International Journal of Urology and Nephrology

International Journal of Urology and Nephrology ISSN 2756-3855 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-006, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Evolving Understanding of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Focus on Risk Factor Dynamics

Nabil Abdel-Hamid

Department of Biochemistry, College of Pharmacy, Minia University, Egypt. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel:
+20506913997, +20106426998, +20121830691.

Accepted 19 February, 2025

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) became a prevalent disease in many populations worldwide. It initiates many economic problems in management modalities and leads to increasing mortality rates. Many trials are made all over the world to implement specific early markers for detection and prediction of the disease, hoping to set a more precise strategy for liver cancer prevention. Unfortunately, many economic, cultural and disciplinary levels contribute to confounding preventive strategies. Many risk factors seem to predispose HCC, which either present individually or collectively depending on the environmental situations. Previous articles discussed many risk factors participating in hepatocellular carcinogenesis, although most of them did not handle collectively the current up to date causes. In this article, the pathogenesis and most of risk factors of HCC are briefly discussed. Most of the intermediating steps of HCC pass through molecular and transcriptional events leading eventually to hepatocyte malignant transformation. These steps are mainly triggered by hepatitis B, C or transfusion-transmitted virus, either alone, or with other factors. Diabetes seems to be greatly a leading disease. Schistosomiasis, a blood infestation, mostly disturbs Nile habitants leading also to bladder, renal and hepatic cancers. Alcoholism, food and water pollutants and some other drugs can lead to HCC. Additionally, some hereditary diseases, as hemochromatosis, -1-antitrypsin deficiency and tyrosinaemia are known to develop to HCC, if not discovered.

Key words: HCC, HCV, HBV, TTV, schistosomiasis, alcoholism, NASH, hereditary diseases.
 

International Journal of Urology and Nephrology ISSN 2756-3855 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Impact of Pretreatment Methods and Environmental Conditions on Bladder-Senna Seed Germination

Zafer Olmez* and Askin Gokturk

Artvin Coruh University, Faculty of Forestry, 08000 Artvin, Turkey.

Accepted 11 November, 2024

This study was carried out to determine which pre-treatments should be preferred to overcome dormancy problems of Colutea armena seeds which were collected from three different provenances. Pre-treatments applied to the seeds were submersion in concentrated (98%) sulphuric acid for 30 min, floating in hot water (100°C) followed by continual cooling for 24 h in the same water, soaking in tap water (20 ± 1°C) for 24 h and cold stratification for 20, 40 and 60 days. The seeds were sown in polyethylene pots in the greenhouse and in seedbeds under open field conditions. The statistical approach was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Germinated seeds were observed periodically during 70 days to determine germination percentages and germination rates. The highest germination percentages (52.2, 56.7 and 60.5%) were obtained in seeds which were submersed in sulphuric acid for 30 min and sown in the greenhouse for all three provenances. The best germination rates for provenances of Köprüba ı and Derinköy were 14 and 16 days which were determined in seeds soaked in sulphuric acid for 30 min and sown in the greenhouse. On the other hand, the best germination rate (12 days) of provenance of Salkımlı was determined in seeds which were floated in hot water (100°C) followed by continual cooling for 24 h in the same water and sown under open field conditions.

Key words: Colutea armena, germination, seed, greenhouse, open field condition.
 

International Journal of Urology and Nephrology ISSN 2756-3855 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-006, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Review

Arsenic in Water Systems: Ecotoxicological Effects and Their Relevance to Human Health

Gbaruko, B.C.1*, Ana, G.R.E.E.1 and Nwachukwu, J.K.2

1Department of Environmental Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
2Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria.

Accepted 3 October, 2024

Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid element that is found in soil, air and water. Environmental arsenic exists in both organic and inorganic states. Organic arsenicals are generally considered non toxic, whereas inorganic forms are toxic. The most acutely toxic form is arsine gas. Inorganic arsenic exists predominantly in trivalent (As3+) and pentavalent (As5+) forms, where trivalent compounds are more toxic than pentavalent ones. Human activities have also intensified arsenic accumulation in the environment. Organs most susceptible to arsenic toxicity are those involved with absorption, accumulation or excretion, including the skin, circulatory system, gastrointestinal tract, liver and kidney. Arsenic is associated with multiple health effects, including Blackfoot diseases, diabetes, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy and multiple vascular diseases. Other effects include anemia, liver damage, portal cirrhosis, hematopoietic depression, anhydremia, sensory disturbance and weight loss. In addition to acute toxicity, long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with certain forms of cancer of the skin, lung, colon, bladder, liver and breast. Understanding the ecotoxicological effects of arsenic in the environment is paramount to mitigating its deleterious effects on ecological and human health. This paper is therefore a review of the ecotoxicological effects of arsenic on human and ecological health.

