of MRI on thoracolumbar fracture classification or decision-making were reviewed. Estimating the impact of MRI on the TLFs' classification is an exercise of analyzing the CTs' accuracy for PLC injury against MRI as a ''Gold standard''and should follow standardized checklists such as the Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies. Additionally, specific issues related to TLFs should be addressed.

Results

A standardized approach for reporting the impact of MRI in neurologically intact TLF patients was proposed. Regarding patient selection, restricting the inclusion of neurologically intact patients with A- and B-injuries is crucial. Image interpretation should be standardized regarding imaging protocol and appropriate criteria for PLC injury. The impact of MRI can be measured by either the rate of change in fracture classification or treatment decisions; the cons and pros of each measure is thoroughly discussed.

Discussion and conclusion

We proposed a structured methodology for examining the impact of MRI on neurologically intact patients with TLFs, focusing on appropriate patient selection, standardizing image analysis, and clinically relevant outcome measures.

The effect of p53 on the activity of NRF2 and NDRG2 genes through apoptotic pathway in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma

BACKGROUND

Tumor suppressor (p53) acts to integrate multiple stress signals into diverse antiproliferative responses. Its potential to transactivate or downregulate genes through apoptotic pathway in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma has never been explored.

METHODS

A group of twenty patients diagnosed with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma, were tested for p53 expression and NDRG2/NRF2 genes activity through protein and gene profiling assays. The connotation between these elements has been explored.

RESULTS

The mean patients' age was 64-years. All tumors were IDH-wildtype. p53 was expressed in 12 tumors and absent in 8 tumors. The activity of NDRG2 gene was downregulated in all cases. The activity of NRF2 gene was upregulated in 17 tumors and downregulated in 3 tumors. There was a significant statistical difference in PFS among tumors exhibiting different levels of p53 expression and NDRG2 gene activity [p-value= 0.025], in which 12 tumors with downregulated NDRG2 expression and positive p53 expression had earlier tumor recurrence. This statistical difference in PFS was insignificant when we compared p53 expression with NRF2 gene activity [p-value= 0.079].

CONCLUSIONS

During cell cycle arrest at G2 phase, p53 expression in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma in elderly individuals, coupled with the downregulation of NDRG2 gene activity, led to an aberrant increase in tumor cell proliferation and accelerated tumor recurrence. However, the influence of p53 on NRF2 gene activity was found to be insignificant.

Electrochemical Performance of Biocompatible TiC Films Deposited through Nonreactive RF Magnetron Sputtering for Neural Interfacing

The efficacy of neural electrode stimulation and recording hinges significantly on the choice of a neural electrode interface material. Transition metal carbides (TMCs), particularly titanium carbide (TiC), have demonstrated exceptional chemical stability and high electrical conductivity. Yet, the fabrication of TiC thin films and their potential application as neural electrode interfaces remains relatively unexplored. Herein, we present a systematic examination of TiC thin films synthesized through nonreactive radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. TiC films were optimized toward high areal capacitance, low impedance, and stable electrochemical cyclability. We varied the RF power and deposition pressure to pinpoint the optimal properties, focusing on the deposition rate, surface roughness, crystallinity, and elemental composition to achieve high areal capacitance and low impedance. The best-performing TiC film showed an areal capacitance of 475 μF/cm2 with a capacitance retention of 93% after 5000 cycles. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the optimum film under varying scanning rates demonstrated a stable electrochemical performance even under dynamic and fast-changing stimulation conditions. Furthermore, the in vitro cell culture for 3 weeks revealed excellent biocompatibility, promoting cell growth compared with a control substrate. This work presents a novel contribution, highlighting the potential of sputtered TiC thin films as robust neural electrode interface materials.

Extracranial metastasis of brain glioblastoma outside CNS: Pathogenesis revisited

BACKGROUND

The most prevalent malignant tumor of the CNS in adults is glioblastoma. Despite undergoing surgery and chemoradiotherapy, the prognosis remains unfavorable, with a median survival period ranging between 15 and 20 months. The incidence of glioblastoma metastasis outside CNS is uncommon with only 0.4%-2% reported rate, compared to other tumors that exhibit a 10% incidence rate of metastasis to the brain. On average, it takes about 11 months from the time of initial diagnosis for the tumor to spread beyond CNS. Consequently, the prognosis for metastatic glioblastoma is grim, with a 6-month survival rate following diagnosis.

FINDINGS

The rarity of extracranial metastasis is attributed to the blood-brain barrier and lack of a lymphatic drainage system, although rare cases of hematogenous spread and direct implantation have been reported. The possible mechanisms remain unclear and require further investigation. Risk factors have been widely described, including previous craniotomy or biopsies, ventricular shunting, young age, radiation therapy, prolonged survival time, and tumor recurrence. Due to the lack of understanding about extracranial metastasis of glioblastoma pathogenesis, no effective treatment exists to date. Aggressive chemotherapies are not recommended for metastatic glioblastoma as their side effects may worsen the patient prognosis.

CONCLUSION

The optimal treatment for extracranial metastasis of glioblastoma requires further investigation with a wide inclusion of patients. This review discusses the possible causes, factors, and underlying mechanisms of glioblastoma metastasis to different organs.

Structure-based virtual screening and molecular docking approaches to identify potential inhibitors against KIF2C to combat glioma

Glioma, a kind of malignant brain tumor, is extremely lethal. Kinesin family member 2C (KIF2C) was found to have an aberrant expression in several cancer types, including lung cancer and glioma. KIF2C may therefore be a useful therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma. In the current study, new drug candidates that may function as KIF2C enzyme inhibitors were discovered. MTi OpenScreen was used to carry out the structure-based virtual screening of an inbuilt drug library containing 150,000 compounds. These compounds belong to different classes, such as natural product-based compounds (NP-lib), purchasable approved drugs (Drugs-lib), and food constituents compound collection (FOOD-lib). Based on their binding affinities, a total of 84 compounds were further pushed to calculate ADMET properties. The compounds (16) meeting the ADMET cutoff ranges were then further docked to the receptor to find their plausible binding modes using the Glide tool's standard precision (SP) technique. The docking results were examined using the Glide gscore, and the best binding compounds (Rimacalib and Sarizotan) were chosen to test their stability with KIF2C protein through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Similarly, Principal Component Analysis and cross-correlation matrix were also examined. The MM/GBSA binding free energies showed a considerable energy contribution in the binding of hits with the KIF2C. Collectively, these findings strongly suggest the potential of the lead compounds to inhibit the biological function of KIF2C, emphasizing the need for further investigation in this area.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Major Histocompatibility Class-I (MHC-I) downregulation in glioblastoma is a poor prognostic factor but not a predictive indicator for treatment failure

BACKGROUND

MHC-I expression is a crucial factor in cancer immunity, and its regulations can impact tumor progression and recurrence. The mechanism through which glioblastoma use MHC-I to avoid immunosurveillance has been rarely investigated.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of 35 patients with IDH-mutant WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma and IDH-wildtype glioblastoma were examined for MHC-I using protein and gene expression assays. The association between IDH mutation, TP53 mutation, and MHC-I expression with recurrence-free interval were investigated.

RESULTS

The average patients' age was 49.6 year. IDH was wildtype in 13 tumors. MHC-I protein expression was absent in 30 tumors, faint in 4 tumors, and membrane bound dense expression in single tumor. MHC-I expression was upregulated in 10 tumors and 25 tumors showed MHC-I downregulation. P53 was positively expressed in 19 cases and lost in 13 cases. A significant statistical difference was observed in the RFI between tumors with distinct MHC-I expression and IDH-mutation [p-value = 0.008]. IDH-wildtype tumors with upregulated MHC-I expression showed late tumor recurrence compared to IDH-wildtype tumors with downregulated MHC-I expression. There was insignificant statistical difference in RFI among patients with varying degree of MHC-I expression, who received TMZ or TMZ and other chemotherapies [P-value = 0.44] CONCLUSIONS: Glioblastoma with upregulated MHC-I showed a delayed tumor recurrence in comparison to those with downregulated MHC-I expression. However, downregulated MHC-I may not necessarily be an indicator of poor problems.

Vasospasm following brain tumor resection in children: institutional experience and systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) associated with vasospasm is well described in the setting of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). In addition, DCI is very infrequently encountered in patients who have undergone resection of a brain tumor with unclear pathophysiology. The occurrence of DCI in the pediatric population is exceedingly rare, and outcomes in this population have, to the authors' knowledge, never been systematically reviewed. Therefore, the authors present what is to their knowledge the largest series of pediatric patients with this complication and systematically reviewed the literature for individual participant data.

METHODS

The authors conducted a retrospective review of 172 sellar and suprasellar tumors in pediatric patients who underwent surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital between 1999 and 2017 to identify cases of vasospasm occurring after tumor resection. Descriptive statistics, including patient characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative findings, and outcome status, were collected. A systematic review was also conducted using three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase) to identify reported cases available in the literature of vasospasm after tumor resection in children and collect individual participant data on these patients for further analysis.

RESULTS

Six patients treated at Montreal Children's Hospital were identified, with an average age of 9.5 years (range 6-15 years). The prevalence of vasospasm after tumor resection was 3.5% (6/172). Vasospasm in all 6 patients occurred after craniotomy was performed to treat a suprasellar tumor. The average interval from surgery to symptoms was 3.25 days (range 12 hours-10 days). The most common tumor etiology was craniopharyngioma, seen in 4 cases. Extensive tumor encasement of blood vessels requiring significant operative manipulation was described in all 6 patients. A rapid decrease in serum sodium (exceeding 12 mEq/L/24 hrs or below 135 mEq/L) was seen in 4 patients. On final follow-up, 3 patients were left with significant disability, and all patients had persistent deficits. A systematic review of the literature revealed a total of 10 other patients whose characteristics and treatment were compared with those of the 6 patients treated at Montreal Children's Hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

Vasospasm after tumor resection in children and youth is likely a rare entity, with a prevalence of 3.5% in this case series. Suprasellar tumor location (particularly craniopharyngioma tumor etiology), significant encasement of blood vessels by the tumor, and postoperative hyponatremia may be predictive factors. Outcome is poor, with most patients having significant persistent neurological deficits.

The synergistic effect of IDH mutation and NDRG-2 dysregulation in the progression of WHO-grade 4 astrocytomas

BACKGROUND

NDRG2 is a tumour suppressor gene involved in tumor growth inhibition. Its effect on tumour recurrence remains controversial. The aim of this study is to explore the dual effect of IDH mutation and NDRG2 dysregulation in WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma recurrence.

METHODS

A group of 36 patients with WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma were examined for NDRG2 expression using protein and gene expression assays. The relationship between IDH, NDRG2 protein and gene expressions, and recurrence-free interval [RFI] was explored.

RESULTS

The mean patients age in this study was 45-years with 21 males and 15 females. IDH was mutant in 22 tumors. NDRG2 protein expression was low in 23 tumors, and high in 13 tumors. NDRG2 gene expression was upregulated in 4 tumors and 32 tumors showed NDRG2 gene downregulation. The consistency between two tasting methods of NDRG2 expression was 52.8%. There was a significant statistical difference in RFI among tumors with varying NDRG2 gene expression and IDH mutation [p-value= 0.021]. IDH-mutant tumours with downregulated NDRG2 expression showed late recurrence compared to IDH-wildtype glioblastoma.

CONCLUSIONS

IDH-mutant WHO Grade-4 astrocytoma with downregulated NDRG2 gene are associated with late tumor recurrence. IDH mutations cause excessive accumulation of D-2-hydroxyglutarate, that may inhibit the activity of TET proteins, potentially leading to DNA hypermethylation and gene silencing.

