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Oxidative stress pattern in hepatitis C patients co-infected with schistosomiasis

This study was designed to investigate the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of the disease with the measurement of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-∝) and super oxide dismutase (SOD). Eighty patients from Hepatology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, were investigated. Thirty patients with bilharzial HCV and 30 patients with non-bilharzial HCV as compared to 20 healthy controls of the same age and sex ratio were investigated. The concentrations of liver enzymes [glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)], bilirubin (Bil), albumin (Alb) and total protein (TP) as well as TNF-α and Mn-SOD were determined. The mean level of the different liver function tests in the three groups in the study showed that the levels of GOT, GPT and ALP were significantly higher in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). While serum bilirubin, albumin and total protein were non-significantly decreased in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the mean level of TNF-α was significantly higher in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.001) and SOD was significantly decreased in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There is a cause-effect relationship between increased levels of TNF-α and decreased levels of SOD, relative to progression of chronic HCV, especially with bilharzias co-infection. Supporting the view that oxidative damage plays a role in chronic HCV infection, also TNF-α establishes a positive auto regulatory loop that can amplify the inflammatory response and lead to chronic inflammation. More evidence indicates that HCV block apoptosis and prolong survival of the host cell in order to gain time for replication and increase viral progeny production.Key words: Hepatitis C virus, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, superoxide dismutase, oxidative stress, schistosomiasis

Alkaline protease production by alkaliphilic marine bacteria isolated from Marsa-Matrouh (Egypt) with special emphasis on Bacillus cereus purified protease

Among the eighteen (18) alkaliphilic marine bacterial isolates studied in ten sampling sites in Marsa-Matrouh beaches, the highest alkaliphilic and proteolytic activities were detected in Bacillus cereus. Alkaline protease from B. cereus was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Sephadex G-200. The molecular mass determined using SDS-PAGE, was nearly 31.0 39 kDa. Some fundamental properties like effects of different temperatures, pH, metal ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Pb3+, Mn2+ and Cd2+) and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) on protease activity were also studied. Maximum activities were obtained at pH 10, 50°C and only Cu2+ ions enhanced the relative enzyme activity up to 112%. The application of alkaline protease for the removal of blood stains from cotton cloth indicates its potential use in detergent formulations. B. cereus protease showed excellent stability in the presence of locally available detergents and retained about 60% of its activity with most of them even after 3 h of incubation at temperature of 50°C.Key words: Protease producing bacteria, detergents, Bacillus cereus, purification, enzyme stability and activity

Optimization, economization and characterization of cellulase produced by marine Streptomyces ruber

Cellulase is a very important enzyme due to its great industrial applications. Six marine strains of actinomycetes were screened for their carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) productivity. Streptomyces ruber was chosen to be the best producing strain. The highest enzyme production (25.6 U/ml) was detected at pH 6 and 40°C after 7 days of incubation. Plackett-Burman design was applied to optimize the different culture conditions affecting enzyme production. Results showed that a high concentration of KH2PO4, and a low concentration of MgSO4 had a significant effect on enzyme production. Rice straw was used as a low cost source of cellulose. It was found that 30 g/l rice straw was the suitable concentration for maximum enzyme production. Partial purification of cellulase enzyme using an anionexchange chromatography resulted in the detection of two different types of CMCases, type I and II, with specific activity of 4239.697 and 846.752 U/mg, respectively. Moreover, estimation of their molecular weight revealed 27.0 kDa for cellulase type I and 24.0 kDa for cellulase type II. It could be concluded that S. ruber is a powerful cellulase producer strain under our tested experimental conditions.Key words: Cellulase production, Streptomyces ruber, Plackett-Burman design, rice straw, enzyme characterization