Key words: Arsenic, ecotoxicology, hydrosphere, human health, ecological health.
 

International Journal of Urology and Nephrology ISSN 2756-3855 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Urogenital Morbidities Associated with Schistosoma haematobium Infection in Nigeria

Nmorsi OPG1, Ukwandu NCD2, Ogoinja S3, Blackie HOT1 and Odike MAC2

1Tropical Diseases Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma Nigeria.
2Department of Pathological Sciences, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma Nigeria.
3Department of Radiology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.

Accepted 27 November, 2024

The parasitological investigation assessing the ova of Schistosoma haematobium in urine of 138 volunteers in Ihieve- Ogben, Edo State, Nigeria revealed a prevalence of 43 (31.2%) . Children had a higher prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis 30 (41.1%) than their adult counterparts 13 (20.0%). More volunteers had light intensity of infection 27 (19.6%) than heavy infection 16 (11.6%). The ultrasonographical investigation carried out on these 43 S. haematobium-infected volunteers revealed ten pathological conditions as abnormal wall thickness 24 (55.8%), abnormal shape 30 (69.8%), irregular bladder wall 12 (27.9%), masses 10 (23.3%), pseudopolyp 2 (4.7%), echogenic particles 30 (69.8%), residual volume 12 (27.9%), calcification 24 (55.8%), hydroureter 10 (23.3%) and hydronephrosis 8 (18.6%). These pathological conditions were higher in the volunteers with heavy intensity of infection than those with light infection. Also more pathological conditions were reported among the children than their adult counterparts. Hydronephrosis and hydroureter were absent in the volunteers with light intensity of infection.

Key words: Urinary tract pathology, Schistosoma haematobium, rural volunteers, Nigerian, Ultrasound, Light infection, heavy infection.
 

International Journal of Urology and Nephrology ISSN 2756-3855 Vol. 13 (4), pp. 001-007, April, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Expression Patterns of MUC1 Glycoprotein Across Different Stages of Gallbladder Carcinoma

K. Sanjeev Maurya1, Mallika Tewari1, K. Mahendra Thakur2, Mohan Kumar3, and S. Hari Shukla1*

1Department of Surgical Oncology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
2Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
3Department of Pathology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

Accepted 4 September, 2024

Gallbladder carcinoma is a relatively aggressive and frequently lethal cancer. It is defined as a clinicopathological presentation including a wide spectrum of lethal disease from simple gallstones to dysplasia, to carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma. MUC1, a cell surface antigen expressed in glandular epithelia, is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in adenocarcinoma. In this report, the immunohistochemical and immunofuorescence expression of MUC1 was studied in formalin -fixed, paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from patients with gallbladder carcinomas. In T2 tumor, 48.3% cases showed weak expression and 51.7% showed moderate expression. In T3 tumors, expression was weak in 23.1 %, moderate in 46.2% and strong in 30.8% of cases. In T4 tumors, 9.1% cases showed weak, 40.9% moderate and 50% strong expression of MUC1. We have shown that early gallbladder cancer pathology may involve MUC1 in the disease progression. We have defined the localization of expression of the MUC1 genes during GBC development and correlated them with expression and its stage dependent nature.

Key words: Gallbladder carcinoma, metastasis, membrane protein, cancer diagnosis.
 

International Journal of Urology and Nephrology ISSN 2756-3855 Vol. 13 (3), pp. 001-023, March, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Ethnobotanical Assessment of Medicinal Flora in Izmir Province, Turkey: A Quantitative Approach

Ilker Ugulu*, Suleyman Baslar, Nurettin Yorek and Yunus Dogan

Buca Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylul University, 35160, Buca, Izmir-Turkey.

Accepted 7 January, 2025

In this paper, 108 traditional medicinal plants from Izmir Province in Turkey have been reported. One hundred eight plant species belonging to 54 families and among them 94 species were wild and 14 species were cultivated plants. The informant consensus factor (Fic) and the fidelity level (FL) of the species were determined. The category that has the highest Fic value is Cold and Influenza (0.82) followed by Cough (0.73). The lowest is Hemorrhoids and Enteritis (0.33). Allium cepa and Urtica dioica (100%) has the highest fidelity level and Nigella segetalis (33%) has the lowest. Most used families were Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Apiaceae. The traditional medicinal plants have been mostly used for the treatment of kidney ailments (43,5%), stomach (31.4%), cough (17.6%), wounds (17.4%), hemorrhoids and enteritis (15.7), cold and influenza (13,8%), gall bladder ailments (10,2).

Key words: Informant consensus factor, fidelity level, therapeutic plants, izmir.