Salivary PCR detection of Helicobacter pylori DNA in Egyptian patients with dyspepsia

Several methods are available for detecting Helicobacter pylori infection: (1) invasive methods based on gastric biopsies, (2) non invasive methods like Urea Breath Test (UBT), serology and stool antigen tests. Importance of salivary PCR in detection of H. pylori is still questionable. To evaluate the role of salivary PCR technique in detecting H. pylori gastric affection in Egyptian patients with dyspepsia and in differentiating between functional dyspepsia and acid-ulcer syndrome. This study included 60 patients with dyspepsia classified into three groups: (Group 1) patients with gastric H. pylori and ulcers or erosions (n= 20), (Group 2) patients with gastric H. pylori and no ulcers or erosions and had functional dyspepsia (n= 20), (Group 3) patients without H. pylori and had functional dyspepsia (n= 20). All underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsies, rapid urease test and salivary samples for H. pylori PCR. Significant difference between the three groups regarding salivary PCR values. No significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 but both had significant difference with Group 3, significant difference between gastric H. pylori positive patients (n= 40) and negative ones (n= 20). Salivary PCR test had sensitivity of 85%, specificity of 70% in diagnosing H. pylori. PCR value of 534000 Iu/ml had best sensitivity (75%) and specificity (100%) for diagnosing H. pylori, highly significant positive correlation between H. pylori gastric affection and salivary PCR values. No significant difference between patients with acid ulcer syndrome (n=20) and those with functional dyspepsia (n= 40) as regard salivary PCR mean values. Salivary PCR test showed sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 50% in differentiating between patients with acid ulcer syndrome and those with functional dyspepsia. PCR value of 440000 Iu/ml had best sensitivity (100%) and specificity (55%) in differentiating acid ulcer syndrome from functional dyspepsia with non significant. H. pylori salivary PCR may be of value in diagnosing H. pylori gastric affection and is strongly correlated with it but it is of limited value in differentiating between acid ulcer syndrome and functional dyspepsia.Keywords: Salivary PCR; Helicobacter pylori; Functional dyspepsia; Acid ulcer syndrom

Evaluation of efficacy of some serological tests used for diagnosis of brucellosis in cattle in Egypt using latent class analysis

In this study serum samples were collected from 4 different groups of cattle, Group I (non-vaccinated Brucella infected group), Group II (Vaccinated Brucella infected group), Group III (Non-vaccinated Brucella free group) and Group IV (vaccinated Brucella free group). These samples were subjected to the different serological tests including Rose Bengal plate antigen test, Tube Agglutination test, Rivanol test, Indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Statistical analysis of the obtained results in different cattle groups was carried out using Latent Class Analysis (Lem model). The prevalence of brucellosis was 6.4%, the sensitivity of RBPT was 96.1% while its specificity was 99.3%, the sensitivity of Rivanol test was 85% while its specificity was 100%, the sensitivity of Indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay was 100% while its specificity was 98.3 % and the sensitivity of Competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay was 97.1% while its specificity was 100%. The results proved that, the most sensitive test was Indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay while the most specific test was Competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay. This study therefore, recommends the use of Indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay as a screening test and Competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay as a confirmatory test. Bacteriological examination was carried out on supramammary lymph nodes and spleen of some slaughtered seropositive cattle, the rate of isolation was 25% from non-vaccinated infected group and 10% from vaccinated infected group. Brucella melitensis biovar3 was recovered only from supramammary lymph nodes.Keywords: Brucellosis, Cattle, Sensitivity, Serology, Specificity, Latent Class Analysi

Fungal iron availability during deep seated candidiasis is defined by a complex interplay involving systemic and local events

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Hygienic quality of dehydrated aromatic herbs marketed in Southern Portugal

Dehydrated aromatic herbs are highly valued ingredients, widely used at home level and by food processing industry, frequently added to a great number of recipes in the Mediterranean countries. Despite being considered low-moisture products and classified as GRAS, during pre and post-harvesting stages of production they are susceptible of microbial contamination. In Europe an increasing number of food recalls and disease outbreaks associated with dehydrated herbs have been reported in recent years. In this study the microbial quality of 99 samples of aromatic herbs (bay leaves, basil, coriander, oregano, parsley, Provence herbs, rosemary and thyme) collected from retails shops in the region of Algarve (Southern Portugal) was assessed. All the samples were tested by conventional methods and were assayed for the total count of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci and filamentous fungi. Almost 50 % of the herbs did not exceed the aerobic mesophilic level of 104 CFU/g. The fungi count regarded as unacceptable (106 CFU/g) was not found in any of the tested herbs, while 84 % of the samples ranged from ≤102 to 104 CFU/g. No sample was positive for the presence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and staphylococci. The results are in compliance with the European Commission criteria although they point out to the permanent need of surveillance on the good standards of handling/cooking practices as well as the importance of avoiding contamination at production, retailing and distribution. The microbiological hazards associated with the pathogenic and toxigenic microbiota of dried herbs remain as a relevant public health issue, due to the fact that they are added to foods not submitted to any following lethal procedure. Control measures should be adopted in order to ensure that all phases of their supply chain respect the food safety standards.FCT: UID/BIA/04325/2019.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cardiac Procedures among American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to Non-Hispanic Whites Hospitalized with Ischemic Heart Disease in California

