Expression of a Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 10 Gene Polymorphisms in a Cohort of Egyptian Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer mortality. There is a need for a marker associated with HCC progression. A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAMs) family proteins have a lot of functions in cell adhesion, migration, proteolysis and signaling. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between ADAM 10 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and HCC progression. Methods: This study involved 201 cases divided: Group I (67 HCC patients), Group II (67 cirrhotic patients), Group III (67 control). Each group was subjected to laboratory investigations: (CBC, blood sugar, kidney and liver function, viral markers, alpha fetoprotein), imaging: (abdominal ultrasonography, and triphasic C.T) and ADAM 10 gene polymorphism (rs 653765, rs 383902) detection by real – time PCR. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency and genotyping of ADAM10 SNPs in HCC patients in comparison to cirrhotic and control groups [the frequency of rs 653765 genotypes (p=0.015) and model (p=0.013)]; likewise, the frequency of rs 383902 genotypes (p<0.001) and model (p=0.001)). Also, there was a statistically significant association between different SNP rs 383902 genotype with CLIP stages (p=0.02), and with VISUM stages (p=0.035). Conclusion: ADAM-10 are overexpressed in HCC patients and involved in HCC progress. These findings highlight that ADAM inhibitor may be used as therapeutic goals in treatment of HCC.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPOSITE PORTRAITS IN PHOTOGRAPHY

The composite photography technique, invented by Francis Galton in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, took its legacy from the new photography techniques that began to appear in the years immediately after the invention of photography. New perspectives affecting the photographs of that period and new image production greatly contributed to the development of this technique. The multi-layered structure that Galton used in his technique created a striking structure that lacked clarity and this technique has been used by many artists today. The composite portrait productions realized by the artists with the help of analog / digital techniques both challenge the photographic reality and combine innovation and art like the nature of composite photography. Galton's work on technique constitutes a highly developed field of photography practice through digital photography today. The traces of the multi-layered effect Galton created through photographic portraits are seen in the works like Lewis Hine's child labour, Ludwig Wittgenstein's family portrait, Wanda Wulz's cat portrait, William Wegman's family combinations, and Nancy Burson's composite portrait studies in the 1980s, Thomas Ruff's Andere Portrait, Booby Neel Adams' 'Family Tree' project, Daniel Gordon's collages, Ken Kitano's' Portraits of Our Face', and Idris Khan's' Nicholas Nixon's Brown Sisters', and these photos are important for the study. The spirit circulating in the layers of Galton's portraits has changed both aesthetically and technically through analog / digital techniques, shifting to a more unifying and compiling dimension. This article aims to investigate the effect of Francis Galton's photography technique on portrait work in the historical process. Keywords: Photography, art, portrait, composite photography

The nine ADAMs family members serve as potential biomarkers for immune infiltration in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Background The functional significance of ADAMs family members in the immune infiltration of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) awaits elucidation. Methods ADAMs family members with significant expression were identified among differentially expressed genes of PAAD based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database followed by a verification based on the Oncomine database. The correlation of ADAMs in PAAD was estimated with the Spearman’s rho value. The pathway enrichment of ADAMs was performed by STRING and GSEALite, respectively. The protein–protein interaction and Gene Ontology analyses of ADAMs and their similar genes were exanimated in STRING and visualized by Cytoscape. Subsequently, the Box-Whisker plot was used to show a correlation between ADAMs and different tumor grade 1/2/3/4 with Student’s t-test. TIMER was applied to estimate a correlation of ADAMs expressions with immune infiltrates and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy-related molecules. Furthermore, the effect of copy number variation (CNV) of ADAMs genes was assessed on the immune infiltration levels. Result ADAM8/9/10/12/15/19/28/TS2/TS12 were over-expressed in PAAD. Most of the nine ADAMs had a significant correlation. ADAM8/12/15/19 expression was remarkably increased in the comparison between grade 1 and grade 2/3 of PAAD. ADAM8/9/10/12/19/28/TS2/TS12 had a positive correlation with almost five immune infiltrates. ADAM12/19/TS2/TS12 dramatically related with ICB immunotherapy-related molecules. CNV of ADAMs genes potentially influenced the immune infiltration levels. Conclusion Knowledge of the expression level of the ADAMs family could provide a reasonable strategy for improved immunotherapies to PAAD.