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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the top causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Although HCC has been researched extensively, there is still a need for novel and effective therapeutic interventions. There is substantial evidence that initiation of carcinogenesis in liver cirrhosis, a leading cause of HCC, is mediated by cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs were also shown to be responsible for relapse and chemoresistance in several cancers, including HCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute important epigenetic markers that regulate carcinogenesis by acting post-transcriptionally on mRNAs, contributing to the progression of HCC. We have previously shown that co-culture of cancer cells with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could induce the reprogramming of MSCs into CSC-like cells. In this review, we evaluate the available data concerning the epigenetic regulation of miRNAs through methylation and the possible role of this regulation in stem cell and somatic reprogramming in HCC.

: The latest SARS COV2 coronavirus contributes to a pandemic of millions of COVID-19. Because there is no defensive immunity in humans and a virus can overcome inborn immune reaction, it can propagate unhindered, mostly in tissues contaminated. No unique therapies for COVID-19 contaminated patients are available at this time. The insights learned from previous respiratory viral infection control have given guidance into COVID-19 therapy. Several complementary treatments have been tentatively introduced in hospital environments such as immune-modulators, antiviral, convalescent plasma transfusions and natural products. In COVID-19 patients, some of these therapies have provided substantial curative benefits. Moreover, numerous studies and clinical trials are being carried out in order to determine the efficacy of current pharmaceutical and natural products and establish possible therapeutic strategies for producing novel COVID-19 medicines. We summarized and defined the modes of mechanism, protection and efficacy on existing therapeutic strategies for diseases linked to COVID-19 infection.

Rare diseases (RDs) are a group of lifetime incapacitating or fatal diseases affecting nearly 3.5–5.9% of the global population, reaching 263–446 million individuals. RDs possess a genotypic-phenotypic pleiotropic nature so that the same disease can manifest with different outcomes. This renders definitive diagnosis challenging and thus hinders providing appropriate treatment, if available. Since 80% of rare diseases have a genetic origin, evolution in genetic diagnosis owing to the NGS has widely contributed to proper diagnosis and hence facilitating the future implementation of precision medicine. Currently, treatments covering less than 3% of rare diseases are US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved. Besides, RDs have a very high economic burden. This review sheds the light on Egyptian achievements and efforts in the field of rare diseases to prioritize the rare genomic diseases to be studied in Egypt. This will grab the attention towards conducting further studies that target Egyptians, to include the under-recognized populations potentially affected.

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