The current study identifies PCSP cells as a novel, potentially migratory cell type, which is marked by Syndecan-1 expression and is found in the stroma of prostate carcinomas, adjacent normal tissue, but not in non-diseased prostate. A subset of poor prognosis high Gleason grade 5 tumors had a particularly high PCSP cell burden, suggesting an association between this unidentified cell type and tumor aggressiveness.

Background and Objectives: The causative agent of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a zoonotic Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The envelope (E) protein of MERS-CoV is a small viral protein which plays several essential roles during virus replication. To facilitate study of the structure and function of the E protein, recombinant MERS-CoV E protein was expressed using the baculovirus expression system. Materials and Methods: A recombinant E open reading frame including an 8-histidine tag at the amino terminus was de-signed and cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector. Following construction of a recombinant virus insect cells were infected and the expression of the E protein assessed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Results: Recombinant E protein, tagged at the N-terminus with a polyhistidine sequence, with a molecular mass of 10.18 kD was identified by Western blotting with an anti-His antibody. Following large scale infection E protein was released by detergent mediated lysis of infected cells and purified by Immobilized Metal Ion Affinity Chromatography (IMAC). Conclusion: Purified full length recombinant MERS-CoV E protein can be isolated by IMAC and is suitable for further functional, biophysical or immunological studies.

There are few prostate cancer prognostic biomarkers. However, clinical difficulties in distinguishing between aggressive and non-aggressive tumors have been observed. CD73 is a 70-kDa glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked ecto-enzyme that reduces antitumor immunity in mouse models of tumor, particularly prostate cancer. It's believed to be a promising biomarker for predicting the clinical development and prognosis of certain tumor types. Its function in prostate cancer, however, is unknown. This study aims to investigate the hypothesis that CD73 may be used as a biomarker in prostate cancer diagnosis and/or prognosis. Nuclear and cytoplasmic CD73 staining has been evaluated by immunohistochemistry using benign (23) and malignant (75) prostate tissues. The immunohistochemical study showed nuclear and cytoplasmic CD73 staining in cancerous and non-cancerous prostate tissues. Increased CD73 staining was shown in prostate cancer tissues compared to benign prostate tissues. A negative association between CD73 expression and Gleason scores has been observed. However, increased cytoplasmic CD73 staining was significantly associated with increasing tumor size. This finding suggests that CD73 may have a role in cancer development or aggressiveness, indicating that more research is needed to better understand its function and determine whether it might be used as a diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is the only neglected disease that keeps progressing and spreading in many environmental conditions. Approximately two million new cases in various clinical manifestations occur yearly, putting more than 350 million people at risk of developing the disease. It represents one of the endemic diseases in Iraq. This study aims to use immunohistochemistry to investigate the expression of CD1a and CD68 in 15 healthy individuals and 45 leishmaniasis patients treated at different hospitals in a Thi-Qar Governorate method. CD1a1 and CD68 expression was increased significantly in leishmaniasis patients compared to the control group (P=0.0325 &0.0022), respectively. The results suggest that both proteins might encourage the development or aggressiveness of leishmaniasis. A further study is also required to clarify the role of these proteins and determine if they could serve as biomarkers for leishmaniasis.