Purpose: Circulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) have the potential to be employed as markers for cancer detection and as prognostic tools for disease management. As a result, our goal was to explore the effectiveness of serum miRNA-96-5p and miRNA-99a-5p as diagnostic tools in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and methods: Blood samples were collected from 55 patients with HCV-induced HCC, 55 patients with HCV-induced liver cirrhosis, and 55 healthy controls. The expression levels of miRNA-96-5p and miRNA-99a-5p were measured using quantitative RT-PCR. Results: miRNA-96-5p expression levels were increased in HCC patient sera, while miRNA-99a-5p levels were reduced. According to ROC curve analysis, using a combination of circulating miRNA-96-5p, miRNA-99a-5-, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) improves the accuracy of diagnoses for HCC, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97, compared to AUCs of 0.82, 0.86, and 0.73, respectively, for the individual biomarkers. Furthermore, the present data suggested that higher serum miRNA-96-5p levels were linked to larger tumors and metastasis, whereas lower serum miRNA-99a-5p levels were exclusively linked to HCC metastasis. Conclusion: Using miRNA-96-5p and miRNA-99a-5p in combination with AFP increased both sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of HCC. Furthermore, serum levels were linked to tumor size and metastasis. These findings suggested that serum miRNA-96-5p and miRNA-99a-5p could be used as non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of HCC.

Background and objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a potential health problem in Egypt because ofthe high prevalence of HCV infection. Using alpha-fetoprotein for diagnosis is unsatisfactory especially in early stages.Many studies showed that microRNAs (miRNA) expression may be associated with the development and progressionof various types of cancer including HCC and it may serve as biomarkers for diagnosis. This study examined twomiRNAs which are miRNA-122 and miRNA-224 if it could serve as biomarkers for diagnosis of HCC. Methods: Thisstudy included 20 patients with HCV-induced HCC and 20 patients with HCV-induced liver cirrhosis for comparison.As well as 20 healthy volunteers as controls. All participants were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, anddetermination of serum alpha-fetoprotein. Quantification of plasma miRNA-122 and miRNA-224 was done by real-timequantitative PCR. Results: Our results showed that levels of miRNA-122 were significantly lower in HCC group comparedto the cirrhosis group and controls, while levels of miRNA-224 were significantly higher. The levels of both miRNAshave a correlation with tumor size. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of miRNA-122 (sensitivity 95%, specificity 81%,p-value <0.001) and of miRNA-224 (sensitivity 85%, specificity 79%, p-value <0.001) in discriminating patients withHCC from patients with liver cirrhosis were higher than that of alpha-fetoprotein (sensitivity 70%, specificity 70%,p-value <0.05). In addition, combining any one of these miRNAs with alpha-fetoprotein will increase the diagnosticaccuracy compared to using each marker alone. Conclusion: miRNA-122 and miRNA-224 could serve as biomarkersfor the diagnosis of HCC.

Background: Schistosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease treated exclusively with praziquantel (PZQ). However, PZQ has low efficacy against schistosomula and juveniles. In addition, the emergence of PZQ resistance has prompted the search for new drugs. Methods: This study investigated the effects of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo)-seed oil (PSO) on Schistosoma mansoni adults, juveniles, and newly formed schistosomula in vitro by exposing the parasites to increasing concentrations of PSO (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 μl/mL) with variable incubation periods (24, 48, and 72 hours). Dose–response effects of PSO on mortality rate, worm activity, and tegumental changes were studied. Also, effect on DNA were assessed with microsatellite analysis. Results: All tested stages of S. mansoni were susceptible to PSO, which was more effective than PZQ on juvenile worms and schistosomula. Juveniles and schistosomula S. mansoni were more sensitive to the antischistosomal activity of PSO than adult worms. PSO showed evident changes in the integuments of adults, juveniles, and schistosomula. These changes were more evident with increased concentrations. At the genomic level, PSO induced clear qualitative and quantitative changes in the microsatellite loci R95529 and SMD57 of S. mansoni adults and schistosomula. This microsatellite instability is being reported through the current study for S. mansoni in response to PSO for the first time. Conclusion: This study suggested that PSO possesses effective antischistosomal activity against various stages of S. mansoni. Further investigations are needed to figure out the mechanism of action of PSO on this parasite.

Background: Despite significant advancements in the molecular characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), no oncogene addiction has been discovered. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a lot of promise as cancer biomarkers. LINC00152 and UCA1 have shown potential as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for human cancers. Aim: To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of serum LINC00152 and UCA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The expression levels of LINC00152 and UCA1 in blood samples from 120 patients (60 with HCC, 60 with liver cirrhosis) and 40 healthy subjects were assessed using real-time qRT-PCR. Results: Serum LINC00152 and UCA1 expression were considerably higher in HCC patients compared to patients with liver cirrhosis and the healthy controls (p< 0.001 and p< 0.001 respectively). And their expressions in the liver cirrhosis group were significantly higher than in healthy controls. Both lncRNAs performed well in the ROC analysis, distinguishing HCC patients from patients with liver cirrhosis. Higher levels of LINC00152 expression were linked to lesions in both lobes of the liver (p=0.02), while higher levels of UCA1 expression were linked to vascular invasion and the late stage (p=0.01, p=0.03 respectively). The multivariate analysis showed that a high level of LINC00152 in the blood was an independent indicator of a bad outcome for HCC patients (HR=2.23, 95% CI= 1.30– 5.29, p=0.03). Conclusion: Serum LINC00152 and UCA1 expression were upregulated in patients with HCC, suggesting their use as non-invasive biomarkers for HCC. Furthermore, LINC00152 has the potential to serve as a prognostic indicator.