Dynamic interplay between corticosteroid treatment and the role of SRC-1 gene dysregulation in the progression of WHO-Grade 4 Astrocytoma

BACKGROUND

Corticosteroid is commonly used before surgery to control cerebral oedema in brain tumours and is frequently continued throughout treatment. Its long-term effect of on the recurrence of WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma remains controversial. The interaction between corticosteroid, SRC-1 gene and cytotoxic T-cells has never been investigated.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort of 36 patients with WHO-Grade 4 astrocytoma were examined for CD8 + T-cell and SRC-1 gene expressions through IHC and qRT-PCR. The impact of corticosteroid on CD8+T-cells infiltration, SRC-1 expression, and tumour recurrence was analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean patients age was 47-years, with a male to female ratio 1.2. About 78% [n = 28] of the cases showed reduced or no CD8+T-cell expression while 22% [n = 8] of cases have showed medium to high CD8+T-cell expression. SRC-1 gene was upregulated in 5 cases [14%] and 31 cases [86%] showed SRC-1 downregulation. The average of total days and doses of administered corticosteroid from the preoperative period to the postoperative period was at range of 14-106 days and 41-5028 mg, respectively. There was no significant statistical difference in RFI among tumours expressing high or low CD8+T-cells when corticosteroid was administered in recommended or exceeded doses [p-value = 0.640]. There was a significant statistical difference in RFI between CD8+T-Cell expression and SRC-1 gene dysregulation [p-value = 002]. Tumours with high CD8+T T-cell expression and SRC-1 gene downregulation had late recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Corticosteroid treatment can directly affect the SRC-1 gene regulation but does not directly influence cytotoxic T-cells infiltration or tumor progression. However, SRC-1 gene downregulation can facilitate late tumor recurrence.

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

BACKGROUND

Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres.

METHODS

This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low-middle-income countries.

RESULTS

In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of 'single-use' consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low-middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia.

CONCLUSION

This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high- and low-middle-income countries.

The Role of Liquid Biopsy in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of WHO Grade 4 Astrocytoma

Liquid biopsy, as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, has recently gained significant attention in the field of oncology. It involves the analysis of various biomarkers present in bodily fluids, such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid, to provide information about the underlying cancer. In the case of WHO grade 4 astrocytomas, liquid biopsy has the potential to significantly impact the diagnosis and prognosis of this aggressive malignant brain tumor. By detecting specific genetic mutations, such as IDH1 or EGFR, and monitoring levels of circulating tumor DNA, liquid biopsy can aid in the early detection and monitoring of disease progression. This innovative approach is gradually being acknowledged as a less invasive and cost-effective procedure for cancer diagnosis and management to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Various kinds of biomarkers circulating in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), such as circulating tumor cells (CTC) and different types of nucleic acids like cell-free DNA (cfDNA), cell-free RNA (ctRNA), and microRNAs (miRNA), have been identified. These biomarkers, which require dependable detection methods, are comparatively simple to obtain and allow for repeated measurements, making them significantly superior for disease monitoring. This review aims to compare the latest liquid biopsy analysis tools for both CSF and plasma in the central nervous system.

The impact of the time to last seizure before admission to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) on epilepsy classifications

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The impact of the timing of the last seizure (TTLS) prior to admission to the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) on epilepsy classification is unclear for which we conducted this study.

METHODS

We reviewed patients with epilepsy admitted to EMU between January 2021 and April 2022 and identified TTLS before EMU admission. We considered EMU yield as whether; it confirmed epilepsy classification, added new knowledge to the classification, or failed to classify epilepsy.

RESULTS

We studied 156 patients. There were 72 (46%) men, with a mean age of 30. TTLS was divided according to a one- or three-month cutoff. We confirmed the pre-EMU epilepsy classification in 52 (33%) patients, learned new findings on epilepsy classification in 80 (51%) patients, and failed to classify epilepsy in 24 (15%) patients. Patients with "confirmed epilepsy classifications" reported seizures sooner to EMU admission than other groups (0.7 vs. 2.3 months, p-value = 0.02, 95% CI; -1.8, -1.3). Also, the odds of confirming epilepsy classification were more than two times in patients with TTLS within a month compared to those with TTLS of more than a month (OR = 2.4, p-value = 0.04, 95% CI; 1.1, 5.9). The odds were also higher when the 3-month TTLS cutoff was considered (OR = 6.2, p-value = 0.002, 95% CI; 1.6, 40.2). Confirming epilepsy classification was also associated with earlier seizures recorded at one- or three-month cutoff (OR = 2.1 and OR = 2.3, respectively, p-value = 0.05). We did not observe similar findings when we modified the classification or failed to reach a classification.

CONCLUSIONS

The timing of the last seizure before EMU admission appeared to influence the yield of EMU and enhanced the confirmation of epilepsy classifications. Such findings can improve the utilization of EMU in the presurgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy.

Immune microenvironment of medulloblastoma: The association between its molecular subgroups and potential targeted immunotherapeutic receptors

Medulloblastoma (MB) is considered the commonest malignant brain tumor in children. Multimodal treatments consisting of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have improved patients’ survival. Nevertheless, the recurrence occurs in 30% of cases. The persistent mortality rates, the failure of current therapies to extend life expectancy, and the serious complications of non-targeted cytotoxic treatment indicate the need for more refined therapeutic approaches. Most MBs originating from the neurons of external granular layer line the outer surface of neocerebellum and responsible for the afferent and efferent connections. Recently, MBs have been segregated into four molecular subgroups: Wingless-activated (WNT-MB) (Group 1); Sonic-hedgehog-activated (SHH-MB) (Group 2); Group 3 and 4 MBs. These molecular alterations follow specific gene mutations and disease-risk stratifications. The current treatment protocols and ongoing clinical trials against these molecular subgroups are still using common chemotherapeutic agents by which their efficacy have improved the progression-free survival but did not change the overall survival. However, the need to explore new therapies targeting specific receptors in MB microenvironment became essential. The immune microenvironment of MBs consists of distinctive cellular heterogeneities including immune cells and none-immune cells. Tumour associate macrophage and tumour infiltrating lymphocyte are considered the main principal cells in tumour microenvironment, and their role are still under investigation. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of interaction between MB cells and immune cells in the microenvironment, with an overview of the recent investigations and clinical trials

The Cancer Driver Genes IDH1 and IDH2 and CD204 in WHO-Grade 4 Astrocytoma: Crosstalk Between Cancer Metabolism and Tumour Associated Macrophage Recruitment in Tumour Microenvironment

Purpose

IDH1 and IDH2 are hotspot mutations commonly identified in WHO-grade 4 astrocytomas. Their association with TAMs has never been investigated. We aim to explore the crosstalk between the IDH1/2 mutation metabolic effect and TAMs in tumour microenvironment and how this relationship affects the tumour recurrence.

Patients and Methods

The study included 20 samples of patients with WHO-grade 4 astrocytoma. The alteration hotspot in codon IDH1^R132 and IDH2^R172 was examined using direct sequencing. The protein expression of CD204 on TAM was detected through immunohistochemistry.

Results

IDH1^R132 and IDH2^R172 were symmetrically identified as wildtype in 18/20 tumours (90%) and the remaining 2 tumours (10%) showed synonymous mutations on both codons. Tumours with IDH1/2-wildtype showed high expression of CD204⁺TAMs in 10 cases and low expression in 8 cases. Typical expression was seen equally in IDH1/2 mutant tumours. There was no significant association between IDH1/2 and CD204⁺TAM expression (p= 0.999). The association between the two groups was significantly observed among IDH-wildtype tumours (p=0.027). Highly expressed CD204 in IDH-wildtype tumours showed a median recurrence at 10 months compared to low CD204 expression, showed a median recurrence interval at 24 months.

Conclusion

IDH1^R132 or IDH^R172 has the same impact on the classification and prognosis of WHO-grade 4 astrocytoma. There was no crosstalk between IDH1/2 metabolic effect and CD204⁺TAM. However, IDH-wildtype glioblastomas with dense CD204⁺TAM are associated with early recurrence. Because the sample size is small, a larger study is recommended to determine the impact of IDH1/2 on TAMs.

The effect of chemotherapies on the crosstalk interaction between CD8 cytotoxic T-cells and MHC-I peptides in the microenvironment of WHO grade 4 astrocytoma

INTRODUCTION

CD8 + T-cells and MHC-I have been detected in brain gliomas with a significant outcome. The effect of chemotherapies on the crosstalk interaction between CD8 + T-cells and MHC-I has never been explored.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The protein expression profiling of CD8 cytotoxic T-cells and the gene expression assay of MHC-I in 35 patients diagnosed with WHO grade 4 astrocytoma were performed. The impact of these two factors on tumor recurrence was analyzed.

RESULTS

IDH was wildtype in 13 tumors. MHC-I protein expression was absent or low in 34 tumors and dense in a single case. MHC-I gene expression was upregulated in 10 tumors and 25 tumors showed MHC-I gene downregulation. Temozolomide (TMZ) was given to 24 patients and 11 patients received TMZ plus other chemotherapies. No statistically significant association was observed between IDH mutation and CD8 + T-cells ( p = 0.383). However, this association was significant in recurrence-free interval (RFI) ( p = 0.012). IDH-wildtype tumors with highly infiltrated CD8 + T-cells or IDH-mutant tumors with low CD8 + T-cells showed late tumor recurrence. There was a statistically significant difference in RFI between tumors with different MHC-I expression and CD8 + T-cell counts after treatment with TMZ or TMZ plus ( p = 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

No association between IDH mutation and CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell was found. IDH is directly linked to tumor recurrence regardless of CD8 + T-cells infiltration. TMZ plus other adjuvants is proved to be more effective in improving patient survival and delaying tumor recurrence, as compared to using TMZ alone. Nonetheless, none-TMZ adjuvants may increase tumor sensitization to cytotoxic T-cells more than TMZ.

The anterior gradient homologue 2 (AGR2) co-localises with the glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) in cancer stem cells, and is critical for the survival and drug resistance of recurrent glioblastoma: in situ and in vitro analyses

BACKGROUND

Glioblastomas (GBs) are characterised as one of the most aggressive primary central nervous system tumours (CNSTs). Single-cell sequencing analysis identified the presence of a highly heterogeneous population of cancer stem cells (CSCs). The proteins anterior gradient homologue 2 (AGR2) and glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) are known to play critical roles in regulating unfolded protein response (UPR) machinery. The UPR machinery influences cell survival, migration, invasion and drug resistance. Hence, we investigated the role of AGR2 in drug-resistant recurrent glioblastoma cells.

METHODS

Immunofluorescence, biological assessments and whole exome sequencing analyses were completed under in situ and in vitro conditions. Cells were treated with CNSTs clinical/preclinical drugs taxol, cisplatin, irinotecan, MCK8866, etoposide, and temozolomide, then resistant cells were analysed for the expression of AGR2. AGR2 was repressed using single and double siRNA transfections and combined with either temozolomide or irinotecan.

RESULTS

Genomic and biological characterisations of the AGR2-expressed Jed66_GB and Jed41_GB recurrent glioblastoma tissues and cell lines showed features consistent with glioblastoma. Immunofluorescence data indicated that AGR2 co-localised with the UPR marker GRP78 in both the tissue and their corresponding primary cell lines. AGR2 and GRP78 were highly expressed in glioblastoma CSCs. Following treatment with the aforementioned drugs, all drug-surviving cells showed high expression of AGR2. Prolonged siRNA repression of a particular region in AGR2 exon 2 reduced AGR2 protein expression and led to lower cell densities in both cell lines. Co-treatments using AGR2 exon 2B siRNA in conjunction with temozolomide or irinotecan had partially synergistic effects. The slight reduction of AGR2 expression increased nuclear Caspase-3 activation in both cell lines and caused multinucleation in the Jed66_GB cell line.

CONCLUSIONS

AGR2 is highly expressed in UPR-active CSCs and drug-resistant GB cells, and its repression leads to apoptosis, via multiple pathways.

