BackgroundMicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been repeatedly shown to play important roles in liver pathologies, including hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Egypt has the highest hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rate worldwide, predominantly involving genotype-4.ObjectivesIn this study, we attempted to characterize the miRNA profile of the poorly studied genotype 4 of HCV in chronically infected Egyptian patients to obtain a better understanding of the disease and its complications and help in the design of better management protocols.Patients and MethodsWe analyzed the expression levels of a selected panel of 94 miRNAs in fresh liver biopsies collected from 50 Egyptian patients diagnosed with chronic HCV infection using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the expression level of each miRNA and association with the clinicopathological features of enrolled patients in this study.ResultsOur results revealed differential expression levels of the analyzed miRNAs compared to the normal controls. Twenty-seven miRNAs (including miR-105, miR-147, miR-149-3p, and miR-196b) showed up-regulation, while 17 miRNAs (including miR-21, miR-122, miR-199a-3p, and miR-223) showed down-regulation. An inverse correlation was observed between levels of miR-95, miR-130a, and miR-142-5p with the blood albumin level. Increased expression levels of seven miRNAs (miR-29c, miR-30c, miR-126, miR-145, miR-199a, miR-199a-3p, and miR-222) were observed with severe chronic hepatic inflammation. Several deregulated miRNAs found in this study have been previously linked to chronic liver inflammation and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.ConclusionsThe identified expression profiles of some examined miRNAs might offer important points to consider for the treatment of naive patients and the management of chronically infected HCV patients in Egypt and around the world.

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidized nanosheets of graphite with a 2D planar structure. GO could be readily complexed with bio-entities as it possesses many oxygen-containing functionalities on its surface. The preparation process is fast, easy, and cost-effective. It was prepared using modified Hummers’ method in acidic solution as a primary solvent and potassium permanganate as an oxidizing agent. Afterwards, it was successfully characterized by FTIR, UV-visible spectroscopy, as well as XRD and Raman spectroscopy, and finally, SEM analysis. It was observed that the formed GO is mainly composed of carbon and oxygen elements rich in oxygen functional groups. Furthermore, the existence of (001) plane in XRD interprets the complete oxidation of graphite with d-spacing 9 Å. Moreover, Raman spectroscopy displayed the sp3 carbon hybridization, besides, the ID/IG ratio is found to be 0.84, which confirms the disorder between graphene oxide layers. The SEM images also pointed out that graphene oxide sheets were regularly stacked together as flake-like structures. Accordingly, the richness of oxygen-containing functionalities was confirmed. Hence, it is appropriate to be used as a base transducer for biosensing applications.