Scoring system designed to improve case selection for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in upper Egypt

In an attempt to minimize unnecessary gastroscopic examinations, 405 patients attending for endoscopy to Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit, Assiut University Hospital were interviewed. The results were analyzed to determine which factors best discriminate between those with serious disease [129] and those without 276. The seven characteristics which best discriminated between the two groups were: pain after 2 hours of meals, vomiting periodicity of symptoms, smoking, age, dysphagia and loss of weight. With the use of these features, a scoring system was devised to give an indication of the likelihood of finding serious disease in individual patients. The results showed that by utilizing this scoring system, it would be possible to reduce the number of examinations performed by 25.4% without missing any of the patients, yet still detect 100% of serious diseases. If confirmed in further prospective studies, this scoring system could assess more accurately the individual priority for endoscopy and enable optimum use of our limited resources

Bacteraemia following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy

Fifty one patients [48 males, 3 females] with renal and/or ureteric stones treated by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy [ESWL] were subjected to a bacteriologic study. Urine cultures were done before and blood cultures before and after ESWL. Patients with positive blood cultures increased significantly [P<0.01] form 17 [33.7%] before to 30 [58.8%] after ESWL. Non-pathogenic staphylococci could be cultured from the blood of 8 patients [15.7%] before and 18 [35.3%] after the procedure. Gram negative [Gram-ve] bacilli were recovered after ESWL from the blood of 9 patients [17.6%], three of them showed the same organism in their urine culture. The urinary tract, therefore, seems to be one source of blood invasion however, further studies are required to define exactly other source [s]

Evaluation of measurement of glucose and protein glycosylation in dried blood spots in diabetic patients

Blood glucose and whole blood glycosylation were determined in dry blood spotted on to filter paper, as well as in fresh blood samples obtained from 92 non insulin dependent diabetics and 17 healthy subjects. Blood glucose levels and whole blood glycosylation measured in dried and fresh blood were significantly increased in diabetics compared with controls. Blood glucose levels and whole blood glycosylation in dried blood spots correlated strongly well with the corresponding levels in fresh blood samdples. Since these papers could be wetted with capillary blood from a finger prick, they can be easily used by the patients especially in far rural areas and kept at room temperature until brought to the hospital. The dried blood spot procedure does not add any extra cost to the conventional methods