RESUMEN
Objective: To elucidate and validate the potential regulatory function of miR-19a/b-3p and its spermatogenesis-related transcripts content in sperm samples collected from men with oligoasthenozoospermia. Methods: Men presenting at an infertility clinic were enrolled. MicroRNA (miRNA) and target genes evaluation were carried out using in silico prediction analysis, Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) validation, and Western blot confirmation. Results: The expression levels of miRNA-19a/b-3p were significantly up-regulated and 51 target genes were significantly down-regulated in oligoasthenozoospermic men compared with age-matched normozoospermic men as determined by RT-qPCR. Correlation analysis highlighted that sperm count, motility, and morphology were negatively correlated with miRNA-19a/b-3p and positively correlated with the lower expression level of 51 significantly identified target genes. Furthermore, an inverse correlation between higher expression levels of miRNA-19a/b-3p and lower expression levels of 51 target genes was observed. Consistent with the results of the RT-qPCR, reduced expression levels of STK33 and DNAI1 protein levels were identified in an independent cohort of sperm samples collected from men with oligoasthenozoospermia. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the higher expression of miRNA-19a/b-3p or the lower expression of target genes are associated with oligoasthenozoospermia and male infertility, probably through influencing basic semen parameters. This study lay the groundwork for future studies focused on investigating therapies for male infertility.
RESUMEN
Abamectin, an avermectin member, can induce significant neurodegeneration symptoms in non-target organisms. However, its neurodevelopmental influences in mammals are unclear. Here, we focus on the antiapoptotic action of alpha-mangostin against the developmental neurotoxicity of abamectin with the possible involvement of reelin and nestin mRNA gene expression. Thirty-two pregnant rats were allocated to four groups (8 rats/group); control, alpha-mangostin (20 mg/kg/d), abamectin (0.5 mg/kg), and co-treated group (alpha-mangostin + abamectin). The animals have gavaged their doses during the gestation period. The fetotoxicity and many signs of growth retardation were observed in the abamectin-intoxicated rats. In comparison with the control group, abamectin prompted a significant elevation (p < 0.05) in the levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide, along with many symptoms of histopathological changes in the fetal cerebral cortex. However, the glutathione, dopamine, and serotonin concentrations together with the activities of glutathione-S-transferase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase were markedly decreased (p < 0.05) in the abamectin group. Moreover, abamectin remarkably upregulated (p < 0.05) the brain mRNA gene expression of reelin, nestin, and caspase-9 as well as the immunoreactivity of Bax and caspase-3 proteins in the cerebral cortex. It should be noted that alpha-mangostin mitigated the developmental neurotoxicity of abamectin to the normal range by recovering the levels of oxidant/antioxidant biomarkers, catecholamines; and apoptosis-related proteins with the involvement of reelin and nestin genes regulation. Those records revealed that the transcription regulation of reelin and nestin could be involved in the neuroprotective efficacy of alpha-mangostin, especially avermectin's developmental neurotoxicity.
Asunto(s)
Antioxidantes , Óxido Nítrico , Animales , Femenino , Embarazo , Ratas , Antioxidantes/farmacología , Proteína X Asociada a bcl-2/metabolismo , Encéfalo , Caspasa 3/metabolismo , Caspasa 9/metabolismo , Caspasa 9/farmacología , Catalasa/metabolismo , Dopamina/metabolismo , Dopamina/farmacología , Glutatión/metabolismo , Malondialdehído/metabolismo , Nestina/genética , Nestina/metabolismo , Nestina/farmacología , Neurotransmisores/metabolismo , Óxido Nítrico/metabolismo , Oxidantes/metabolismo , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , Serotonina , Superóxido Dismutasa/metabolismo , Transferasas/metabolismo , Transferasas/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Women undergoing infertility treatment are routinely subjected to one or more tests of ovarian reserve. Therefore, an adequate assessment of the ovarian reserve is necessary for the treatment. In this study, we aimed to characterize the potential role of microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers for women with different ovarian reserves. A total of 159 women were recruited in the study and classified according to their anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level into three groups: (1) low ovarian reserve (LAMH, n = 39), (2) normal ovarian reserve (NAMH, n = 80), and (3) high ovarian reserve (HAMH, n = 40). SurePrint Human miRNA array screening and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were respectively employed to screen and validate the miRNA abundance level in the three tested groups. Compared with NAMH, the abundance level of 34 and 98 miRNAs was found to be significantly altered in LAMH and HAMH, respectively. The abundance level of miRNAs was further validated by RT-qPCR in both, the screening samples as well as in an independent set of validation samples. The abundance levels of the validated miRNAs were significantly correlated with the AMH level. The best AUC value for the prediction of the increase and decrease in the AMH level was obtained for the miR-100-5p and miR-21-5p, respectively. The level of miRNAs abundance correlates with the level of AMH, which may serve as a tool for identifying women with a different ovarian reserve and may help to lay the ground for the development of novel diagnostic approaches.
