Conventional treatments for breast cancer are costly and have serious side effects. Non-conventional natural treatments have gained wide acceptance due to their promise of a cure with minimal or no side effects, but little scientific evidence exists. One such common remedy is the seed of the Lepidium sativum plant. Presented here is the first reported use of the aqueous extract of Lepidium sativum seeds on breast cancer cells. The ability of the extract to induce apoptosis and necrosis in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, compared to normal human skin fibroblasts (HFS), was determined by morphological changes in the cells using light microscopy, DNA fragmentation assay, and florescent stains (Annexin V and propidium iodide) using flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy. Apoptosis was induced in both cells, and more in MCF-7, when they were treated with 25% and 50% extract, while necrosis was observed mainly after exposure to elevated extract concentrations (75%). DNA fragmentation resulted for both cells, in a time and dose-dependent manner. Both cells, at all extract concentrations, showed no significant differences in the number of living, dead, apoptotic, and necrotic cells. Finally, the results may indicate that apoptotic changes in MCF-7 may be independent of caspase-3, which is involved in apoptosis and is lacking in MCF-7 cells.

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For the past two decades or more, obesity has been increasing in industrialized and affluent countries. This increase has been shown in children, adults and the elderly. The latest statistical studies in Saudi Arabia show that obesity is increasing, with obese Saudi women outnumbering obese Saudi males, and that these numbers are continuously rising. Obesity, which leads to many medical risks, affects the immune system in direct and indirect ways. In this study, the effect of obesity on the immune system of 119 Saudi female university students was investigated. Using a blood sample from each subject, the following immune-related parameters were determined: total and differential white blood cell counts (WBCs), total lymphocyte and sub-lymphocyte cell counts. Two measures of body fat were used: the body mass index (BMI) and the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) to correlate body weight to the other measured parameters. A significant correlation was present between BMI and WHR each with total white blood cells, neutrophils, and CD4 lymphocyte concentrations. Some other parameters were only affected by the increase in the BMI but not the WHR, such as platelets, while others were affected by the WHR only, such as total T-cells. On the other hand, there were no significant correlations between BMI or WHR and basophil, eosinophil, monocyte, CD8, B-cell, and NK-cell counts. The findings indicate that obesity might seriously affect the innate and adaptive immune systems.

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Firsthand and, to a lesser degree, secondhand tobacco smoking are considered the greatest causes of preventable illnesses and premature death worldwide. Firsthand and secondhand smoking have adverse consequences on the immune system, although these effects are not fully understood. A few serological studies have been done on firsthand and secondhand smokers in Saudi Arabia. The present study investigates the effects of firsthand and secondhand smoking on the immune system of randomly chosen male firsthand (50 subjects) and secondhand (50 subjects) cigarette smokers, residing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with an age range of 20-40 years. Firsthand smokers were categorized according to the number of cigarettes smoked daily (frequency of smoking). Blood samples were collected and differential complete blood counts, cotinine concentrations, and antibodies (IgG, IgM, and IgA) concentrations were determined. Additionally, T, B, NK, CD4? and CD8? cells counts and percentages were determined. Compared to secondhand smokers, firsthand smokers showed a highly significantly higher mean cotinine concentration and a highly significantly lower mean IgA concentration. Additionally, Secondhand smokers had significantly higher mean lymphocyte count and CD4?/CD8? ratio, and significantly lower mean basophil and NK cells counts. All other parameters showed no significant differences between firsthand and secondhand smokers and there were no differences between the frequency of smoking categories for the firsthand smokers. Therefore, The results show suggest that passive and active smoking have different immunological effects since IgA levels and some white blood cells counts were different in firsthand and secondhand smokers. ImplicationsFirsthand and secondhand tobacco smoking are widely prevalent in Saudi Arabia and rates of smoking continue to increase. For the last few decades, diseases and conditions associated with smoking have been increasing in Saudi Arabia. There is a lack of studies on the effects of smoking on the immune system in Saudi Arabia and thus this study fills a gap and provides much-needed results on these effects. In addition, this study draws attention to the need for strong recommendations and the implementation of educational and cessation programs to reduce the negative impact of smoking in Saudi Arabia.