Background:In children with meningitis, there is a difficulty to verify the etiology as viral or bacterial. Therefore, intensive research has been carried out to find new and rapid diagnostic methods for differentiating bacterial from viral meningitis.Objectives:The aim of this work was to study the behavior of procalcitonin (PCT) and whether it can be used to differentiate children with bacterial from those with viral meningitis. We also compared PCT to C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell count.Patients and Methods:Forty children aged from 4 months to 12 years with clinically suspected meningitis were studied. Lumbar punctures were done for all cases before starting initial antibiotic treatment. According to the results of bacterial cultures and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytochemical profile, our patients were classified into two groups: bacterial meningitis group and viral meningitis group. PCT, CRP, and leukocyte count were measured at the time of admission and after 3 days.Methods:Forty children aged from 4 months to 12 years with clinically suspected meningitis were studied. Lumbar punctures were done for all cases before starting initial antibiotic treatment. According to the results of bacterial cultures and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytochemical profile, our patients were classified into two groups: bacterial meningitis group and viral meningitis group. PCT, CRP, and leukocyte count were measured at the time of admission and after 3 days.Results:PCT levels were significantly higher in patients with bacterial meningitis (mean, 24.8 ng/ml) compared to patients with viral meningitis (mean, 0.3 ng/ml) (P<0.001). PCT levels in bacterial meningitis group decreased after 3 days of starting treatment, but remained higher than viral meningitis group (mean, 10.5 ng/ml). All CSF parameters, blood leukocytes, and CRP showed overlapping values between the two groups. Serum PCT with cut off value >2 ng/ml showed sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 100%, 66%, 68%, and 100%, respectively, for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis.Conclusion:Serum procalcitonin level has a better diagnostic and prognostic value than CRP or leukocyte count to distinguish between bacterial and viral meningitis. It is also a good indicator of the efficacy of treatment of bacterial meningitis.

Aim To evaluate Latissimus Dorsi flap (LD) enhancement by lipofilling as an immediate breast reconstruction technique, for skin‐preserving mastectomy regarding oncological safety, fat graft resorption after radiotherapy, and patients' satisfaction. Patients and methods This is a prospective study that included female patients complaining of breast cancer. Patients were subjected to skin‐preserving mastectomy associated with Latissimus Dorsi flap enhancement by lipofilling using the multisite, and multilayer fat grafting technique of injection. Patients were followed up for early and late postoperative complications including recurrence. Volumetric CT was performed before and after the radiotherapy to detect the percentage of fat resorption. Postoperative patients' satisfaction was assessed using the Kyungpook National University Hospital (KNUH) Breast Reconstruction Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results The study included 25 female patients with a mean age of 36.48 ± 5.87 years. The mean period of follow‐up was 30.32 ± 5.82 months. Local recurrence was encountered in 1 patient (4%). The mean volume reduction of the injected fat graft was 27.36 ± 8.58%. Twenty‐three patients (92%) declared their satisfaction after the operation, one of them was satisfied only after she underwent a second session of lipofilling. Conclusions Skin‐preserving mastectomy with the enhancement of the LD by lipofilling for immediate reconstruction of the breast seems to be a safe and simple technique for the achievement of autologous breast reconstruction. It has an acceptance rate of locoregional recurrence and minor postoperative complications. The procedure showed high postoperative patients' satisfaction and a reasonable percentage of fat resorption as confirmed by volumetric CT imaging techniques.

