Iraqi Journal of Cancer and Medical Genetics

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common form of cancer (25–30%) and predominant subtype of
leukaemia (75–80%) in children. It represents a malignant expansion of immature lymphoid cells that results from multi-step genetic changes in a single lymphoid progenitor cell. Hyaluronic acid is a nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan. It is found mainly in the extracellular matrix (ECM), especially of the loose connective tissue, including the bone marrow. HA influences many processes such as angiogenesis and the growth and migration of cells. HA levels are elevated in various cancers including AML, lung and breast cancers but their prognostic significance is unclear. Ferritin is the primary iron storage protein. High concentrations of ferritin are found in the cytoplasm of the reticuloendothelial system; the liver, spleen and bone marrow. It is also found in extracellular compartments, such as the serum. Serum ferritin is significantly affected by acute and chronic inflammation and is frequently increased at diagnosis in several cancers. The aim was to to evaluate the level of serum hyaluronic acid and ferritin in patients with ALL at diagnosis and in remmision, to correlate with hematological,biochemical and clinical parameters and to investigate if serum HA and ferritin could have a prognostic impact on disease development. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 subjects were enrolled in this study, 40 patients of ALL as cases (20 patients at diagnosis before starting chemotherapy and 20 patients in remission but still under therapy); and 20 age and gender-matched healthy subjects as controls. Serum HA was measured using a commercially available sandwich ELISA kit while serum ferritin was measured by immunoassay using an automated clinical chemistry analyzer. Results: Serum HA in newly diagnosed patients with ALL was significantly higher than either patients in remission or controls which suggests that HA could have a role in the malignant process of ALL. Both patient groups (newly diagnosed and those in remission) had elevated levels of serum ferritin with no significant difference. This could be due to infection, inflammation or release of ferritin from damaged leukemic cells and other ferritin containing cells during chemotherapy. Serum levels of HA correlated positively with both serum ferritin and LDH. Conclusion: Our data suggest that serum level of hyaluronic acid could serve as a possible prognostic marker in ALL. Also it may represent an interesting target for new therapeutic strategies.

Background: Cronobacter sakazakii is gram-negative bacteria, rod–shaped, facultative anaerobic the growth temperature range is 6–45 ° C . It is have many virulence factor such OmpA , flagella and extracellular glycoproteins help to adhesion and invasion of the host and found in macrophage to use invasion other organs in body . Aim of the study: Study ability of bacterial to adhesion on non-living surfaces (polystyrene) and living surfaces (brain cancer cell line) and its invasion, its cytotoxicity. Patients and methods: Fifteenth of C. sakazakii were obtained from previous studies ( 5 infant formula, 5 spinal fluid and 5 bloods ) . Study of movemen ability of bacteria, adhesion to polystyrene, adhesion to AMGM5, invasion of AMGM5 and its cytotoxicity . Results: In this study, the number of C. sakazakii colony adherent to polystyrene plate more than 300 CFU for four isolated, while adhesion to (AMGM5 ) in dilution (1 : 10 and 1 : 100) were more than 300 CFU to four isolated , the number of invasion colonies to AMGM5 were CSF5 ( 285 CFU ) , A1C ( 220 CFU ), B1 ( <300 CFU ) , C1 ( 235 CFU ) . Cytotoxicity of C. sakazakii was 45. 81 % when using A1C isolate. Conclusion: C. sakazakii have the ability to movement, adhesion to polystyrene, adhesion and invasion to Cerebral glioblastoma multiforme and cytotoxic.