BackgroundAmerican Indians/Alaska Natives (AIAN) experience a high burden of cardiovascular disease with rates for fatal and nonfatal heart disease approximately twofold higher than the U.S. population.ObjectiveTo determine if disparities exist in cardiac procedure rates among AIAN compared to non-Hispanic whites hospitalized in California for ischemic heart disease defined as acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina.DesignCross-sectional study. EVENTS: A total of 796 ischemic heart disease hospitalizations among AIAN and 90971 among non-Hispanic whites in 37 of 58 counties in California from 1998-2002.MeasurementsCardiac catheterization, percutaneous cardiac intervention, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery procedure rates from hospitalization administrative data.Main resultsAIAN did not have lower cardiac procedure rates for cardiac catheterization and percutaneous cardiac intervention compared to non-Hispanic whites (unadjusted OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.87-1.16 and OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.90-1.20, respectively). Adjustment for age, sex, comorbidities, and payer source did not alter the results (adjusted OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.82-1.10 and OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.85-1.14, respectively). We found higher odds (unadjusted OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.09-1.70) for receipt of coronary artery bypass graft surgery among AIAN hospitalized for ischemic heart disease compared to non-Hispanic whites which after adjustment attenuated some and was no longer statistically significant (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.00-1.58).ConclusionAIAN were not less likely to receive cardiac procedures as non-Hispanic whites during hospitalizations for ischemic heart disease. Additional research is needed to determine whether differences in specialty referral patterns, patients' treatment preferences, or outpatient management may explain some of the health disparities due to cardiovascular disease that is found among AIAN

Early Target Cells of Measles Virus after Aerosol Infection of Non-Human Primates

Measles virus (MV) is highly infectious, and has long been thought to enter the host by infecting epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. However, epithelial cells do not express signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (CD150), which is the high-affinity cellular receptor for wild-type MV strains. We have generated a new recombinant MV strain expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), based on a wild-type genotype B3 virus isolate from Khartoum, Sudan (KS). Cynomolgus macaques were infected with a high dose of rMVKSEGFP by aerosol inhalation to ensure that the virus could reach the full range of potential target cells throughout the entire respiratory tract. Animals were euthanized 2, 3, 4 or 5 days post-infection (d.p.i., n = 3 per time point) and infected (EGFP+) cells were identified at all four time points, albeit at low levels 2 and 3 d.p.i. At these earliest time points, MV-infected cells were exclusively detected in the lungs by fluorescence microscopy, histopathology and/or virus isolation from broncho-alveolar lavage cells. On 2 d.p.i., EGFP+ cells were phenotypically typed as large mononuclear cells present in the alveolar lumen or lining the alveolar epithelium. One to two days later, larger clusters of MV-infected cells were detected in bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) and in the tracheo-bronchial lymph nodes. From 4 d.p.i. onward, MV-infected cells were detected in peripheral blood and various lymphoid tissues. In spite of the possibility for the aerosolized virus to infect cells and lymphoid tissues of the upper respiratory tract, MV-infected cells were not detected in either the tonsils or the adenoids until after onset of viremia. These data strongly suggest that in our model MV entered the host at the alveolar level by infecting macrophages or dendritic cells, which traffic the virus to BALT or regional lymph nodes, resulting in local amplification and subsequent systemic dissemination by viremia

Olfactory Stem Cells, a New Cellular Model for Studying Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Familial Dysautonomia

International audienceBackground: Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a hereditary neuropathy caused by mutations in the IKBKAP gene, the most common of which results in variable tissue-specific mRNA splicing with skipping of exon 20. Defective splicing is especially severe in nervous tissue, leading to incomplete development and progressive degeneration of sensory and autonomic neurons. The specificity of neuron loss in FD is poorly understood due to the lack of an appropriate model system. To better understand and modelize the molecular mechanisms of IKBKAP mRNA splicing, we collected human olfactory ecto-mesenchymal stem cells (hOE-MSC) from FD patients. hOE-MSCs have a pluripotent ability to differentiate into various cell lineages, including neurons and glial cells.Methodology/Principal Findings: We confirmed IKBKAP mRNA alternative splicing in FD hOE-MSCs and identified 2 novel spliced isoforms also present in control cells. We observed a significant lower expression of both IKBKAP transcript and IKAP/hELP1 protein in FD cells resulting from the degradation of the transcript isoform skipping exon 20. We localized IKAP/hELP1 in different cell compartments, including the nucleus, which supports multiple roles for that protein. We also investigated cellular pathways altered in FD, at the genome-wide level, and confirmed that cell migration and cytoskeleton reorganization were among the processes altered in FD. Indeed, FD hOE-MSCs exhibit impaired migration compared to control cells. Moreover, we showed that kinetin improved exon 20 inclusion and restores a normal level of IKAP/hELP1 in FD hOE-MSCs. Furthermore, we were able to modify the IKBKAP splicing ratio in FD hOE-MSCs, increasing or reducing the WT (exon 20 inclusion):MU (exon 20 skipping) ratio respectively, either by producing free-floating spheres, or by inducing cells into neural differentiation.Conclusions/Significance: hOE-MSCs isolated from FD patients represent a new approach for modeling FD to better understand genetic expression and possible therapeutic approaches. This model could also be applied to other neurological genetic diseases