Cytokines and mother sporocysts in susceptible and resistant bulinus truncatus snails infected with schistosoma haematobium

The presence of immunoreactive interleukin [IL-2] interferon gamma [FN-y] and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha] in addition to the citation of mother sporscytes in cephalopodal musculature in the susceptible and resistance Bulinus truncatus the specific intermediate host for the trematode Schistosoma haematobium were investigated. Using ELISA tests, Results indicated that the concentration of IL-2-like activity in the susceptible and resistant snails decreased significantly after infection then persisted at low levels until the 4[th] week post exposure [WPE] in susceptible snails, while in resistant snails elevated during the second WPE, and returned to initial level at 3 and 4 WPE. Susceptible snails had low detectable levels of TNF-alpha and INF-y like-activity after infection. However, the resistant snails had significant low levels of TNF-alpha and INF-y like-activity from 3 WPE until the 4th WPE without any sign of normalization. Histological sections in the head- foot region of susceptible and resistance B, truncatus infected with S. haematobium, mother sporocysts exists froml to 7 [day post exposure] DPE, in the susceptible snail the mother sporocysts were found as single, multiple and mature types. No mother sporocysts were appear in the lip and mantle of the snail on 2, 5, 7 DPE and on 1-3, 6 DPE respectively. In the resistant snails few mother sporocysts were found in the lip, mantle and tentacles. The results showed that schistosome-resistant Bulinus can be an alternative strategy for the control of schistosomiasis

Evaluation of serum total bile acids in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Fasting total serum bile acids [FSBA] concentrations were measured in 140 cases of chronic liver diseases including 50 patients with liver cirrhosis, 40 patients with chronic hepatitis and 50 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]. FSBA concentrations were significantly higher in patients with HCC than those with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis and both were significantly higher than the controls [p<0.0001]. FSBA concentrations were not correlated to the size of the tumor, the Child Pugh grades, the histopathologic grades and most of the liver function tests. Using the receiver operative characteristic [ROC] and the differential positive rate [DPR] analysis, 30 pmol/l was the optimal cut-off value that differentiates patients with HCC from those with cirrhosis. At this level, the sensitivity, the specificity and the diagnostic accuracy were 42%, 98% and 70% respectively. AFP was found to be significantly increased in patients with HCC than those with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. The best cut-off value of AFP was 100 ng/ml, at which the sensitivity, the speci-ficity and diagnostic accuracy were 52%, 96% and 74% respectively. The simultaneous determination of AFP and total bile acids raised the sensitivity of the test to 76%. The area under the ROC curve for AFP and total bile acids was 0.764 and 0.744 respectively, the difference is non-significant. In conclusion, both AFP and total bile acids are good markers for HCC and their simultaneous determination may improve the detection of HCC in cirrhotic patients negative for AFP