Asunto(s)
MicroARNs/genética , Folículo Ovárico/citología , Reserva Ovárica/genética , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Hormona Antimülleriana/metabolismo , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Femenino , Fertilización In Vitro/métodos , Humanos , Infertilidad Femenina/genética , Infertilidad Femenina/metabolismo , Folículo Ovárico/metabolismo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Little is known about abundance level changes of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNA) in patients with Ebstein's anomaly (EA). Here, we performed an integrated analysis to identify the differentially abundant miRNAs and mRNA targets and to identify the potential therapeutic targets that might be involved in the mechanisms underlying EA. A large panel of human miRNA and mRNA microarrays were conducted to determine the genome-wide expression profiles in the blood of 16 EA patients and 16 age and gender-matched healthy control volunteers (HVs). Differential abundance level of single miRNA and mRNA was validated by Real-Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Enrichment analyses of altered miRNA and mRNA abundance levels were identified using bioinformatics tools. Altered miRNA and mRNA abundance levels were observed between EA patients and HVs. Among the deregulated miRNAs and mRNAs, 76 miRNAs (49 lower abundance and 27 higher abundance, fold-change of ≥2) and 29 mRNAs (25 higher abundance and 4 lower abundance, fold-change of ≥1.5) were identified in EA patients compared to HVs. Bioinformatics analysis identified 37 pairs of putative miRNA-mRNA interactions. The majority of the correlations were detected between the lower abundance level of miRNA and higher abundance level of mRNA, except for let-7b-5p, which showed a higher abundance level and their target gene, SCRN3, showed a lower abundance level. Pathway enrichment analysis of the deregulated mRNAs identified 35 significant pathways that are mostly involved in signal transduction and cellular interaction pathways. Our findings provide new insights into a potential molecular biomarker(s) for the EA that may guide the development of novel targeting therapies.
Asunto(s)
Anomalía de Ebstein/genética , Redes Reguladoras de Genes , MicroARNs/genética , ARN Mensajero/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Anomalía de Ebstein/metabolismo , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , MicroARNs/metabolismo , ARN Mensajero/metabolismo , TranscriptomaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Male infertility is a multifactorial syndrome with diverse phenotypic representations. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Altered abundance levels of ODF2 and UBQLN3 have been reported in patients with different spermatogenic impairments. However, the transcriptional regulation of these two genes by miR-23a/b-3p is still unclear. OBJECTIVES: To investigate experimentally whether miR-23a/b-3p targets the genes ODF2 and UBQLN3 and whether this targeting impacts abundance levels of ODF2 and UBQLN3 in patients with oligoasthenozoospermia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 92 men attending a fertility clinic were included in the study, including 46 oligoasthenozoospermic men and 46 age-matched normozoospermic volunteers who served as controls. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blot, and dual-luciferase (Firefly-Renilla) assays were used to validate the miRNAs and their target genes. RESULTS: RT-qPCR revealed that miR-23a/b-3p was more abundant and ODF2 and UBQLN3 targets were less abundant in men with impaired spermatogenesis. Besides, Western blot shows that ODF2 and UBQLN3 protein levels were reduced in men with impaired spermatogenesis. In silico prediction and dual-luciferase assays revealed that potential links exist between the higher abundance level of miR-23a/b-3p and the lower abundance level of ODF2 and UBQLN3 targets. Mutations in the miR-23a/b-3p-binding site within the 3'UTRs (3'untranslated regions) of ODF2 and UBQLN3 genes resulted in abrogated responsiveness to miR-23a/b-3p. Correlation analysis showed that sperm count, motility, and morphology were negatively correlated with miR-23a/b-3p and positively correlated with the lower abundance level of UBQLN3, while ODF lower abundance level was positively correlated with sperm motility. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that the higher abundance level of miR-23a/b-3p and the lower abundance level of ODF2 and UBQLN3 targets are associated with oligoasthenozoospermia and male subfertility.