Computational insight into the binding of bryostatin 1 with ferritin: implication of natural compounds in Alzheimer's disease therapeutics

Neuronal damage in iron-sensitive brain regions occurs as a result of iron dyshomeostasis. Increased iron levels and iron-related pathogenic triggers are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ferritin is a key player involved in iron homeostasis. Major pathological hallmarks of AD are amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and synaptic loss that lead to cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. Natural compounds persist in being the most excellent molecules in the area of drug discovery because of their different range of therapeutic applications. Bryostatins are naturally occurring macrocyclic lactones that can be implicated in AD therapeutics. Among them, Bryostatin 1 regulates protein kinase C, a crucial player in AD pathophysiology, thus highlighting the importance of bryostatin 1 in AD management. Thus, this study explores the binding mechanism of Bryotstain 1 with ferritin. In this work, the molecular docking calculations revealed that bryostatin 1 has an appreciable binding potential towards ferritin by forming stable hydrogen bonds (H-bonds). Molecular dynamics simulation studies deciphered the binding mechanism and conformational dynamics of ferrritin-bryostatin 1 system. The analyses of root mean square deviation, root mean square fluctuations, R_g, solvent accessible surface area, H-bonds and principal component analysis revealed the stability of the ferritin-bryostatin 1 docked complex throughout the trajectory of 100 ns. Moreover, the free energy landscape analysis advocated that the ferritin-bryostatin 1 complex stabilized to the global minimum. Altogether, the present work delineated the binding of bryostatin 1 with ferritin that can be implicated in the management of AD.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Association between serum vitamin D levels and age in patients with epilepsy: a retrospective study from an epilepsy center in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to various medical conditions such as bone loss, decreased mineralization, endocrine disorders, and central nervous system disorders, including epilepsy. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among patients with epilepsy (PWE). However, the specific association between vitamin D levels and age in PWE is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

Identify the relation between vitamin D level and age in PWE and evaluate factors that may play a role in seizure control.

DESIGN

Retrospective analytical medical record review SETTING: Outpatient epilepsy research clinic in Saudi Arabia PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between November 2016 and April 2020, we selected eligible PWE aged older than 14 years whose vita-min D levels were recorded at least once after reviewing 1550 patient electronic files. We analyzed data on serum vitamin D level by age and other factors, vitamin D supplement use, seizure classification, and conducted a multivariate logistic regression to assess associations with seizure control.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Relationships between vitamin D levels and age and factors that might affect seizure control.

SAMPLE SIZE

524 patients RESULTS: The prevalence of low serum vitamin D levels was high (86.8%). The median vitamin D level in all patients was low (38 nmol/L), and was lower in young PWE than in adult PWE (P<.01). Only 146 patients received vitamin D supplements. High vitamin D levels were associated with a 40% seizure reduction.

CONCLUSION

Vitamin D deficiency is underestimated in PWE in Saudi Arabia, and is more prevalent among young adults and patients on polytherapy than in other PWE. Patients with high vitamin D levels had good seizure control compared with those with low levels. The effect of vitamin D supplements on seizure control should be further investigated in randomized control trials.

LIMITATIONS

Retrospective study and no categorization by presence of supplementation.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

None.

A paediatric dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour (DNET) with deregulated stem cell markers: a case report

BACKGROUND

Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours (DNETs) are rare, with only a few reported lethal cases. Currently, there are focused efforts by neuro-oncology professionals to reveal the molecular characterisations of individual central nervous system tumours (CNSTs). Here, we report the status of cancer stem cell (CSC) genes associated with resilience and drug resistance in a paediatric DNET, since the deregulations and variations of CSC genes may prove critical to these tumours' molecular characterisations.

CASE DESCRIPTION

Immunofluorescence, clonogenic assay and whole exome sequencing (WES) were applied to the patient's tissue and its corresponding cell line. The case is for of a 6-year-old boy with intractable epilepsy and unremarkable physical and neurological examinations. Following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histopathological tests, the patient was diagnosed with DNET. The child underwent a right posterior temporoparietooccipital neuronavigation-assisted craniotomy. Several CSC markers were upregulated in situ, including the metastasis-related protein, anterior gradient 2 (AGR2; 67%), and the Wnt-signalling-related protein, frizzled class receptor 9 (FZD9; 79%). The cell line possessed a similar DNA profile as the original tissue, stained positive for the tumorigenic marker [BMI1 proto-oncogene (BMI)] and CSC markers, and displayed drug resistance. Variants identified in the tissue DNA, which are listed in the catalogue of somatic mutations in cancer (COSMIC) database for genes previously known to be necessary for the development of the embryonic brain, included variants in the cell division cycle 27 (CDC27) gene.

CONCLUSIONS

we report the in situ and in vitro presence of CSCs in a paediatric DNET.

Optic Pathway–Hypothalamic Glioma Apoplexy: A Report of Two Cases and Systematic Review of the Literature

Background

Hemorrhage into optic pathway–hypothalamic glioma (OPHG) is rare. Variable clinical presentations and outcomes are associated with such pathology. We aim to present two infants presented with OPHG and a systematic review of the literature.

Methods

We describe two cases of infants presenting with sudden decreased vision, poor feeding, and irritability due to OPHG. Both patients underwent urgent craniotomy and subtotal resection followed by chemotherapy. We systematically reviewed the literature using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Embase. In addition, we included all English published reports for all ages discussing the optic pathway (optic nerve and optic chiasm) or hypothalamic glioma associated with hemorrhage from the year of the first reported case (1970) to January 2022.

Results

Of 17,949, 44 articles met the inclusion criteria of this review. A total of 56 cases were described with a mean of 21.35 years (0.5–70), with the male gender 52% and the female gender 45%. The hemorrhage location was sellar/suprasellar in 43% cases. Histopathology of included cases was pilocytic astrocytoma in 41%, followed by pilomyxoid astrocytoma in 16% cases. The outcome was unfavorable; 37.5% cases showed improvement, whereas 18% cases resulted in death.

Conclusion

Apoplexy of the OPHG can be fatal and associated with poor outcomes. A systematic review of the literature has shown that younger age, pilocytic or pilomexyoid astrocytoma histopathology, and chiasmal/hypothalamic locations are associated with a higher risk of intertumoral hemorrhage and poor prognosis. Further genetic studies for OPHG may provide information for high-risk patients.

The Diagnostic Value of Pan-Trk Expression to Detect Neurotrophic Tyrosine Receptor Kinase (NTRK) Gene Fusion in CNS Tumours: A Study Using Next-Generation Sequencing Platform

Background: Neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) fusion has been detected in rare types of CNS tumours, which can promote tumorigenesis. The efficacy of Trk inhibitor became a significant therapeutic interest. Our aim was to investigate whether Pan-Trk immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a reliable and efficient marker for detecting NTRK-fusion in different brain tumours.

Methods: This study included 23 patients diagnosed with different types of CNS tumours. Testing for Pan-Trk IHC with monoclonal Ab (EPR17341) has been performed on all FFPE tissues. Parallelly, NTRK-rearrangements were tested using both DNA and RNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay using TruSight Onco500 platform.

Results: The cohort included eight pilocytic astrocytomas, one oligodendroglioma, six IDH^wildtype glioblastomas, four IDH^mutant grade four astrocytomas, and one sample of each (astroblastoma, central neurocytoma, medulloblastoma, and liponeurocytoma). The mean age was 35 years; seven cases were in the paediatric age group, and 16 were adult. Pan-Trk expression was detected in 11 (47.8%) tumours, and 12 (52.1%) tumours showed no Pan-Trk expression. Nine Cases (82%) with different Pan-Trk expressions did not reveal NTRK-rearrangement. The other two positively expressed cases (liponeurocytoma and glioblastoma) were found to have NTRK2-fusions (SLC O 5A1-NTRK2, AGBL4-NTRK2, BEND5-NTRK2). All the 12 cases (100%) with no Pan-Trk expression have shown no NTRK-fusions. There was no statistically significant association between Pan-Trk expression and NTRK-fusion (p = 0.217). The detection of NTRK- fusions using NGS had high specificity over NTRK-fusion detection by using Pan-Trk IHC.

Conclusion: Pan-Trk IHC is not a suitable tissue-efficient biomarker to screen for NTRK-fusions in CNS tumours, however RNA-based NGS sequencing should be used as an alternative method.

Intracranial Meningiomas Developed after Traditional Scalp Thermal Cautery Treatment in Childhood: Clinical Reports and Gene Expression Analysis

BACKGROUND

Human skin cautery, a traditional thermal therapy, is traced back to Hippocrates beyond the 5th century. Those ancient healers used this method to control bleeding and infection and remove cancerous tumors. Such traditional procedure is still in practice in several regions of Asia and Africa to treat certain conditions. There is a lack of reports in the literature regarding the long-term complication and the possible tumorigenesis following traditional treatment with thermal cauterization. Here, we report two patients with intracranial meningiomas and investigate the gene expression profile for a patient. Cases presentations: We report two adult patients who presented with a headache and hemiparesis over six months. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of both patients revealed intracranial meningiomas. During preoperative preparation of the patients, cautery marks were noticed over the scalp region above the intracranial tumors site, which was performed during childhood. The patients underwent uneventful resection of meningiomas with no local recurrence over a 5-year follow up. In addition, we performed a biofunctional genetic microarray expression analysis on the affected meningioma.

CONCLUSION

There is a lack of evidence-based scientific reports in the literature regarding the long-term complications and tumorigenesis following aggressive treatment with thermal cauterization. Herein, we report the first possible association between previous scalp traditional cautery and the development meningioma in two patients and discuss a proposed causal relationship. However, further advanced studies and research should be done to support, or reject, our hypothesis.

The relationship between CD204 M2-polarized tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and microglial activation in glioblastoma microenvironment: a novel immune checkpoint receptor target

BACKGROUND

Tumour associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are considered dominant cells in glioblastoma microenvironment.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to assess the expression of CD204^{+ M2}-polarized TAMs in glioblastomas and their relationship with CD4⁺TILs, Iba⁺microglia, and IDH1 mutation. We also exploreed the prognostic value of these markers on the recurrence-free interval (RFI).

METHODS

The expressions of CD204⁺TAMs, CD4⁺TILs, and Iba1⁺microglia were quantitively assessed in 45 glioblastomas using immunohistochemistry. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox hazards were used to examine the relationship between these factors.

RESULTS

CD204⁺TAMs were highly expressed in 32 tumours (71%) and the remaining 13 tumours (29%) had reduced expression. CD4⁺TILs were highly expressed in 10 cases (22%) and 35 cases (77.8%) had low expression. There was an inverse correlation between CD204⁺TAMs and CD4⁺TILs, in which 85% of tumours had a high expression of CD204⁺TAMs and a low expression of CD4⁺TILs. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in IDH1 mutation status between the two groups (p = 0.779). There was a significant difference in Iba1⁺microglial activation between IDH1^mutant and IDH1^wildtype groups (p = 0.031). For cases with a high expression of CD204⁺TAMs and a low expression of CD4⁺TILs, there was a significant difference in RFI after treatment with chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy (p = 0.030).

CONCLUSION

Glioblastoma with a dense CD204⁺TAMs and few CD4⁺TILs is associated with IDH1^wildtype. These findings suggest that TAMs masks tumour cell and suppress T-cell tumoricidal functions via immunomodulatory mechanisms. Blockade of the CD204-TAM receptor may prevent this mechanism and allow the evolution of TILs.

Diagnostic Discrepancies Between Intraoperative Frozen Section and Permanent Histopathological Diagnosis of Brain Tumors

OBJECTIVE

Intraoperative frozen section (IOFS) diagnosis of brain tumors plays an important role in assessing the adequacy of the sample and determining the treatment plan. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy between IOFS and permanent sections.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The authors reviewed the histopathological results of 383 brain tumors, including IOFS and permanent histological diagnosis. The cases were classified into three diagnostic compatibilities (i) Perfect fit; the diagnosis of IOFS was identical to the permanent diagnosis, (ii) Partial compatibility; IOFS diagnosis was not incorrect but was too broad to be considered full compatibility, (iii) Conflict; IOFS diagnosis is completely different from the permanent diagnosis. The permanent diagnosis was used as a primary criterion and was compared to IOFS diagnosis and recurrence rate using different statistical methods.

