• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.4077-4082
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• 2016

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a dreadful complication of end stage liver disease with high morbidity and mortality. Aim: The aim was to assess the role of serum talin-1 and non-invasive fibrosis in patients with HCC. Materials and Methods: A total of eighty seven subjects were enrolled, with 22 two healthy individuals as a control group (n=22), 22 patients in the cirrhosis group and finally 43 in the group with HCC diagnosed with positive triphasic CT abdomen criteria. Serum talin-1 and noninvasive fibrosis parameters were assessed in all subjects. Results: Compared to the cirrhosis group, patients with HCC had higher serum talin-1 ($32.9{\pm}12.6$ vs. $11.1{\pm}2.79ng/ml$), FIB4 ($9.96{\pm}15.3$ vs. $2.90{\pm}1.87$) and $fibro-{\alpha}$ ($10.9{\pm}18.1$ vs. $1.55{\pm}0.28$) but not fibrosis index scores ($4.47{\pm}0.95$ vs. $4.98{\pm}0.96$; p=0.046). Patients with large focal lesions (${\geq}5cm$) had different ALBI scores ($-1.02{\pm}0.63$ vs. $-1.72{\pm}0.59$; p=0.001) serum talin-1 ($9.72{\pm}13.81$ vs. $28.6{\pm}38.89ng/ml$; p=0.007) and fibrosis index scores ($0.85{\pm}0.99$ vs. $4.20{\pm}4.85$; p=0.026). No statistical differences were noted between patients with and without portal vein thrombosis. For detection of HCC, serum talin-1 had 97.7% sensitivity and 100% specificity with a 17.2 ng/ml cutoff. AFP at a 13.7 ng/ml cutoff had 72.1% sensitivity and 6.3.6% specificity. The cutoff for the $fibro-{\alpha}$ score was 1.61 with 81.4% sensitivity and 77.3% specificity. Serum talin-1 (odds=1.08; C.I=1.016-1.150; p=0.014), fibrosis index score (odds=2.35; C.I=1.055-5.217; p=0.037) and the ALBI score (odds=6.9; C.I=1.924-24.708; p=0.003) were predictors of large focal lesions. Conclusions: Serum talin-1, AST/ALT ratio, $fibro-{\alpha}$ score are useful for the assessment of HCC patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3819-3823
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• 2013

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The outcome of HCC depends mainly on its early diagnosis. To date, the performance of traditional biomarkers is unsatisfactory. Talins were firstly identified as cytoplasmic protein partners of integrins but Talin-1 appears to play a crucial role in cancer formation and progression. Our study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of serum Talin-1 (TLN1) compared to the most feasible traditional biomarker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for the diagnosis of HCC. Methods: TLN1 was detected using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 120 Egyptian subjects including 40 with HCC, 40 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 40 healthy controls (HC). Results: ROC curve analysis was used to create a predictive model for TLN1 relative to AFP in HCC diagnosis. Serum levels of TLN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma patients were significantly higher compared to the other groups (p<0.0001). The diagnostic accuracy of TLN1 was higher than that of AFP regarding sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value in diagnosis of HCC. Conclusions: The present study showed for the first time that Talin-1 (TLN1) is a potential diagnostic marker for HCC, with a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to the traditional biomarker AFP.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2007

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary botanicals (herbs and plant extracts) on the performance, nutrient metabolizability, small intestinal microflora, IgG level and blood parameters in broiler chickens. In Exp. 1, 1,000 (500 each sex) broiler chicks($Ross^{(R)}$) were divided into 20 groups of 50 chickens each(25 birds each sex). Four groups were assigned to each of five dietary treatments:control and diets containing antibiotics($Avillamix^{(R)}$, avillamycin-premix), Herb M(Herb $mix^{(R)}$), Plant extract B(BIOSTRONG $510^{(R)}$) and Plant extract A($APEX^{(R)}$). In Exp. 2, 240(120 each sex) broiler chicks($Ross^{(R)}$) were devided into six treatment groups:control and diets containing antibiotics($Avillamix^{(R)}$, avillamycin-premix), Plant extract D($Digestarom^{(R)}$), Plant extract P($Phellozyme^{(R)}$), Plant extract G($Galicin^{(R)}$) and Plant extract C(CRINA $POULTRY^{(R)}$). Each treatment consisted of four replicates of 10 birds each. In both experiments, birds had free access to diets and water for 5 wk on floor pens(Exp. 1) and cages(Exp. 2). In Exp.1, production index of groups fed diets supplemented with herbs and plant extracts was slightly higher than the control and those fed Herb M was highest. In Exp. 2, groups fed diets supplemented with herbs and plant extracts consumed more feed than the control during the period between 4 and 5 wk(P<0.05). Feed conversion(feed/gain) was lower in antibiotics group than other groups. The values of RBC, Hb and HCT were higher(P<0.05) in chicken fed diets supplemented with the additives than in the control in Exp. 1. BA value was lower(P<0.05) in groups fed diets supplemented with the additives than in the control in Exp. 2. Serum IgG were higher(P<0.05) in groups fed diets supplemented with the additives than in the control in both experiments. The cfu of intestinal microflora and metabolizability of nutrients were not significantly different among treatments in both experiments. It was concluded that the botanical supplements can be used as an alternative to antibiotics in broiler diets.