Reliability of candida skin test in the evaluation of T-cell function in infancy

Background: Both standardized and non-standardized candida skin tests are used in clinical practice for functional in-vivo assessment of cellular immunity with variable results and are considered not reliable under the age of 1 year. We sought to investigate the reliability of using manually prepared candida intradermal test in the evaluation of T cell function in infants during their second year of life.Methods: Twenty-five healthy infants were tested with manually prepared intradermal candida test. Cultured lymphocytes were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) levels were measured in the culture supernatant of stimulated and non-stimulated samples using ELISA.Results: The enrolled infants were 14 to 24 months old (mean 19.2 ± 3.13 months). They were 17 boys (68 %) and 8 girls (32 %). Candida skin test was positive in 17 out of the 25 infants (68%). All infants showed increased IFN-γ levels after PHA stimulation (mean ± SD: 0.83±0.29 ng/ml) compared to basal levels (mean ± SD = 0.16 ± 0.16 ng/ml). The increase of IFN γ levels after PHA stimulation ranged from 1.54 to 38 folds. Infants with positive and negative candida tests showed comparable results in terms of clinical and immunological assessment except for weight percentiles for age that were higher among candida positive group.Conclusion: Candida intradermal test is a cost-effective simple test for evaluation of T cell function with 70 % sensitivity in healthy infants above the age of one year.Keywords: Candida, IFN-γ, infants, intradermal, lymphocyte proliferation, PHA stimulation, T cell, Tuberculi

Inputs to quality: supervision, management, and community involvement in health facilities in Egypt in 2004

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As low- and middle-income countries experience economic development, ensuring quality of health care delivery is a central component of health reform. Nevertheless, health reforms in low- and middle-income countries have focused more on access to services rather than the quality of these services, and reporting on quality has been limited. In the present study, we sought to examine the prevalence and regional variation in key management practices in Egyptian health facilities within three domains: supervision of the facility from the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), managerial processes, and patient and community involvement in care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from 559 facilities surveyed with the Egyptian Service Provision Assessment (ESPA) survey in 2004, the most recent such survey in Egypt. We registered on the Measure Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) website <url>http://legacy.measuredhs.com/login.cfm</url> to gain access to the survey data. From the ESPA sampled 559 MOHP facilities, we excluded a total of 79 facilities because they did not offer facility-based 24-hour care or have at least one physician working in the facility, resulting in a final sample of 480 facilities. The final sample included 76 general service hospitals, 307 rural health units, and 97 maternal and child health and urban health units (MCH/urban units). We used standard frequency analyses to describe facility characteristics and tested the statistical significance of regional differences using chi-square statistics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nearly all facilities reported having external supervision within the 6 months preceding the interview. In contrast, key facility-level managerial processes, such as having routine and documented management meetings and applying quality assurance approaches, were uncommon. Involvement of communities and patients was also reported in a minority of facilities. Hospitals and health units located in Urban Egypt compared with more rural parts of Egypt were significantly more likely to have management committees that met at least monthly, to keep official records of the meetings, and to have an approach for reviewing quality assurance activities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although the data precede the recent reform efforts of the MOHP, they provide a baseline against which future progress can be measured. Targeted efforts to improve facility-level management are critical to supporting quality improvement initiatives directed at improving the quality of health care throughout the country.</p

The outcome of trachomatous trichiasis surgery in Ethiopia: risk factors for recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Over 1.2 million people are blind from trachomatous trichiasis (TT). Lid rotation surgery is the mainstay of treatment, but recurrence rates can be high. We investigated the outcomes (recurrence rates and other complications) of posterior lamellar tarsal rotation (PLTR) surgery, one of the two most widely practised TT procedures in endemic settings. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a two-year follow-up study of 1300 participants who had PLTR surgery, conducted by one of five TT nurse surgeons. None had previously undergone TT surgery. All participants received a detailed trachoma eye examination at baseline and 6, 12, 18 and 24 months post-operatively. The study investigated the recurrence rates, other complications and factors associated with recurrence. Recurrence occurred in 207/635 (32.6%) and 108/641 (16.9%) of participants with pre-operative major (>5 trichiatic lashes) and minor (5 lashes (major recurrence). Recurrence was greatest in the first six months after surgery: 172 cases (55%) occurring in this period. Recurrence was associated with major TT pre-operatively (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.83-3.11), pre-operative entropic lashes compared to misdirected/metaplastic lashes (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.23-3.20), age over 40 years (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.14-2.20) and specific surgeons (surgeon recurrence risk range: 18%-53%). Granuloma occurred in 69 (5.7%) and notching in 156 (13.0%). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Risk of recurrence is high despite high volume, highly trained surgeons. However, the vast majority are minor recurrences, which may not have significant corneal or visual consequences. Inter-surgeon variation in recurrence is concerning; surgical technique, training and immediate post-operative lid position require further investigation