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Choque Térmico/genética , MicroARNs/genética , Oligospermia/genética , Ubiquitinas/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/genética , Humanos , Masculino , MicroARNs/biosíntesis , Espermatogénesis/genética , Espermatozoides/metabolismo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To identify differentially abundant miRNAs in sperm samples and spent culture media (SCM) of embryos of different grade toward a prediction of pregnancy outcome. DESIGN: Array-based reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction profiling and validation. SETTING: University research institute and in vitro fertilization center. PATIENT(S): Couples (n = 61) undergoing infertility treatment with the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. INTERVENTIONS(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Abundance levels of miRNAs in combined SCM of embryos of different quality and in sperm samples associated with pregnancy outcome. RESULT(S): Out of 372 screened miRNAs, miR-19b-3p and let-7a-5p were detected consistently in all SCM and sperm samples. The abundance levels of miRNAs were significantly altered between SCM of embryos with different quality (G1, G2, and G3 grades). Specifically, miR-320a and miR-15a-5p were differentially abundant in G1 vs. G2, miR-21-5p in G1 vs. G3, and miR-20a-5p in G2 vs. G3. The abundance levels of combined SCM and sperm derived miRNAs were also significantly altered between different pregnancy outcomes. MiR-19b-3p showed the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values between positive and negative outcomes, with lower abundance levels in both combined SCM and sperm samples associated with a positive pregnancy outcome. MiR-320a, miR-15a-5p, miR-21-5p, and miR-20a-5p showed similar results in combined SCM samples. CONCLUSION(S): miRNA abundance levels in combined SCM and sperm differed significantly depending on embryo quality and pregnancy outcome. MiR-19b-3p may serve as a potential biomarker to predict pregnancy outcome.
Asunto(s)
Blastocisto/metabolismo , Medios de Cultivo/metabolismo , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Inyecciones de Esperma Intracitoplasmáticas , Espermatozoides/metabolismo , Adulto , Blastocisto/patología , Hibridación Genómica Comparativa , Técnicas de Cultivo de Embriones , Femenino , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Masculino , MicroARNs/genética , Embarazo , Índice de Embarazo , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Inyecciones de Esperma Intracitoplasmáticas/efectos adversos , Transcriptoma , Resultado del Tratamiento , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the potential regulatory function of miR-23a/b-3p on spermatogenesis-specific genes. DESIGN: Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) validation, Northern blot, dual luciferase assay, and Western blot confirmation. SETTING: University research and clinical institutes. PATIENT(S): A total of 115 men presenting at an infertility clinic. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Significant higher abundance levels of miR-23a/b-3p and lower abundance levels of PFKFB4, HMMR, SPATA6, and TEX15 in oligoasthenozoospermic men compared with those in normozoospermic men. RESULT(S): In oligoasthenozoospermic men, the abundance levels of miR-23a/b-3p were significantly higher when compared with controls as determined by RT-qPCR. After in silico prediction of potential targets of miR-23a/b-3p, PFKFB4, HMMR, SPATA6, and TEX15 have been identified as direct targets by dual luciferase assays. Mutations in the miR-23a/b-3p binding site within the 3'UTRs resulted in abrogated responsiveness to miR-23a/b-3p. PFKFB4, HMMR, SPATA6, and TEX15 mRNA and HMMR and SPATA6 protein levels were significantly lower in oligoasthenozoospermic men compared with in normozoospermic men. Correlation analysis showed that the sperm count, motility, and morphology were negatively correlated with miR-23a/b-3p and positively correlated with PFKFB4, HMMR, SPATA6, and TEX15 abundance levels (lower ΔCt, the higher abundance levels). CONCLUSION(S): This study establishes a link between up-regulation of miR-23a/b-3p and the coincident down-regulation of four expressed genes in the sperm of men with oligoasthenozoospermia, compared with men with normozoospermia. This study provides a novel insight into some of the mechanisms leading to male subfertility, offering a possible therapeutic target for treatment, or even for male contraception.
