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Objective: In end stage renal disease, the synthesis of vitamin D is disturbed.Hyperparathyroidism is one of the key factors in the pathogenesis of many of the complications of dialysis mainly bone and cardiovascular complications.Aim:This study aimed at assessing vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms BsmIand FokI in Egyptian patients with end stage renal disease on maintenance haemodialysis and the assosciation of these polymorphisms with cardiovascular complications and hyperparathyroidism among these patients. Methods:One hundred subjects, recruited from Medical Research Institute, from March to July 2014, divided into two main groups; the control group which included thirty apparently healthy subjects and the patients group which included seventy patients with end stage renal disease on maintenance haemodialysis with median 4 years. To all studied subjects, detailed history was taken, thorough physical examination, carotid intima media thickness, presence of plaques and ECG ischemic changes. Laboratory investigations included serum levels of: glucouse, urea, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, total cholesterol, low and high density lipoproteins, calcium, phosphorus, and CRP as well as plasma PTH level. For molecular studies, the detection of BsmI and FokI polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR / RFLP) technique.Results: 1.No statistically signifi cant difference could be detected in both BsmI and FokI gene polymorphisms between the hemodialysis patients and the controls, suggesting that the development of ESRD had no relation with either VDR BsmI or FokI gene polymorphisms.2.No statistically signifi cant difference were found in these polymorphisms between the hemodialysis patients with or without cardiovascular complications or between patients with PTH level less or more than 300 pg/ml. These results suggest that the development of cardiovascular complications and secondary hyperparathyroidism among Egyptian patients on maintenance haemodialysis cannot be attributed to these two gene polymorphisms. Conclusion:No association could be found between the variant alleles of BsmI and FokI gene polymorphisms and the development of ESRD, cardiovascular complications and secondary hyperparathyroidism among the studied samples of Egyptian patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Research

Several prognostic factors are evaluated in the breast carcinoma and there is a need for new markers for better discrimination of the biologic differences in the primary tumor. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is presumed to play an important role in the local regulation of breast cell proliferation so, the aim of the current study, was to evaluate the serum level of EGF in breast cancer female patients in comparison with other prognostic parameters. It was carried out on fifty-seven females divided into two groups. A control group of twenty healthy women of comparable age and socioeconomic status with a group of thirty-seven breast cancer patients. All females were chosen non-pregnant, not on contraceptive therapy, not previously exposed to radiation, and have no previous history of cancer. To all patients, thorough clinical examination, plain X-ray for the chest and ultrasonography of the abdomen and pelvis were done. Preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology was also done for their breast lumps. In addition, blood samples were collected and analyzed for hemoglobin, fasting serum glucose, urea, and creatinine levels, aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activities, and also the epidermal growth factor level. The breast cancer tissues, removed by surgery, were subjected to histopathologic examination. The median of serum EGF in breast cancer patients group was relatively lower than that in control group but it did not reach the level of significance. No significant differences between the serum EGF levels were found in relation to the change in tumor size, type, grade, and stage. However, there was positive correlations between EGF level and tumor size (r=0.341, p=0.039) and AJCC stages (r=0.354, p=0.032). Also, in patients without lymph node metastasis, there were positive correlations between serum EGF level and both tumor size (r=0.596, p=0.024) and AJCC stages (r=0.596, p=0.024). In patients having lymph node metastasis, there was significant negative correlation between serum EGF level and the number of lymph node metastasis (r=-0.859, p<0.001).There was significant increase in EGF level in patients having lymph node metastasis (3 LN) when compared to patients having no LN metastasis (p=0.004) and its level in patients having (>3 LN) metastasis was significantly decreased than that in both patients having no LN metastasis (p=0.019) and patients having 3 LN metastasis (p<0.001). In addition, EGF level was significantly increased in patients with estrogen receptor (ER) negative than in patients with ER positive (p=0.049). Also, there was a negative correlation between EGF level and ER positivity (r=-0.454, p=0.005). Similar correlation was also found in patients having LN metastasis (r=-0.680, p<0.001). But there was no significant relationship between serum EGF level and the state of progesterone receptor. In conclusion, determination of serum EGF in combination with certain histological parameters could be useful in determining tumor prognosis and in deciding the selection of treatment modality, however...

Low grade inflammation and activation of the innate immune system play a role in the common pathogenesis of both insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction and subsequently

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