Nestin; a neural stem cell protein that plays an important role in Cancer stem cells (CSC) development and proliferation. It has been identified as a marker for newly formed endothelial cells and was shown to be preferentially expressed in basal and myoepithelial cells of the mammary gland. HOTAIR is long intergenic non-coding (linRNA) associated with tumorigenesis through promotion of epithelial – mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness as well. HOTAIR gene contains a functioning single nucleotide polymorphic site rs12826786 C>T that has been associated with several cancer types. We evaluated serum Nestin and the HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism, in healthy and breast cancer Egyptian women, for using as a possible screening tool to identify patients with breast cancer. Also, we tested the possible association of the two markers with each other and aggressiveness of the disease. Results: Patients with breast cancer had a median (Min-Max) of serum Nestin 31.3 (6.7 - 167.3 pg/ml) while control subjects had a median (Min-Max) of serum Nestin 42.3 ( 25.7-315.95) pg/ml The best cut-off value for serum Nestin to differentiate normal subjects and patients with breast cancer was 39.9 pg/ml. This cut-off value had a diagnostic sensitivity of 84.8% and specificity of 65.1%. There was a significant difference in the distribution of different alleles in patients with breast cancer than normal subjects (P= 0.039 Exact Fisher test) The breast cancer patients group had 23% CC, 52.1%CT and 23.9% TT genotypes respectively while the control group had 46.9% CC, 42.8%CT and 10.2% TT respectively. Conclusion: A significantly low serum Nestin below 39.9 pg/ml and higher percentage of the T/T homozygous mutant allele of HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T were found in Egyptian patients with breast cancer. We suggest that the reported cutoff value of serum Nestin and the presence of C/T polymorphism can be used to assess the risk of females for developing breast cancer and might be of potential benefit in screening the disease. Larger studies in different ethnic groups are needed to confirm our findings.

Objective: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world. Many metastasis suppressor genes were identified, including the KISS1 gene which encodes for a 145 amino acid protein (kisspeptin-145), which undergoes proteolytic cleavage resulting in kisspeptin-14, -13 and -10. All of these proteins can activate KISS1 receptor (KISS1R). The role of KP/KISS1R signaling in breast cancer remains controversial. The present study aimed to measure mRNA gene expression of KISS1 receptor in healthy and cancerous breast tissue and to evaluate the association of its level with the available molecular subtypes and the traditional clinico-pathological variables. Methods: The study was done on 41 operable primary breast cancer patients. Biopsies from both tumor tissue and surrounding healthy mammary tissue were taken from all patients. KISS1R mRNA expression level was measured using a quantitative real time PCR. Results: KISS1R mRNA expression was significantly higher in stage III patients compared to stage II patients. At a cut-off value for KISS1R mRNA expression of 1.75, stage II was discriminated from stage III. A significant positive correlation was found between KISS1R mRNA expression and tumor size as well as lymph nodes metastasis. KISS1R mRNA was highly expressed in ER negative cases compared to ER positive ones, and in PR negative cases compared to PR positive ones. There was a statistically significant difference in KISS1R mRNA expression levels and different molecular subtypes being over-expressed in HER2 and triple negative cancer cases. Conclusion: This study supports other studies suggesting that KISS1/KISS1R may not be acting as a metastasis suppressor in breast cancer. KISS1R mRNA is over expressed in advanced stages of breast cancer and hence it can be used as a prognostic marker for aggressiveness of breast cancer. Also being over expressed in triple negative patients, KISS1R could represent a promising therapeutic target in triple negative cases.

AIM: To evaluate the local dermo-glandular flap as a new reconstructive oncoplastic technique after removal of central malignant tumors of the breast, in terms of patient satisfaction and local recurrence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 60 females with centrally located breast cancer who underwent central quadrantectomy and local dermo-glandular flap with either sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary clearance. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 49.68 ± 8.52 years. The duration of the operation ranged from 68–105 minutes, with a mean of 79.77 ± 9.41 minutes. Local recurrence was observed in three patients (5.00%) with no distant metastasis. Forty-seven patients (78.33%) reported satisfaction after the operation. Ugly scarring and the existence of tissue defects were the main factors affecting patient satisfaction. Correction of these complications increased overall satisfaction to 88.33%. CONCLUSIONS: For small- and medium-sized breasts, the use of a local dermo-glandular flap for the management of centrally located malignant tumors seems to be a simple and easy technique with good oncological outcomes and acceptable few minor complications. This technique offers an immediate reconstruction of a new areola with fewer scars that will be hidden later after areola tattooing. Most of the patients reported satisfaction three months after areola reconstruction.