Molecular characterization of the whole genome of H9N2 avian influenza virus isolated from Egyptian poultry farms.

H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) affect both poultry and humans on a global level, and they are especially prevalent in Egypt. In this study, we sequenced the entire genome of AIV H9N2 isolated from chickens in Egypt in 2021, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Phylogenetic analysis of the resulting sequences showed that the studied strain was generally monophyletic and grouped within the G1 sublineage of the Eurasian lineage. Four segments (polymerase basic 2 [PB2], polymerase basic 1 [PB1], polymerase acidic [PA], and non-structural [NS]) were related to Egyptian genotype II, while the nucleoprotein (NP), neuraminidase (NA), matrix (M), and haemagglutinin (HA) segments were related to Egyptian genotype I. Molecular analysis revealed that HA protein contained amino acid residues (191H and 234L) that suggested a predilection for attaching to human-like receptors. The antigenic sites of HA had two nonsynonymous mutations: V194I at antigenic site A and M40K at antigenic site B. Furthermore, the R403W and S372A mutations, which have been observed in H3N2 and H2N2 strains that caused human pandemics, were found in the NA protein of the detected strain. The internal proteins contained virulence markers: 504V in the PB2 protein, 622G, 436Y, 207K, and 677T in the PB1 protein, 127V, 550L, and 672L in PA protein, and 64F and 69P in the M protein. These results show that the detected strain had undergone intrasubtype reassortment. Furthermore, it contains changes in the viral proteins that make it more likely to be virulent, raising a question about the tendency of AIV H9N2 to become highly pathogenic in the future for both poultry and humans.

Heparanase (HPSE) gene polymorphism (rs12503843) contributes as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): a pilot study among Egyptian patients.

BACKGROUND: Heparanase activity was found to be included in human cancer development and growth. Heparanase (HPSE) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found to be correlated with different human cancers. In the current study, we investigated whether HPSE SNPs were a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk factor by carrying out a comprehensive case-control pilot study. HPSE rs12331678 and rs12503843 were genotyped in 70 HCC-diagnosed patients and 30 healthy controls by modified amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS PCR) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. RESULTS: HPSE rs12331678 distributions showed that there were no statistically significant differences between both cohorts either in genotypic or allelic distribution but there was a significant correlation between the rs12503843 (T allele) and the HCC risk in the whole samples (P = 0.042). No significant association was observed between the HPSE rs12331678 and rs12503843 gene polymorphisms and all clinicopathologic markers or with SNP stratification based on HCV carrier in HCC groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest for the first time the HPSE gene SNP characterization in HCC Egyptian patients, and our findings reveal there were associations between the HPSE rs12503843 (T allele) and the susceptibility to HCC.