Cancer Studies
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Publication Hemoglobinopathies, merozoite surface protein-2 gene polymorphisms, and acquisition of Epstein Barr virus among infants in Western Kenya(BMC Cancer, 2023) Perez K. Olewe, Shehu Shagari Awandu, Elly O. Munde, Samuel B. Anyona, Evans Raballah, Asito S. Amolo, Sidney Ogola, Erick Ndenga, Clinton O. Onyango, Rosemary Rochford, Douglas J. Perkins and Collins OumaBackground Epstein Barr virus (EBV)-associated endemic Burkitt’s Lymphoma pediatric cancer is associated with morbidity and mortality among children resident in holoendemic Plasmodium falciparum regions in western Kenya. P. falciparum exerts strong selection pressure on sickle cell trait (SCT), alpha thalassemia (-α3.7/αα), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), and merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP-2) variants (FC27, 3D7) that confer reduced malarial disease severity. The current study tested the hypothesis that SCT, (-α3.7/αα), G6PD mutation and (MSP-2) variants (FC27, 3D7) are associated with an early age of EBV acquisition. Methods Data on infant EBV infection status (<6 and ≥6–12 months of age) was abstracted from a previous longitudinal study. Archived infant DNA (n=81) and mothers DNA (n=70) samples were used for genotyping hemoglobinopathies and MSP-2. The presence of MSP-2 genotypes in maternal DNA samples was used to indicate infant in-utero malarial exposure. Genetic variants were determined by TaqMan assays or standard PCR. Group differences were determined by Chi-square or Fisher’s analysis. Bivariate regression modeling was used to determine the relationship between the carriage of genetic variants and EBV acquisition. Results EBV acquisition for infants<6 months was not associated with -α3.7/αα (OR=1.824, P=0.354), SCT (OR=0.897, P=0.881), or G6PD [Viangchan (871G>A)/Chinese (1024 C>T) (OR=2.614, P=0.212)] and [Union (1360 C>T)/Kaiping (1388G>A) (OR=0.321, P=0.295)]. There was no relationship between EBV acquisition and in-utero exposure to either FC27 (OR=0.922, P=0.914) or 3D7 (OR=0.933, P=0.921). In addition, EBV acquisition in infants≥6–12 months also showed no association with -α3.7/αα (OR=0.681, P=0.442), SCT (OR=0.513, P=0.305), G6PD [(Viangchan (871G>A)/Chinese (1024 C>T) (OR=0.640, P=0.677)], [Mahidol (487G>A)/Coimbra (592 C>T) (OR=0.948, P=0.940)], [(Union (1360 C>T)/Kaiping (1388G>A) (OR=1.221, P=0.768)], African A (OR=0.278, P=0.257)], or in utero exposure to either FC27 (OR=0.780, P=0.662) or 3D7 (OR=0.549, P=0.241) Conclusion Although hemoglobinopathies (-α3.7/αα, SCT, and G6PD mutations) and in-utero exposure to MSP-2 were not associated with EBV acquisition in infants 0–12 months, novel G6PD variants were discovered in the population from western Kenya. To establish that the known and novel hemoglobinopathies, and in utero MSP-2 exposure do not confer susceptibility to EBV, future studies with larger sample sizes from multiple sites adopting genome-wide analysis are required.Publication Unique Apoptotic Gene Dysregulation in Kenyan Breast Cancer Patients Compared to African American and Caucasian Women(2025) Marion N. Nyamari, John Gitau, Kennedy Wanjau Mwangi, Carol W. Hunja, Sammy Wambua, and Francis MakokhaBackground: Kenya records about 6,000 new diagnoses each year of breast cancer (BC), a major cause of cancer-related deaths in the country. The apoptotic pathway is well studied and proven to play a crucial role in cancer onset and progression, but studies have not been extensively done on Kenyan women with BC. The study’s objective was to compare the gene expression patterns of apoptotic genes in Kenyan women with breast cancer to those of Caucasian women and African American women based on demography, subtype, and tumour stage. Methods: Transcriptomic data from 46 African Americans, 66 Caucasians retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and 60 Kenyan RNA-seq data (45 samples from AIC Kijabe/Aga Khan hospitals and 15 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) from Gene Expression Atlas (GEO)) were studied. The Kenyan patients were part of a longitudinal BC genomics study in Kenya, and the TCGA data were retrospectively selected based on availability of RNA-seq data, documented ethnicity, and tumour stage and subtype classification. HISAT2 v2.2.0 aligned Kenyan transcripts to the reference genome, and HTSeq-count v2.0.2 determined gene counts. EdgeR v4.2 was used to analyse differential gene expression, and Enrichr v3.1 and ClusterProfiler v4.0 were used for enrichment analysis. Results: The analysis revealed 23 population-specific apoptotic genes differentially expressed across the 60 Kenyan samples, with 9 upregulated and 14 downregulated. In comparison, 80 upregulated and 25 downregulated unique apoptotic genes were identified in the Caucasian dataset, while 6 upregulated and 1 downregulated unique apoptotic genes were recorded from the AfricanAmerican dataset. Kenyan BC patients (without controlling for subtype or stage) had a unique elevation of the anti-apoptotic gene, Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor (IGF1R). Kenyan women with Luminal A subtype, compared to other subtypes studied and compared to Caucasian and African- American women, had a distinct upregulation of Interleukin-1 beta (IL1B). The IL1B gene prevents the progression and spread of tumour cells in prostate cancer, with over-exposure of tumour cells to IL1B in vitro leading to resistance to a variety of anticancer medicines in mice. On the other hand, IGF1R has been associated with poor prognosis in patients with elevated expression of the gene in Stage I, in non-small-cell lung cancer. Conclusion: These results highlight population-specific molecular diPublication Role of Interpersonal Communication in Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening Among In Uasin Gishu County,(International Journal of Applied Sciences: Current and Future Research Trends (IJASCFRT), 2023-12-09) Chepngeno Judy Ba, Anyonje LydiaCervical cancer remains a serious health challenge in the developing world due to various reasons. Among these reasons are low uptake of screening services owing to poor access to reliable information about cervical cancer, role of screening and treatment options. This paper examines the role of interpersonal communication channels in the uptake of cervical cancers screening services among women in Uasin Gishu County. The study was guided by Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. It utilized mixed methods research design. The target population of the study was all women within the reproductive age of 18-65 years seeking maternal child health services and family planning (MCH-FP) at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The study used systematic random sampling method to obtain a sample of 308 from the population. Purposive sampling was used for the key informants, namely 4 health workers and 2 County officers from the Ministry of Health. Two focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted among women with each group composed of 10 women. Data from the FGDs and key informant interviews were used to generate qualitative data. For quantitative data, the study utilized questionnaires for data collection. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics with the aid of SPSS, version 29. Qualitative data was analysed thematically. The study found that women rely on several channels of communication to access and disseminate cervical cancer information. The most common channels of communication used are friends, health care workers and media channels. From the study findings, it is also concluded that interpersonal communication channels play a key role in the uptake of cervical cancer screening. As such, it is recommended that the major stakeholders, namely the national and county governments, together with non-governmental organizations working in the health sector in Kenya, should make deliberate efforts to formulate policies to guide effective dissemination of cervical cancer messages for prevention, early detection and treatment of cervical cancer.