Hamrita Bechr

Higher Institue of Biotechnology of Monastir

The extraction of keratin from natural feathers has been studied for their use in a wide range of cosmetics, and drug delivery applications. There are various reducing agents to dissolve the hard keratin such as sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2-mercaptoethanol, in the present work, novel extraction method has been developed using sodium sulphite, sodiu...

Background and objectives: In this work, our aims were to investigate the antimicrobial resistance, and anti-quorum sensing activities of Punica granatum L. methanolic extract. Materials and methods: Antibacterial and antifungal activities were performed against thirteen bacteria and five fungal pathogens. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatog...

The aim of this study was to investigate the phytochemical composition of dried Roselle calyx (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) using both ethanolic and aqueous extracts. We report the antimicrobial activities against a wide range of bacteria, yeast, and fungi. The antioxidant activities were tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, and...

Coxsackievirus B4 (CV-B4) is suspected to be an environmental factor that has the intrinsic capacity to damage the pancreatic beta cells and therefore causes insulitis and type 1 diabetes (T1D). Although vaccination against CV-B4 could reduce the incidence of this chronic auto-immune disease, there is currently no therapeutic reagent or vaccine in...

The aim of this study is to evaluate tropomyosin-4 (TM4) expression in infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas (IDCAs), as well as its prognostic significance. Using a 2-DE/MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry investigation coupled with an immunohistochemical approach, we have assessed the expression of TM4 in IDCAs, as well as in other types of breast tumors...

The aim of this study was to evaluate calreticulin expression in infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas (IDCAs), as well as its relationships with clinicopathological parameters of the disease. Using a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis/matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry investigation coupled to an immunohi...

Breast cancer represents a major public health problem. Approximately one woman in ten is likely to develop a malignant tumor of the breast in their lifetime. The frequency of breast cancer is rising steadily for 20 years and the practical benefits in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of this disease are still too limited. Actually, there is n...

This study aims to evaluate αB-crystallin expression in infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas (IDCAs), as well as, its prognostic significance. Using a two-dimensional electrophoresis matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry investigation coupled to an immunohistochemical approach, we have assessed the expression...

Objectives: To determine the clinical significance of α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-Pi) in infiltrating ductal breast carcinoma patients. Design and methods: Serum levels of α1-Pi, tryptic specific inhibitory capacity and α1-Pi circulating immune complexes were determined using radial immunodiffusion, BAPNA assays and ELISA, respectively. 2-DE-MS...

Urotoxicity is a troublesome complication associated with cylophosphamide (CP) and L-buthionine-SR-sulfoximine (BSO) treatment in chemotherapy. With this concern in mind, this present study investigated the potential effects of diosgenin for the first time on urotoxicity induced by acute CP and BSO doses using a Swiss albino mouse model. Toxicity m...

Urotoxicity is a troublesome complication associated with cyclophosphamide (CP) and L-buthionine-SR-sulfoximine (BSO) treatment in chemotherapy. With this concern in mind, the present study investigated the potential effects of a hydroxytyrosol extract from olive mill waste (OMW) on urotoxicity induced by acute CP and BSO doses using a Swiss albino...

In the current study, we have used an immunoproteomics approach to identify proteins that commonly elicit a humoral response in patients with infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast. Sera obtained at the time of diagnosis from 40 patients with invasive breast cancer and 42 healthy controls were screened for the presence of IgG antibodies to MC...

Cancer epidemiology has undergone marked development since the nineteen-fifties. One of the most spectacular and specific contributions was the demonstration of the massive effect of smoking and genetic polymorphisms on the occurrence of bladder cancer. The tobacco carcinogens are metabolized by various xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, such as the...

Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) is the major apoprotein constituent of high-density lipoprotein that can play important roles in tumor invasion and metastasis. In the current report, we evaluated the role of the functional ApoA1 polymorphisms (-75 G/A and +83 C/T) as genetic markers for breast cancer susceptibility and prognosis. We used the polymerase c...

Up to now, there are no protein tumor markers with a specificity and sensitivity sufficient to have a utility in prognosis and early diagnosis of cancer. Recent advances in proteomics approaches have led to the identification of novel tumor markers of cancer that may have a utility in screening strategies and treatment. The purpose of the current r...

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is an alkylating agent and has been primarily used as an anti-neoplastic agent for the treatment of various forms of cancer witch causes toxicity by its reactive metabolites such as acrolein and phosphoramide mustard. In this study we investigated the effect of Rosmarinus tomentosus (Romarin) extract on urotoxicity induced by...

Unlabelled: Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women, accounting for approximately 40,000 deaths annually in the USA. In Tunisia, the incidence of breast cancer is approximately 19 new cases per 100,000 women per year. Significant advances have been made in the areas of detection and treatment, but a significant number of breast cancers...

Le cancer du sein représente la première cause de mortalité féminine. Il est défini comme étant une prolifération anormale et anarchique des certaines cellules. L’expression de nombreuses protéines est altérée lors de la transformation cancéreuse et lors de la progression tumorale. Cette expression protéique peut déclencher une réponse d’auto-immun...

E-cadherin is a cell structural protein that has a pivotal role in cell-cell adhesion and epithelial development. Up to now, loss of activity of E-cadherin is believed to contribute to progression in several neoplastic diseases of epidermoid origin including nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) by increasing invasion and proliferation. Besides, function...

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women,accounting for approximately 40,000 deaths annually in theUSA. In Tunisia, the incidence of breast cancer isapproximately 19 new cases per 100,000 women per year.Significant advances have been made in the areas of detectionand treatment, but a significant number of breast cancersare detected late....

The identification of pathological markers of breast cancer for either diagnosis, treatment response or for survival is of critical importance. Serum protein profiling using 2-DE separations coupled to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry has been used to explore protein alterations in patients with infiltrating ductal brea...

In this study we applied a serological proteomics-based approach (SERPA) to identify tumor antigens that commonly induce a humoral immune response in patients with infiltrating ductal breast carcinomas. Sera obtained at the time of diagnosis from 40 patients with invasive breast cancer and 42 healthy controls were screened individually for the pres...

Little emphasis has been placed today on the elucidation of protein alterations in male breast carcinogenesis. Protein extracts were subjected to both isoelectric focusing (IEF) and non-equilibrium pH gradient electrophoretic (NEPHGE) analyses. Differentially expressed proteins in tumor tissues were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption /i...

Improvement of breast-cancer detection through the identification of potential cancer biomarkers is considered as a promising strategy for effective assessment of the disease. The current study has used nonequilibrium pH gradient electrophoresis with subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry to identify protein alterations in invasive ductal carcin...