Prevalence of toxoplasmosis among hepatosplenic patients with or without lymphadenopathy

To study the prevalence of toxoplasmosis among patients with hepatosplenomegaly attending out patients clinic of Internal Medicine Department of Zagazig University Hospital, 53 patients [4 females, 49 males] were examined 14 of them were under specific chemotherapy at Oncology Unit and the rest were taken from the Internal Medicine Department. Ten healthy subjects were taken from the same different localities of Sharkyia Governorate as a control group. All subjects were thoroughly examined routinely investigated and their sera were tested for the presence of Toxoplasma antibodies by indirect hemagglutination test. Nineteen patients were found to be seropositive for toxoplasmosis [35.8%] among 53 patients, while only one case was seropositive from the ten healthy control group. Toxoplasmosis was more frequent among patients taken from the Oncology Unit presented by lymphadenopathy [78.5%] because they were under the effect of chemotherapy or immunosuppressive drugs. Also the prevalence rate was significantly higher among patients with Neutropenia and/or lymphocytosis or marked liver cell failure manifestations and especially with those patients presented with active schistosomiasis and those with positive history of Cat Contact or row food consumption. So toxoplasmosis must be taken in consideration as a pathogen and searched for in sera of altered hosts [hepatosplenomegaly with or without lymphoproliferative disorders under specific chemotherapy or immunosuppressive drugs] especially when they develop rapid deterioration

Histopathological and microbiological study of patients suffering from chronic gastritis

Endoscopic gastric biopsies were taken from two hundred patients suffering from dyspepsia, these patients were taken from those patients attending to the endoscopy unit of the department of Internal Medicine of Zagazig University Hospitals, in the period extended from January 1988 to March 1991. These group of patients showing endoscopic picture of gastritis only, other organic gastric lesions were excluded. Multiple biopsies from the antrum, body and fundus were taken. The specimens were processed as usual and studied histopathologically and microbiologically using H and E, Giemsa and Half Gram stains. Endoscopic examination revealed gastritis in all cases and the main endoscopic diagnosis was non specific gastritis [106 patients]. The histopathological diagnosis proved that 173 patients had gastritis and 27 patients had normal gastric mucosa. The leading diagnosis for typing and grading of gastritis proved to be histopathological data. The microbiological studies revealed that Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] were detected in 65% of cases [75] with chronic superficial, quiescent, gastritis, in 94% of cases with chronic superficial active gastritis. While in cases with atrophic gastritis [8 quiescent, 20 active and 12 cases with intestinal metaplasia] the detection of H. pylori were 37.5%, 90% and 33.3% respectively. The H. pylori was detected in only 3 cases of those patients with normal gastric mucosa. These findings through a light on the role of H. pylori in the pathogenesis of different type of chronic non auto immune gastritis and clarify its role in the activities and progression of gastritis that lead to chronic dyspeptic illness with its complications