Coxsackie B Viruses as the main etiologic agent of myocarditis: Characterization of capsid proteins

Enteroviruses especially Coxsackie B viruses [CBVs] are responsible for approximately 50% of viral myocarditis cases. Coxsackie B viruses were inoculated in BGM cells for three successive passages. Viral capsid proteins were screened by SDS-PAGE, followed by Western blot. Electrophoretically separated proteins of CB2, CB4 in comparison to CA9, Echo9, and PV1 Sabin, showed common peptides particularly at the low molecular weight [ranging between 40 to 10 kDa]. The results of immunoblotting analysis using polyclonal antibodies raised against the whole Coxsackieviruses B viral particles did not reflect that all those bands are immunogenic, nevertheless those peptides could be used to raise specific antibodies which in turn could be useful in detecting viral circulating antigens

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in atopic patients

Phosphodiesterases share with adenylate cyclase the control of intracellular camp level. Cyclic AMP effects in the cells are mediated via camp dependent protein kinase [A kinase]. Therefore, it is expected that control of intracellular camp levels and hence, PDE activation would be predicted on the prequirements for A kinase activation. To evaluate the role of PDE in the atiopathogenesis of AD, 36 patients had been tested for PDE activity is isolated MNL reparation verus fifteen normal age and sex matched normal volunteers. The results data showed that camp specific PED activity in atopic MNL is consistently and significantly elevated compared to normal persons. Also, there is a strong correlation between the severity of the lesions and PED activity which was found to be increased in all phases of AD. These results certainly raise the possibility that elevated PDE activity may reflect a primary biochemical abnormality in AD

Serum magnesium in critically ill cardiac patients: prevalence and prognostic implications

Serum levels of magnesium [Mg] and potassium [K] have been measured in 100 critically ill cardiac patients [pts] consecutively admitted to the Critical Care Center of Cairo University including 70 males, 30 females whose ages ranged from 25 to 78 [mean 52 years]. Diagnoses included acute myocardial infarction [AMI] in 50 pts, and miscellaneous cardiac disorders [without infarction] in the other 50 pts. Serum electrolytes [Mg and K] were measured daily on admission, whenever possible and at times of crises. The prevalence of hypomagnesemia in the two groups of patients was 56%, and that of hypokalemia was 34%. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in normomagnesemic AMI pts was 18.2% compared with 39.2% in hypomagnesemic pts with AIMI, with p-value 0.05 and 2.15 relative risk. There was a 41.1% incidence of ventricular arrhythmias with hypokalemia in AMI pts against 22.6% of the normokaliemic AMI pts, with p-value 0.07 and 1.86 relative risk. The AMI pts have a significantly higher incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in the patients with both Mg and K deficiencies [53.9%], than pts with single electrolyte deficiency [23.8%] or without electrolyte abnormalities [18.8%], p= 0.02. On the other hand, in the other cardiac disease, there was no significant difference between pts with arrhythmias and those without, in terms of hypo Mg and K. The mortality rate, however, of any group of pts showed no significant deviations when each electrolyte was analyzed separately

Effect of hemodialysis by bicarbonate bath versus acetate bath on lactate production after minimal exercise in uremic patients

Ten Patients with chronic renal failure and 10 normal control subjects were involved in this study. Blood chemistry [lactate, Pyruvate, creatinine, urea, calcium and Potassium] was estimated in uremic patients before and immediately, 10 minutes, and 20 minutes post exercise in acetate bath versus bicarbonate bath. The results showed that the blood level of urea was significantly increased in uremic patients in both bicarbonate [P<0.001] and acetate [P<0.001] bathes compared to normal controls. Also a significant rise of blood lactate [P<0.00l] and pyruvate [P<0.01] was observed in uremic patients in acetate bath compared to bicarbonate bath and normal controls