RESULTS

84% of the patients underwent craniotomy and tumor resection, while 15% only underwent tumor biopsy. Approximately, 53.8 % of the cases revealed perfect matching in the diagnosis between IOFSs and permanent sections, while 16.2% of the cases revealed complete mismatching in the diagnosis between the sections. The remaining 30% of the cases showed partial compatibility in the diagnosis between the two diagnostic methods. There was no significant difference in recurrence rate among all cases of different diagnostic compatibility (p=0.54).

CONCLUSION

There is a diagnostic discrepancy between IOFSs and permanent sections. However, cases that revealed no consensus in the diagnoses showed no negative effect on the patient outcome. Further studies should be conducted to explore the reasons of this conflict in the two diagnostic methods.

Sensitivity Assessment of Wilms Tumor Gene (WT1) Expression in Glioblastoma using qPCR and Immunohistochemistry and its Association with IDH1 Mutation and Recurrence Interval

Purpose

Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene has recently shown a role in gliomagenesis, making it a potential immunotherapy target in glioblastomas. We aimed to investigate the most sensitive method to detect WT1 expression in glioblastoma and explore the relationship between WT1 expression, IDH1 mutation and recurrence interval.

Patients and Methods

Clinical data were collected from 44 patients with glioblastomas, treated with adjuvant therapies. WT1 expression was assessed in all cases using immunohistochemistry (IHC), while its gene expression was assessed in 13 clustered samples using polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). IDH1 mutation was assessed using IHC. The sensitivity between IHC and RT-qPCR was examined. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to compare the recurrence-free interval (RFI) between IDH1 and WT1 expression groups.

Results

IDH1^wildtype was found in 26 cases (59.1%) and the remaining 18 cases (40.9%) were IDH1^mutant. Through IHC, WT1 was overexpressed in 32 cases (72.7%), partially expressed in 9 cases (20.5%) and not expressed in only 3 cases. For the 13 cases tested by qPCR, 6 cases showed WT1 upregulation and 7 cases showed WT1 downregulation. There was no significant difference in WT1 expression among cases with different RNA concentrations regardless the testing method (p-value >0.05). However, the difference between IHC and qPCR was significant. IDH1^mutant cases with WT1 overexpression showed significant difference in RFI (p-value =0.048).

Conclusion

Parallel testing for WT1 expression using IHC and qPCR is not reliable. However, IHC provides more accurate results. Moreover, IDH1^mutant glioblastomas with WT1 overexpression are associated with late RFI particularly if temozolomide with additional chemotherapies are used.

Epidemiological distribution of primary central nervous system tumors in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia: a local registry from neuroscience-affiliated centers

OBJECTIVES

Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are a major and growing global healthcare challenge. Western Saudi Arabia has an inconsistent data registry; therefore, the epidemiology of CNS tumors is unclear across the country. This study is aimed to assemble the epidemiological matrix of CNS tumors in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed using clinical data obtained from 3 neuroscience centers in Western Saudi Arabia in the period 2014-2019. The sample size included 663 adult and pediatric cases from the local and expatriate populations diagnosed with CNS tumors. The distributions of age, sex, clinical presentation, tumor location, type of surgery, histological subtype, genetic characteristics, and recurrence rate were explored.

RESULTS

The analysis included 500 adult cases and 163 pediatric cases up to 18 years of age with a male-to-female ratio of 1.16. The mean age at diagnosis was 38.0±22.6 years. The supratentorium was the most common location (n=515, 77.7%). Most patients presented with headache (n=298, 44.9%), followed by a focal neurological deficit (19.9%). The most common primary CNS tumor was glioblastoma (n=234, 35.3%), followed by meningioma (n=100, 15.1%). The recurrence rate after surgery was estimated to be 40.9% among all CNS tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first tumor registry of Western Province of Saudi Arabia that describes the distribution of primary CNS tumors and highlights their epidemiological matrix. Several incidence trends in terms of histological type, age group, sex, location, and recurrence were determined, and some genetic characteristics were recognized.

The utility of decompressive craniectomy in severe traumatic brain injury in Saudi Arabia trauma centers

Background: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) represents an effective method for intracranial pressure (ICP) reduction in cases of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, little is known regarding the attitude of practicing neurosurgeons toward decompressive craniectomy (DC) in Saudi Arabia.Objective: We aimed to explore the perspective on DC among neurosurgeons in Saudi Arabia.Methods: An electronic survey was distributed via e-mail to members of the Saudi Association of Neurological Surgery (SANS).Results: A total of 52 neurosurgeons participated in this survey. The majority of these neurosurgeons practice in a governmental (95.2%), tertiary hospital (75.5%) with academic affiliations (77.6%). Most surgeons (71.4%) agreed that the DC approach for managing refractory ICP is supported by evidence-based medicine. The majority of the participants choose to perform DC on a unilateral basis (80%). Interestingly, DC followed by duraplasty was performed by only 71% of these surgeons, with 29% of the respondents not performing expansive duraplasty.Conclusion: In Saudi Arabia, the utility of DC in cases of TBI with refractory intracranial hypertension has not been clearly defined among practicing neurosurgeons. The development of appropriate, widely adopted TBI guidelines should thus be a priority in Saudi Arabia to reduce variability among TBI care practices. In addition, a national TBI registry should be established for documenting different practices and longitudinal outcomes.

The Impact of IDH1 Mutation and MGMT Promoter Methylation on Recurrence-Free Interval in Glioblastoma Patients Treated With Radiotherapy and Chemotherapeutic Agents

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutation and O⁶-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation with recurrence-free interval in glioblastoma patients treated with chemoradiotherapies. Clinical data were collected from 82 patients with totally resected glioblastoma and treated with adjuvant therapies from 2014 to 2019. IDH1 mutation was assessed by immunohistochemistry and MGMT promoter methylation was assessed by different sequencing methods. IDH1 mutation was present in 32 cases and 50 cases were IDH1 wildtype; 54 and 28 patients had unmethylated and methylated MGMT promoter, respectively, Of the 82 patients, 62 patients received chemoradiotherapy while 20 patients only received radiation. Approximately, 61% of patients had a tumor recurrence after 1 year, and 39% showed a recurrence before 1 year of treatment. There was no significant relationship between IDH1 mutation and MGMT promoter methylation (p-value = 0.972). Patients with IDH1 mutation and their age <50 years showed a significant difference in recurrence-free interval (p-value = 0.014). Difference in recurrence-free interval was also statistically observed in patients with unmethylated MGMT promoter and treated with chemoradiotherapies (p-value = 0.031), by which they showed a late tumor recurrence (p-value = 0.016). This revealed that IDH1 mutation and MGMT methylation are independent prognostic factors in glioblastoma. Although IDH1-mutant glioblastomas showed late tumor recurrence in patients less than 50 years old, the type of treatment modalities may not show additional beneficial outcome. Patients with unmethylated MGMT and IDH1 mutation, treated with different chemoradiotherapies, showed a late tumor recurrence.

Prognostic value of TP53 expression and MGMT methylation in glioblastoma patients treated with temozolomide combined with other chemotherapies

OBJECTIVE

To assess the recurrence interval and predictive significance of TP53 expression and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation in glioblastomas treated with radiotherapy and combined chemotherapies, including temozolomide, lomustine, procarbazine and bevacizumab.

METHOD

We reviewed the clinical outcomes of 52 totally resected glioblastoma patients, who received conventional radiotherapy and temozolomide with other chemotherapeutic agents. Correlation of TP53 expression and MGMT promotor methylation with recurrence interval was analyzed using Kaplan Meier estimates.

RESULTS

No significant association was found between MGMT promotor methylation and TP53 expression in glioblastomas (P-value = 0.158). Patients with non-methylated MGMT who received temozolomide chemotherapy with other chemotherapeutic agents showed significantly later recurrence (P-value = 0.007) compared with patients with non-methylated MGMT who received temozolomide alone. No significant difference was found in recurrence interval among glioblastoma patients with methylated MGMT who received temozolomide alone or with other chemotherapies (P-value = 0.667). Moreover, patients with non-TP53-expressing tumors who received temozolomide with other chemotherapies had significantly later recurrence (P-value = 0.04) compared with patients who received temozolomide alone.

CONCLUSION

Totally resected glioblastoma patients, with non-methylated MGMT or non-TP53-expressing tumors treated with radiotherapy and combined chemotherapies had a reduced chance of tumor recurrence and a more favorable outcome. Furthermore, both MGMT and TP53 are independent prognostic factors for glioblastoma.

Saudi Arabian Consensus Statement on Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Refractory Epilepsy

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an approved adjunctive therapy for refractory epilepsy and used in patients who are not candidates for resective epilepsy surgery. In Saudi Arabia, VNS device implantation is being performed since 2008 by several comprehensive epilepsy programs, but with variable protocols. Therefore, to standardize the use of VNS, a task force was established to create a national consensus. This group consisted of epileptologists, epilepsy surgeons and a VNS nurse coordinator working in comprehensive epilepsy centers and dealing with refractory epilepsy cases. The group intensively reviewed the literature using Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, in addition to physician's manual. Evidence is reported as three stages: preimplantation and patient selection, a perioperative phase involving all stakeholders and post-operative care with specific programming pathways.

Overlapping variants in the blood, tissues and cell lines for patients with intracranial meningiomas are predominant in stem cell-related genes

OBJECTIVE

Bulk tissue genomic analysis of meningiomas identified common somatic mutations, however, it often excluded blood-related variants. In contrast, genomic characterisation of primary cell lines that can provide critical information regarding growth and proliferation, have been rare. In our work, we identified the variants that are present in the blood, tissues and corresponding cell lines that are likely to be predictive, tumorigenic and progressive.

METHOD

Whole-exome sequencing was used to identify variants and distinguish related pathways that exist in 42 blood, tissues and corresponding cell lines (BTCs) samples for patients with intracranial meningiomas. Conventional sequencing was used for the confirmation of variants. Integrative analysis of the gene expression for the corresponding samples was utilised for further interpretations.

RESULTS

In total, 926 BTC variants were detected, implicating 845 genes. A pathway analysis of all BTC genes with damaging variants indicated the 'cell morphogenesis involved in differentiation' stem cell-related pathway to be the most frequently affected pathway. Concordantly, five stem cell-related genes, GPRIN2, ALDH3B2, ASPN, THSD7A and SIGLEC6, showed BTC variants in at least five of the patients. Variants that were heterozygous in the blood and homozygous in the tissues or the corresponding cell lines were rare (average: 1.3 ± 0.3%), and included variants in the RUNX2 and CCDC114 genes. An analysis comparing the variants detected only in tumours with aggressive features indicated a total of 240 BTC genes, implicating the 'homophilic cell adhesion via plasma membrane adhesion molecules' pathway, and identifying the stem cell-related transcription coactivator NCOA3/AIB1/SRC3 as the most frequent BTC gene. Further analysis of the possible impact of the poly-Q mutation present in the NCOA3 gene indicated associated deregulation of 15 genes, including the up-regulation of the stem cell related SEMA3D gene and the angiogenesis related VEGFA gene.

CONCLUSION

Stem cell-related pathways and genes showed high prevalence in the BTC variants, and novel variants in stem cell-related genes were identified for meningioma. These variants can potentially be used as predictive, tumorigenic and progressive biomarkers for meningioma.

