Impact of adding antioxidant vitamins [A or E] with antihelmintic treatment on naturally gastrointestinal nematode infected ewes

The present study was aimed to examine the oxidative stress/antioxidant status in naturally infected ewes with gastrointestinal nematodes [GIN] after use of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A or E with antihelmintic treatment [ivermectin] .A total of 12 Barki ewes were chosen naturally infected with GIN, aged between [1.5 - 2.5] years, weighted between [35 -38 kg]. All ewes were treated with 2ml/50kg BW ivermectin. They were divided into three groups [n=4]. The first group was non-vitamin treated [the control group], the second group, was orally treated with vitamin A [0.5X10[5] IU/ewe/day] for four weeks, the third group was orally treated with vitamin E [75mg/ewe/day] also for four weeks. Fecal samples were collected from rectum of each ewe before the beginning of the trial and weekly after treatments. Degree of infestation was performed by fecal egg counting [FEC] and identified by fecal culture technique. Blood samples were collected from each ewe for biochemical analysis of serum lipid peroxide-Malondialdehyd [MDA], Nitricoxide [NO], total-antioxidant capacity [TAG] and glutathione-S-transferase [GST]. Ewes were weighed every two weeks till the end of the study. Four weeks post-treatment, MDA significantly [p <0.05] decreased in their levels in both vitamin treated groups in comparison to the control one, meanwhile NO showed no alterations in their levels in both treated groups in comparison to the control one all over the expermental period. Four weeks post treatment, there was significant [p <0.05] increase in the mean value of TAC in vitamin E treated group comparing with the other groups. While there were significant increase in GST level after the second and the fourth weeks in vitamin E treated group. It was concluded that vitamin E should be used at least 2 weeks with other antihelmintic protocols in order to obtain a more effective and earlier cure against GI parasites in infected sheep for improving their health and reproductive performance

Cardiac troponins in children with chronic renal failure

Cardiac troponins T and I [cTnT, cTnI] are highly sensitive biomarkers for the detection of myocardial damage. Patients with chronic renal failure [CRF]on regular hcmodialysis [HD] often have increased serum concentrations of cardiac troponins and left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH] with or without evidence of acute myocardial injury. Thirty eight pediatric patients [23 males and 15 females], aged 4-18 years, suffering from CRF and on regular HD for more than one year were prospectively included in this study as well as 15 apparently healthy children matched for age and sex as controls. All patients and controls had detailed history and full clinical examination. Serum levels of Na, K, cTnT, cTnI, creatinin kinase [CK] and creatinin kinase MB [CK-MB] and hematocrit were estimated. Echocardiographic estimation of left ventricular [LV] dimensions, FS, EF, LV mass index [LVMI] and relative wall thickness [RWT] was done. Patients were classified into three subgroups according to presence or absence of LVH, congestive heart failure [CHF] and anurea. Serum levels of cTnT, cTnI and CK-MB were significantly higher in the patient group [0.086 +/- 0.054, 0.357+0.17, 5.65 +/- 3.94ng/ml] compared to controls [0.052 +/- 0.036, 0.26 +/- 0.12, 4.2 +/- 2.88ng/ml] respectively [p<0.05 for all]. In the patient group, cTnT was elevated in 58% [22/38], cTnI was elevated in 15.7% [6/38], while CK-MB was elevated in only 8% [3/38]. Significantly higher cTnT was detected in patients with LVH, CHF and anurea [0.126 +/- 0.11, 0.132 +/- 0.123, 0.134 +/- 0.13ng/ml] than those-without [0.054 +/- 0.034, 0.062 +/- 0.048, 0.071 +/- 0.049ng/ml], [p<0.01, 0.025, 0.05] respectively. Also, cTnI was significantly higher in patients with LVH, CHF and anurea [0.381 +/- 0.05, 0.391 +/- 0.12, 0.389 +/- 0.13ng/ml] than those without [0.337 +/- 0.07, 0.339 +/- 0.014, 0.323 +/- 0.019ng/ml] p<0.05 for all. LVH was found in 58% of patients who had significantly higher LVMI than controls [39.9 +/- 14.2 Vs. 24.3 +/- 6.3g/m[2.7], p<0.001]. Concentric LVH was found in 8 [36%] of them. LVMI correlated significantly, with systolic BP [r=0.72, p=0.011], diastolic BP [r=0.83, p=0.002], indexed end diastolic LV dimension [r=0.68, p=0.010]. In addition, a highly significant positive correlation was detected between LVMI and cTnT serum level [r=0.591, p<0,001]. Serum levels of cardiac troponins [cTnT and cTnI] and LVMI are increased in pediatric patients with chronic renal failure on regular hemodialysis particularly those with cardiac complications. Cardiac troponins and LVH appear to predict cardiac complications in this group of patients

Chlamydia penumoniae, an added risk factor for coronary heart disease.

This study was done on twenty patients [their mean age was +/- SD [36 +/- 12 years]] with acute myocardial infarction as well as twenty healthy controls with comparable age [35 +/- 10 years] and sex. Serum lipogram, lipoprotein [a], homocysteine level and Chlamydia pneumonia antibodies IgA and Chlamydia pneumonia lipopolysaccharides- immune complex [C. pneumonia LPS-IC] were estimated in both patients and controls. A significant increase in serum lipids was found in patients than the controls [total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively]. Also, lipoprotein [a] was significantly higher in patients than controls. IgA against C. pneumonia was more frequently positive in patients than controls [14 cases versus 5 cases, respectively], but LPS-IC [which is more diagnostic than IgA] was present in 15 patients compared with only one case of controls. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, C. pneumonia was found to be an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease [CHD]. It was concluded that C. pneumonia is an additional risk factor for CHD and it must be put into consideration as an etiologic or precipitating factor for CHD