Asunto(s)
Infertilidad Masculina/genética , MicroARNs/genética , Adulto , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Proteínas del Citoesqueleto/genética , Proteínas del Citoesqueleto/metabolismo , Proteínas de la Matriz Extracelular/genética , Proteínas de la Matriz Extracelular/metabolismo , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Receptores de Hialuranos/genética , Receptores de Hialuranos/metabolismo , Masculino , MicroARNs/fisiología , Fosfofructoquinasa-2/genética , Fosfofructoquinasa-2/metabolismo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BackgroundCYP2C19 loss-of-function polymorphic alleles (*2 and *3) have been documented to impair clopidogrel metabolism, and represent a risk factor for major adverse cardiac events. CYP2C19 polymorphism exhibits marked ethnic heterogeneity. Objective To determine the prevalence of CYP2C19 *2 and *3 alleles in a cohort of Palestinian patients managed with percutaneous coronary intervention and dual antiplatelet therapy, and to determine their role in causing major adverse cardiac events. Setting The blood samples were collected at the European Gaza Hospital, and the molecular techniques performed at the molecular genetics laboratory of the Islamic university of Gaza. Method The frequency of CYP2C19 *2 and *3 alleles was determined in 110 patients managed with percutaneous coronary intervention and clopidogrel. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP. Personal and clinical data was obtained from patient record and 6-month follow-up for major adverse cardiac events. Main outcome measureCYP2C19 genotype, personal and clinical data and incidence of major adverse cardiac events. Results The frequency of CYP2C19 *1, *2 and *3 alleles was 82.3%, 15.5% and 2.3% respectively. Genotyping analysis showed that, 67.3% were homozygotes for CYP2C19 *1, 27.3% were *1/*2, 2.7% with *1/*3 genotype, 1.8% were *2/*3 and 0.9% were *2/*2. These frequencies were consistent with those of Caucasian populations. According to this study the poor metabolizers phenotype frequency was 2.7%, which is in the same range reported in Caucasians (2-5%) and lower than Oriental populations 13-23%. A strong significant relation was found between major adverse cardiac events and carrying the variant allele CYP2C19 *2 (P = 0.001). On the other hand, there was no significant relation between major adverse cardiac events and carrying the variant allele CYP2C19 *3 (P = 0.324). Conclusion The CYP2C19 *2 allele is relatively common in our population, and its associated reduced metabolic activity deserves attention as it leads to an increased incidence of major adverse cardiac events in the follow-up of patients receiving clopidogrel.
Asunto(s)
Árabes/genética , Clopidogrel/efectos adversos , Citocromo P-450 CYP2C19/genética , Frecuencia de los Genes/genética , Intervención Coronaria Percutánea/tendencias , Inhibidores de Agregación Plaquetaria/efectos adversos , Anciano , Enfermedades Cardiovasculares/inducido químicamente , Enfermedades Cardiovasculares/genética , Clopidogrel/uso terapéutico , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Intervención Coronaria Percutánea/efectos adversosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Celiac disease (CD) diagnosis can be established by serological and small bowel biopsy (SBB), while absence of HLA-DQ2 and -DQ8 haplotypes excludes the disease. The present study aims at evaluating the diagnosis of a representative sample of pediatric and adult CD patients of Gaza strip in light of DQ2 and DQ8 haplotypes expression. METHODS: Unrelated CD patients (n = 101) and matched healthy controls (n = 97) were genotyped for DQA1*05, DQB1*02 and DQB1*03:02 alleles by allele-specific real-time PCR. The diagnosis was re-evaluated according to the patient laboratory tests and HLA-DQ genotype. RESULTS: The diagnosis of 35 patients who have been managed for CD could not be confirmed. Twenty-five of them were diagnosed upon their clinical presentation only. The remaining were either negative for serological and SBB tests or negative for HLA-DQ haplotypes. The HLA-DQ alleles were negative in 4 SBB and one Anti-EMA positive patients. The frequency of DQ2 and DQ8 haplotypes among the remaining 65 confirmed cases was 70.8 and 15.4%, respectively, compared to 17.5 and 27.8% in the controls. The DQB1*02 allele was the most common in the cases (84.6%) followed by DQA1*05 allele (80%) and DQB1*03:02 allele (20%). The DQA1*05 allele was commonest in the control group (54.6%) followed by DQB1*02 allele (42.3%) and DQB1*03:02 allele (28.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Absence of HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genotyping in the workup of patients may result in CD misdiagnosis, particularly in a setting with poor histopathological diagnostic capacity.
RESUMEN
Molecular markers are credible for the discrimination of genotypes and estimation of the extent of genetic diversity and relatedness in a set of genotypes. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers rapidly reveal high polymorphic fingerprints and have been used frequently to determine the genetic diversity among date palm cultivars. This chapter describes the application of ISSR markers for genotyping of date palm cultivars. The application involves extraction of genomic DNA from the target cultivars with reliable quality and quantity. Subsequently the extracted DNA serves as a template for amplification of genomic regions flanked by inverted simple sequence repeats using a single primer. The similarity of each pair of samples is measured by calculating the number of mono- and polymorphic bands revealed by gel electrophoresis. Matrices constructed for similarity and genetic distance are used to build a phylogenetic tree and cluster analysis, to determine the molecular relatedness of cultivars. The protocol describes 3 out of 9 tested primers consistently amplified 31 loci in 6 date palm cultivars, with 28 polymorphic loci.