Intracranial Intradural Vascular Injury during Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Surgery: A Case Report and Literature Review

Background  Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is a procedure for sellar or midline masses in the skull base. Among the reported complications are iatrogenic vascular injuries; that are rare, yet they carry devastating outcomes, with an incidence of injury between 0.34 and 2.6%. The cavernous internal carotid artery is the most commonly injured. However, intradural arterial injuries are much less reported with challenging management. We report a rare incident of intradural arterial injury during TSS, and we compared our management to the summarized few cases reported in the literature Case Report  We report a 43-year-old female who had a recurrent planum sphenoidal meningioma. She underwent trans-nasal transsphenoidal endoscopic resection that was complicated with intraoperative bleeding due to an injury to the anterior communicating artery that was challenging to control, resulted in a bilateral loss of flow in A1 segments of anterior cerebral artery and required endovascular management. The patient had a good recovery postoperatively without the typical picture of ACA syndrome. Conclusion  Intradural arterial injury is exceedingly rare in TSS, with no clear standard of care for the management. Collateral blood supply allows definitive management with minimal morbidity. Identifying the risk factors beforehand, as well as performing such cases in a well-resourced center, are crucial elements of safety.

Dural Venous Sinus Thrombosis in Patients Presenting with Blunt Traumatic Brain Injuries and Skull Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Dural venous sinus thrombosis (DVST) is an increasingly recognized complication of blunt traumatic brain injury (TBI) and skull fractures. However, data concerning epidemiology and clinical significance of DVST are unclear. Determining the disease burden in patients with TBI is an important first step to guide future studies assessing the natural course of traumatic DVST or the effects of its treatment. Therefore, we performed to our knowledge the first systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the prevalence of DVST in patients with TBI and skull fractures.

METHODS

MEDLINE and Embase databases were systematically searched for relevant studies published up to March 2018. All studies that assessed the prevalence of DVST among patients with TBI who underwent a vascular imaging study were included. The primary outcome was the presence or absence of DVST on imaging. A random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool studies.

RESULTS

Our systematic review yielded 638 articles, and 13 articles met inclusion criteria. In patients with skull fractures adjacent to a venous sinus, the prevalence was 26.2% (95% confidence interval = 19.4%-34.4%). This elevated risk was similar between adult (pooled estimate 23.8%; 95% CI = 16.2%-33.5%) and pediatric (pooled estimate 31.3%; 95% CI = 19.1%-46.9%) populations.

CONCLUSIONS

We found an unexpectedly high and consistent frequency of DVST among patients with skull fractures regardless of age group or severity of brain injury. These findings are important and highlight the need for further understanding the natural history of DVST and providing better guidelines on its management.

Quality of Life Following Prestige LP Cervical Disc Arthroplasty in a Prospective Multicountry Study

Background

To describe routine surgical practice using Prestige LP Cervical Disc (Prestige disc) and patient outcomes for degenerative cervical disc disease in a multicenter 2-year prospective, observational study.

Methods

Patient demographics and intraoperative data were collected; quality of life (QoL) (EQ-5D, EQ-VAS, and neck disability index), average disc height, and adverse events were assessed pre- and postoperatively at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.

Results

One hundred and ninety-four patients were enrolled (190 patients implanted; female: 67%; mean age: 44.0 years; mean body mass index: 25.6). Disc herniation was the most frequent indication for cervical arthroplasty (80.5%). Thirty-seven percent of patients experienced pain for >1 year prior to baseline assessment. Mean procedure duration was 87.1 minutes, and mean blood loss was 43.8 mL. The majority (71.0%) of Prestige discs were implanted at level C5 to C6, while 16.3% of patients received implants at 2 levels. There was a significant improvement from baseline to 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up in all QoL assessments. After implantation, the mean disc height at the affected level increased by 0.19 from baseline (0.22) to 3 months (0.41) and remained constant up to 24 months (P < .001). Mean disc height of levels above and below the implant remained comparable at baseline and follow-up. A total of 63 adverse events (44 patients) was recorded, of which 7 (11.1%) were related to the Prestige disc, instrumentation, or procedure; 41 (65.1%) were unrelated; and 15 (23.8%) had an unknown relation.

Conclusions

In line with published findings, our study shows significant improvement in outcomes in the first 3 months after Prestige disc implantation with improvements maintained throughout the study.

In situ characterization of stem cells-like biomarkers in meningiomas

Background

Meningioma cancer stem cells (MCSCs) contribute to tumor aggressiveness and drug resistance. Successful therapies developed for inoperable, recurrent, or metastatic tumors must target these cells and restrict their contribution to tumor progression. Unfortunately, the identity of MCSCs remains elusive, and MSCSs’ in situ spatial distribution, heterogeneity, and relationship with tumor grade, remain unclear.

Methods

Seven tumors classified as grade II or grade III, including one case of metastatic grade III, and eight grade I meningioma tumors, were analyzed for combinations of ten stem cell (SC)-related markers using immunofluorescence of consecutive sections. The correlation of expression for all markers were investigated. Three dimensional spatial distribution of markers were qualitatively analyzed using a grid, designed as a repository of information for positive staining. All statistical analyses were completed using Statistical Analysis Software Package.

Results

The patterns of expression for SC-related markers were determined in the context of two dimensional distribution and cellular features. All markers could be detected in all tumors, however, Frizzled 9 and GFAP had differential expression in grade II/III compared with grade I meningioma tissues. Correlation analysis showed significant relationships between the expression of GFAP and CD133 as well as SSEA4 and Vimentin. Data from three dimensional analysis showed a complex distribution of SC markers, with increased gene hetero-expression being associated with grade II/III tumors. Sub regions that showed multiple co-staining of markers including CD133, Frizzled 9, GFAP, Vimentin, and SSEA4, but not necessarily the proliferation marker Ki67, were highly associated with grade II/III meningiomas.

Conclusion

The distribution and level of expression of CSCs markers in meningiomas are variable and show hetero-expression patterns that have a complex spatial nature, particularly in grade II/III meningiomas. Thus, results strongly support the notion of heterogeneous populations of CSCs, even in grade I meningiomas, and call for the use of multiple markers for the accurate identification of individual CSC subgroups. Such identification will lead to practical clinical diagnostic protocols that can quantitate CSCs, predict tumor recurrence, assist in guiding treatment selection for inoperable tumors, and improve follow up of therapy.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12935-018-0571-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Apoplexy of a collision tumour composed of subependymoma and cavernous-like malformation in the lateral ventricle: a case report

Subependymomas are rare benign tumours arising from subependymal glial precursors that usually remain asymptomatic or may present due to obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid pathways. We describe the first report of intraventricular haemorrhage from subependymoma and cavernous-like malformation collision tumour in a 74-year-old male presented with an impaired level of consciousness.

Intramedullary Arachnoid Cyst of the Cervical Spine: Case Report and Literature Review

Intramedullary arachnoid cysts of the spinal cord are extremely rare benign lesions of unclear pathogenesis. To our knowledge, only 21 cases were reported in the literature, 10 of which involved the cervical spine. We report the case of a 47-year-old female who presented with a symptomatic spinal intramedullary arachnoid cyst (SIAC). Magnetic resonance imaging scan of the cervical spine demonstrated an intramedullary arachnoid cyst at C3-C5 level. The patient had a cervical laminectomy and cysto-subarachnoid shunt with rapid and excellent clinical recovery and no recurrence at 2-year follow-up.

Intramedullary arachnoid cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intramedullary cystic lesions of the spinal cord. Their pathogenesis and natural history are not well defined in the literature. However, a cysto-subarachnoid shunt can be performed with excellent long-term clinical and radiological results.

Pleomorphism and drug resistant cancer stem cells are characteristic of aggressive primary meningioma cell lines

Background

Meningioma tumors arise in arachnoid membranes, and are the most reported central nervous system (CNS) tumors worldwide. Up to 20% of grade I meningioma tumors reoccur and currently predictive cancer stem cells (CSCs) markers for aggressive and drug resistant meningiomas are scarce.

Methods

Meningioma tissues and primary cell lines were investigated using whole transcriptome microarray analysis, immunofluorescence staining of CSCs markers (including CD133, Sox2, Nestin, and Frizzled 9), and drug treatment with cisplatin or etoposide.

Results

Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of six meningioma samples separated tissues into two groups. Analysis identified stem cells related pathways to be differential between the two groups and indicated the de-regulation of the stem cell associated genes Reelin (RELN), Calbindin 1 (CALB1) and Anterior Gradient 2 Homolog (AGR2). Immunofluorescence staining for four tissues confirmed stemness variation in situ. Biological characterization of fifteen meningioma primary cell lines concordantly separated cells into two functionally distinct sub-groups. Pleomorphic cell lines (NG type) grew significantly faster than monomorphic cell lines (G type), had a higher number of cells that express Ki67, and were able to migrate aggressively in vitro. In addition, NG type cell lines had a lower expression of nuclear Caspase-3, and had a significantly higher number of CSCs co-positive for CD133+ Sox2+ or AGR2+ BMI1+. Importantly, these cells were more tolerant to cisplatin and etoposide treatment, showed a lower level of nuclear Caspase-3 in treated cells and harbored drug resistant CSCs.

Conclusion

Collectively, analyses of tissues and primary cell lines revealed stem cell associated genes as potential targets for aggressive and drug resistant meningiomas.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12935-017-0441-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Spinal cord compression secondary to idiopathic thoracic epidural lipomatosis in an adolescent: A case report and review of literature

INTRODUCTION

Spinal epidural lipomatosis (SEL) is a rare condition that presents with progressive spinal cord or nerve root compression. It is commonly reported in patients receiving long-term exogenous steroid therapy or in patients with endogenous steroid overproduction. The occurrence of this condition as an idiopathic entity is rarely reported.

CASE PRESENTATION

The authors present the clinical course and outcome of a 16-year-old male student, who presented with progressive spastic paraparesis of a one-year duration caused by idiopathic spinal epidural lipomatosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of the thoracic spine revealed marked compression of the spinal cord from a large dorsally located extradural mass extending from the T-4 to T-12 vertebral bodies. The patient underwent posterior thoracic laminoplasty from the T4 to T10 vertebral levels. He experienced gradual neurological, and he was able to walk without assistant by the end of 3-month follow-up period from surgery.

CONCLUSION

Idiopathic SEL is very rare, since no predisposing factors can be identified, and should be included in the differential diagnosis when patients present with spinal neurological compromise. MRI is the imaging modality of choice, and decompressive laminectomy and debulking of the fatty lesion is the main treatment modality in patients with progressive course of the disease..

Abstracts from the 3rd International Genomic Medicine Conference (3rd IGMC 2015) : Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 30 November - 3 December 2015

O1 Regulation of genes by telomere length over long distances

Jerry W. Shay

O2 The microtubule destabilizer KIF2A regulates the postnatal establishment of neuronal circuits in addition to prenatal cell survival, cell migration, and axon elongation, and its loss leading to malformation of cortical development and severe epilepsy

Noriko Homma, Ruyun Zhou, Muhammad Imran Naseer, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Nobutaka Hirokawa

O3 Integration of metagenomics and metabolomics in gut microbiome research

Maryam Goudarzi, Albert J. Fornace Jr.

