Iraqi Journal of Cancer and Medical Genetics

Diesel exhaust (DE) is a mixture of hundreds organic and inorganic compounds, several of them are cytogenotoxic. This way, the aim of this study was to indicate the relationship between blood lead level and the exposure to cytogenotoxic constituents of DE. Blood samples were collected from 80 nonsmoker healthy men. Sixty of them were exposed directly to DE and the others were negative control. Exposure metrics included blood lead levels (Blls) while cytogenotoxic effects of DE were investigated by using micronucleus assay (MN), sister chromatid exchange assay (SCE) and comet assay. The results showed that the means of Blls in exposed workers to DE (47.40 – 49.50) μg/dl significantly higher (P <0.01) than mean of Blls in control gruop (15.75) μg/dl. When Blls range from 60 to 80 μg/dl , the cytogenotoxic effects were significantly higher (P <0.01) than others Blls groups. So that BLL it can be indictor to exposure to DE which have cytogenotoxic effects on human.

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is myeloproliferative of hematopoietic stem cells resulting in marked increased in granulocytes, platelets and red cells. Imatinib mesylate (IM) is potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor acts by occupying ATP binding site for BCR-ABL oncoprotein preventing phosphorylation of substrate and interrupting contact with protein.
Aim of study: Evaluation of thyroid function and myelosuppresion induced by IM in CML patients.
Materials and Methods: The study enrolled 13 patients with CML treated by IM for more than 6 months. Total blood count and blood film and thyroid function. Tests (T1 ,T4 and TSH) were performed.
Results: All patients belong to Grade3 and Grade2 only of mylosuppresion, the most common cytopenia is neutropenia in (7) patients, anemia in (5) patients and only (4)patients having thrombocytopenia. Only three patients don’t achieve remission (6.6 %).Regarding thyroid function only one patient has high TSH level with normal T1 and T4. In spite of TSH level in patients significantly higher than the control group the mean values of two group were within normal range. Non significant difference in T1 and T4 between the control and patients groups.
Conclusion: IM do not seem to has clinically significant effect on thyroid function. However, thyroid function test is indicated before initiated of treatment with IM. Also CBC is highly recommended for monitoring CML patients on IM.

Twenty tumour biopsies of Iraqi breast cancer female patients were examined for immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of aromatase. The expression was correlated with age and histopathological type, grade and clinical staging of tumour. Results revealed that out of the 20 investigated cases, 75.0% showed positive IHC expression of aromatase, which was distributed as 35.0% for score 2+ and 40.0% for score 3+. The remaining five negative cases (25.0%) were observed to have the lowest age mean (38.6 ± 4.4 years), which was significantly different from the recorded age mean in patients with the score 2+ (53.6 ± 3.2 years; p = 0.008) or 3+ (49.4 ± 2.8; p = 0.04), but no significant difference was observed between age means of positive cases. A histpathological examination of tumours revealed that they were invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) but of two types: tubular IDC (5 cases; 25.0%) and 15 cases (75.0%) were defined as not otherwise specified (IDC-NOS). In tubular IDC, most of cases (80.0%) had 3+ score, while in IDC-NOS, it was 26.7%. Such difference was significant (p = 0.023). Distributing patients by grade and stage of tumours revealed no significant difference in IHC scoring of aromatase or age. It is possible to conclude that positive IHC expression of aromatase is tended to occur in older ages (around 50 years) of breast cancer patients.

This study was done to evaluation the empact of gold nanoparticles on two cancer cell lines in vitro, HeLa (human cervicle cancer cell line) and AMN3 (mammary adenocarcinoma), in addition to isolated lymphocytes from peripheral blood of healthy human as normal cells, at different concentrations and incubation period. Results shows that cancer cells more effected than normal cells, as well as AMN3 more effected than HeLa cell line, so the effect is related to cells type, concentration, incubation period and size of particles . The present study suggests that gold nanoparticles is a good candidate for medical application as anticancer and needs further studies.

