ABSTRACT
Background: depression may be considered "the disease of the modern era". With a high prevalence worldwide causing significant morbidity and mortality and constituting a heavy burden on social and economic welfare. Despite decades-long research the exact pathogenesis of depression is still not fully understood
Aims: to investigate the behvioral deficits elicited by exposure to the combined model of lipopolysaccharide [LPS] then chronic mild stress [CMS] in male Wistar rats and to investigate the putative role of inflammatory cytokine production induced lipopolysaccharide exposure together with chronic stress in the pathogenesis of depressive like behaviour
Materials and Methods: Sixty five Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups; Control group [n=29]: naïve rats left undisturbed, not exposed to stress and LPS/CMS exposed group [n=27]
Results: exposure to LPS/CMS model induced a depressive-like behavior manifested by a decline in body weight gain, alongside an increase in immobility time in FST and a decrease in time of active interaction in SIT
Conclusion: this work highlights the depressive like behaviour induced by exposure to the combined model of lipopolysaccharide and chronic mild stress. This work also underscores the putative role of lipopolysaccharide exposure in modulating the stress-induced neuroinflammation which is thought to be crucial, not only for the pathogenesis of depression, but also for a wide array of neurological diseases
ABSTRACT
Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis [MTB] is the causative agent of tuberculosis [TB], which remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The emergence of drug-resistant strains of MTB has put status of TB to threatening levels
Aim of the Work: was to detect MTB along with rifampicin [RIF] resistance using Genexpert [MTB/RIF]. Its diagnostic, sensitivity and specificity were evaluated by comparing with conventional technique
Patients, Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted on two hundred and seven Egyptian patients at Abbasia Chest Diseases Hospital, from November 2016 to December 2017, and comprised clinically and radiologically diagnosed TB suspected cases. This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of faculty of medicine, Alazhar University and the Ethical Committee of Ministry of Health and after Verbal consents from the patients or their parents were taken. Pulmonary specimens [sputum and bronchial lavage] and pleural effusion as an extra-pulmonary specimen were included. All samples collected were sent to TB laboratory of Abbasia Chest Diseases Hospital for further analysis
Result: Out of the 26 Genexpert [MTB/RIF] positive samples for MTBC, 3 [11.54%] showed RIF resistance and diagnosed as MDR-TB. Using LJ and MGIT cultures for drug sensitivity test [DST] on 31 and 34 positive TB samples; respectively, the same three specimens showed resistance to rifampicin [RIF]. Four positive specimens were also resistant to streptomycin [STR] using the previously mentioned cultures. Moreover, resistant to INH was reported in five positive TB samples using the same cultures. Finally, it was found that all positive specimens were sensitive to Ethambutol [ETH]
Conclusion: Although the conventional methods remain the gold standard for diagnosing pulmonary TB, delayed diagnostic times demand for more rapid and sensitive nucleic acid amplification techniques. Genexpert [MTB/RIF] assay is simple, rapid and accurate method for detecting mycobacterial tuberculosis
ABSTRACT
Objectives: TO determine if glutamine and arginine, which are essential for Intestinal integrity, are deficient in infants developing necrotizing enterocolitis [NFC]
Methods: This study was conducted on 44 preterm newborns [-3d 35 weeks of gestation]. The patients group comprised 17 infants who developed NEC between postnatal days 3 and 11. According to Bells staging criteria, the patients were subdivided into 3 subgroups: 6 at stage I [suggestive], 8 at stage II [definitive], 3 at stage III [advanced]. The remaining 27 newborns served as a control group and consisted of neonates without detectable signs of NEC by day ll. Serum arginine [ARG] and glutamine [GLN] levels were measured by high pressure liquid chromatography [HPLC] of samples obtained on postnatal days 3 and 11
Results: Significantly lower levels of serum ARG and GLN were encountered on day 11 compared with day 3 in the patient group [P<0.05].There was no significant difference in both amino acids levels between the NEC group compared with the control group. Serum ARG and GLN correlated positively with gestational age in the control group [rho=0.48 P<0.05 for ARG and 0.41 P<0.05 for GLN]. There was a significant positive correlation between ARG and GLN serum levels [rho=O.772, 0.645, 0.743 P<0.05 for ARG and rho=0.642, 0.772, 0.605 P<0.05 for GLN]. The results revealed also that ARG and GLN significantly decreased on day 11 compared to day 3 at stage II and but was statistically comparable at stage I and did not reach significance at stage III
Conclusion: In conclusion, the diminished concentration of serum ARG and GLN in preterms with NBC may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Recommendations: Further studies on the efficacy and safety of higher doses of parenteral ARG and GLN are needed to be studied in premature infants. A trial investigating the benefits and risks of selective amino acid supplementation in the prevention of NBC is needed