O4 A unique integrated system to discern pathogenesis of central nervous system tumors

Saleh Baeesa, Deema Hussain, Mohammed Bangash, Fahad Alghamdi, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Angel Carracedo, Ishaq Khan, Hanadi Qashqari, Nawal Madkhali, Mohamad Saka, Kulvinder S. Saini, Awatif Jamal, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Adel Abuzenadah, Adeel Chaudhary, Mohammed Al Qahtani, Ghazi Damanhouri

O5 RPL27A is a target of miR-595 and deficiency contributes to ribosomal dysgenesis

Heba Alkhatabi

O6 Next generation DNA sequencing panels for haemostatic and platelet disorders and for Fanconi anaemia in routine diagnostic service

Anne Goodeve, Laura Crookes, Nikolas Niksic, Nicholas Beauchamp

O7 Targeted sequencing panels and their utilization in personalized medicine

Adel M. Abuzenadah

O8 International biobanking in the era of precision medicine

Jim Vaught

O9 Biobank and biodata for clinical and forensic applications

Bruce Budowle, Mourad Assidi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida

O10 Tissue microarray technique: a powerful adjunct tool for molecular profiling of solid tumors

Jaudah Al-Maghrabi

O11 The CEGMR biobanking unit: achievements, challenges and future plans

Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi, Leena Merdad

O12 Phylomedicine of tumors

Sudhir Kumar, Sayaka Miura, Karen Gomez

O13 Clinical implementation of pharmacogenomics for colorectal cancer treatment

Angel Carracedo, Mahmood Rasool

O14 From association to causality: translation of GWAS findings for genomic medicine

Ahmed Rebai

O15 E-GRASP: an interactive database and web application for efficient analysis of disease-associated genetic information

Sajjad Karim, Hend F Nour Eldin, Heba Abusamra, Elham M Alhathli, Nada Salem, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Sudhir Kumar

O16 The supercomputer facility “AZIZ” at KAU: utility and future prospects

Hossam Faheem

O17 New research into the causes of male infertility

Ashok Agarwa

O18 The Klinefelter syndrome: recent progress in pathophysiology and management

Eberhard Nieschlag, Joachim Wistuba, Oliver S. Damm, Mohd A. Beg, Taha A. Abdel-Meguid, Hisham A. Mosli, Osama S. Bajouh, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Mohammed H. Al-Qahtani

O19 A new look to reproductive medicine in the era of genomics

Serdar Coskun

P1 Wnt signalling receptors expression in Saudi breast cancer patients

Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Ashraf Dallol, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Sahar Hakamy, Wejdan Al-Qahtani, Asia Al-Harbi, Shireen Hussain, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel Abuzenadah

P2 Analysis of oxidative stress interactome during spermatogenesis: a systems biology approach to reproduction

Burak Ozkosem, Rick DuBois

P3 Interleukin-18 gene variants are strongly associated with idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss.

Safia S Messaoudi, Maryam T Dandana, Touhami Mahjoub, Wassim Y Almawi

P4 Effect of environmental factors on gene-gene and gene-environment reactions: model and theoretical study applied to environmental interventions using genotype

S. Abdalla, M. Nabil Al-Aama

P5 Genomics and transcriptomic analysis of imatinib resistance in gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Asmaa Elzawahry, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Sachiyo Mimaki, Eisaku Furukawa, Rie Nakatsuka, Isao Kurosaka, Takahiko Nishigaki, Hiromi Nakamura, Satoshi Serada, Tetsuji Naka, Seiichi Hirota, Tatsuhiro Shibata, Katsuya Tsuchihara, Toshirou Nishida, Mamoru Kato

P6 In-Silico analysis of putative HCV epitopes against Pakistani human leukocyte antigen background: an approach towards development of future vaccines for Pakistani population

Sajid Mehmood, Naeem Mahmood Ashraf, Awais Asif, Muhammad Bilal, Malik Siddique Mehmood, Aadil Hussain

P7 Inhibition of AChE and BuChE with the natural compounds of Bacopa monerri for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: a bioinformatics approach

Qazi Mohammad Sajid Jamal, Mughees Uddin Siddiqui, Mohammad A. Alzohairy, Mohammad A. Al Karaawi

P8 Her2 expression in urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder in Saudi Arabia

Taoufik Nedjadi, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Mourad Assidi, Heba Al-Khattabi, Adel Al-Ammari, Ahmed Al-Sayyad, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P9 Association of angiotensinogen single nucleotide polymorphisms with Preeclampsia in patients from North Africa

Hédia Zitouni, Nozha Raguema, Marwa Ben Ali, Wided Malah, Raja Lfalah, Wassim Almawi, Touhami Mahjoub

P10 Systems biology analysis reveals relations between normal skin, benign nevi and malignant melanoma

Mohammed Elanbari, Andrey Ptitsyn

P11 The apoptotic effect of thymoquinone in Jurkat cells

Sana Mahjoub, Rabeb El Ghali, Bechir Achour, Nidhal Ben Amor, Mourad Assidi, Brahim N'siri, Hamid Morjani

P12 Sonic hedgehog contributes in bladder cancer invasion in Saudi Arabia

Taoufik Nedjadi, Adel Al-Ammari, Ahmed Al-Sayyad, Nada Salem, Esam Azhar, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi

P13 Association of Interleukin 18 gene promoter polymorphisms - 607A/C and -137 G/C with colorectal cancer onset in a sample of Tunisian population

Vera Chayeb, Maryam Dendena, Hedia Zitouni, Khedija Zouari-Limayem, Touhami Mahjoub

P14 Pathological expression of interleukin-6, -11, leukemia inhibitory factor and their receptors in tubal gestation with and without tubal cytomegalovirus infection

Bassem Refaat, Ahmed M Ashshi, Sarah A Batwa

P15 Phenotypic and genetic profiling of avian pathogenic and human diarrhegenic Escherichia coli in Egypt

Hazem Ramadan, Amal Awad, Ahmed Ateya

P16 Cancer-targeting dual gene virotherapy as a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Adel Galal Ahmed El-Shemi, Ahmad Ashshi, Mohammed Basalamah, Youjin Na, Chae-Ok YUN

P17 Cancer dual gene therapy with oncolytic adenoviruses expressing TRAIL and IL-12 transgenes markedly eradicated human hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo

Adel Galal Ahmed El-Shemi, Ahmad Ashshi, Mohammed Basalamah, Youjin Na, Chae-Ok Yun

P18 Therapy with paricalcitol attenuates tumor growth and augments tumoricidal and anti-oncogenic effects of 5-fluorouracil on animal model of colon cancer

Adel Galal El-Shemi, Bassem Refaat, Osama Kensara, Amr Abdelfattah

P19 The effects of Rubus idaeus extract on normal human lymphocytes and cancer cell line

Batol Imran Dheeb, Mohammed M. F. Al-Halbosiy, Rghad Kadhim Al lihabi, Basim Mohammed Khashman

P20 Etanercept, a TNF-alpha inhibitor, alleviates mechanical hypersensitivity and spontaneous pain in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain

Djouhri, Laiche, Chaudhary Adeel, Nedjadi, Taoufik

P21 Sleeping beauty mutagenesis system identified genes and neuronal transcription factor network involved in pediatric solid tumour (medulloblastoma)

Hani Al-Afghani, Maria Łastowska, Haya H Al-Balool, Harsh Sheth, Emma Mercer, Jonathan M Coxhead, Chris PF Redfern, Heiko Peters, Alastair D Burt, Mauro Santibanez-Koref, Chris M Bacon, Louis Chesler, Alistair G Rust, David J Adams, Daniel Williamson, Steven C Clifford, Michael S Jackson

P22 Involvement of interleukin-1 in vitiligo pathogenesis

Mala Singh, Mohmmad Shoab Mansuri, Shahnawaz D. Jadeja, Hima Patel, Yogesh S. Marfatia, Rasheedunnisa Begum

P23 Cytogenetics abnormalities in 12,884 referred population for chromosomal analysis and the role of FISH in refining the diagnosis (cytogenetic experience 2004-2013)

Amal M Mohamed, Alaa K Kamel, Nivin A Helmy, Sayda A Hammad, Hesham F Kayed, Marwa I Shehab, Assad El Gerzawy, Maha M. Ead, Ola M Ead, Mona Mekkawy, Innas Mazen, Mona El-Ruby

P24 Analysis of binding properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 through in silico method

S. M. A. Shahid, Qazi Mohammad Sajid Jamal, J. M. Arif, Mohtashim Lohani

P25 Relationship of genetics markers cis and trans to the β-S globin gene with fetal hemoglobin expression in Tunisian sickle cell patients

Moumni Imen, Chaouch Leila, Ouragini Houyem, Douzi Kais, Chaouachi Dorra Mellouli Fethi, Bejaoui Mohamed, Abbes Salem

P26 Analysis of estrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms in breast cancer: link to genetic predisposition in Sudanese women

Areeg Faggad, Amanuel T Gebreslasie, Hani Y Zaki, Badreldin E Abdalla

P27 KCNQI gene polymorphism and its association with CVD and T2DM in the Saudi population

Maha S AlShammari, Rhaya Al-Ali, Nader Al-Balawi , Mansour Al-Enazi, Ali Al-Muraikhi, Fadi Busaleh, Ali Al-Sahwan, Francis Borgio, Abdulazeez Sayyed, Amein Al-Ali, Sadananda Acharya

P28 Clinical, neuroimaging and cytogenetic study of a patient with microcephaly capillary malformation syndrome

Maha S. Zaki, Hala T. El-Bassyouni, Marwa I. Shehab

P29 Altered expression of CD200R1 on dendritic cells of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: in silico investigations and clinical evaluations

Mohammed F. Elshal, Kaleemuddin M., Alia M. Aldahlawi, Omar Saadah,

J. Philip McCoy

P30 Development of real time PCR diagnostic protocol specific for the Saudi Arabian H1N1 viral strains

Adel E El-Tarras, Nabil S Awad, Abdulla A Alharthi, Mohamed M M Ibrahim

P31 Identification of novel genetic variations affecting Osteoarthritis patients

Haneen S Alsehli, Ashraf Dallol, Abdullah M Gari, Mohammed M Abbas, Roaa A Kadam, Mazen M. Gari, Mohmmed H Alkaff, Adel M Abuzenadah, Mamdooh A Gari

P32 An integrated database of GWAS SNVs and their evolutionary properties

Heba Abusamra, Sajjad Karim, Hend F Nour eldin, Elham M Alhathli, Nada Salem, Sudhir Kumar, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani

P33 Familial hypercholesterolemia in Saudi Arabia: prime time for a national registry and genetic analysis

Fatima A. Moradi, Omran M. Rashidi, Zuhier A. Awan

P34 Comparative genomics and network-based analyses of early hepatocellular carcinoma

Ibrahim Hamza Kaya, Olfat Al-Harazi, Dilek Colak

P35 A TALEN-based oncolytic viral vector approach to knock out ABCB1 gene mediated chemoresistance in cancer stem cells

Nabila A Alkousi, Takis Athanasopoulos

P36 Cartilage differentiation and gene expression of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells derived from osteoarthritis patients

Afnan O Bahmaid, Etimad A Alhwait, Mamdooh A Gari, Haneen S Alsehli, Mohammed M Abbas, Mohammed H Alkaf, Roaa Kadam, Ashraf Dallol, Gauthaman Kalamegam

P37 E-GRASP: Adding an evolutionary component to the genome-wide repository of associations (GRASP) resource

Hend F Nour Eldin, Sajjad Karim, Heba Abusamra, Elham Alhathli, Nada Salem, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Sudhir Kumar

P38 Screening of AGL gene mutation in Saudi family with glycogen storage disease Type III

Salma N Alsayed, Fawziah H Aljohani, Samaher M Habeeb, Rawan A Almashali, Sulman Basit, Samia M Ahmed

P39 High throughput proteomic data suggest modulation of cAMP dependent protein kinase A and mitochondrial function in infertile patients with varicocele

Rakesh Sharma, Ashok Agarwal, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Luna Samanta, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Edmund S. Sabanegh, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P40 Significant protein profile alterations in men with primary and secondary infertility

Ashok Agarwal, Rakesh Sharma, Luna Samanta, Damayanthi Durairajanayagam, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Edmund S. Sabanegh

P41 Spermatozoa maturation in infertile patients involves compromised expression of heat shock proteins

Luna Samanta, Ashok Agarwal, Rakesh Sharma, Zhihong Cui, Mourad Assidi, Adel M. Abuzenadah, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P42 Array comparative genomic hybridization approach to search genomic answers for spontaneous recurrent abortion in Saudi Arabia

Alaa A Alboogmi, Nuha A Alansari, Maha M Al-Quaiti, Fai T Ashgan, Afnan Bandah, Hasan S Jamal, Abdullraheem Rozi_, Zeenat Mirza, Adel M Abuzenadah, Sajjad Karim, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani

P43 Global gene expression profiling of Saudi kidney cancer patients

Sajjad Karim, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Ahmad J Al Sayyad, Hasan MA Farsi, Jaudah A Al-Maghrabi, Zeenat Mirza, Reem Alotibi, Alaa Al-Ahmadi, Nuha A Alansari, Alaa A Albogmi, Maha M Al-Quaiti, Fai T Ashgan, Afnan Bandah, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani

