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Background Obesity has emerged as a public health crisis in many populations including Egypt. Adipose tissue produces a number of adipokines, one of them is adiponectin which has attracted much attention because of its antidiabetic and antiatherogenic effects. Objective To determine the effect of a weight loss program on serum adiponectin level and insulin resistance among overweight and obese adult premenopausal females. Study design A pre-postintervention study was carried out among 95 premenopausal overweight and obese females (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) aged 20 to 40 years at the integrated health clinic affiliated to the High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria, Egypt, from February 2016 to February 2017. All participants underwent a weight loss program based on a reduced calorie balanced diet and advised to increase their physical activity. Dietary instructions and follow-up were done weekly throughout 16 weeks. Blood samples were collected to investigate serum adiponectin level and insulin resistance at the beginning and the end of the intervention. Results After 16 weeks, a significant decrease in body weight by 9.7% was associated with a significant increase in serum adiponectin from 13.3 ± 4.9 μg/ml to 18.5 ± 5.6 μg/ml. Both fasting insulin and insulin resistance had decreased significantly by 13.6% and 13.7%, respectively. Conclusion A weight reduction program depending on a reduced calorie diet for 16 weeks was associated with a significant increase in total adiponectin level and reduction in insulin resistance. An emphasis on the importance of keeping normal weight through nutritional education and the promotion of healthy diets is recommended to reduce the risk of occurrence of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of all cancers. Studies indicated that the levels of oxidative stress markers increased in breast cancer. Trace metals are essential to normal human homeostasis. When present in an abnormal expression, they contribute in many pathological processes. Some trace metals are claimed to be carcinogenic and capable of inducing a toxic effect through the formation of free radicles and acting as cofactors in the oxidative damage of biological macromolecules and DNA. Objective: Our aim was to investigate the serum levels of some trace elements (Copper, Zinc and Cadmium), the total oxidative and antioxidative capacity (TOC and TAC) in patients with breast cancer in comparison to patients with benign breast tumours. Patients and Methods: The present study included 65 females. The participates were divided into 2 main groups: control group which consisted of 20 apparently healthy female; the patient groups which divided into 3 groups: group B included 15 patients with benign breast tumours, group N consisted of 15 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and group M included 15 patients with metastatic breast cancer. Results: The mean serum levels of Copper, Zinc, and Cadmium were significantly higher in the three patients groups (B, N and M) than the control group. Similarly, serum uric acid (UA) and (TAC) levels showed significant higher level in both breast cancer groups as compared to the benign group. However TOC levels showed only significantly higher level in metastatic group. Conclusions: The present study suggested elevated TAC, UA and TOC in breast cancer patients. The increased levels of trace elements could lead to formation of free radicals or other reactive oxygen species. The serum profile of these trace metals may be helpful in predicting prognosis of breast cancer.

Cancer breast is the most common malignant tumor in females globally, with newly diagnosed cases 2,088,849 and number of deaths of 626,679 reported by GOBOCAN (2018) and Bray et al., (2018) about half of the world cancer breast cases and the majority of the cancer breast deaths were reported to occur in the developing countries (Torre et al., 2017). In Egypt cancer breast represents 38.8% of newly diagnosed cancer cases among Egyptian females (Ibrahim et al., 2014). Breast cancer etiology and pathogenesis involve genetic, hormonal and other modifying factors. (Sotos et al., 2018) Mechanisms linking inflammatory cytokines and tumour growth and progression have not been established yet as some cytokines (IL2, IL11 and TGF beta) stimulate cancer breast growth and invasion, while others (IL12,IL 18and interferons) inhibit it (Capone et al., 2016). IL-18 has been found to play a dual role in cancer, as it can promote tumor development, progression, migration, invasion, and metastasis. However, it enhances

Aim of the study: Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is a secreted protein which acts as an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. DKK-1 was found to be a helpful biomarker for many cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is multifactorial in origin and its main etiology in Egypt is attributed to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Objectives: To assess the serum level and diagnostic performance of DKK-1 and α-fetoprotein (AFP) in Egyptian patients with chronic HCV-related liver cirrhosis with and without HCC. Material and methods: 80 subjects were divided into: a control group (group I, 20 healthy volunteers) and two patient groups: group II (HCV with liver cirrhosis, 30 patients), and group III, (HCV-related liver cirrhosis with HCC, 30 patients). Thorough physical examination, triphasic computed tomography, calculation of Child-Pugh score, laboratory investigations (complete blood picture, liver profile, hepatitis B surface antigen, anti-HCV antibodies, AFP (chemiluminometry) and DKK-1 (ELISA) were performed. Results: There was a significant decrease in DKK-1 level in HCV patients with liver cirrhosis (group II) and HCV patients with HCC (group III) compared to the control group (group I) (p < 0.001). However, there was a significant increase in DKK-1 level in HCV patients with HCC (group III) compared to HCV patients with liver cirrhosis (group II) (p < 0.033). The ROC curve showed that DKK-1 has less sensitivity but higher specificity in HCV patients with HCC (group III) compared with HCV patients with liver cirrhosis (group II). Conclusions: The combination of DKK-1 and AFP could further improve the diagnostic accuracy of HCV-related cirrhosis with or without HCC.

It can be concluded that ghrelin, obestatin, and leptin are affected by presence of H. pylori seropositivity in obese subjects. The higher ghrelin levels and ghrelin/obestatin ratio with lowered obestatin could be considered as a gastro-protective effect against inflammation induced by H. pylori.

Introduction:Over the past three decades, the number of people with diabetes mellitus (DM) has more than doubled globally, making it one of the most important public health challenges to all nations. Aldose reductase (AR) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the polyol pathway, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications; however, the association of the AR gene with diabetic macrovascular complications has rarely been investigated.Aim:The study aimed to identify the possible association between C(-106) T polymorphism of the AR gene and diabetic macroangiopathy in a cohort of Egyptian patients with type 2 DM.Settings and Design:This study was conducted on 100 Egyptian subjects, the control group (n = 20) and the patient group (n = 80) with type 2 diabetes which were further subdivided into two subgroups with (n = 48) and without macroangiopathic complications (n = 32) as evidenced by carotid intima-media thickness, electrocardiography (ECG) ischemic changes, cerebrovascular insufficiency, and peripheral vascular insufficiency.Subjects and Methods:All studied subjects were subjected to detailed history taking, clinical examination, ECG, carotid ultrasonography, routine laboratory investigations, and molecular studies including the detection of AR C(-106) T gene polymorphisms using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction fragment length polymorphism technique.Results:The genotype distribution and allele frequency of AR C(-106) T showed no statistical significance also the genotypes were not associated with any of the different studied parameters.Conclusions:The results suggest that the C(-106) T polymorphism in the AR gene is not involved in the pathogenesis of macroangiopathy in type 2 diabetes.