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Lymphatic vessels function as transport channels for tumor cells to metastasize from the primary site into the lymph nodes. In this experiment we evaluated the effect of Sulfatase-1 (Sulf-1) on metastasis by upregulating it in murine hepatocarcinoma cell line Hca-F with high lymph node metastatic rate of >75%. The study in vitro showed that upregulation of Sulf-1 in Hca-F cells significantly reduced cell proliferation, migration and invasion (p<0.05). Also, the forced expression of Sulf-1 downregulated Mesothelin (Msln) at both the protein and mRNA levels. The experiment in vivo further showed that up-regulation of Sulf-1 with the attendant downregulation of mesothelin delayed tumor growth and decreased lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, our findings show that Sulf-1 is an important tumor suppressor gene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its overexpression downregulates Msln and results in a decrease in HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and lymphatic metastasis. This functional relationship between Sulf-1 and Msln could be exploited for the development of a novel liver cancer therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks in the top of cancers leading to death. Early diagnosis is the big challenge in the case of HCC. Our in vitro study showed that Ezrin expression in lymphatic metastasis hepatocellular carcinoma (LNM-HCC) was associated with the metastatic rate. Here we aim to evaluate Ezrin expression as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker of LNM-HCC in mice. Chinese inbred 615 mice, Hca-F and Hca-P cell lines were used in the study. Histological changes were determined by Hematoxylin and Eosin, while Ezrin expression was assessed by qRT-PCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Ezrin expression in this study gives credit to our in vitro study which Ezrin expression was positively correlated with LNM-HCC and negatively with Annexin7 (A7) expression. The highest histological changes were observed in high metastatic primary/secondary tumors combined with high Ezrin expression. Ezrin and A7 are higher in total primary tumors than in total secondary tumors (P = 0.0001, P = 0.021), respectively. Ezrin expression was enhanced in Hca-P A7 down-regulated primary/secondary tumors (P = 0.004), whereas, Ezrin expression was suppressed in Hca-F A7 upregulated primary/secondary tumors. Serum ELISA indicated differential expression of Ezrin among the study groups (P ≤ 0.0001). Ezrin expression was higher in NC-Hca-F than NC-Hca-P (P ≤ 0.0001), suppressed in Hca-F A7 upregulation (P ≤ 0.0001) and in enhanced in Hca-P A7 down-regulation (P = 0.0001). In conclusion, Ezrin level may serve as a differential diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker for high and low LNM-HCC and may be beneficial in the diagnosis of HCC disease. © 2017 BioFactors, 43(5):662-672, 2017.

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An intraligamentary pregnancy is an extremely rare form of ectopic pregnancy, with only a few cases reported. We report a 20-year-old woman who had an ongoing pregnancy at about 22 weeks gestation, consulted for recurrent urinary retention and severe lower abdominal pain of two days duration. Pelvic ultrasonography revealed an extrauterine gestation of 19 weeks and four days on the left adnexal region. Exploratory laparotomy was performed that found left intraligamentary pregnancy (unruptured) measured 20 -25 cm across, attached posteriorly to the bowel (sigmoid colon) and extended to the pouch of douglas impinging on the bladder base. Resection of ectopic pregnancy was successfully performed, urine retention resolved, and the patient was discharged with no postoperative complications. Early recognition of this rare form of ectopic gestation is of considerable importance because of the risk of a life-threatening haemorrhagic complication necessitating emergency surgical intervention.

Diabetes type 2 (T2D) had caused the loss of millions of lives all over the world. About 50% of the patients with T2D die because of cardiovascular disease (CVD), primarily myocardial infarction and stroke. Many of the leading risk factors for CVD coexist and act synergistically to increase cardiovascular events. The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence, patterns, and certain predictive factors in the complications of T2D patients attending diabetic clinics at Mnazi Mmoja hospital. A total of 138 respondents made up of 58 females and 80 males within the age brackets of 30-40, 41-50, 51 – 60, and 61 above were recruited for this study. Data were analysed and interpreted based on certain predictive factors and variables, including smoking, alcohol, excessive salt intake, lipid intake, sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, and hypertension, on how they relate to the development of complications of type 2 diabetes. Pearson Chi-Square test was used to compare the levels of significances. Probability values of less or equal to 0.05 were accepted to be significant. The combination of salt intake, sedentary lifestyle, family history of diabetes, and lipid intake was the commonest risk factor for developing complications of T2D. However, alcohol and cigarette smoking had the most negligible impact on developing complications in T2D. The result also shows the patients between the age bracket of 30 and 40 have more risk factors for developing complications. The result showed no gender difference in the number of risk factors. There was a statistically significant association between some of the risk factors (smoking, alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, and salt intake) and the gender of respondents (p<0.05). Males smoked (43.8%) and consumed alcohol (32.5%) than females, while females were prone to a sedentary lifestyle (63.8%) and consume salt (82.8%) than males. On the other hand, this research showed that the significant complication for both males and females are numbness, pain sensation, and dry skin (diabetic neuropathy). Gender and certain predictive risk factors like salt intake, sedentary lifestyle, and family history of diabetes, and lipid intake are fundamental parameters to be tackled to reduce the complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. There is a greater need now for awareness of the risk factors through effective health promotion in Zanzibar. Also, secondary prevention through regular screening, early detection, and appropriate treatment of chronic complications could reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by diabetes mellitus.

Breastfeeding (BF) has been a proven means of providing young infants with the nutrients required for healthy growth and development. The process has also been known to reduce common childhood infections, which are the causes of high mortality and morbidity.  Hence in achieving the best practice of BF, both knowledge and techniques are essential. Therefore, the study aims to assess the knowledge and practice on BF among mothers whose children were admitted at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive hospital-based carried out in the pediatric ward of MMH from April 2020 to July 2020 after approval by the hospital's health and ethics committee. Questionnaires were deployed to interview all consenting participants who were mothers aged from 18 to 50 years, breastfeeding a child, and having at least one previous child who had been breastfed earlier (Above 2 years) at the time of the study.  Selected questions were used to assess and categorized a total of 199 mothers who were recruited into the study as those with knowledge, those without knowledge on Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), breastfeeding (BF) for 2 years, and breastfeeding techniques (BFT). Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16. Differences at P < 0.05 were considered significant. About 76.9% of the mothers studied had knowledge of EBF, while 65% had knowledge of BF for two years. A total of 42 (21.1%) had children below 6 months and were still BF, with the remaining 157(78.9%) having children above 6 months. Among the 157, only 58 (37%) practice EBF for 6 months. Also, 130 (65.3%) mothers breastfed their children up to 2 years in their previous child's upbringing. Most of them (42%) stopped because they became pregnant. The breastfeeding technique (BFT) was affected by the mother's age but not education level, as more of the older mothers had good positions and attachments than the younger ones. On overall techniques, 58.5% had good attachment compared to 49.7% who had proper position. Although most mothers were aware of the knowledge of EBF for 6 months, the practice is still low. However, older mothers, particularly the age group 31-40, have good BFT compared to younger mothers. There is a need for more education on EBF, BF, and BFT among women during Antenatal Clinic (ANC) and after delivery during the monthly clinic.