الفهرس 
Introduction & Aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
This study aimed to assess beclin-1 gene expression as a marker of autophagy in CML, and to evaluate the effect of imatinib therapy on its expression.
Subjects were classified into three groups:
group I (CML patients in chronic phase):
Included 17 patient newly diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (by characteristic peripheral blood picture & BCR-ABL gene detection) and they were followed up four weeks after treatment with imatinib. Their ages ranged from 30 to 67 years with mean ±SD (50.5 ± 11.9) and this group included 13 males (76.5%) and 4 females (23.5%).
group II: (CML patients in accelerated phase):
Included 18 patients diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (they were selected according to WHO criteria for accelerated phase of CML, all of them had BM. blast (10-19%) and four of them had platelet count < 100,000/microlitre) and they were followed up four weeks after treatment with imatinib. Their ages ranged from 31 to 70 years with mean ±SD (50.2 ± 10.1) and this group included 11 males (61.1%) and 7 females (38.9%).
group III: (control group):
Included 15 apparently healthy subjects matched for age and sex for patient group and their ages ranged from 31 to 70 years with mean ±SD (49.7±11.1) and this group included 10 males (66.7%) and 5 females (33.3%).
Both patients and control groups were subjected to the following:
1-Complete history taking:
Considering age, sex, fever , bleeding tendency, easy fatigability, skin rash and liver disease.
2- Clinical examination: Including: pallor, purpura , liver , spleen and lymph nodes enlargement.
3- Abdominal ultrasonography to detect hepatosplenomegally for patients only.
4- Laboratory investigations:
A) Routine investigations:
1-Complete blood count
2-ESR
3-Random blood glucose, liver function and renal function tests including (urea, creatinine and uric acid)
B) Diagnostic investigations:
1- Examination of Leishman-stained peripheral blood smears for differential leucocytic count and assessment of blast cell number.
2- Bone marrow aspiration and examination of leishman-stained smears.
3- BCR-ABL gene expression detection by quantitative RT- PCR.
C) Special investigations:
Beclin-1 gene expression detection by quantitative RT-PCR.