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Background Despite the increasing incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Egyptian population, it still seems that there is a significant lack of awareness regarding the disease. This study aimed to assess the Egyptian population's awareness of CRC regarding its risk factors, the screening procedures, and the appropriate responses to its diagnosis. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in Egypt between July 2022 and March 2023 and recruited a convenient sample of adults from seven governorates representing different geographic areas, and socioeconomic and educational backgrounds with the help of the validated Bowel Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) version 2.1. The modified Arabic questionnaire was validated through a pilot study including 30 patients. Then it was presented through a Google form before being shared via online methods and face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire provided both numerical and categorical data, which were analyzed accordingly. The Chi-square, the Fisher exact, and the Man-Whitney test were used to compare colorectal cancer poor and good knowledge groups. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict the factors that affected the awareness level of the study population. Results Nine hundred forty individuals participated in the survey. Their ages ranged from 18 to 86 years old, with an average of 37.38 ± 12.22 years. The mean Knowledge score was 14.29 ± 7.05 out of 37 with most of our participants (71%) having poor knowledge about CRC. Most of the participants (64.1%) chose colonoscopy as the best screening modality, followed by an abdominal CT (27.8%), and fecal occult blood (15.5%). The study revealed significant differences between participants with good and poor knowledge of colorectal cancer. (78.5%) of participants with good CRC knowledge lived in cities, (85.4%) attained university or higher educational level, and (87.2%) of them were nonsmokers ( p  < 0.05%). Conclusion In general, there was a lack of awareness about Colorectal cancer among the Egyptian population especially among rural and lower educational levels, and more health education campaigns are required to enhance CRC prevention efforts in Egypt.

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are vulnerable to malnutrition. Despite its importance in enhancing clinical outcomes, management, and prognosis of HCC patients, few studies assessed their nutritional status. Our study aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of HCC patients using various nutritional assessment methods and their correlation with disease severity.Patients and methodsThis is a cross-sectional hospital-based study of 200 HCC patients who visited outpatient clinics at the National Liver Institute. Methods used for assessment of their nutritional status included body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), mid muscle arm circumference (MMAC), calf circumference (CC), hand grip strength (HGS), adductor pollicis muscle (APM) thickness, subjective global assessment (SGA), and mini-nutritional assessment (MNA) questionnaire.ResultsThe mean age of study participants was 61.51 ± 8.68 years. There was a wide variation in the diagnosis of malnutrition in HCC patients using different nutritional assessment methods. There was substantial agreement between MAC and MNA with SGA. There was a negative correlation between child class and MAC, MMAC, and MNA scores. There was a negative correlation between BCLC and MNA scores. SGA was positively correlated with both child class and BCLC staging.ConclusionsThere was a great variation in the prevalence of malnutrition in HCC patients using different nutritional assessment methods. MAC and MNA scores showed a substantial agreement with SGA. SGA, MNA, MAC, and MMAC correlated with disease severity. Assessing the nutritional status is necessary to improve patients’ clinical outcomes.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is an important public health problem worldwide and in Egypt. It has a bad prognosis and few treatment options. HCV and HBV infection and exposure to pesticides and aflatoxins are major risk factors for its development, so paying more attention to prevention via raising population awareness about its risk factors may be useful in lowering HCC incidence. This study was implemented to study knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of a rural community of Menoufia governorate, Egypt, pre- and post-health education intervention about HCC and prevention of its risk factors. Seroprevalence of HCV among study participants was 12.3%, and the health education intervention about HCC and the prevention of its risk factors was effective in increasing the percent of pre-intervention good knowledge score groups about HCC, HBV, and HCV, pesticides, aflatoxins, and total knowledge score from 66.5%, 88.8%, 83.8, 41.9%, and 73.7% respectively to 98.9%, 100%, 100%, and 98.9% post-intervention (p value = 0.000 for each) and was also effective in increasing the pre-intervention positive attitude score groups from 61.5 to 98.9% post-intervention. It was also effective in increasing the pre-intervention safe practice score groups of male and female study participants from 20% and 23% respectively to 94.3% and 93.1% post-intervention. Health education intervention was effective in improving KAP about HCC and prevention of its risk factors and could be adopted by MOHP as a part of comprehensive program for HCC prevention in rural communities of Menoufia governorate.

Epidemiological and genetic studies have recorded the association between proinflammatory cytokines and the development of insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The role of interleukin 6 (IL-6), NH2-terminal portion pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and resistin in the pathogenesis of heart disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is still a matter of controversy. The current study aimed to evaluate the role of these biomarkers in the development of left ventricular systolic dysfunction and the ability to use them as non-invasive test in the prediction of left ventricular hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction in T2DM. 150 participants were included in this case-control study. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to echocardiographic findings: group 1a included 46 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and echocardiographic evidence of abnormal systolic function; group 1b included 54 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and with normal echocardiogenic study; and group 2 included 50 apparently healthy controls. Routine laboratory investigations such as complete blood count, liver and renal function tests, and lipid profile, serum IL-6, NT-proBNP, and resistin were measured in all participants. Conventional echocardiography was done with special concern on the assessment of left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction). There was a significant increase in the level of resistin, NT-proBNP and IL-6 in group 1a patients compared with group 1b and in healthy controls. Echocardiographic parameters showed a significant increase in left ventricular mass index, left ventricle posterior wall thickness, interventricular septum thickness, and left ventricle mass in group 1a compared with group 1b and the control group. The increased left ventricular mass index was associated with higher levels of IL-6, NT-proBNP and resistin. Proinflammatory cytokines had a clear relation with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and hypertrophy and can be used as early non-invasive markers for detection of left ventricular remodeling and systolic dysfunction in patients with T2DM.