The Integrated Bioinformatic Approach Reveals the Prognostic Significance of LRP1 Expression in Ovarian Cancer.

A hyperactive tumour microenvironment (TME) drives unrestricted cancer cell survival, drug resistance, and metastasis in ovarian carcinoma (OC). However, therapeutic targets within the TME for OC remain elusive, and efficient methods to quantify TME activity are still limited. Herein, we employed an integrated bioinformatics approach to determine which immune-related genes (IRGs) modulate the TME and further assess their potential theragnostic (therapeutic + diagnostic) significance in OC progression. Using a robust approach, we developed a predictive risk model to retrospectively examine the clinicopathological parameters of OC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The validity of the prognostic model was confirmed with data from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) cohort. Our approach identified nine IRGs, AKT2, FGF7, FOS, IL27RA, LRP1, OBP2A, PAEP, PDGFRA, and PI3, that form a prognostic model in OC progression, distinguishing patients with significantly better clinical outcomes in the low-risk group. We validated this model as an independent prognostic indicator and demonstrated enhanced prognostic significance when used alongside clinical nomograms for accurate prediction. Elevated LRP1 expression, which indicates poor prognosis in bladder cancer (BLCA), OC, low-grade gliomas (LGG), and glioblastoma (GBM), was also associated with immune infiltration in several other cancers. Significant correlations with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) highlight the potential importance of LRP1 as a biomarker and therapeutic target. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis highlighted LRP1's involvement in metabolism-related pathways, supporting its prognostic and therapeutic relevance also in BLCA, OC, low-grade gliomas (LGG), GBM, kidney cancer, OC, BLCA, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), and stomach and oesophageal carcinoma (STES). Our study has generated a novel signature of nine IRGs within the TME across cancers, that could serve as potential prognostic predictors and provide a valuable resource to improve the prognosis of OC.

Microbiological Safety of Kitchen Sponges Used in Food Establishments.

Kitchen sponges are among the possible sources of contaminants in food establishments. The main purpose of the current study was, therefore, to assess the microbiological safety of sponges as it has been used in selected food establishments of Jimma town. Accordingly, the microbiological safety of a total of 201 kitchen sponges randomly collected from food establishments was evaluated against the total counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and yeast and molds. The mean counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria ranged from 7.43 to 12.44 log CFU/mm3. The isolated genera were dominated by Pseudomonas (16.9%), Bacillus (11.1%), Micrococcus (10.6%), Streptococcus (7.8%), and Lactobacillus (6%) excluding the unidentified Gram positive rods (4.9%) and Gram negative rods (9.9%). The high microbial counts (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeast and molds) reveal the existence of poor kitchen sponge sanitization practice. Awareness creation training on basic hygienic practices to food handlers and periodic change of kitchen sponges are recommended.

Seroprevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, and Syphilis among Blood Donors at Jigjiga Blood Bank, Eastern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Transfusion-transmissible infectious agents such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Syphilis are among the greatest threats to blood safety for recipients. They are also the leading causes of death and chronic and life-threatening abnormalities. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of consecutive blood donors' records covering the period between January 2010 and December 2014 was conducted to analyze for seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis among blood donors aged 17-65 years. The association of these infections with age group, blood group, their co-infection rate and year trends were analyzed. Linear regression analysis was used to determine trends of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections. Sterile venous anti-coagulated blood was collected from the donors and analyzed using highly sensitive and specific kits. RESULT: From the total of 6827 consecutive blood donors, 963(14.1%) had serological evidence of infection with at least one pathogen and 73(1.07%) had multiple infections. The overall seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis was 3.16%, 9.48%, 0.73% and 0.73% respectively. Among those with multiple infections, the most common combinations were HIV-HBV 41/73(56.2%). Blood group "O positive" was the most common with 51.62% followed by "A positive". Moreover, significantly declining trends of HIV, HCV and syphilis seropositivity were observed over the study period. CONCLUSION: A substantial percentage of the blood donors harbour HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections. Strict selection of blood donors and comprehensive screening of donors' blood using standard methods are highly recommended to ensure the safety of blood for recipients.