ABSTRACT
Background: Nasal washing is a part of religious ablution [Wodou], which is practiced normally five times a day, as a prerequisite for the Muslims' prayer. However, studies addressing its effect on the nasal colonization state are scarce and conflicting
Objective: to investigate whether carriage rates of nasal Staphylococcus aureus [S. aureus] would differ between performers and non-performers of ablution
Methodology: A total of 600 first-year students from Zagazig University, Egypt, were randomly selected and classified by their performance of ablution into two groups, performers and non-performers of ablution. A nasal swab was obtained from each participant and investigated for S. aureus with the standard technique. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated organisms was determined with the Vitek-2 system
Results: The overall S. aureus carriage rate was 30.2%. The performers of ablution had significantly lower S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA] carriage rates than the non-performers [P<0.001 for both comparisons]. In the logistic regression analysis, the most significant independent risk factor for S. aureus nasal carriage was the non-performance of regular ablution. We also found that the strains isolated from the performers, compared to non-performers, were more susceptible to antibiotics
Conclusions: Performers of ablution, compared to non-performers, have reduced carriage rates of nasal S. aureus and MRSA, and higher susceptibility profile to antibiotics. The study advocates regular ablution as an effective and inexpensive method that helps in checking the increasing problem of S. aureus antimicrobial resistance
ABSTRACT
Background: Alpha defensins were known to have broad spectrum potent antimicrobial activities
Objectives: To evaluate plasma alpha-defensin 1- 3 levels in smoker and non-smoker male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]
Methodology: The subjects included 50 consecutive current smoker men with T2DM attending the outpatient clinic, Zagazig University Hospitals [Egypt], matched for age and diabetes duration with 50 consecutive non-smoker men with T2DM and 100 healthy men [50 smokers; 50 non-smokers]. Associations between a-defensin plasma levels and characteristics of participants were evaluated
Results: Plasma levels of a-defensins were significantly higher in smokers compared with non-smokers in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects [P<0.001 for all comparisons]. Ten characteristics of participants that significantly correlated with a-defensinswere further analyzed using stepwise multiple linear regression. The final model included four variables explaining 47.0% of the variation in a-defensin level. Presence of diabetes alone accounted for 32.6% of the variation. However, 40.1% of the variation in a-defensins could be explained by including current smoking
Conclusion: Plasma a-defensin 1-3 is elevated in patients with T2DM, and current smoking is combined with a further elevation. Given the known association between a-defensin and serious complications of diabetes, results of the current study should have important clinical implications in the management of patients with T2DM who smoke or think about smoking