BACKGROUND: Diffuse astrocytomas constitute the largest group of primary malignant human intracranial tumours. They are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) into three histological malignancy grades: diffuse astrocytomas (grade II), anaplastic astrocytomas (grade III) and glioblastoma (grade IV) based on histopathological features such as cellular atypia, mitotic activity, necrosis and microvascular proliferation. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a 170-kDa transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor expressed in a variety of normal and malignant cells regulating critical cellular processes. When activated, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) triggers several signalling cascades leading to increased proliferation and angiogenesis and decreased apoptosis and hence associated with aggressive progression of the tumour. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) level is known to be a strong indicator associated with the aggressive behaviour of the tumour and acts as a prognostic factor for evaluating the survival rate. AIM: To evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in different grades of astrocytoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded astrocytic tumours of 44 patients were collected from the archival material of pathology department of Ghazi Al Hariri Teaching Hospital during the period from June to December 2018. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections were used to characterise the tumours histologically based on cellularity, nuclear hyperchromasia, polymorphism, mitotic activity, vascular proliferation and necrosis with or without pseudopallisading of tumour cells. Diagnosis and grading of astrocytic tumours in this study were made according to WHO criteria (2016). Using a monoclonal antibody to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and immunohistochemical analysis, the expression and distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor in astrocytic tumours were examined. RESULTS: The study included 1 case pilocytic astrocytoma (grade I), 20 cases diffuse astrocytoma (grade II), 5 cases anaplastic astrocytoma (grade III) and 18 cases of glioblastoma (grade IV). Expression of EGFR was found in 38.88% of the glioblastoma samples (grade IV). However, none of the astrocytomas of WHO grades I, II and III showed immunoreactivity for EGFR protein. Different patterns of immunoreactive cells and significant intratumor heterogeneity of EGFR expression were observed in glioblastomas. CONCLUSION: The immunohistochemical expression of Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was restricted only to high-grade astrocytic tumours, namely glioblastoma, thus may use to predict glioblastoma.
Migraine affects more than one billion individuals each year across the world, and is one of the most common neurologic disorders, with a high prevalence and morbidity, especially among young adults and females. Migraine is associated with a wide range of comorbidities, which range from stress and sleep disturbances to suicide. The complex and largely unclear mechanisms of migraine development have resulted in the proposal of various social and biological risk factors, such as hormonal imbalances, genetic and epigenetic influences, as well as cardiovascular, neurological, and autoimmune diseases. Experimental findings suggest an involvement of neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the pathophysiology of migraine. Specifically, preclinical
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to study effect of magnetic water ( M0 and M) and different concentrations of coconut extract in Fragaria x ananassa (Duch) C.V Festival. The results showed significant differences in the plants treated with magnetic water ( 0.12 Tesla) and different concentrations of coconut extract C1 (0%), C2 (2.5%), C3 (5%), C4 (7.5%) and C5 (10%) in vegetative parameters as in leaf area and chlorophyll in treatment M0C3 was (53.72 Dcm2, 50.00), respectively, highest leaf number and plant dry weight in MC4 (12.77,14.22 gm), respectively. Results recorded significant differences in fruit parameters such as weight in MC1 (18.97 gm). The maximum fruit number was in MC3 (110), the greatest fruit size was in MC4 (15.78 cm3) and the
... Show MoreThe main objective of this study is to examine the impact of moisture concrete of clayey soil on the concrete slabs placed directly over it. This experimental study presents the mechanical properties of the concrete slab when placed on different clayey soil moisture content ranging from 0% to the optimum moisture content of 35%. The tests were performed on soil concrete specimens of 25*30*50 mm exposed to sprayed water curing conditions for 28 days. Tests of compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, crack depth and crack width were investigated through this paper. An ejection relationship between compressive strength of concrete and water content in the soil was observed, with a 26% increase with water increasing from 0% to 35%. T
... Show MoreThe study addresses the problem of stagnation and declining economic growth rates in Arab countries since the eighties till today after the progress made by these countries in the sixties of the last century. The study reviews the e
... Show MoreBackground: migraine is a chronic neurovascular disorder characterized by intermittent attacks of sever headache with or without aura that can include various combinations of neurological, gastrointestinal tract (G.I.T), and autonomic changes, without evidence of primary structural abnormalities. The Autonomic nervous system involvement suggested by many symptoms and signs including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, coldness in the extremities, paroxysmal tachycardia and chest pain.
Objectives: To evaluate autonomic functions in patients with migraine and to clarify the autonomic dysfunction weather its sympathetic, parasympathetic, or combined. Also to assess the severity of this dysfunction and its relation to age, gender and type of
Ankylosing spondylitis is a complex debilitating disease because its pathogenesis is not clear. This study aims at detecting some pathogenesis factors that lead to induce the disease. Chlamydia pneumoniae is one of these pathogenesis factors which acts as a triggering factor for the disease. The study groups included forty Iraqi Ankylosing spondylitis patients and forty healthy persons as a control group. Immunological and molecular examinations were done to detect Chlamydia. pneumoniae in AS group. The immunological results were performed by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to detect anti-IgG and anti-IgM antibodies of C. pneumoniae revealed that five of forty AS patients' samples (12.5%) were positive for anti-IgG and IgM C. pneu
... Show MoreThe research aimed to modeling a structural equation for tourist attraction factors in Asir Region. The research population is the people in the region, and a simple random sample of 332 individuals were selected. The factor analysis as a reliable statistical method in this phenomenon was used to modeling and testing the structural model of tourism, and analyzing the data by using SPSS and AMOS statistical computerized programs. The study reached a number of results, the most important of them are: the tourist attraction factors model consists of five factors which explain 69.3% of the total variance. These are: the provision of tourist services, social and historic factors, mountains, weather and natural parks. And the differenc
... Show MoreDual-species biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus generate difficult-to-treat illnesses. Nutrition stress in biofilms affects physiology, microbial metabolism, and species interactions, impacting bacteria growth and survival. Furthermore, the function of alginate, which is encoded by the algD gene, in the production of biofilms has been established. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of starvation on algD gene expression in single-species biofilm of P. aeruginosa and dual-species biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus from hospital sewage. A total of six P. aeruginosa and six S. aureus isolates were obtained from the microbiology laboratory at the Department of Biology, College of Science, Universit
... Show MoreThere are many animal models for polycystic ovary (PCO); using exogenous testosterone enanthate is one of the methods of induction of these models. However, induction of insulin resistance should also be studied in the modeling technics. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the expression of insulin receptor substrate (Irs)-2 mRNA in the liver tissue of rat PCO model. Nineteen Wistar rats were divided into three groups; (1) PCO modeling group (N =7) received daily 1.0 mg/100g testosterone enanthate solved in olive oil along with free access dextrose water 5%, (2) vehicle group (N =6), which handled like the PCO group, but did not receive testosterone enanthate, (3) control group (N =6) with standard care. Al
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