Upregulation of FOXP3 is associated with severity of hypoxia and poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

The levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcription of FOXP3, IFN-γ, TNF, IL-6 and COX-2 from both COVID-19 infected and control subjects were evaluated using SYBRTM green real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Severe/critical cases showed significantly lower lymphocyte counts and higher neutrophil counts than the mild or moderate cases. There were significantly lower levels of mRNA expressions of IFN-γ, TNFα and FOXP3 in COVID-19 patients than in the control group. On the other hand, IL-6 and COX-2 expressions were significantly higher in patients suffering from severe disease. FOXP3 expressions were correlated with the severities of hypoxia and were excellent in predicting the disease severity. This was followed by the IL-6, COX-2 and TNFα expressions. FOXP3 expression was the only biomarker to show a significant correlation with patient mortality. It was concluded that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with the downregulation of FOXP3 and upregulations of IL-6 and COX-2.

Low expression of miR-204 is associated with expression of CD34 and poor performance status in denovo AML.

INTRODUCTION: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common acute leukemia in adults. There is growing evidence that microRNAs (miRNAs) provide prognostic information in AML. MiR-204 has a tumor suppressor function, and several studies have proven its role in solid cancers. The aim of this work is to evaluate the level of expression of miR-204 in adults newly diagnosed with AML with normal karyotype and to correlate its level of expression with disease outcome and different prognostic factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 87 adult patients newly diagnosed with AML. Detection of miR-204 was done using RT-PCR in patients and seven age-matched controls. RESULTS: Acute myeloid leukemia patients showed significantly lower miR-204 expression, compared to control group (P = .029). Low miR-204 expression was significantly associated with positive CD34 (P = .017), with poor performance status (PS) (P = .009), and with the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) (P = .014). Low expression of miR-204 was also significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (P = .020) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P = .013). Low miR-204 expression was identified as an independent prognostic factor for prediction of shorter OS (P = .034) and DFS (P = .027) in AML. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge; this is the first time to prove the correlation between miR-204 expression and CD34 expression. Further study of this correlation is needed to confirm the role of miR-204 in CD34-positive cells, including leukemic stem cells. This correlation may have therapeutic implications. MiR-204 can be used as a biomarker for PS in AML patients.

What Egyptians think. Knowledge, attitude, and opinions of Egyptian patients towards biobanking issues.

BACKGROUND: Biobanking is a relatively new concept in Egypt. Building a good relationship with different stakeholders is essential for the social sustainability of biobanks. To establish this relationship, it is necessary to assess the attitude of different groups towards this concept. The objective of this work is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and opinions of Egyptian patients towards biobanking issues. METHODS: We designed a structured survey to be administered to patients coming to the outpatient clinics in 3 university hospitals in Egypt. The survey included questions estimating the level of knowledge about the term "Biobank", together with questions about the attitudes and opinions about related issues. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-nine patients participated in the survey. Eighty-one percent of participants reported that they never heard about the term before. About 85% expressed that they would be willing to donate their samples for research and about 87% thought that sample donation did not contradict their religious beliefs. Fifty eight percent were willing to participate in a genetic research project, 27.8% supported sharing their sample with pharmaceutical companies, and 32.4% agreed to share their samples with institutions abroad. CONCLUSION: Although there is limited knowledge about biobanking among Egyptian patients, many had a positive attitude towards sample donation and didn't show religious concerns against it. However, they showed concerns regarding participation in genetic research and with sharing their samples across borders or with pharmaceutical companies. Public education about biobanking is possible, taking into consideration the specific cultural and legal framework in Egypt.