بحوث سكوبس — أ.د سعد حسن محمد

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has recently been implicated in the development of various astrocytic proliferations. Objective: to assess the prevalence of neurotropic EBV infection in brain tissue samples from astrocytoma patients classified into grades I, II, III, and IV, using a prospective case-control approach. Methods: In this study, 100 brain tissue specimens were obtained from 75 patients who had astrocytoma grades1, 2, 3 and 4. In contrast, the rest of the brain tissues were enrolled as a control group. The technique of polymerase chain reaction was utilized to amplify and detect the neurotropic DNA sequence of EBV in the examined brain tissues. Results: The most infected brain tumor tissues with DNA-EBV are related to the age (41–60 years), which accounted for 10.6%. The overall percentage of positive-PCR detection results for neurotropic EBV genomic DNA sequence in the examined brain tissues from astrocytomas grade 1–4 tissues was 28% (21 out of 75). The difference between the percentage of positivity of PCR detection results of neurotropic EBV genomic DNA sequence in the astrocytoma group and control group was statistically significant (P = 0.04). Conclusion and cancer policy: the present results are shedding light on the importance of the studied neurotropic EBV infection in the tumorigenesis and carcinogenesis processes of the astrocytoma cases, possibly either as initiators in the induction of these brain tumors. © The Author(s) 2025

Background: Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) nucleic acids and proteins are frequently detected in brain tumors, especially high-grade gliomas in adults and children. Despite conflicting data, further investigation into HCMV's role in gliomas is warranted. Objective: This study aimed to determine the frequency of HCMV proteins in tissues from patients at the Specialized Surgeries Hospital in Baghdad diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and grade 2 astrocytoma. Subjects and Methods: Ninety-three (93) tissue samples were collected from patients aged 8-75 years: 46 samples from GBM surgeries and 27 from astrocytoma surgeries. An additional 20 samples collected from non-tumor neurosurgical patients such as (Eosinophilic granuloma and reactive gliosis) aged 21-71 years were included as a control group. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect immediate early and early HCMV proteins. Results: Of the 73 glioma tissues, 38 (52.1%) showed positive IHC signals for HCMV. In GBM tissues, 28 out of 46 (59.9%) were positive, while in astrocytoma tissues, 10 out of 27 (38.4%) were positive. Only 1 out of 20 control tissues (5%) showed HCMV positivity. Within the GBM group, low, moderate, and high IHC scores were observed in 57.1%, 28.6%, and 14.3% of cases, respectively. In the astrocytoma group, scores were low in 60%, moderate in 30%, and high in 10%. Significant statistical differences were noted when comparing GBM and astrocytoma to the control group and comparing GBM to astrocytoma Conclusions: The study revealed a high prevalence of HCMV in glioma samples, supporting its potential role in glioma development, particularly in GBM pathogenesis and possibly carcinogenesis. © 2025, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad. All rights reserved.

Background: Gliomas account for around 60% of all primary brain tumors. Gliomas’ aetiology is unknown, yet neurotropic viruses, including the oncogenic Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), have been implicated recently in the pathogenesis of various brain tumors, including primary CNS lymphoma and glioma. Objective: To analyze the rate of neurotropic EBV infection in cerebral gliomas from a group of Iraqi patients with primary gliomas. Patients and methods: This prospective study was conducted on 65 brain tissues, 40 of them from gliomas, while the rest 25 brain tissues showed unremarkable pathological changes (and were used as an apparently healthy control group). The polymerase chain reaction was done for detecting EBV-DNA sequences,, and the main clinicopathological features were recorded. Results: 32% (8 out of 25) of the examined brain tissues were positive for EBV genome detection. The most infected brain tumor tissues with EBV-DNA are related to the age stratum (41-60 years), which accounted for 7.5 per percent, while the age strata of (2-20 years), (21-40 years), and (61-82 years) accounted for 2.5 per cent, 5 per cent, and 5 per cent,, respectively. The positive EBV-PCR results from brain tumour tissues show that accounted for 62.5% while females accounted for 37.5%. Positive EBV-PCR detection results from patients with various types of brain tumours were found as 20%, 8%, and 4% in glioblastoma, astrocytoma, and anaplastic astrocytoma, respectively. Conclusion: Altogether, the apparently too high rate of EBV detection in the studied glioma samples can be considered, in respective parts, in brain tumour induction. We recommend the use of advanced molecular studies to be done to confirm the currently obtained data to unravel further the importance of this viral infection in such tumours. Copyright (c) 2025: Author(s).

Background: Research identifies enteric adenoviruses as the third most common cause of infantile gastroenteritis, while Cryptosporidium causes parasitic gastroenteritis. Many studies have revealed the role of IFN-γ in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Objective: To investigate the IFNG rs1861494 gene polymorphism among Iraqi pediatric patients with gastroenteritis co-infected with cryptosporidium and adenovirus. Method: This case-control study enrolled 75 pediatric patients with severe gastroenteritis, whose ages ranged from 3–120 months and had a mean age of 30.64 months. The apparently healthy control (AHC) in this study included 25 pediatric individuals with a mean age of 27.64 months. We extracted DNA from stool specimens to further extract total genomic DNA, extract the human adenovirus (HADV) viral genome via PCR, and detect the IFNG rs1861494 polymorphism using the ARMS PCR technique. Results: The male gender percentage in patients and AHC groups was 54%, while the female counterpart was 46%. The positive PCR result for HADV7 was 28%, whereas the positive result for Cryptosporidium was 6%. In the studied groups, the GG genotype increased at a rate OR=2.67 as compared to the AG and AA genotypes. HADV7 and Cryptosporidium showed a strong correlation with the SNP IFNG rs1861494 results in gastroenteritis (r=0.968, p=0.007 and r=0.984, p=0.008). Conclusions: The identified enteric co-infection of Cryptosporidium and HADV-7, as well as the IFNG rs1861494 polymorphism, may shed light on possible pathogenic roles in gastroenteritis. © 2024 The Author(s).

