The aim of this study was to estimate the total amount of phenolic compounds of olive
trees leaves (Olea europaea L.) as Biomarker for the assessment of lead air pollution at
Banias area. Olive trees were selected as the predominant species in the
study area. The
samples were collected from 6 locations at different distances from the vicinity of the
Banias refinery (0.1, 0.5, 2, 4, 6, 10) Km. The dominated wind in the region is western -
southwesterly during the winter (March) and summer (September), The control was taken
from an area about 20 km from the refinery to the north-east (al-Qardahah rural).
The concentration of total phenolic compounds (TPC) during the summer was (45.6-70.85)
mg GAE/g dw and in the control (40.4) mg GAE/g dw, and during the winter the content
of TPC was (35.6-52.9) mg GAE/g dw and in the control (25.8) mg GAE/g dw. The
concentration of Lead (Pb) in unwashed leaves during the summer was (0.879 – 2.170)
ppm and in the control (0.005) ppm, whilst during the winter was (0.479-1.023) ppm and
in the control (0.00083) ppm. The results showed significant differences in the
concentration of total phenolic compounds and lead between sites (Anova test). High
concentration of total phenols and lead in the summer compared to values in winter at all
sites (t-test). The results also showed a negative correlation between the concentration of
total phenolic compounds and lead with the distance from the refinery of Banias. Finally,
The results showed that the TPC can be used as biomarker of lead air pollution in Banias
area.
Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary
tract, and has the fastest rate of recurrence which gives it high
prevalence of tumors all over the world. Early diagnosis is very
important for treatment efficacy, prevent tumor progress
ion and
prolong survival period, so many urinary markers have been
studied but early diagnosis of carcinoma of bladder remains a
challenge. Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis
protein family (IAPs), whose irregular expression is associated with
tumor cell proliferation, progression, angiogenesis, therapeutic
resistance, and poor prognosis.
Gene regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs) is one of the most important regulatory
networks which control normal hematopoiesis. Disturbances in miRNAs levels lead to
proliferation diseases including leukemogenesis. MicroRNAs is a major topic of many
ca
ncer researches performed to discover noninvasive biomarkers used for diagnosis,
prognosis, and optimization of clinical decision.
This study, the first to be performed in Syria, aimed at monitoring miR-155 levels
compared to a normalizer gene RNU6-2 by quantitative reverse transcriptase -PCR (qRTPCR)
in a sample of newly diagnosed untreated AML patients at several hospitals in
Damascus in comparison with healthy controls. Changes in miR-155 gene expression
levels were calculated in patients and controls using the 2-ΔCt method.
The most important finding was the association of low and very high miR-155 levels
with poor prognosis reflected in failure to accomplish complete remission and high
mortality. In addition, high miR-155 levels were associated with M4 AML subtype,
although with large variance among patients. We hope our preliminary study pave the road
for many future research studies related to the applicability of microRNAs in supporting
diagnosis, predicting prognosis, and enhancing the personalized therapies which deal with
patients as individual cases.
