Telomerase is activated in most tumors, but suppressed in normal human somatic cells. Current evidence indicates that telomerase reactivation is a critical step in carcinogenesis, with a close relationship to apoptosis. The goal of this study was to investigate the levels and relationship of telomerase activity to apoptosis and its impact on the survival of Egyptian adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. Telomerase activity was quantified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while apoptosis was measured at the single-cell level by fluorescence in situ detection using flow cytometry in 15 control subjects and 40 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients at presentation. Telomerase activity in ALL patients was negatively correlated to apoptosis [percent and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)] (p < 0.001 for percent and p < 0.001 for MFI) and to the 4-year survival rate (p < 0.05), to which apoptosis (percent and MFI) was consequently positively correlated (p < 0.001 for percent and p < 0.05 for MFI). For telomerase, the highest positive predictive value (PPV) for mortality (93.3%) was at a cut-off value of 13 amol/ml, while those for apoptosis (85% for percent of apoptotic cells and 90.9% for MFI) were at a cut-off of 8% and 0.19 MFI. This makes the measurement of telomerase activity in ALL patients a potential tool to predict disease with unfavorable outcome and a candidate tumor marker.

Transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) from asymptomatic donors has been reported during blood transfusions and organ transplants in humans. In this work, we aimed to investigate the presence of WNV antibody and WNV RNA in blood donors to evaluate the sero-prevalence of WNV and risk for WNV transmission. One hundred and sixty blood donors were tested for the presence of anti-WNV IgG by ELISA and for WNVs 1 and 2 RNA by RT-PCR. About 55% of blood donors were seropositive for WNV IgG antibodies, with significantly higher percentage of positive donors coming from rural areas and Nile Delta region compared to other donors. Using RT-PCR all donors were negative for viral RNA of both WNV lineages 1 and 2. High sero-prevelance of WNV antibodies in asymptomatic blood donors denotes endemicity of the WNV in Egypt and points to the importance of routine screening of blood donors for WNV RNA. On the other hand the absence of WNV RNA by RT-PCR indicates apparent low risk of the blood products as regards WNV transmission. Further studies into significance of WNV seronegativity among Rh negative donors and into the use of WNV seropositive blood in prophylaxis or treatment of WNV neuroinvasive disease are recommended. J. Med. Virol. 89:1323-1329, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Passive smoking in children could be a risk factor for enhanced lymphocytic apoptosis. It is possible that altered lipid profile may play a role in the increased risk. The impact of this lymphocytic derangement on increased frequency of infections is noticeable.

FICTION technique provides a sensitive tool for establishing clonal plasma cells (PC) infiltration of BM aspirates, and is amenable for use on archived as well as fresh smears.

Background: Lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by an uncontrolled production of monoclonal lymphocytes. RECAF is the receptor for alpha-fetoprotein, which is re-expressed on malignant cells, thus serving as a broad-spectrum tumor marker. Methods:The current study is a retrospective study carried out on 200 archival bone marrow trephine biopsy specimens [60 normal control (NC), 38 pathological control (PC) and 102 lymphoproliferative diseases (LPD) specimens]. RECAF expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Results:The percentage of cells that are positive for RECAF was significantly higher in the LPD group than in the NC group (P=0.007), while there was no significant difference between non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients and PC regarding the number of RECAF positive cells (P=0.1). RECAF showed a unique expression pattern among the different subtypes of LPD. None of the hairy cell leukemia (HCL) expressed RECAF, while the highest percentage was seen in follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (P=0.001). Compared to routine histopathology, RECAF was more sensitive in detecting bone marrow (BM) infiltration in FL, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and DLBCL (P=0.01). Conclusion:RECAF is significantly expressed in the BM of NHL/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. RECAF shows a unique expression pattern among the different subtypes of LPD. Furthermore, RECAF may help to detect bone marrow infiltration in lymphoma cells. This may help in the diagnosis, follow-up, and targeting of LPD.