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is a crucial protein with vital biological tasks in cell continuation of life. The variation of HSP70 activation occurs as a consequence of stress that includes temperature states, toxicity, poisoning with heavy metals, and tumor-related conditions. One of the master jobs of the HSP family is the suppression of caspase-mediated apoptosis signals. A high level of the expression of HSP70 is accountable for tumorigenesis and resistance against chemotherapeutic drugs. For this reason, the detection of HSP70 may help to diagnose cancerous diseases. From the other side, targeting this chaperone might help in treatment by maintaining late caspase-dependent events. This study was conducted to detect the presence and the location of HSP70 in Iraqi thyroid tumor tissue specimens (25 samples), in addition to 10 samples of normal thyroid tissue. Using the immunohistochemical study (paraffin method), the protein was detected in 100% of follicular carcinoma or follicular adenoma (benign) in addition to 77.7 % of papillary thyroid carcinoma while, in normal thyroid tissue, the presence of protein was in 10 % of cases. Regarding protein location in the cells, it appeared in the nuclei and the cytoplasm of follicular carcinoma cases in comparison with just in the cytoplasm of other sections. © 2024, University of Malaya. All rights reserved.

Background: Recent advancements in molecular techniques have identified over 450 genotypes of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), classified into low- and high-oncogenic risk categories. The rise in high-oncogenic risk HPV genotypes has been linked to various cancers, including those affecting the oral, oropharyngeal, and nasopharyngeal regions in both pediatric and adult populations. Methods: In this study, a cohort of 102 tonsillar tissue samples was included. This comprised 40 specimens from pediatric patients aged 4 to 9 years with nasopharyngeal adenoid hypertrophies, and 42 specimens from pediatric patients aged 5 to 12 years with palatine tonsillar hypertrophies. Among the 82 tonsillar tissue samples analyzed, 38 were from pediatric patients who underwent single-tonsillar type operations, while 22 were from pediatric patients who underwent dual-tonsillar type operations, resulting in a total of 44 tissues. Additionally, 20 control tissue samples were obtained from apparently healthy pediatric patients aged 5 to 12 years, following trimming operations of their inferior nasal turbinate tissues, which exhibited no notable pathological changes. For the detection of HPV 16/18 DNA, a recent iteration of Chromogenic in Situ Hybridization (CISH) technique employing specific DNA probes was utilized. Results: In the analysis, among the 40 nasopharyngeal tonsillar hypertrophied tissues, 35.0% exhibited positive CISH reactions for HPV 16/18 DNA detection. Similarly, within the palatine tonsillar hypertrophied tissue group, 30.1% displayed positive CISH signals for HPV 16/18 DNA. For the 22 specimens obtained from dual-tonsillar type operations in the same pediatric patients (totaling 44 tissues), 45.5% showed positive-CISH signals for HPV 16/18 DNA at both sites. Notably, none of the control nasal tissues demonstrated positive-CISH reactions. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference (P Value <0.05) when comparing the results of tonsillar hypertrophied tissues to those of the control group. Conclusions: The notable presence of human papillomaviruses 16 and 18, particularly in their integrated forms of HPV-DNA, within pediatric groups exhibiting nasopharyngeal and palatine tonsillar non-oncologic hypertrophies, raises critical concerns regarding the potential spread of these high-oncogenic risk genotypes. These findings suggest that these sites may serve as reservoirs for the transmission of such viruses to adjacent mucosal tissues in the head and neck region. Furthermore, this presence of HPV could be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis, tumorigenesis, and carcinogenesis processes, constituting a significant step in this chain of events. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing effective strategies to prevent and manage the associated health risks in affected populations. © 2024 International Tinnitus Journal. All rights reserved.

Heat shock protein70 (HSP70) is a crucial protein with vital biological tasks to continue cell life. The variation of HSP70 activation occurs due to stress, which includes temperature states, toxicity, poisoning with heavy metal, and tumor-related conditions. One of the master jobs of the HSP family is the suppression of the apoptosis signals, which are caspase-mediated. A high level of the expression of HSP70 is accountable for tumorigenesis and resistance against chemotherapeutic drugs. For this reason, the detection of HSP70 may help to diagnose cancerous diseases. Conversely, targeting this chaperone might help treatment by maintaining late caspase‐dependent events. This study was conducted to detect the presence and the location of HSP70 in Iraqi thyroid cancer tissue specimens (25 samples) and (10 samples) of normal thyroid tissue. Using an immunohistochemical study (paraffin method), the protein was detected in 100% of follicular carcinoma or follicular adenoma in addition to 77.7 % of papillary thyroid carcinoma, while in normal thyroid tissue, the presence of protein was in 10% of cases. Regarding protein location in the cells, it appeared in the nuclei and the cytoplasm of follicular carcinoma cases compared to just in the cytoplasm of other cases. © 2023 by the authors.