ABSTRACT
Background: Helicobacter pyloriis is a Gram negative, bacterium that colonizes human gastric mucosa and is one of the most common bacterial pathogens worldwide with prevalence of up to 90 % in developing Countries. It is the primary cause of peptic ulcer disease and an etiologic agent in the development of gastric cancer. H. pylori infection is curable with regimens of multiple antimicrobial agents. However, antibiotic resistance is a leading cause of treatment failure. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of H.pylori in gastric biopsies taken from Egyptian patients by using invasive methods and study the role of antimicrobial agents in elimination of this bacterium
Methodology: From 50 patients, 3 antral gastric biopsies were taken from the greater curvature about 2 cm, from pylorus. The first biopsy was for direct Gram's stain and culture [using Blood agar] to apply Traditional Biochemical tests and antimicrobial susceptibility test to different antibiotics, The second biopsy was used for rapid urease test [using modified Christensen's urea broth] and the third biopsy was kept in deep, freezer at -70 C in brain heart infusion broth for PCR assay using Ure c gene
Results: Among 50 patients, 22[44%] were positive by culture, 17[34%] were positive by direct Gram's stain with 77.3% sensitivity, 100% specificity and 90% accuracy, while 19[38%] were positive by rapid urease test with 63.6% sensitivity, 82.1% specificity and 74% accuracy, and 25[50%] were positive by PCR with 95.5% sensitivity, 89.3% specificity and 92% accuracy .By antimicrobial Susceptibility testing using disc diffusion method, it was shown that the highest susceptibility of the isolated H.pylori strains was to amoxicillin [90.9%] followed by tetracycline [81.8%], Gentamicin [54.5%] Erythromycin [18.2%] and Ciprofloxacin [9.1 %]. However no one [zero %] was highly sensitive to Metronidazole
Conclusion: Some of antibiotics widely used in Egypt are no longer suitable for treatment of Helicobacter pylori and new antibiotics regimen are needed to eradicate this organism
ABSTRACT
Hepatitis C virus [HCV] is a serious global health threat and current medical treatment options are limited. Gama interferon [IFN-[gamma]] is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine with antiviral activity however, the mechanism of its action as anti-hepatitis C treatment remains unclear. Many studies suggest that priming with IFN-[gamma] prior to initiation of INF-[gamma] treatment has a beneficial effect in some cases of chronic hepatitis C infected patients through changing the balance of cytokines in favor of a Th-1 type response in the host. C-phycocyanin is a water-soluble Bili protein from the filamentous Cyanobacterium spirulina planeness with a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous properties. In this study we investigated the effect of C-phycocyanin on the production of IFN-[gamma] from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC] obtained from patients with chronic hepatitis C with different degrees of liver disease severity. We obtained two groups of blood; the first was from healthy volunteers as a control group and the second was from patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Both groups were subjected to phycocyanin and phytoheamaglutinin as stimulators of the release of interferon gamma from the PBMC. We found that in both groups the level of IFN-[gamma] production without addition of phycocyanin or phytoheamaglutinin was less than after addition of 5ul or 10 ul of phycocyanin. Also the results showed that the mean level of IFN-[gamma] production in the diseased group was higher than that of the control group. Among the diseased group the production was much higher in class B subgroup [Child B] sss. The safety of Spirulina and its content C-phycocyanin and its immune stimulatory effects encourage us to recommend its use in vivo study especially in chronic hepatitis C patients who failed to respond to or unfit for the classical interferon therapy
ABSTRACT
Hepatitis-C virus [HCV] infection is considered to be the leading cause of chronic liver disease with a prevalence rate between 0.5% and 10% in different countries. HCV is remarkably efficient in establishing persistent infection, possibly mediated by an impaired immune response to HCV infection. Regulation of T-cell apoptosis, which is mediated by interaction of a death receptors Fas [CD[95]] and its ligand [Fas ligand] is critical in generation of effective immune response against viral infection. Increase in peripheral T-cell apoptosis contributes to the down regulation of the immune system in chronic HCV infection
Aim of the work: Measuring the amount of apoptosis and the expression of Fas receptor in peripheral T-lymphocytes and their relationship to laboratory criteria in chronic HCV patients
Materials and methods: The study included two groups, 30 patients with chronic HCV infection [16 males, 14 females], aged 38 +/- 13.6 years and 10 healthy subjects as a control group [6 males, 4 females] aged 35.5 +/- 12.5 years. Both groups were subjected to peripheral blood mononuclear cell [PBMC] separation by Ficoll-Hipaque density gradient centrifugation, culture of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes in RBMI 1640 with 10% fetal calf serum for 48 hours in 37[degree]C with 5% CO[2]. Then, apoptosis of cultured T-lymphocytes was determined on flow cytometry using Annexin-V FITC [fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer-1] technique. The amount of Fas expression on separated Tlymphocytes was determined using FITC anti-Fas monoclonal antibodies. Liver function tests and viral load were taken from patient's reports
Results: Fas-expression in patients with chronic HCV was 32.19% +/- 12.42% which was significantly higher than that of healthy control group 6.4% +/- 2.65% [P < 0.001]. Amount of apoptosis of cultured T-lymphocytes from patient group [48.52% +/- 14.18%] was significantly higher than that of the control group [12.48% +/- 6.35%] [P < 0.001]. There was a significant positive correlation between Fas expression and the amount of apoptosis in the patient group [P < 0.001]. Also there were significant positive correlations between viral load and both of Fas expression and lymphocyte apoptosis [P < 0.01], while there was no significant correlation between liver enzymes levels and Fas expression or apoptosis in chronic HCV patients
Conclusion: There was increased Fas expression and apoptosis in peripheral T-lymphocytes in patients with chronic HCV infection which may contribute to down regulation of the immune response and persistent infection