Natural killer cells and their interaction with dendritic cells in hepatitis C infection

Background: Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver that has affected around 200 million people globally. The immune response against HCV infection includes both the innate and adaptive arms of immunity, with crosstalk between liver inhabitant and infiltrating cells. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the natural killer cells activation and inhibition status, and their role in interaction with DCs utilizing different combinations between NK cells and DCs in the presence of HCV peptides in a ratio of 5 NK: 1DC

Results: HCV NK cells upregulated both activation and inhibition markers. This could be attributed to HCV infection and their interaction with DCs especially healthy DCs. Moreover, apoptosis of DCs and NK cells occurred more in HCV NK cultures due to their higher frequency of NKp30 and KLRG1. The death of NK cells was more than DCs despite DCs maturation defect due to HCV infection, suggesting that the inhibitory marker KLRG1 took the upper hand over the upregulated activation markers leading to impaired cytotoxic activity and apoptosis of NK cells

Conclusion: The bidirectional crosstalk between NK cells and DCs is important in both potentiating mechanisms of the innate immune responses and the subsequent adaptive immune responses in the immune surveillance of cancer and infections. HCV infection impairs this crosstalk which may be a leading cause in viral persistence and chronicity

Comparison of common detection methods for chlamydia trachomatis and genital mycoplasmas in cervical infection

Genitourinary infections are caused by a large number of diverse microbial agents, in many women with cervicitis, these agents are not detected, even when highly sensitive diagnostic tests are performed. Less urbanized communities have a proportionally higher incidence of urethritis and cervicitis, caused by Chlamydia trachomatic [C. trachomatis]. In addition, mycoplasmas commonly colonize the genital tracts of men and women, and the ability of some species to cause non-gonococcal urethritis and cervicitis has been well established. To detect the prevalence of C. trachomatis, M. hominis and U. urealyticum in cases of cervicitis and to compare different laboratory methods for the diagnosis of these organisms. A total of 50 women suffering from cervicitis were enrolled in this work. To determine the causative agents, PCR, detection of mycoplasmas [Using Mycoplasma IST2 kit] and direct immunofluorescence assay for Chlamydia trachomatis were used. U. urealyticum was isolated from 18 cases [36%], while M. hominis was isolated only from 2 cases [4%]. Besides, 10 cases [20%] were infected by both organisms. U. urealyticum was detected in 5 cases [10%] by multiplex PCR and in 8 cases [16%] by monoplex PCR. M. hominis was detected in 10 cases [20%] both by multiplex as well as by monoplex PCR. C. trachomatis was detected in 3 samples with counts of 16.760, 28.2 and 10 DNA copies/ml using Real Time PCR. However, it was not detected by direct immunofluorescence assay in any of the samples. Mycoplasma IST2 culture was more sensitive for the detection of genital mycoplasmas and Real Time PCR was a better diagnostic test for the detection of C. trachomatis

Subclinical hyperthyroidism as a potential factor for dysfunctional uterine bleeding

To evaluate the functional status of thyroid gland in apparently euthyroid women with dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Forty apparently euthyroid women with menorrhagia and no pathologic lesion in the genital tract were compared to 20 women having normal menstrual cycle as control group. All women were subjected to hormonal assay: total and free T3, T4 and TSH, Serum PRL, P [progesterone], total and free testosterone. A statistically significant difference in the values of TSH, total T3, free T3 and total T4 in the menorrhagia group compared to the control group. Prolactin was decreased significantly in the menorrhagia group. Subclinical hyperthyroidism can be a potential risk factor for dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Other studies are needed to confirm our findings

use of fetal biophysical profile, vibroacoustic stimulation and Doppler indices of the umbilical artery to assess the effect of dexamethazone administration on healthy preterm fetuses

To examine the effect of antenatal Dexamethazone administration on healthy preterm fetuses using fetal biophysical profile, vibroacoustic stimulation and umbilical artery Doppler indices. Prospective study. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University 120 singleton pregnancies between the gestational ages of 30 and 34 weeks who received two consecutive doses of Dexamethasone 12 hours apart. Fetal biophysical profile, Vibroacoustic stimulation and Doppler measurement of the umbilical artery S/D and PI were performed at 0 [pre-steroid], 48, 96 hours after the administration of first dose. 109 of 120 fetuses [90.8%] displayed a startle response to vibroacoustic stimulation prior to Dexamethasone administration, in comparison to 37 of 120 fetuses [30.8%] at 48 hours after exposure [p<0.05]. At 48 hours after Dexamethazone administration, 83 fetuses [69.16%] displayed no startle response [p<0.05]. At 96 hours after Dexamethazone exposure, no significant differences in the number of fetuses with present or absent startle responses were observed in comparison to 0 hours. None of the Doppler indices was found to be affected by the steroid administration. Maternal Dexamethasone administration can cause a significant but transient, reduction in sonographically observed fetal startle response to vibroacoustic stimulation and biophysical profile scores, accordingly, these modalities cannot be used for the ascertainment of fetal well-being of steroid exposed fetuses. Doppler indices of the umbilical artery were found to be unaffected suggesting the reliability of this modality for the evaluation of the fetuses previously exposed to the antenatal steroids