Asunto(s)
Marcadores Genéticos/genética , Repeticiones de Microsatélite/genética , Phoeniceae/genética , Análisis por Conglomerados , ADN de Plantas/genética , Variación Genética/genética , Genotipo , Filogenia , Polimorfismo Genético/genéticaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Natural products including, traditional medicinal plants have emerged as a tempting alternative to conventional chemotherapeutic protocols of leukemia because of their minimum side effects and less documented drug resistance. METHODS: Ethanol extracts were prepared from Thymus vulgaris L. and Origanum syriacum L. plants and investigated against the THP-1 leukemia cell line and freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay were respectively used to determine the cellular viability and cytotoxicity in response to treatment with increasing extract concentrations. RESULTS: Both extracts exhibited a concentration dependent reduction in viability of the THP-1 cells (IC50 = 2.126 mg/mL for O. syriacum, and 0.1569 mg/mL for T. vulgaris). O. syriacum was more potent against the PBMCs (IC50 = 0.4247 mg/mL), while T. vulgaris was moderately selective (IC50 = 0.3345 mg/mL with PBMCs and SI = 2.1). Only in O. syriacum the reduction in cells viability was caused by cytotoxic effect against leukemic cells (LC50 = of 9.646 mg/mL). CONCLUSION: T. vulgaris and O. syriacum are both antileukemic in vitro. T. vulgaris represents a potential selective cytostatic and safe target for future anticancer agents' development. O. syriacum on the other hand is cytotoxic against the leukemia cell line THP-1.
Asunto(s)
Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/farmacología , Leucemia/patología , Origanum , Extractos Vegetales/farmacología , Thymus (Planta) , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/química , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/aislamiento & purificación , Línea Celular Tumoral , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Etanol/química , Humanos , Concentración 50 Inhibidora , L-Lactato Deshidrogenasa/metabolismo , Leucemia/enzimología , Origanum/química , Fitoterapia , Componentes Aéreos de las Plantas , Extractos Vegetales/química , Extractos Vegetales/aislamiento & purificación , Plantas Medicinales , Solventes/química , Thymus (Planta)/químicaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its associated risk factors among haemodialysis (HD) patients in Gaza strip was investigated using serological and molecular techniques. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of HBV among the four HD centers was 8.1%. The main risk factors were HD center (p=0.05), history of blood transfusion (p<0.01), and treatment abroad (p=0.01). The overall prevalence of HCV among the four HD centers was 22%. The main risk factors were HD center (p<0.01), time duration on HD (p<0.01), history of blood transfusion (p<0.01), treatment abroad (p<0.01), and history of blood transfusion abroad (p<0.01). Serum aminotransferases levels decreased in HD patients compared with normal population but still there was a direct association between the activity of liver enzymes and both HBV (p<0.01) and HCV (p<0.01) infection. CONCLUSION: The much higher prevalence of Hepatitis viruses among HD patients compared to the normal population of Gaza strip indicates a causative relation between HD and hepatitis viruses transmission. Therefore extremely careful observation of preventive infection control measures is essential to limit Hepatitis viruses' transmission in HD centers.
Asunto(s)
Hepatitis B/epidemiología , Hepatitis C/epidemiología , Diálisis Renal/efectos adversos , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Alanina Transaminasa/sangre , Aspartato Aminotransferasas/sangre , Niño , Femenino , Hepacivirus/aislamiento & purificación , Antígenos de Superficie de la Hepatitis B/sangre , Virus de la Hepatitis B/aislamiento & purificación , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis C/sangre , Humanos , Pruebas de Función Hepática , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Medio Oriente/epidemiología , Prevalencia , ARN Viral/sangre , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Factores de Riesgo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The present work aims at determining HCV genotypes in patients with chronic HCV infection, in Gaza strip, Palestine. The most common risk factors for HCV transmission were also evaluated in conjunction with the genotyping data. RESULTS: The study shows that there are only two major genotypes of HCV in Gaza Strip: Genotype 1 (subtypes 1a and 1b) collectively contribute to 28.3% of the cases, and genotype 4 (subtypes 4a and 4c/d) collectively contribute to 64.1% of the cases. Mixed infection with the two genotypes was also present among 7.6% of the cases. In this study a statistically significant relationship was established between the distribution of these genotypes and the patients' living place, traveling history, history of blood transfusion and history of surgical operations. CONCLUSION: The present study is the first to link HCV genotyping in Gaza strip with its possible roots of transmission. Traveling to endemic countries, especially Egypt; blood transfusion and surgical operations are major roots of HCV infection in Gaza strip. The results indicate that iatrogenic and nosocomial procedures may be responsible for the majority of HCV infections in Gaza strip.