Saliva and 24-h urine samples were collected from male Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) patients with S. haematobium infection and possible concurrent S. mansoni infection without diagnosed bladder cancer (n = 27), bilharzia patients with diagnosed bladder cancer (n = 23) as well as a comparative control group (n = 27) of healthy Egyptian volunteers with no current bilharzia infection and/or bacterial urinary tract infections from the Nile Delta area of Egypt. Saliva samples were analysed for the presence of nitrate and nitrite; urine samples were analysed for the presence of nitrate, nitrite, volatile and non-volatile N-nitroso compounds. Bilharzia patients prior to, and after, diagnosed bladder cancer regularly excreted free nitrite as well as volatile nitrosamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopiperidine and N-nitrosopyrrolidine) in addition to which elevated concentrations of non-volatile N-nitrosamino acids (N-nitrosoproline, N-nitrososarcosine, N-nitrosothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid and its 2-methyl derivative) were also present. Total urinary excretion of volatile N-nitroso compounds (0.32 +/- 0.64 micrograms/day; mean +/- SD) and non-volatile N-nitroso compounds (31.20 +/- 22.07 micrograms/day) was observed in the Egyptian control group. Significantly higher concentrations were found in bilharzia patients: 3.47 +/- 6.42 (P less than 0.05) and 62.91 +/- 21.96 (P less than 0.05); as well as in bilharzia patients with diagnosed bladder cancer: 1.71 +/- 1.96 (P less than 0.02) and 44.94 +/- 7.31 respectively. Free nitrite was found in the urine of two volunteers in the Egyptian control group (1.7 and 3.0 micrograms/day), urinary nitrite was significantly increased in bilharzia patients (5.18 +/- 9.11 micrograms/day, P less than 0.02) and in bladder cancer patients (1.75 +/- 2.81 micrograms/day, P less than 0.05). Nitrate concentrations were elevated from 139.3 +/- 82.2 in the control group to 143.6 +/- 136.3 and 175 +/- 190 in the bilharzia and bladder cancer groups respectively. These results indicate that significant in vivo formation of nitrite and volatile N-nitroso compounds occurs in the urinary bladder of bilharzia patients and this may be an oetiological factor in the induction of bilharzial bladder cancer associated with S. haematobium infection.

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To examine the pathogenesis of hyperthyroidism in women with trophoblastic diseases, the biological activity of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) molecules in women with normal pregnancy (n = 85) and in women with trophoblastic diseases (vesicular mole, n = 30; and choriocarcinoma, n = 12) was compared. Hyperthyroidism (thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) < 0.3 mIU/l) was observed more frequently in women with trophoblastic diseases. All the sera were then subjected to Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with the human TSH receptor (CHO-hTSHr cells) and cAMP production was compared. Sera from the women with choriocarcinoma showed the highest cAMP production. Interestingly, significant correlation between serum hCG level and cAMP production in CHO-hTSHr cells was observed only in women with trophoblastic disease. All the sera were then applied to CHO cells transfected with hCG/luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor (CHO-hCG/LHr cells). In contrast to the findings with the TSH receptor, sera from the women with normal pregnancy showed the highest cAMP production in these cells. Correlation between serum hCG level and cAMP production in CHO-hCG/LHr cells was significant only in normal pregnancy. These results indicate that the hCG molecule from women with trophoblastic diseases displays enhanced thyrotropic activity.

Plants have been used long ago through man history of life for their use in food and medicinal drives. In modern life, natural products have been extracted and isolated from several kinds of plants for the development of new drugs. There are numerous interests in natural antioxidants extracted from medicinal plants, vegetables and fruits, which might help to prevent oxidative damage. One of such plants is plum Prunus domestica L., family Rosaceae. Samples from ‘African Rose’, and ‘Santa Rosa’ plum cultivars were collected from local market in Giza governorate, Egypt. The main phytochemicals of plums (fruit flesh and skin) were analyzed. Total polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins, and reducing power were higher in ‘African Rose’ fruit. The ethanolic and ethyl acetate extracts of two plum cultivars were both high in the antioxidant effect with IC50 13.923 and 18.416 μg/ml of ethanolic extract of ‘African Rose’, and ‘Santa Rosa’ respectively. The IC50 of ‘African Rose’ and ‘Santa Rose’ extract against Caco-2 was 4 and 8.5 μg/ml. GC-MS analysis was carried out, fourteen and twenty one compound were identified in ‘Santa Rosa’ and ‘African Rose’ respectively. The fruits had an antimicrobial action against gram positive and negative bacteria. There was anticancer activity against 3 cell lines: Liver cell line (HepG2), colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cell line, and breast cell line (MCF-7).