Warfarin is commonly prescribed as oral anticoagulant medication for Libyan patients, the wide inter-individual variation between the patients in their response to oral anticoagulants is attributed to genetics factors, mainly polymorphisms in CYP2C9 and VKORC1. This study was aimed to assess the impact of genetic (CYP2C9*2, *3 and VKORC1- 1639G>A/ and 1173 C>T polymorphism), and non- genetic factors: age, and body mass index (BMI) in the response of Libyan patients using oral anticoagulants.A total of 100 patients with stable maintenance dose of warfarin or acenocoumarol were recruited during their routine follow up in anticoagulant clinic at Tripoli Medical Centre. CYP2C9 and VKORC1 variant alleles were screened by (HRM) real-time PCR, followed by DNA sequencing.The variant allele frequencies of CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, and VKORC1 -1639G>A/1173C>T were 9.5%, 4.0%, 4.5%, and 37.0%, respectively.Carriers of VKORC1 (-1639 G>A, 1173 C>T) variant alleles required a significantly lower doses of oral anticoagulants compared with carriers of wild type, P value =0.04, and 0.019, respectively. No significant difference in dose requirement was found between carriers of wild type, and CYP2C9*2 and *3 variant alleles, P value =0.11 and 0.98, respectively.The multivariate regression model including age, BMI, VKORC1, and CYP2C9 genotype produced weak model for estimating the drug dosage (R2= 8.6%); and neither genetic nor non-genetic factors could be used as a predictor for estimation of oral anticoagulant dosage.Our data showed that VKORC1 variant alleles but not CYP2C9*2, *3 variant alleles significantly contributed to oral anticoagulant dose variability. arabic 16 English 82
Aisha Mohamed Dugani(7-2019)

Background: Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemias are common clinical problem among users of glucocorticoids (GCs). The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of oral administration of the aqueous extract of Abelmoschus esculentus peel (AEPE) on hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia induced in rats by dexamethasone (DEXA). Methods: Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into four equal groups. Each group was treated for 10 days either with 2% carboxymethylcellulose orally (normal control); 10 mg/kg DEXA subcutaneously (hyperglycemic group); 100 mg/kg AEPE orally plus 10 mg/kg DEXA subcutaneously (treatment group 1); or 200 mg/kg AEPE orally plus 10 mg/kg DEXA subcutaneously (treatment group 2). Animals were killed after 10 days of treatments by decapitation, their blood collected for the analysis of blood sugar and lipid profile. Results: Treatment with DEXA induced a significant increase in blood glucose and all lipids and a significant reduction in body weights. After 10 days of treatment, 100 mg/kg of AEPE was able to significantly reduce the effect of DEXA on triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) only. 200 mg/kg of AEPE was able to significantly reduce the effect of DEXA on blood glucose levels, cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL. Both doses of AEPE were able to increase high-density lipoprotein. Conclusion: This study suggests that the AEPE could be beneficial in protecting against GC-induced hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. arabic 18 English 116
Aisha Mohamed Dugani(4-2013)

The incidence of thromboembolic diseases is increasing, and they are a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Mediterranean diet is known for its high content of olive products, especially olive oil, which has known cardiovascular health benefits, including those on blood pressure, cholesterol level, and thrombogenesis. All previous animal and clinical studies investigating the beneficial antithrombotic effects of olives have focused on olive oil and a few on olive leaves (OLEs). In this study, the ethanolic extract of OLE was evaluated for its antithrombotic activity in the rabbit model of thrombosis induced by ligature of the vena cava and intravenous administration of tissue thromboplastin. Pre-treatment with 100 or 200 mg/kg per day of the ethanolic extract for 8 weeks significantly prolonged the prothrombin time (PT) in comparison to the control group (12.1090.35 sec and 14.3890.29 sec vs. 10.890.32 sec, pB0.05 and 0.001, respectively). In comparison to the control group, the same doses had no statistically significant effect on thrombus weight (16.8590.67 mg, 16.3290.35 mg, and 17.8190.75 mg; p0.18 and 0.06) or on activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) (19.1790.33 sec, 19.1290.73 sec, and 18.9790.41 sec; p0.36 and 0.43, respectively). One important finding in this study concerns thrombus morphology. In the extract treatment groups, the thrombus was filament-like and did not adhere to blood vessel walls, whereas in the control group the thrombus was thick and almost completely occluded the vein. Therefore, these results suggest that OLE ethanolic extract can modify the extrinsic coagulation pathway as evidenced by the prolongation of PT and changes in thrombus morphology, enough to justify further research to evaluate its possible antithrombotic effects. arabic 20 English 96
AM Dugani(1-2021)

Variant liver oestrogen receptor transcripts in hepatocellular carcinoma are associated with aggressive clinical course and unresponsiveness to tamoxifen. To evaluate the impact on survival and on tumour growth of megestrol (progestin drug acting at post-receptorial level) we enrolled 45 patients with HCC characterized by variant liver oestrogen receptors in a prospective, randomized study with megestrol vs. placebo. Presence of variant oestrogen receptors was determined by RT/PCR. 24 patients were randomized to no treatment and 21 to therapy with megestrol 160 mg day−1. Results were analysed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox methods. Survival of hepatocellular carcinoma characterized by variant oestrogen receptors was extremely poor (median survival 7 months); megestrol significantly improved survival (18 months) (P = 0.0090). Tumour growth at one year was significantly slowed down in megestrol-treated patients (P = 0.0212). Bilirubin levels, presence of portal thrombosis, HBV aetiology and treatment were identified at univariate analysis as factors significantly associated with survival; at multivariate analysis, only megestrol therapy (P = 0.0003), presence of HBV infection (P = 0.0009) and presence of portal vein thrombosis (P = 0.0051) were factors independently related with survival. (1) Megestrol slows down the aggressive tumour growth of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma characterized by variant estrogen receptors and (2) is also able to favourably influence the course of disease, more than doubling median survival. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaignhttp://www.bjcancer.com arabic 12 English 103
A Dugani, Aisha Mohamed Dugani(4-2001)

The anti-ulcer activity of the oil and mucilage obtained from flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) was evaluated in a rat model of ethanol-induced gastric ulcer. Our results show that pretreatment of rats with flaxseed oil and flaxseed mucilage significantly reduced the number and length of gastric ulcers induced by ethanol. Flaxseed oil was more effective than flaxseed mucilage in reducing the number of ulcers. The reduction in ulcer severity (cumulative length in mm) provided by an oral dose of flaxseed oil (5 ml/kg) was more prominent than that obtained by ranitidine (50 mg/kg). This study indicates that both flaxseed oil and flaxseed mucilage can provide a cytoprotective effect against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. arabic 19 English 94
A Dugani, Aisha Mohamed Ali Dugali(1-2008)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a general term describing chronic, idiopathic relapsing, inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract of unknown etiology. Previous studies have indicated that Malva parviflora leaf extract possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiulcerogenic activity. activity. This work aimed to investigatee the anti-inflammatory effect of the methanolic (MEMP) and aqueous (AEMP) extracts of M. parviflora leaves on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. arabic 19 English 104
Aisha Mohamed Dugani, Soad Treesh(5-2016)