This study investigated the shaping abilities of XP Shaper and compared it with other single file NiTi systems using full rotation and reciprocation motion by cone beam computed tomography. Mesiobuccal canal of forty-five mandibular first molars, were divided into three equal groups, using WaveOne, OneShape and XP shaper. Pre-and post instrumentation images were obtained at 3mm, 5mm and 7mm from the apex and were assessed to determine canal transportation and centering ability. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test for comparing the three systems, while Friedman's test was used to compare between the root levels. WaveOne and OneShape showed the highest mean amount of transportation with no statistically significant difference between them. XP Shaper showed the lowest statistically significantly mean amount of transportation. There was a statistically significant difference in the canal centring ability among the three instruments used. It was concluded that XP shaper preserved the original canal shape better than WaveOne and OneShape.

BACKGROUNDNonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related cirrhosis is one of the liver complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and reported to be a risk factor for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A reliable screening biomarker of liver cirrhosis (LC) and HCC among T2DM patients is important to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this disease. MicroRNA (miRNA) is considered a key player in HCC and T2DM, and it might be a hidden culprit in diabetes-associated HCC, making it a promising reliable prognostic tool.AIMTo investigate the signature of serum miRNAs as early biomarkers for the screening of HCC among diabetic patients.METHODSExpression profiles of miRNAs in serum samples of diabetic LC and diabetic HCC patients were assessed using Illumina sequencing; then, RT-qPCR was used to validate significantly altered miRNAs between the two groups. Candidate miRNAs were tested in serum samples of 200 T2DM patients, 270 LC patients, 200 HCC patients, and 225 healthy control subjects. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, with area under the curve (AUC), was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the screened miRNAs for discriminating HCC from LC and nonmalignant patients (LC + T2DM).RESULTSExpression of the sequenced miRNAs in serum was different in HCC vs LC-positive T2DM patients. Two miRNAs (miR-34a, miR-221) were significantly up-regulated and five miRNAs (miR-16, miR-23-3p, miR-122-5p, miR-198, miR-199a-3p) were significantly down-regulated in HCC compared to LC patients. Analysis of ROC curve demonstrated that the combination of these seven miRNAs can be used as a reliable biomarker for detection of HCC in diabetic patients, as it could identify HCC with high diagnostic accuracy in diabetic LC patients (AUC = 0.993) and in diabetic nonmalignant patients (AUC = 0.961).CONCLUSIONThis study validates a panel of serum miRNAs that can be used as a reliable noninvasive screening biomarker of HCC among T2DM cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients. The study recommends further research to shed light on a possible role of c-Met in T2DM-associated HCC via the miRNA regulatory pathway.

The long arm of the Y chromosome contains nonoverlapping regions termed azoospermia factor (AZF) with great influence on male fertility. Microdeletions at these regions minimise the males' ability to father offsprings. In this preliminary study, we attempted to screen the presence or absence of twenty Y chromosome's sequence-tagged sites (STS) associated with fertility in infertile and Down syndrome (DS) males. Genomic DNA from 35 fertile, 74 infertile and 22 karyotyped DS males was extracted and amplified in multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) containing 20 primer pairs that amplify Y-specific STS that cover functional regions associated with AZF and spermatogenesis-related genes. Our results indicated the integrity of the Y chromosome at the 20 fertility markers for both the fertile and Down syndrome males. However, the results of the infertile males showed the presence of microdeletions at these Y-specific STS. Three samples showed Y chromosome microdeletion when blood and seminal fluid genomic DNA were assayed, while two samples showed microdeletion only when seminal fluid genomic DNA was assayed. The current study demonstrated that the molecular genetic aspect of infertility should be given proper attention when dealing with infertility cases. Furthermore, our results indicate the importance of genetic counselling in managing infertility cases.

a b s t r a c tBackground: There are evidences of association between occupational radiation exposure, cytogenetic alterations and the increase in cancer rates. It is known that the probability of carcinogenesis is greater in populations exposed to radiation, since ionizing radiation can raise the frequency of chromosomal aberration and spontaneous mutations.Objective: Our purpose was to assess the role of chromosomal aberrations and oxidative DNA adduct 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as biomarkers of radiation injury in individuals occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation.Subjects: and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 60 radiation workers and 30 healthy volunteers age and sex matched as control group who had never worked in radiation-related jobs. Chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes were assayed by conventional cytogenetic technique and serum levels of 8-OHdG was measured by enzyme linked immunossorbent assay (ELISA).Results: The incidence of all types of chromosomal aberrations was significantly higher in all exposed groups than in controls with the highest rate of chromosomal aberrations in the industrial radiographers. Serum 8-OHdG in all radiation workers was significantly higher than in control group. There was a significant higher values among industrial radiographers compared to diagnostic radiologists or radiotherapists. Significantly lower mean corpuscular volume (M.C.V) was found among radiation workers versus the controls reflecting erythrocyte microcytosis.Conclusions: Scoring of chromosome aberrations such as breaks, fragments and dicentrics is a reliable method to detect previous exposure to ionizing radiation. This type of monitoring may be used as a biological dosimeter instead of physical dosimetry.8-OHdG is a useful oxidative DNA marker among radiation workers and those exposed to environmental carcinogens.

Aim of the study: Micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNA) are small single stranded RNA molecules. They act as key regulators of several cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, tumor differentiation, invasion and metastasis. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most common primary liver cancer. miRNA-224 is an oncomiR that is highly upregulated in HCC tissues. The aim of the present study was to measure the relative expression of circulating miRNA-224 in the serum of patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis and HCC and to assess its usefulness in the diagnosis of HCC. Material and methods: Forty-eight patients were classified into two groups: 24 HCV-related HCC patients (HCC group), and 24 HCV-related liver cirrhosis patients (LC group). A third group included 24 healthy volunteers (control group). Clinical examination, imaging studies and routine laboratory investigations, including serum α-fetoprotein (AFP), were done. Quantification of serum miRNA-224 expression was performed using real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: The relative expression of serum miRNA-224 was significantly higher in HCC patients compared to LC patients and healthy control subjects. Its level correlated positively with the serum concentration of AFP and with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage of HCC. By combining miRNA-224 relative expression with AFP, their diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy increased significantly (95.0%, 92.1% and 93.2%, respectively) compared with either of the two markers alone in discriminating HCC from liver cirrhosis. Conclusions: Serum miRNA-224 relative expression may aid in the diagnosis of HCC. Better diagnostic performance is obtained if miRNA-224 is combined with other tumor markers such as AFP.