Microbial Risk Factors of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases: Potential Therapeutical Options

Infection and inflammation may have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This hypothesis is supported by an increasing number of reports on the interaction between chronic infection, inflammation, and atherogenesis. Assessment of serological and inflammatory markers of infection may be useful adjuncts in identifying those patients who are at a higher risk of developing vascular events, and in whom more aggressive treatments might be warranted

K-variant BCHE and pesticide exposure: Gene-environment interactions in a case-control study of Parkinson's disease in Egypt

Pesticide exposure is associated with increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated in Egypt whether common variants in genes involved in pesticide detoxification or transport might modify the risk of PD evoked by pesticide exposure. We recruited 416 PD patients and 445 controls. Information on environmental factors was collected by questionnaire-based structured interviews. Candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 15 pesticide-related genes were genotyped. We analyzed the influence of environmental factors and SNPs as well as the interaction of pesticide exposure and SNPs on the risk of PD. The risk of PD was reduced by coffee consumption [OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.43-0.90, P = 0.013] and increased by pesticide exposure [OR = 7.09, 95% CI: 1.12-44.01, P = 0.036]. The SNP rs1126680 in the butyrylcholinesterase gene BCHE reduced the risk of PD irrespective of pesticide exposure [OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.20-0.70, P = 0.002]. The SNP rs1803274, defining K-variant BCHE, interacted significantly with pesticide exposure (P = 0.007) and increased the risk of PD only in pesticide-exposed individuals [OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.50-4.19, P = 0.0005]. The K-variant BCHE reduces serum activity of butyrylcholinesterase, a known bioscavenger for pesticides. Individuals with K-variant BCHE appear to have an increased risk for PD when exposed to pesticides

Prevalence of idiopathic epilepsy among primary school children in Qena City, Qena governorate, Egypt

Background:Epilepsy among children is a common neurological disorder and may have a major impact on children development though epidemiological studies are limited. Objectives:To estimate the prevalence of idiopathic epilepsy among primary school children in Qena City, Egypt. Patients and methods:All primary schools were approached; Students were asked to complete prepared validated questionnaires. 4218 children aged 6-12 years old were screened, out of them 1428 males and 1315 females returned the questionnaires thoroughly fulfilled. Positive cases were subjected to detailed history, neurological examination, electroencephalography and neuroimaging. Results:21 cases of epilepsy were identified; lifetime prevalence was 7.6/1000, active epilepsy prevalence was 5.8/1000. Epilepsy was more common in males (8.4/1000) than females (6.8/1000). Generalized seizures were significantly higher than focal(76.1%, versus 19%) with prevalence 5.8/1000 and 1.4/1000 respectively. 38% of epileptic children were at 6-8 years. The most common age of onset was 6 to Conclusions: Prevalence of epilepsy among primary school children in Qena city was 7.6/1000, in line with other Egyptian studies and Arab world studies but much higher than most developed countries. Family history of epilepsy, consanguineous marriage of parents and history of febrile seizures were the main risk factors

Clinical and neurophysiological risk factors of Learning disabilities in different types of idiopathic focal epilepsy

Abstract Objectives Academic difficulties are common in epileptic children. Learning disabilities (LDs) are a reduction in the learning capacity of children or the intellectual ability of adults and this is different from mental retardation or dementia.   Materials & Methods Fifty-six patients 35 male (62.5%) and 21 females (37.5%). The participants attended the Neurology outpatient Clinic, Sohag University Hospital between December 2016 to May 2017. Children with chronological age between 7 and 16 years, idiopathic focal and normal mental and motor developmental history were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The Revised Quick Neurological Screening Test (QNST-R) was used to assess LDs.    results  Fifty-six patients with idiopathic focal epilepsy [22 Male (61.1%) and 14 Females (38.9%)]. Learning disabilities were present in 67.9 % of our participants with statistically significant association between LDs in one arm and younger age, earlier age of onset of epilepsy, frequent seizures and seizure semiology particularly of temporal lobe origin, in the other arm. In addition, left epileptic focus on EEG (EEG), prolonged treatment duration with antiepileptic drugs (AED) and polytherapy are significantly correlated to LDs. Conclusion Many factors are significantly correlated to the LDs in children with idiopathic focal epilepsy like age of the patient, age of epilepsy onset, seizure semiology, prolonged AED treatment and polytherapy.   Keywords: Learning disabilities · academic underachievement · epileptic focus.   &nbsp

Risk factors for post-stroke depression in Sohag University Hospital

Abstract Background Depression is one of the important complications of stroke. Post-stroke depression is associated with more physical disability, especially in daily activities, poor functional outcome, and high mortality rate. Objective Our study aimed to investigate the risk factors for development of post-stroke depression 3 months following stroke. Methods This is a comparative study, comparing stroke patients with and without depression 3 months after the onset. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS), and modified Rankin scale (mRS) were used to evaluate patients 3 months post-stroke for depression, cognition, and physical disability. The patients were divided into two groups: patients’ group with depression and patients’ group without depression according to DSM-IV criteria. The clinical characteristics and scores on the HDRS, MMSE, SSS, and mRS were compared between depressive group and non-depressive group. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for depression 3 months after stroke. Results A total 102 stroke patients were recruited. Of these, 62 patients (60.78%) had depression. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that smoking, hypertension, increased physical disability, and impaired cognitive function were associated with post-stroke depression. Conclusion Important risk factors found for PSD included smoking, hypertension, increased physical disability, and impaired cognitive function