The individual-cell-based cryo-chip for the cryopreservation, manipulation and observation of spatially identifiable cells. I: Methodology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cryopreservation is the only widely applicable method of storing vital cells for nearly unlimited periods of time. Successful cryopreservation is essential for reproductive medicine, stem cell research, cord blood storage and related biomedical areas. The methods currently used to retrieve a specific cell or a group of individual cells with specific biological properties after cryopreservation are quite complicated and inefficient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The present study suggests a new approach in cryopreservation, utilizing the Individual Cell-based Cryo-Chip (i3C). The i3C is made of materials having appropriate durability for cryopreservation conditions. The core of this approach is an array of picowells, each picowell designed to maintain an individual cell during the severe conditions of the freezing - thawing cycle and accompanying treatments. More than 97% of cells were found to retain their position in the picowells throughout the entire freezing - thawing cycle and medium exchange. Thus the comparison between pre-freezing and post-thawing data can be achieved at an individual cell resolution. The intactness of cells undergoing slow freezing and thawing, while residing in the i3C, was found to be similar to that obtained with micro-vials. However, in a fast freezing protocol, the i3C was found to be far superior.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of the present study offer new opportunities for cryopreservation. Using the present methodology, the cryopreservation of individual identifiable cells, and their observation and retrieval, at an individual cell resolution become possible for the first time. This approach facilitates the correlation between cell characteristics before and after the freezing - thawing cycle. Thus, it is expected to significantly enhance current cryopreservation procedures for successful regenerative and reproductive medicine.</p

Losartan Decreases p42/44 MAPK Signaling and Preserves LZ+ MYPT1 Expression

Heart failure is associated with impairment in nitric oxide (NO) mediated vasodilatation, which has been demonstrated to result from a reduction in the relative expression of the leucine zipper positive (LZ+) isoform of the myosin targeting subunit (MYPT1) of myosin light chain phosphatase. Further, captopril preserves normal LZ+ MYPT1 expression, the sensitivity to cGMP-mediated vasodilatation and modulates the expression of genes in the p42/44 MAPK and p38 MAPK signaling cascades. This study tests whether angiotensin receptor blockade (ARB) with losartan decreases p42/44 MAPK or p38 MAPK signaling and preserves LZ+ MYPT1 expression in a rat infarct model of heart failure. In aortic smooth muscle, p42/44 MAPK activation increases and LZ+ MYPT1 expression falls after LAD ligation. Losartan treatment decreases the activation of p42/44 MAPK to the uninfarcted control level and preserves normal LZ+ MYPT1 expression. The expression and activation of p38 MAPK, however, is low and does not change following LAD ligation or with losartan therapy. These data suggest that either reducing or blocking the effects of circulating angiotensin II, both decreases the activation of the p42/44 MAPK signaling cascade and preserves LZ+ MYPT1 expression. Thus, the ability of ACE-inhibitors and ARBs to modulate the vascular phenotype, to preserve normal flow mediated vasodilatation may explain the beneficial effects of these drugs compared to other forms of afterload reduction in the treatment of heart failure

Collaborating to Compete: Blood Profiling Atlas in Cancer (BloodPAC) Consortium

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136731/1/cpt666.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136731/2/cpt666_am.pd