Genome-wide association study for systemic lupus erythematosus in an egyptian population

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility has a strong genetic component. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) across trans-ancestral populations show both common and distinct genetic variants of susceptibility across European and Asian ancestries, while many other ethnic populations remain underexplored. We conducted the first SLE GWAS on Egyptians–an admixed North African/Middle Eastern population–using 537 patients and 883 controls. To identify novel susceptibility loci and replicate previously known loci, we performed imputation-based association analysis with 6,382,276 SNPs while accounting for individual admixture. We validated the association analysis using adaptive permutation tests (n = 109). We identified a novel genome-wide significant locus near IRS1/miR-5702 (Pcorrected = 1.98 × 10−8) and eight novel suggestive loci (Pcorrected 0.8) with lead SNPs from four suggestive loci (ARMC9, DIAPH3, IFLDT1, and ENTPD3) were associated with differential gene expression (3.5 × 10−95 < p < 1.0 × 10−2) across diverse tissues. These loci are involved in cellular proliferation and invasion—pathways prominent in lupus and nephritis. Our study highlights the utility of GWAS in an admixed Egyptian population for delineating new genetic associations and for understanding SLE pathogenesis

Cluster mass profiles from gravitational lensing

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:D201413 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

In vitro evaluation of the efficacy of hemodialysate (Solcoseryl®) as a wound healing agent in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Skin wounds are the most prevalent daily affections intruding fishes in an aquaculture facility. Such skin affections are considered to be the most common portals of entry for disease agents affecting fishes. This persistent phenomenon necessitates a comprehensive search for an efficient healing therapy to combat the ongoing dermal damage and its pathological consequences. In the current study, the core hypothesis has been vigorously tested through the experimental application of hemodialysate (Solcoseryl®) solution in several exposure methods including bath, intraperitoneal (I.P.), intramuscular (I.M.), and local infiltration routes. All tested routes were capable of inducing different degrees of healing in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The core hypothesis of the current research has been experimentally accomplished through assessing the resultant healing degrees based on both gross as well as tissue alteration dynamics among total of 5 experimental groups. Each group consisted of 10 fishes/aquarium. The swift tissue healing of the induced wounds in Nile tilapia were completely achieved 4 days post I.M. injection of the Solcoseryl® solution (10 μl/50 g fish as a single dose) with an excellent healing grade (+++++). However, bath treatment (1 ml/Lwater as a single dose) and local infiltration (10 μl/50 g fish as a single dose) have proved to be second on the race (complete healing was achieved 6 days post treatment with very good grade (+++)). This study demonstrates the clinical value of fish models in establishment of new approach for combating prevalent invasive skin affections in aquaculture

Fecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Egyptian patients with community-onset gastrointestinal complaints: a hospital -based cross-sectional study

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase production among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from ambulatory patients with gastrointestinal complaints admitted to El-Ahrar General Hospital, Zagazig, Egypt in the period between January 2013 and May 2013. Methods One hundred and thirteen Enterobacteriaceae isolates were recovered from 100 consecutive Egyptian patients with community–onset gastrointestinal complaints. The fecal samples were plated directly on selective EbSA-ESBL Screening Agar and on MacConkey agar. Isolate identification was performed with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Screening for ESBLs and carbapenemases production was done by both the automated VITEK®2 system with AST N198 and by disk diffusion method. Real-time PCR and sequencing were used to characterize the resistance genes. Phylogroups of the E. coli isolates were determined by a triplex PCR-based method. Results Of 100 patients screened for fecal colonization with extended-spectrum β-lactamase -producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) and carbapenemase- producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), 68 were colonized with ESBL-E whereas five patients were positive for CPE. One hundred and thirteen Enterobacterceae isolates were recovered from 100 fecal samples, they belonged to E. coli (n = 72), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 23), Enterobacter cloacae(n = 3), Salmonella spp. (n = 1) and other Enterobacterceae isolates (n = 14). The bla CTX-M gene was detected in 89.04% (65/73) of the ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, whereas bla SHV and bla TEM were detected in 30.14% (22/73) and 19.18% (14/73) respectively. Three out of 5 carbapenem-resistant isolates harbored New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM) and 2 produced Verona integron-encoded metallo- beta -lactamase (VIM). Twenty-two (47.83%) of the ESBL positive isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). Phylogenetic analysis showed that, of the 51 ESBL-EC isolates, 17 belonged to group B2, 13 to group D, 11 to group A and 10 to group B1. Conclusions Nearly two-thirds of the Enterobacteriaceae isolates recovered from feces of ambulatory patients with community–onset gastrointestinal complaints admitted to El-Ahrar General Hospital, Zagazig, Egypt were ESBL producers and one in every 20 patients included in our study was colonized by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. These high colonization rates are worrying, therefore prudent antimicrobial use should be adopted in Egyptian community settings

Evaluating the therapeutic effects of museum object handling with hospital patients: A review and initial trial of wellbeing measures

Arts therapy interventions within health care produce positive outcomes for patients, staff and carers, though little rigorous evaluation of these activities is conducted using clinically accepted measures. Similarly, heritage-specific therapeutic interventions offer comparable potential to increase well-being. Although museums and galleries have significant capacity to contribute to health and social care, widespread implementation is impeded by lack of robust clinical data quantifying the impact of such interventions. Measurement scales for psychological well-being, quality of life and health status were reviewed for their suitability to evaluate well-being in hospital patients before and after 30-minute museum object handling sessions. Measures were short-listed using selection criteria of internal and external validity, practicality and sensitivity. Focus on usage in health care, breadth of application, ease of administration and degree of responsiveness informed the choice of optimum measures for preliminary research with female oncology patients (n=40). Findings indicated effectiveness of selected measures (Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale; PANAS and Visual Analogue Scale; VAS) for heritage-specific interventions