The increase in environmental pollution and the observed changes in the climate and the high depletion in the ozone layer was attract the attention of scientists to study the solar radiation,especially UV-C because of its arrival in recent years to the surface of the earth and its devastating effect on living organisms such as humans, animals and plants. UV-C was the major reason of skin mutations in humans, destruction of the immune system and the effect on physiological processes in animals and plants, and it may be a source of mutations inherited in plants through their impact on photosynthesis processes, the formation of proteins and the destruction of genetic material)DNA). This reflects on the morphological shape of the organism and causes a decrease in the productivity of some crops.The most important of these mutations that form in eukaryotic organisms such as humans, plants and animals, which were monitored in this review as a mutagenic effect of UV-C rays on living organisms: predominantly cyclobutane pyrimidine dimmers (CPDs) and pyrimidine (6-4) pyrimidinone products [(6-4) PPs] on the genome. The aim of this review is to investigates the risks and damaging effects of UV-C radiation especially the mutagenic effect on human and other organisms, in addition to studying the mechanism of mutations on the genome of the organisms and the effect on its phenotypic characteristics. UV light especially UV-C radiation has strong genotoxic effect which induced mutations , so this radiation came from sun ray which is the major natural sours, despite the important benefits of sunlight, but it is a source of harmful rays, UV radiation causes what is known as photolesion in DNA by formation thymine dimers which is same in all organisms.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a complex heterogeneous disorder characterized by the proliferation of immature lymphoid cells in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and other organs. It is the most common form of cancer and predominant subtype of leukemia in children. Thymidine kinase-1 (TK-1) is a key enzyme in DNA precursor synthesis.Presence of this marker in the cell is an indicator of active cell proliferation, so elevated TK-1 indicates active tumor growth.
Aims of study:
1- To evaluate the level of Tk_1 in newly diagnosed pediatric ALL.
2-To correlate the level of TK_1 marker with hematological and clinical parameters.
3-To evaluate the patient’s level of TK-1 in serum after induction of chemotherapy.
Patients and methods: This prospective cross sectional study was conducted on 35 pediatric patients with newly diagnosed untreated ALL and 20 non leukemic individuals as a control. Diagnosis was based on morphology, cytochemistry of the peripheral blood and/or bone marrow aspirate smears by expert hematologist with flow cytometric immunophenotyping test. The patient’s peripheral blood and bone marrow samples were re-evaluated morphologically at day 28 from the start of chemotherapy for assessment of complete remission (CR) achievement and for measuring serum Thymidine kinase-1 by ELISA.
Results: In this study,the mean TK-1 level was significantly higher in patients at diagnosis than controls.The mean TK-1 level was significantly higher in patients in failure to induction than patients in remission and controls.No significant differences in mean TK-1 level between patients in remission and controls.TK-1 showed a significant positive correlation with total WBC and blast counts and the only significant association was that patients with LAP had significantly higher TK-1 levels than those without LAP.
Conclusion:
1- TK-1 levels seem to be a very good parameter during follow up, because of: acceptable sensitivity, low cost and elimination the need of requirements for screening B.M samples.
2- TK-1 levels were positively correlated with WBC count and blast%.

After cardiovascular disease, cancer represents an important one of the causative agents leading to mortality. Therefore, it is considered as a world major problem in, cancer defined as a disease when cells have uncontrolled abnormal proliferation and division. This disease can overcome immune responses leading to destroy other cells. Different chemotherapies are used for treating cancer but only a few have satisfied results. Gene or protein delivering drugs are used to destroy the cancer cells. Concerning anti-cancer agents, fungi play an important role in producing these agents. Taxol, obtained from Taxomyces andreanae, is a typical example of the fungal anti-cancer drugs that it is used for treating cancers of the breast and ovaries. Other fungi can produce the anti-cancer compounds which are Alternaria tenuissima, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus oryzae, Fusarium fujikuroi, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium graminearum, Penicillium expansum, Pyrenophora triticirepentis, Rhizoctonia solani, and Trichophyton rubrum. That can be mini-review summarized a topic related to the anti-cancer products are obtained from fungi.

Ischemic stroke is one of the most common causes of death in the world. Pathophysiologically, ischemic stroke is associated with blood brain barrier disruption, cell loss, inflammation and intense immune reaction which worsen the condition. The Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable recommends the use of any treatment that has multiple mechanisms of action to restore the neurological function. Growing evidences from researchers to understand the biology of neural stem cells indicated that these cells have crucial role in brain homeostasis and have high therapeutic potential to modify and restore neurological function after neurovascular injury. Contemporarily, Paracrine hypothesis is growing and indicated that neural stem cells transplantation can release several neurotrophic factors which can regenerate, restore, and modulate the neurological diseases by mitigating the inflammatory process, reducing the immune reactions and also can stimulate the angiogenesis and neurogenesis. This, generate a new attitude toward the development of acellular therapy instead of using whole allogenic neural stem cells in the regenerative medicine. This review is to focus on the paracrine effects of transplanted neural stem cells in the brain ischemic injuries which can modulate and improve the neurological outcome after ischemic injury.