Anti‐carcinogenic effect of hesperidin against renal cell carcinoma by targeting COX‐2/PGE2 pathway in Wistar rats

The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of hesperidin, a flavonoid on DEN initiated and Fe‐NTA promoted renal carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. Renal cancer was initiated by a single i.p. injection of DEN (200 mg/kg b.wt.) and promoted with Fe‐NTA (9 mg Fe/kg b.wt. i.p.) twice a week for 16 weeks. Rats were simultaneously administered with hesperidin (100 and 200 mg/kg b.wt.) for 16 consecutive weeks. The chemopreventive effect of hesperidin was assessed in terms of antioxidant activities, renal function, PGE2 level, and the expressions of COX‐2 and VEGF. Hesperidin decreased the DEN and Fe‐NTA induced lipid peroxidation, improved the renal function (by decreasing the levels of BUN, creatinine, and KIM‐1) and restored the renal antioxidant armory (GSH, GPx, GR, SOD, and catalase). Hesperidin was also found to decrease the level of PGE2 and downregulate the expressions of COX‐2 and VEGF. Histological findings further revealed the protective effects of hesperidin against DEN and Fe‐NTA induced kidney damage. The result of our present findings suggest that hesperidin may be a promising modulator in preventing renal cancer possibly by virtue of its ability to alleviate oxidative stress and inhibit COX‐2/PGE2 pathway.     

Development and Validation of Questionnaire to Assess Knowledge about Cervical Cancer among Women Aged 20 to 65 years in Oman

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess awareness of cervical cancer, its risk factors, and methods of prevention among Arabic-speaking women aged 20 years and over. Methods: The study took place at primary healthcare institutions, Al Buraimi Governorate, Oman, between November 2018 to February 2019. In phase I, seventy items concerning cervical cancer and its prevention were generated through a literature review. In phase 2, the questionnaire was validated through calculating the content validity index (CVI) for both item level (I-CVI) and the scale level (S-CVI), in this phase a shortened English questionnaire of 55 items was formed, then rigorously translated to the Arabic language in phase III. The questionnaire was tested for reliability in two stages: A pilot and a large field test in phase IV. Results: A total of 55 out of 70 items formed the final version of the questionnaire. The final instrument had an S-CVI/Ave of 0.92. The questionnaire called the Knowledge in Cervical Cancer and Prevention Methods 55-items (KCCPM-55). The Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.940 for the whole questionnaire, and ranged between 0.57 to 0.93 for each of the domains. Test-retest reliability was examined in a subsample of the total participants sample (r = 0.769, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The KCCPM-55 has been successfully developed in the Arabic language and found to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the level of knowledge about cervical cancer and prevention methods among women aged 20 to 65 years in Oman.     

Y-chromosomal evidence for a limited Greek contribution to the Pathan population of Pakistan

Three Pakistani populations residing in northern Pakistan, the Burusho, Kalash and Pathan claim descent from Greek soldiers associated with Alexander's invasion of southwest Asia. Earlier studies have excluded a substantial Greek genetic input into these populations, but left open the question of a smaller contribution. We have now typed 90 binary polymorphisms and 16 multiallelic, short-tandem-repeat (STR) loci mapping to the male-specific portion of the human Y chromosome in 952 males, including 77 Greeks in order to re-investigate this question. In pairwise comparisons between the Greeks and the three Pakistani populations using genetic distance measures sensitive to recent events, the lowest distances were observed between the Greeks and the Pathans. Clade E3b1 lineages, which were frequent in the Greeks but not in Pakistan, were nevertheless observed in two Pathan individuals, one of whom shared a 16 Y-STR haplotype with the Greeks. The worldwide distribution of a shortened (9 Y-STR) version of this haplotype, determined from database information, was concentrated in Macedonia and Greece, suggesting an origin there. Although based on only a few unrelated descendants, this provides strong evidence for a European origin for a small proportion of the Pathan Y chromosomes.