Stable blood based miRNA species have allowed for the differentiation of patients with various types of cancer. Therefore, specific blood-based miRNA might be considered as a methodology which could be informative of the presence of cancer potentially from multiple distinct organ sites. Recently, miR-21 has been identified as an "oncomir" in various tumors while miR-152 as a tumor suppressor. I...

BACKGROUND Estrogen receptor α (ERα) has been shown to protect against atherosclerosis. Methylation of the ERα gene can reduce ERα expression leading to a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, microRNAs have been found to regulate DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and thus control methylation status in several genes. We first searched for microRNAs involved in DNMT-associated DNA methy...

Targeting chemotherapy selectively to cancers can reduce the toxic side effects. AN-152, a conjugate of doxorubicin and [D-Lys6]-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH), is more potent against LH-RH receptor-bearing cancers and produces less peripheral toxicity than doxorubicin. Many cancers, e.g., 50% of breast cancers, but few normal tissues express these receptors, providing a selectiv...

BACKGROUND Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of death. The aim of the present study was to compare the expression of let-7c and miR-152 in surgically resected NSCLC cases and healthy cases to evaluate their diagnostic impact. METHODS This hospital-based case-control study included 120 NSCLC patients and 360 healthy controls. The miRNA levels were measured via qua...

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most frequent tumor of the central nervous system in adults and has a dismal clinical outcome, which necessitates the development of new therapeutic approaches. We investigated in vivo the action of the targeted cytotoxic analog of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, AN-152 (AEZS-108) in nude mice (Ncr nu/nu strain) bearing xenotransplanted U-87 MG glioblastoma...

Over-expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TFRC) is observed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, there is a lack of conclusive information regarding the mechanisms of this dysregulation. In the present study, we demonstrated a significant increase in the levels of TFRC mRNA and protein in preneoplastic livers from relevant experimental models of human hepatocarcinogenesis and in human H...

The etiology and development of human cancers that remain little understood might be enlightened by defining tumor suppressor microRNAs (TS-miRNA). In this study, we identified TS-miRNAs silenced by aberrant DNA hypermethylation in endometrial cancer. Functional screening of 327 synthetic miRNAs in an endometrial cancer cell proliferation assay identified 103 miRNAs that inhibited cell growth. ...

Objective: To assess the magnitude, causes and substandard care factors responsible for the third delay of maternal mortality seen in our unit III, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Civil Hospital, Karachi. Methods: This Cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out on 152 mothers who died over a period of eight years from 1997 to 2004 at Civil Hospital Karachi. Death summaries of...

BACKGROUND Terbium has attracted the attention of researchers and physicians due to the existence of four medically interesting radionuclides, potentially useful for SPECT and PET imaging, as well as for α- and β(-)-radionuclide therapy. The aim of this study was to produce (152)Tb (T 1/2 = 17.5 h, Eβ+av = 1140 keV) and evaluate it in a preclinical setting in order to demonstrate its potential ...