Resistance of cancer cells toward chemotherapeutics drugs is considered as the major problem of cancer treatment. One of the strategies that are used to overcome cancer cells resistance to anticancer drugs is the drugs combination. Vincristine and amygdalin combination was used in this study to identify the possibility of synergistic effect between them as anticancer, which is mainly due to unrelated mechanism of action for vincristine and amygdalin. The result of the study demonstrate that the cytotoxic effect of (vincristine and amygdalin) combination was significantly more than the cytotoxicity of each one alone on Hela cancer cell line (human cervical cancer cell line). The result shows also the cytotoxicity of (vincristine and amygdalin) combination increases with the increase in the concentration which ranged between (1-10000) μg/ml, beside the increase in the incubation periods which are (24, 48 and 72) hours.

Doxycycline (DC) is an antibiotic that is used in the treatment of number types of infections diseases caused by bacteria and protozoa. Doxycycline is a kind of second-generation tetracyclines which is commonly used to treat a variety of infections. Three cancer cell lines include: human cerebral glioblastoma-multiforme (AMGM) at passages 75-84, human cervical cancer (HeLa) at 70 passages, and human pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) at 75 passages cell lines were used in this study. The results showed that DC exerted significant cytotoxic effects with all concentrations used (50,100,150,200,250,300,350 and 400) μg/ml on all types of cell lines. Because of cytotoxic activity, good pharmacokinetic characteristics and the safety of drug which used for many years in the treatment of infectious disease, we can conclude that these characteristics make DC a valuable treatment for many types of cancer.

Thyroid gland is one of the most important glands in human body due to the necessary hormones it produces. It can be afffeced by different types of infections and diseases, one of the most risky abnormalities of this gland is thyroid masses. The aim of this study is to find how does thyroid masses start from the molecular stages and is there any relation with it and genetics, for this purpose we scanned more than 273 patients by ultrasound from different ages groups, and genders, thyroid mass detected in 17 of them, 3 with cystic fluid filled mass, and 14 with solid mass . Blood samples from thes patients were analysed and molecular study were performed by taking exon 11 and 15 from Braf gene mution was detected in all patients included frame shift mutaion a deletion of adenine in same position , while no sequence variation was found in the exon 11 Braf gene. In conclusion According to DNA sequence analysis, genomic variation was not found in exon 11 of the BRAF gene in all patients, an exonic alteration was detected in exon 15 in 7 patients was deletion of (A) in coding nucleotide , which the BRAF mutational hot spot region are found. The result of the deletion mutation is conversion of all of codons after deletion.

This research was carried out in order to investigate whether the purified bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) volatile oil purified from peels has a potentiality to induced DNA damage if administrated orally in vivo. White adult male rats (180- 250g) were divided into five groups each group with five individuals. The first three groups administrated three different concentration of the purified citrus essential oil 100, 200 and 300μl/ kg Body weight (Bwt). The fourth group administrated olive oil and served as positive control group. The fifth was administrated water as negative control group. Dosing for all groups were two times weekly for one month period. To detected DNA damage, alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) for the blood samples was carried out for all groups. Parameters of nuclear olive moment, comet tail length, and DNA on comet tail were calculated. Results showed that there were no significant differences between treated and control untreated groups as well as olive oil administrated group. These results indicate that citrus volatile oil has no genotoxic effect and it was safe and tolerable in the highest dose used for the specified period of time conducted.

