High-grade epithelial ovarian cancer is a fatal disease in women frequently associated with drug resistance and poor outcomes. We previously demonstrated that a marine-derived compound MalforminA1 (MA1) was cytotoxic for the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of MA1 on human ovarian cancer cells. The potential cytotoxicity of MA1was tested on cisplatin-sensitive (A2780S) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780CP) ovarian cancer cell lines using AlamarBlue assay, Hoechst dye, flow cytometry, Western blot, and RT-qPCR. MA1 had higher cytotoxic activity on A2780S (IC50 = 0.23 µM) and A2780CP (IC50 = 0.34 µM) cell lines when compared to cisplatin (IC50 = 31.4 µM and 76.9 µM, respectively). Flow cytometry analysis confirmed the cytotoxic effect of MA1. The synergistic effect of the two drugs was obvious, since only 13% of A2780S and 7% of A2780CP cells remained alive after 24 h of treatment with both MA1 and cisplatin. Moreover, we examined the expression of bcl2, p53, caspase3/9 genes at RNA and protein levels using RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively, to figure out the cell death mechanism induced by MA1. A significant down-regulation in bcl2 and p53 genes was observed in treated cells compared to non-treated cells (p < 0.05), suggesting that MA1 may not follow the canonical pathway to induce apoptosis in ovarian cancer cell lines. MalforminA1 showed promising anticancer activity by inducing cytotoxicity in cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant cancer cell lines. Interestingly, a synergistic effect was observed when MA1 was combined with cisplatin, leading to it overcoming its resistance to cisplatin.

Objectives: Febrile neutropenia is a major complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy and is associated with a high rate of mortality and morbidity if not treated appropriately. Consequently, it is important to know the bacterial spectrum and pattern of its resistance in each hospital to formulate an appropriate empiric antibiotic regimen. We sought to study the bacterial spectrum in patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and report their resistance patterns. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on patients admitted with febrile neutropenia between January 2010 and December 2016 in the oncology unit at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Oman. Consecutive patients diagnosed with non-hematological malignancies who had febrile neutropenia and positive blood culture were included in this study. Results: A total of 76 bacterial isolates were documented in 67 episodes in 62 patients. There were 26 male and 36 female patients. The median age was 51 (14–81) years. The most common cancers were breast cancer (17.7%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (16.1%), and colon cancer (14.5%). Gramnegative and gram-positive organisms accounted for 73.7% and 26.3% of all isolates, respectively. The most common gram-negative organisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26.8%), Escherichia coli (23.2%), Klebsiella species (17.9%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (12.5%). The most common gram-positive organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (30.0%), followed by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (25.0%). There were 14 multidrugresistant organisms and eight extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). The resistance among gram-negative organisms to the commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics was 23.5–55.6%. No resistance was recorded against vancomycin amongst the gram-positive organisms. Eight (12.1%) patients died while neutropenic. Conclusions: Gram-negative organisms were the predominant organisms. There is a high rate of resistance to the commonly used antibiotics. Using a combination of antibiotics is warranted in patients presenting with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia.

Objectives: Measurement of outcomes is increasingly employed as an indicator of the quality of clinical care. The most commonly measured outcome in many clinical studies, especially in oncology, still remains the overall survival rate. Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Oman, is striving for excellence through quality management. In seeking continual improvement, quality measurement exercises have been initiated throughout the Hospital. We present the overall survival rate of four of the ten most common cancers diagnosed in Oman. Methods: The cancers included non Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), breast cancer, and stomach cancer. The studies were all retrospective and had been conducted previously. For present purposes, only the overall survival was compared with studies both from the region, and with bench-mark studies. Results: For NHL, with a median follow-up of 8 months, the 2-year overall survival rate was 64%; 90% for low risk, 55% for intermediate risk, and 15% for high risk groups. For HL, the 5-year overall survival rate was 64%; 76% for low risk and 42% for high risk. For breast cancer, the 5-year survival rate was 67%; percentages were 88%, 75% and 59% for Groups I, II, and III respectively. For gastric cancer, the 5-year survival rate was 16.5 %; 24% for the non-metastatic group. Conclusion: The outcome of patients with early stages and fewer adverse prognostic factors is comparable to what has been reported in the international literature; however, the outcome is inferior for patients presenting with advanced stage disease and several adverse prognostic factors.

Nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NLPHL) is a recently described type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and accounts for 5-6% of all the cases of HL. Here we report the case of an elderly man who presented to Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman, with severe hypercalcemia, and was diagnosed to have stage IV NLPHL. Although the incidence of hypercalcemia is estimated to be between 1-5% in classical HL, to our knowledge this is the first report of NLPHL presenting with severe hypercalcemia. The patient responded to the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, and has been in clinical remission for more than 3 years.