BackgroundHuman HIV-1 TAT interactive protein 2 (HTATIP2/TIP30) is an evolutionarily conserved gene that is expressed ubiquitously in human tissues and some tumor tissues. This protein has been found to be associated with some gynecological cancers; as such, this study aimed to investigate blood HTATIP2/TIP30 levels in patients with ovarian cancer.MethodsTwenty-three women with ovarian cancer and 18 patients with various non-cancerous gynecological complaints (for example, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, fibroids, and urinary incontinence) were included in the study. The pathological diagnosis of ovarian cancer was adenocarcinoma. HTATIP2/TIP30 concentration in the patients’ blood samples was determined using ELISA kits.ResultsThe HTATIP2/TIP30 level was significantly higher in the cancer group than in the control group (1.84 ± 0.82 versus 0.57 ± 0.13 ng/ml, mean ± SD).ConclusionsWe demonstrated the potential role of HTATIP2/TIP30 in ovarian cancer for the first time, thereby enlightening future studies targeting HTATIP2/TIP30 in ovarian cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention.

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Hereditary cholestasis is a heterogeneous group of liver diseases that mostly show autosomal recessive inheritance. The phenotype of cholestasis is highly variable. Molecular genetic testing offers an useful approach to differentiate different types of cholestasis because some symptoms and findings overlap. Biallelic variants in <i>USP53</i> have recently been reported in cholestasis phenotype. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this study, we aimed to characterize clinical findings and biological insights on a novel <i>USP53</i> splice variant causing cholestasis phenotype and provided a review of the literature. We performed whole-exome sequencing and then confirmed it with Sanger sequencing. In addition, as a result of in silico analyses and cDNA analysis, we showed that the USP53 protein in our patient was shortened. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We report a novel splice variant (NM_019050.2:c.238–1G&#x3e;C) in the <i>USP53</i> gene via whole-exome sequencing in a patient with cholestasis phenotype. This variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing and was a result of family segregation analysis; it was found to be in a heterozygous state in the parents and the other healthy elder brother of our patient. According to in silico analyses, the change in the splice region resulted in an increase in the length of exon 2, whereas the stop codon after the additional 3 amino acids (VTF) caused the protein to terminate prematurely. Thus, the mature USP53 protein, consisting of 1,073 amino acids, has been reduced to a small protein of 82 amino acids. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> We propose a model for the tertiary structure of USP53 for the first time, and together with all these data, we support the association of biallelic variants of the <i>USP53</i> gene with cholestasis phenotype. We also present a comparison of previously reported patients with <i>USP53</i>-associated cholestasis phenotype to contribute to the literature.

Background: It has been reported that 5–50% of patients with primary immune deficiencies (PID) may present with or develop gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations. Objective: This study was aimed at analyzing GI and related endoscopic, histopathological findings in children with PID. Methods: Children with PID who were evaluated by endoscopy between 2005 and 2016 were enrolled in this study. Demographic data, growth parameters, signs and symptoms at diagnosis were obtained. Results: Of 425 children with PID, 195 had GI manifestations. Forty-seven of 195 children required endoscopic investigation, 30 (63.8%) were male, and the mean age was 7.7 ± 5 years. The rate of consanguinity was 61.7%, and the most common symptom was chronic diarrhea (57.4%). Seventy-two percent of the patients were malnourished. Giardia intestinalis was detected in 4, and Helicobacter pylori was confirmed in 8/45 (17.7%) patients. Non-celiac villous flatting was discovered in 15.5% of patients. Twelve patients were diagnosed as having immunodeficiency associated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-like colitis. Conclusions: PID may present with GI manifestations or develop during the course of the disease. Investigating immunodeficiency in patients with atypical GI symptoms can provide an appropriate therapeutic option, and an improved quality of life, particularly in populations with a high rate of consanguinity.

Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) may develop as a complication of a wide spectrum of diseases. Three cases of giardiasis that presented with acute onset of hypoalbuminemia were documented, and resolution of protein loss after treatment was also confirmed. Thus, chronic enteric infections should be considered as an etiology of severe intestinal protein loss, particularly in children.

Background: Hereditary cholestasis is a heterogeneous group of liver diseases that mostly show autosomal recessive inheritance. The phenotype of cholestasis is highly variable. Molecular genetic testing offers a useful approach to differentiate different types of cholestasis because some symptoms and findings overlap. Biallelic variants in USP53 have recently been reported in cholestasis phenotype. In this study we aim to characterize clinical findings and biological insights on a novel USP53 splice variant causing cholestasis phenotype and review of the literature. Methods and Results: We reported a novel splice variant (NM_019050.2:c.238-1G>C) in the USP53 gene via whole exome sequencing in a patient with cholestasis phenotype. This variant was confirmed by sanger sequencing and as a result of family segregation analysis; it was found to be a heterozygous state in the parents and the other healthy elder brother of our patient. According to in-silico analyses; the change in the splice region resulted in an increase in the length of exon 1, whereas the stop codon after the additional 3 amino acids (VTF) caused the protein to terminate prematurely. Thus, the mature USP53 protein, consisting of 1.073 amino acids, has been reduced to a small protein of 82 amino acids.Conclusions: We propose a model for the tertiary structure of USP53 for the first time, together with all these data, we support the association of biallelic variants of the USP53 gene with the cholestasis phenotype. We also presented a comparison of previously reported patients with the USP53-associated cholestasis phenotype to contribute to the literature.