In this study, the effects of green synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using crocus sativus L were investigated on the liver tissues of white albino rats after induced the prehepatocellular carcinoma using diethylnitrosamine. Thirty male albino rats weight (150-200) gm, were used by dividing them into five groups, each group contains 6 rats. Group 1 (control group) was given food and water like other groups by liberty. Group 2 was intraperitoneal injected with single dose of diethylnitrosamine200 mg/kg b. wt. Group 3 was intraperitoneal injected with a AgNPs 200 mg/kg b. wt for six weeks. Group 4 was intraperitoneal injected with single dose of diethylnitrosamine 200 mg/kg b. wt followed by, intraperitoneal injected with a AgNPs 200 mg/kg b. wt for six weeks . Group 5 was intraperitoneally injected with a AgNPs 200 mg/kg b. wt for six weeks, followed by intraperitoneal injected with single dose of Diethylnitrosamine200 mg/kg b. wt . All animals were sacrified at the end of experiment. The histophathological studies revealed that group 1 have normal hepatocyte. Group2 have sever necrosis, fatty change, atypical cells and bile duct proliferation. Group 3, have normal hepatocyte cell with mild necrosis. Groups 4, have certain area of necrosis , inflammatory cells infiltration ,congestion and mild fatty change, no atypical cells were seen. Group 5 the liver section showing certain area of necrosis , inflammatory cells infiltration, mild fatty change and no atypical cells.

Police personnel play a pivotal role in any society by ensuring security and stability. They constitute a special occupational group with exposure to violence at their work, which directly and indirectly affects their health. The first aim of this study was to assess the cytogenetic effects of urban air pollution by analyzing the chromosomal aberration frequencies and mitotic index in peripheral blood lymphocytes of traffic policemen in Erbil city. The present study was carried out on 40 traffic policemen who were worked in different streets in Erbil city included four main streets (30, 40 , 60 and 100) Meter streets so many factors were studied included smoking habit and duration of work ( less than five years and more than five years) and 20 controls at different age groups range between (22-50) years. The second objective of the present study is to know the common health problems among traffic policemen in Erbil city. The results suggest that there were a significant increase in the chromosomal aberrations included (Dicentric chromosome, chromatid gap, centromeric break and centromeric gap) in traffic policemen when compared to the controls but significant decreases in mitotic index were shown. The highest value of chromosomal aberrations was centromeric gap and lowest value of mitotic index were both founded in traffic policemen who were worked at 100 Meter street with duration of exposure for more than five years and who were smoker. Also the results suggested different health problems among traffic policemen included (respiratory, skin, eye, neurologic and infertility problems). Most policemen with health problems are suffering from respiratory, eye and neurologic problems while fewer of them are suffering from infertility problems.

The objective of this study is to determine the level of some element and chemical components of aquatic extract of fruit of Citrullus colocynthis and study the cytotoxic effect of crude extract of plant alone and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) alone on two cancer cell lines: Glioblastoma-Multiforme cell culture (AMGM), mice mammary carcinoma cell line 2003 (AMN3) and Recombinant mouse epithelial cell line expressing human poliovirus receptor (CD155) on the cell surface (L20B) compared with combination of them in vitro. The levels of Cu, Cd, Mn, K, Fe, Co, Zn, N and Ti were very low and phosphor was absent. The level of total proteins was 0.138 %. Twenty nine compounds were identified by GC-MS. The major components were 2,3-Dihydroxypropyl elaidate (30.33 %), followed by 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- (29.36 %). All concentrations of plant extract reduced cellular viability of both cancer cell lines, (AMN3 and AMGM), compared with control. The IC50 value was 8.6 mg/ml and 0.013 mg/ml respectively. While there were no effect on L20B cell line. In the treatment of TiO2 NPs, there were reductions in AMN3 cell proliferation in the concentrations (0.2 mg/ml- 0.02 μg/ml). IC50 value was (0.42 mg/ml). While the reduction in AMGM cell line was observed at 2 mg/ml- 0.2 μg/ml concentrations. IC50 value was 0.05 mg/ml. In combination treatment against AMN3 cell line, most concentrations of combination’s treatment, except the high concentrations, reduced cell viability. IC50 value was 1.25 mg/ml of plant with 0.47 mg/ml of NPs. The same were found with AMGM cell line. IC50 value was 6.35 mg/ml of plant combined by 0.635 mg/ml of NPs. All combination points located in the antagonism area in AMN3 and AMGM. Although there were good anticancer activities of each of plant extract and nanoparticles alone but there were Antagonistic effect between them in combination therapy.