BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a common women's disease. Usually, oestrogen is blamed in the aetiology and correlated with the prognosis; however, androgens are recently raising concern about its role in the breast cancer treatment and prognosis. METHODS: In this study we retrieved archival paraffin blocks of breast cancer patients and stained it for androgen. Thereafter, we compared clinico-epidemiologic parameters, histopathology, neoadjuvant response and recurrence rate and pattern among patients with and without androgen receptor (AR) expression. RESULTS: In total, 119 patients fulfilled enrolment criteria; AR expression were present in 77.3% of the patients. AR expression was associated with less grade III (6.8% versus 36.4%), and less triple negative (6.2% versus 25%), but similar overall recurrence rate (25% versus 22.2%). However, distant recurrence was significantly higher in androgen positive patients (91.3% versus 33.3% of all recurrences). CONCLUSION: Androgen expression appears to be common among breast cancer, but with no clear implication in tumour aggressiveness or effect on the rate of recurrence. However, being commonly associated with distant spread may have an impact on survival of the patients.

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Rotenone is widely used insecticide and pesticide. It is an environmental neurotoxin that induces accumulation of α-synuclein and deterioration of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Autophagymediated self-digestion of cytoplasmic inclusions may be defensive against neurodegeneration caused by rotenone toxicity. This study designed to assess the autophagy role in rotenone-induced neurotoxic effects. Sixteen C57 black 6 male mice were divided into rotenone & control groups, each group contains 8 mice: the rotenone group; mice were administrated rotenone (3 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally). In the control group carboxymethyl cellulose 0.5% (a vehicle for rotenone) was given as 3mL/Kg/day intraperitoneal. Neuro-behavioural locomotor tests, histopathological and immuno-histochemical analysis of the brain dopaminergic neuronal cells and counting of microtubule Associated Protein Light Chain 3 (LC3) positive cells expression were investigated. Results showed that rotenone administration increases the total distance travelled, numbers of line crossing, average speed, maximum speed and rotations of the animal's body. However, it significantly decreases the efficient path and the total mobile and immobile episodes and induced severe degenerative changes in histo-pathological examination. Also, it decreased significantly the quantity of LC3 positive cells in the brain sections of exposed mice i.e. neurodegeneration and inhibition of autophagy in dopaminergic system. From this study it can be concluded that rotenone can induce neurotoxicity through inhibition of autophagy.

Objective: Carcinosarcomas (CSs) and leiomyosarcomas (LMSs) are rare uterine cancers with high mortality. This study presents a dual institutional experience from two different university teaching hospitals (Mansoura and Zagazig Universities situated in the Delta of the Nile River in Egypt) with regard to the treatment modalities of those two types of uterine cancers aimed at establishing demographics and treatment outcomes. Patients & Methods: The data from 12 uterine CS and 17 LMS patients treated at the Clinical Oncology Departments of Mansoura and Zagazig Universities from January 2012 to June 2018 were reviewed to evaluate demographics and treatment outcomes. Results: The mean age of the patients was greater than 50 years. Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) was the most common presenting symptom. Six CS (50%) patients underwent comprehensive surgical staging, while 4 patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH&BSO). Conversely, TAH&BSO was performed in 15 patients with LMS (88%). Adjuvant radiotherapy was given to 6 CS (50%) and 4 LMS (24%) patients. Meanwhile, adjuvant chemotherapy was received by 5 CS (42%) and 8 LMS (47%) patients. Pelvic failure occurred in only the LMS group. Visceral metastasis occurred in both groups, while bone metastasis was encountered in only the CS group. The overall survival at 5 years was 53% and 32% in patients with CS and LMS, respectively. Conclusion: AUB should be seriously investigated. Both diseases are aggressive despite early presentation and radical multimodality treatment. Local recurrence was reported in only the LMS group. Visceral metastasis occurred in both groups, unlike bone metastasis. New targeted therapies are urgently needed.

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