P44 Downregulated StAR gene and male reproductive dysfunction caused by nifedipine and ethosuximide

Rasha A Ebiya, Samia M Darwish, Metwally M. Montaser

P45 Clustering based gene expression feature selection method: A computational approach to enrich the classifier efficiency of differentially expressed genes

Heba Abusamra, Vladimir B. Bajic

P46 Prognostic significance of Osteopontin expression profile in colorectal carcinoma

Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Wafaey Gomaa, Mehenaz Hanbazazh, Mahmoud Al-Ahwal, Asia Al-Harbi, Wejdan Al-Qahtani, Saher Hakamy, Ghali Baba, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P47 High Glypican-3 expression pattern predicts longer disease-specific survival in colorectal carcinoma

Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Abdullah Al-Harbi, Mahmoud Al-Ahwal, Asia Al-Harbi, Wejdan Al-Qahtani, Sahar Hakamy, Ghalia Baba, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P48 An evolutionary re-assessment of GWAS single nucleotide variants implicated in the Cholesterol traits

Elham M Alhathli, Sajjad Karim, Nada Salem, Hend Nour Eldin, Heba Abusamra, Sudhir Kumar, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani

P49 Derivation and characterization of human Wharton’s jelly stem cells (hWJSCs) in vitro for future therapeutic applications

Aisha A Alyamani, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Etimad A Alhwait, Mamdooh A Gari, Mohammed M Abbas, Mohammed H Alkaf, Haneen S Alsehli, Roaa A Kadam, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P50 Attitudes of healthcare students toward biomedical research in the post-genomic era

Rawan Gadi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi , Adeel Chaudhary, Leena Merdad

P51 Evaluation of the immunomodulatory effects of thymoquinone on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) from osteoarthritic patients

Saadiah M Alfakeeh, Etimad A Alhwait, Mamdooh A Gari, Mohammed M Abbas, Mohammed H Alkaf, Haneen S Alsehli, Roaa Kadam, Gauthaman Kalamegam

P52 Implication of IL-10 and IL-28 polymorphism with successful anti-HCV therapy and viral clearance

Rubi Ghazala, Shilu Mathew, M.Haroon Hamed, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Ishtiaq Qadri

P53 Selection of flavonoids against obesity protein (FTO) using in silico and in vitro approaches

Shilu Mathew, Lobna Mira, Manal Shaabad, Shireen Hussain, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P54 Computational selection and in vitro validation of flavonoids as new antidepressant agents

Shilu Mathew, Manal Shaabad, Lobna Mira, Shireen Hussain, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P55 In Silico prediction and prioritization of aging candidate genes associated with

progressive telomere shortening

Ahmed Rebai, Mourad Assidi, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Ashraf Dallol, Jerry W Shay

P56 Identification of new cancer testis antigen genes in diverse types of malignant human tumour cells

Mikhlid H Almutairi

P57 More comprehensive forensic genetic marker analyses for accurate human remains identification using massively parallel sequencing (MPS)

Angie Ambers, Jennifer Churchill, Jonathan King, Monika Stoljarova, Harrell Gill-King, Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Muhammad Al-Qatani, Bruce Budowle

P58 Flow cytometry approach towards treatment men infertility in Saudi Arabia

Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Farid Ahmed, Ashraf Dallol, Mourad Assidi, Taha Abo Almagd, Sahar Hakamy, Ashok Agarwal, Muhammad Al-Qahtani, Adel Abuzenadah

P59 Tissue microarray based validation of CyclinD1 expression in renal cell carcinoma of Saudi kidney patients

Sajjad Karim, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Ahmad J Al Sayyad, Hasan MA Farsi, Jaudah A Al-Maghrabi, Abdelbaset Buhmaida, Zeenat Mirza, Reem Alotibi, Alaa Al-Ahmadi, Nuha A Alansari, Alaa A Albogmi, Maha M Al-Quaiti, Fai T Ashgan, Afnan Bandah, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani

P60 Assessment of gold nanoparticles in molecular diagnostics and DNA damage studies

Rukhsana Satar, Mahmood Rasool, Waseem Ahmad, Nazia Nazam, Mohamad I Lone, Muhammad I Naseer, Mohammad S Jamal, Syed K Zaidi, Peter N Pushparaj, Mohammad A Jafri, Shakeel A Ansari, Mohammed H Alqahtani

P61 Surfing the biospecimen management and processing workflow at CEGMR Biobank

Hanan Bashier, Abrar Al Qahtani, Shilu Mathew, Amal M. Nour, Heba Alkhatabi, Adel M. Abu Zenadah, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mourad Assidi, Muhammed Al Qahtani

P62 Autism Spectrum Disorder: knowledge, attitude and awareness in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Muhammad Faheem, Shilu Mathew, Shiny Mathew, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammad H. Al-Qahtani

P63 Simultaneous genetic screening of the coagulation pathway genes using the Thromboscan targeted sequencing panel

Hani A. Alhadrami, Ashraf Dallol, Adel Abuzenadah

P64 Genome wide array comparative genomic hybridization analysis in patients with syndromic congenital heart defects

Ibtessam R. Hussein, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Rima S Bader, Randa Bassiouni, Maha Alquaiti, Fai Ashgan, Hans Schulten, Mohamed Nabil Alama, Mohammad H. Al Qahtani

P65 Toxocogenetic evaluation of 1, 2-Dichloroethane in bone marrow, blood and cells of immune system using conventional, molecular and flowcytometric approaches

Mohammad I Lone, Nazia Nizam, Waseem Ahmad, Mohammad A Jafri, Mahmood Rasool, Shakeel A Ansari, Muhammed H Al-Qahtani

P66 Molecular cytogenetic diagnosis of sexual development disorders in newborn: A case of ambiguous genitalia

Eradah Alshihri, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Lina Alharbi, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P67 Identification of disease specific gene expression clusters and pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma using In Silico methodologies

Shilu Mathew, Peter Pushparaj Natesan, Muhammed Al Qahtani

P68 Human Wharton’s Jelly stem cell conditioned medium inhibits primary ovarian cancer cells in vitro: Identification of probable targets and mechanisms using systems biology

Gauthaman Kalamegam, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Fazal Khan, Roaa Kadam, Farid Ahmed, Mourad Assidi, Khalid Hussain Wali Sait, Nisreen Anfinan, Mohammed Al Qahtani

P69 Mutation spectrum of ASPM (Abnormal Spindle-like, Microcephaly-associated) gene in Saudi Arabian population

Muhammad I Naseer, Adeel G Chaudhary, Mohammad S Jamal, Shilu Mathew, Lobna S Mira, Peter N Pushparaj, Shakeel A Ansari, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed H AlQahtani

P70 Identification and characterization of novel genes and mutations of primary microcephaly in Saudi Arabian population

Muhammad I Naseer, Adeel G Chaudhary, Shilu Mathew, Lobna S Mira, Mohammad S Jamal, Sameera Sogaty, Randa I Bassiouni, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed H AlQahtani

P71 Molecular genetic analysis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch Syndrome) in Saudi Arabian population

Mahmood Rasool, Shakeel A Ansari, Mohammad S Jamal, Peter N Pushparaj, Abdulrahman MS Sibiani, Waseem Ahmad, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammad A Jafri, Mohiuddin K Warsi, Muhammad I Naseer, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani

P72 Function predication of hypothetical proteins from genome database of chlamydia trachomatis

Rubi, Kundan Kumar, Ahmad AT Naqvi, Faizan Ahmad, Md I Hassan, Mohammad S Jamal, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed H AlQahtani

P73 Transcription factors as novel molecular targets for skin cancer

Ashraf Ali, Jummanah Jarullah, Mahmood Rasool, Abdelbasit Buhmeida, Shahida Khan, Ghufrana Abdussami, Maryam Mahfooz, Mohammad A Kamal, Ghazi A Damanhouri, Mohammad S Jamal

P74 An In Silico analysis of Plumbagin binding to apoptosis executioner: Caspase-3 and Caspase-7

Bushra Jarullah, Jummanah Jarullah, Mohammad SS Jarullah, Ashraf Ali, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammad S Jamal

P75 Single cell genomics applications for preimplantation genetic screening optimization: Comparative analysis of whole genome amplification technologies

Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Osama Bajouh, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel Abuzenadah

P76 ZFP36 regulates miRs-34a in anti-IgM triggered immature B cells

Mohammad S Jamal, Jummanah Jarullah, Abdulah EA Mathkoor, Hashim MA Alsalmi, Anas MM Oun, Ghazi A Damanhauri, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed H AlQahtani

P77 Identification of a novel mutation in the STAMBP gene in a family with microcephaly-capillary malformation syndrome

Muhammad I. Naseer, Mahmood Rasool, Sameera Sogaty, Adeel G. Chudhary, Yousif A. Abutalib, Daniele Merico, Susan Walker, Christian R. Marshall, Mehdi Zarrei, Stephen W. Scherer, Mohammad H. Al-Qahtani

P78 Copy number variations in Saudi patients with intellectual disability and epilepsy

Muhammad I. Naseer, Muhammad Faheem, Adeel G. Chaudhary, Mahmood Rasool, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Fai Talal Ashgan, Mourad Assidi, Farid Ahmed, Syed Kashif Zaidi, Mohammed M. Jan, Mohammad H. Al-Qahtani

P79 Prognostic significance of CD44 expression profile in colorectal carcinoma

Maryam Al-Zahrani, Sahira Lary, Sahar Hakamy, Ashraf Dallol, Mahmoud Al-Ahwal, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Emmanuel Dermitzakis, Adel Abuzenadah, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P80 Association of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene G894T polymorphism with hypertension risk and complications

Abeer A Al-refai, Mona Saleh, Rehab I Yassien, Mahmmoud Kamel, Rabab M Habeb

P81 SNPs array to screen genetic variation among diabetic patients

Najlaa Filimban, Ashraf Dallol, Nadia Ghannam, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel Mohammed Abuzenadah

P82 Detection and genotyping of Helicobacter pylori among gastric cancer patients from Saudi Arabian population

Fehmida Bibi, Sana Akhtar, Esam I. Azhar, Muhammad Yasir, Muhammad I. Nasser, Asif A. Jiman-Fatani, Ali Sawan

P83 Antimicrobial drug resistance and molecular detection of susceptibility to Fluoroquinolones among clinical isolates of Salmonella species from Jeddah-Saudi Arabia

Ruaa A Lahzah, Asho Ali

P84 Identification of the toxic and virulence nature of MAP1138c protein of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Syed A Hassan, Seyed E Hasnain, Iftikhar A Tayubi, Hamza A Abujabal, Alaa O Magrabi

P85 In vitro and in silico evaluation of miR137 in human breast cancer

Fazal Khan, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Adel Abuzenada, Taha Abduallah Kumosani, Elie Barbour, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P86 Auruka gene is over-expressed in Saudi breast cancer

Manal Shabaad, Shilu Mathew, Ashraf Dallol, Adnan Merdad, Abdelbaset Buhmeida, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P87 The potential of immunogenomics in personalized healthcare

Mourad Assidi, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Kalamegam Gauthaman, Mamdooh Gari, Adeel Chaudhary, Adel Abuzenadah, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P88 In Silico physiochemical and structural characterization of a putative ORF MAP0591 and its implication in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in ruminants and humans

Syed A Hassan, Iftikhar A Tayubi, Hani MA Aljahdali

P89 Effects of heat shock on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs): Implications in regenerative medicine

Reham Al Nono, Mamdooh Gari, Haneen Alsehli, Farid Ahmed, Mohammed Abbas, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P90 In Silico analyses of the molecular targets of Resveratrol unravels its importance in mast cell mediated allergic responses

