Amal Fathy Radwan

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma is considered one of the most common cancers occurring in human population all over the world. It became an increasingly threatening malignancy due to both morbidity and mortality. Chronic viral hepatitis B and hepatitis C are two risk factors, which account for 80–90% of all HCC cases worldwide. Alfa Feto protien is used as a tumor marker for HCC diagnosis and prognosis prediction; however, its false negative rate when used alone is as high as 40% for patients with early-stage HCC. AFP levels remain normal in 15–30% of all the patients, even patients with advanced HCC. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs (MicroRNAs) are an important class of non-coding RNAs. They act as tumor oncogenes or suppressors and are involved in the HCC development. MiRNAs are endogenous nucleotides that can be found in intra- and extracellular spaces, such as the blood, urine, and saliva.

The study evaluated the miRNA 21 as a novel biomarker in patients with HCV related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Results

The study was conducted on three groups. Group (1) included 25 patients with liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus infection. Group (2) included 25 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on top of liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C virus infection. Group (3) included 10 normal control subjects. There was a significant difference in the mean level of miRNA between the three groups with p value < 0.001 with the highest value in group 2 ( 8.28 ± 2.55), then in group1 (5.04 ± 2.11) and the lowest in group 3 (control) (1.02 ± 0.07). MiRNA 21 has a sensitivity of 68% and a specificity of 96%, to differentiate between the liver cirrhosis group and HCC group.

Conclusion

miRNA 21 can be a promising marker for detection of patients with HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma, with higher specificity compared to α feto protein; however, its cost is higher.

The terminology constipation-related functional gastrointestinal disorders was applied to embrace two conditions – constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS-C) and chronic constipation – because of the similarity in the etiology between the two conditions. The cardinal symptoms of IBS-C are abdominal pain or discomfort associated with constipation. The current symptom-based Rome III criteria are used to confirm the diagnosis. Many patients with IBS-C initially treat their symptoms with lifestyle modifications and exclusion diets, together with treatment of symptoms such as constipation by using fiber supplements, over-the-counter laxatives, or probiotics. Less commonly, the patients may also undergo various forms of psychotherapy. Despite these therapeutic modalities, many IBS patients are disappointed with their symptomatic response. There are several drugs that are being proposed for its treatment in the future, one of which is linaclotide, a 14-amino acid synthetic peptide that improves stool frequency and consistency and intestinal transit. Four-week treatment with Bifidobacterium lactis showed superior results when compared with placebo in decreasing the abdominal distention and improving orocecal and colonic transit.

A 37-year-old hypertensive housewife presented with a sudden onset of left-sided hemiplegia, hemianaesthesia, dysarthria and urinary incontinence. The condition was preceded by recurrent attacks of motor neurological deficits over a 3-year duration. She reported a history of a fall from a height at the age of 10, which was followed by a hearing deficit and a history of two caesarean sections after eclampsia. The blood pressure was 170/100 mmHg. Laboratory investigations revealed hyperglycaemia (fasting glucose 306mg/dl) and normal kidney function tests. The computed tomography scans revealed old multiple bilateral cerebral infarcts with recent intracranial haemorrhage in the right parietal region. The inflammatory markers (ESR and CRP) and immune profile (ANA, anti-ds DNA and ANCA) were found to be normal. Cerebral angiography revealed a complete occlusion of the intracranial parts of both internal carotid arteries at their supraclinoid segments along with the proximal parts of the anterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery, with collaterals from the posterior circulation. Consequently, the diagnosis of moyamoya disease with the collaterals was confirmed. Antihypertensive medications and insulin were administered. Cerebral dehydration measures were undertaken with partial improvement. A superficial temporal artery–middle cerebral artery bypass operation was performed with some postoperative improvement. One month later, she suffered a new stroke with severe impairment of the level of consciousness; the computed tomography scans revealed a large recent cerebral infarct, her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died shortly thereafter.

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