Shilu Mathew, Fazal Khan, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammed Sarwar Jamal, Muhammad Imran Naseer, Zeenat Mirza, Sajjad Karim, Shakeel Ansari, Mourad Assidi, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Mamdooh Gari, Adeel Chaudhary, Adel Abuzenadah, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P91 Effects of environmental particulate matter on bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Roaa Kadam, Mansour A Alghamdi, Magdy Shamy, Max Costa, Mamdouh I Khoder, Mourad Assidi, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mamdooh Gari, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P92 Distinctive charge clusters in human virus proteomes

Najla Kharrat, Sabrine Belmabrouk, Rania Abdelhedi, Riadh Benmarzoug, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed H. Al Qahtani, Ahmed Rebai

P93 In vitro experimental model and approach in identification of new biomarkers of inflammatory forms of arthritis

Ghazi Dhamanhouri, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Abdelwahab Noorwali, Mohammad Khalid Alwasiyah, Afnan Bahamaid, Saadiah Alfakeeh, Aisha Alyamani, Haneen Alsehli, Mohammed Abbas, Mamdooh Gari, Ali Mobasheri, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P94 Molecular docking of GABA_A receptor subunit γ-2 with novel anti-epileptic compounds

Muhammad Faheem, Shilu Mathew, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammad H. Al-Qahtani

P95 Breast cancer knowledge, awareness, and practices among Saudi females residing in Jeddah

Shilu Mathew, Muhammad Faheem, Shiny Mathew, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammad H. Al-Qahtani

P96 Anti-inflammatory role of Sesamin by Attenuation of Iba1/TNF-α/ICAM-1/iNOS signaling in Diabetic Retinopathy

Mohammad Sarwar Jamal, Syed Kashif Zaidi, Raziuddin Khan, Kanchan Bhatia, Mohammed H. Al-Qahtani, Saif Ahmad

P97 Identification of drug lead molecule against vp35 protein of Ebola virus: An In-Silico approach

Iftikhar AslamTayubi, Manish Tripathi, Syed Asif Hassan, Rahul Shrivastava

P98 An approach to personalized medicine from SNP-calling through disease analysis using whole exome-sequencing of three sub-continental populations

Iftikhar A Tayubi, Syed Hassan, Hamza A.S Abujabal

P99 Low versus high frequency of Glucose –6 – Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in urban against tribal population of Gujarat – A signal to natural selection

Ishani Shah, Bushra Jarullah, Mohammad S Jamal, Jummanah Jarullah

P100 Spontaneous preterm birth and single nucleotide gene polymorphisms: a recent update

Ishfaq A Sheikh, Ejaz Ahmad, Mohammad S Jamal, Mohd Rehan, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Iftikhar A Tayubi, Samera F AlBasri, Osama S Bajouh, Rola F Turki, Adel M Abuzenadah, Ghazi A Damanhouri, Mohd A Beg, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P101 Prevalence of congenital heart diseases among Down syndrome cases in Saudi Arabia: role of molecular genetics in the pathogenesis

Sahar AF Hammoudah, Khalid M AlHarbi, Lama M El-Attar, Ahmed MZ Darwish

P102 Combinatorial efficacy of specific pathway inhibitors in breast cancer cells

Sara M Ibrahim, Ashraf Dallol_, Hani Choudhry, Adel Abuzenadah, Jalaludden Awlia, Adeel Chaudhary, Farid Ahmed, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P103 MiR-143 and miR-145 cluster as potential replacement medicine for the treatment of cancer

Mohammad A Jafri, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P104 Metagenomic profile of gut microbiota during pregnancy in Saudi population

Imran khan, Muhammad Yasir, Esam I. Azhar, Sameera Al-basri, Elie Barbour, Taha Kumosani

P105 Exploration of anticancer targets of selected metabolites of Phoenix dactylifera L. using systems biological approaches

Fazal Khan, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Adel Abuzenada, Taha Abduallah Kumosani, Elie Barbour

P106 CD226 and CD40 gene polymorphism in susceptibility to Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Egyptian patients

Heba M. EL Sayed, Eman A. Hafez

P107 Paediatric exome sequencing in autism spectrum disorder ascertained in Saudi families

Hans-Juergen Schulten, Aisha Hassan Elaimi, Ibtessam R Hussein, Randa Ibrahim Bassiouni, Mohammad Khalid Alwasiyah, Richard F Wintle, Adeel Chaudhary, Stephen W Scherer, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P108 Crystal structure of the complex formed between Phospholipase A₂ and the central core hydrophobic fragment of Alzheimer’s β- amyloid peptide: a reductionist approach

Zeenat Mirza, Vikram Gopalakrishna Pillai, Sajjad Karim, Sujata Sharma, Punit Kaur, Alagiri Srinivasan, Tej P Singh, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P109 Differential expression profiling between meningiomas from female and male patients

Reem Alotibi, Alaa Al-Ahmadi, Fatima Al-Adwani, Deema Hussein, Sajjad Karim, Mona Al-Sharif, Awatif Jamal, Fahad Al-Ghamdi, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Saleh S Baeesa, Mohammed Bangash, Adeel Chaudhary, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P110 Neurospheres as models of early brain development and therapeutics

Muhammad Faheem, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Shilu Mathew, Taha Abdullah Kumosani, Gauthaman Kalamegam, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P111 Identification of a recurrent causative missense mutation p.(W577C) at the LDLR exon 12 in familial hypercholesterolemia affected Saudi families

Faisal A Al-Allaf, Zainularifeen Abduljaleel, Abdullah Alashwal, Mohiuddin M. Taher, Abdellatif Bouazzaoui, Halah Abalkhail, Faisal A. Ba-Hammam, Mohammad Athar

P112 Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC): Systems oncological approach to identify diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers

Gauthaman Kalamegam, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Farid Ahmed Khalid HussainWali Sait, Nisreen Anfinan, Mamdooh Gari, Adeel Chaudhary, Adel Abuzenadah, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P113 Crohn’s disease phenotype in northern Tunisian population

Naira Ben Mami, Yosr Z Haffani, Mouna Medhioub, Lamine Hamzaoui, Ameur Cherif, Msadok Azouz

P114 Establishment of In Silico approaches to decipher the potential toxicity and mechanism of action of drug candidates and environmental agents

Gauthaman Kalamegam, Fazal Khan, Shilu Mathew, Mohammed Imran Nasser, Mahmood Rasool, Farid Ahmed, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P115 1q Gain predicts poor prognosis marker for young breast cancer patients

Shereen A Turkistany, Lina M Al-harbi, Ashraf Dallol, Jamal Sabir, Adeel Chaudhary, Adel Abuzenadah

P116 Disorders of sex chromosomes in a diagnostic genomic medicine unit in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence, diagnosis and future guidelines

Basmah Al-Madoudi, Bayan Al-Aslani, Khulud Al-Harbi, Rwan Al-Jahdali, Hanadi Qudaih, Emad Al Hamzy, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al Qahtani

P117 Combination of WYE354 and Sunitinib demonstrate synergistic inhibition of acute myeloid leukemia in vitro

Asad M Ilyas, Youssri Ahmed, Mamdooh Gari, Farid Ahmed, Mohammed Alqahtani

P118 Integrated use of evolutionary information in GWAS reveals important SNPs in Asthma

Nada Salem, Sajjad Karim, Elham M Alhathli, Heba Abusamra, Hend F Nour Eldin, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Sudhir Kumar

P119 Assessment of BRAF, IDH1, IDH2, and EGFR mutations in a series of primary brain tumors

Fatima Al-Adwani, Deema Hussein, Mona Al-Sharif, Awatif Jamal, Fahad Al-Ghamdi, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Saleh S Baeesa, Mohammed Bangash, Adeel Chaudhary, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Hans-Juergen Schulten

P120 Expression profiles distinguish oligodendrogliomas from glioblastoma multiformes with or without oligodendroglioma component

Alaa Alamandi, Reem Alotibi, Deema Hussein, Sajjad Karim, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Fahad Al-Ghamdi, Awatif Jamal, Saleh S Baeesa, Mohammed Bangash, Adeel Chaudhary, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P121 Hierarchical clustering in thyroid goiters and hyperplastic lesions

Ohoud Subhi, Nadia Bagatian, Sajjad Karim, Adel Al-Johari, Osman Abdel Al-Hamour, Hosam Al-Aradati, Abdulmonem Al-Mutawa, Faisal Al-Mashat, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Mohammad Al-Qahtani

P122 Differential expression analysis in thyroiditis and papillary thyroid carcinomas with or without coexisting thyroiditis

Nadia Bagatian, Ohoud Subhi, Sajjad Karim, Adel Al-Johari, Osman Abdel Al-Hamour, Abdulmonem Al-Mutawa, Hosam Al-Aradati, Faisal Al-Mashat, Mohammad Al-Qahtani, Hans-Juergen Schulten, Jaudah Al-Maghrabi

P123 Metagenomic analysis of waste water microbiome in Sausdi Arabia

Muhammad W shah, Muhammad Yasir, Esam I Azhar, Saad Al-Masoodi

P124 Molecular characterization of Helicobacter pylori from faecal samples of Tunisian patients with gastric cancer

Yosr Z Haffani, Msadok Azouz, Emna Khamla, Chaima Jlassi, Ahmed S. Masmoudi, Ameur Cherif, Lassaad Belbahri

P125 Diagnostic application of the oncoscan^© panel for the identification of hereditary cancer syndrome

Shadi Al-Khayyat, Roba Attas, Atlal Abu-Sanad, Mohammed Abuzinadah, Adnan MerdadAshraf Dallol, Adeel Chaudhary, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Adel Abuzenadah

P126 Characterization of clinical and neurocognitive features in a family with a novel OGT gene missense mutation c. 1193G > A/ (p. Ala319Thr)

Habib Bouazzi, Carlos Trujillo, Mohammad Khalid Alwasiyah, Mohammed Al-Qahtani

P127 Case report: a rare homozygous deletion mutation of TMEM70 gene associated with 3-Methylglutaconic Aciduria and cataract in a Saudi patient

Maha Alotaibi, Rami Nassir

P128 Isolation and purification of antimicrobial milk proteins

Ishfaq A Sheikh, Mohammad A Kamal, Essam H Jiffri, Ghulam M Ashraf, Mohd A Beg

P129 Integrated analysis reveals association of ATP8B1 gene with colorectal cancer

Mohammad A Aziz, Rizwan Ali, Mahmood Rasool, Mohammad S Jamal, Nusaibah samman, Ghufrana Abdussami, Sathish Periyasamy, Mohiuddin K Warsi, Mohammed Aldress, Majed Al Otaibi, Zeyad Al Yousef, Mohamed Boudjelal, Abdelbasit Buhmeida, Mohammed H Al-Qahtani, Ibrahim AlAbdulkarim

P130 Implication of IL-10 and IL-28 polymorphism with successful anti-HCV therapy and viral clearance

Rubi Ghazala, Shilu Mathew, M. Haroon Hamed, Mourad Assidi, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Ishtiaq Qadri

P131 Interactions of endocrine disruptor di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) with progesterone receptor

Ishfaq A Sheikh, Muhammad Abu-Elmagd, Rola F Turki, Ghazi A Damanhouri, Mohd A. Beg

P132 Association of HCV nucleotide polymorphism in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma

Mohd Suhail, Abid Qureshi, Adil Jamal, Peter Natesan Pushparaj, Mohammad Al-Qahtani, Ishtiaq Qadri

P133 Gene expression profiling by DNA microarrays in colon cancer treated with chelidonine alkaloid

Mahmoud Z El-Readi, Safaa Y Eid, Michael Wink

P134 Successful in vitro fertilization after eight failed trials

Ahmed M. Isa, Lulu Alnuaim, Johara Almutawa, Basim Abu-Rafae, Saleh Alasiri, Saleh Binsaleh

P135 Genetic sensitivity analysis using SCGE, cell cycle and mitochondrial membrane potential in OPs stressed leukocytes in Rattus norvegicus through flow cytometric input

Nazia Nazam, Mohamad I Lone, Waseem Ahmad, Shakeel A Ansari, Mohamed H Alqahtani