Prevalence of transfusion transmitted virus [TTV] infection in patients with liver diseases attending to Assiut University Hospital

In 1997 Transfusion Transmitted Virus [TTV] was isolated from the serum of a patient with post transfusion hepatitis of unknown etiology, in Japan. It's considered as a causative agent of non A to G hepatitis. To assess the prevalence of TTV infection among patients with liver diseases compared with healthy controls and the significance of TTV infection in patients with liver disease. This investigation was conducted on 76 patients with liver diseases, classified into four groups: Acute hepatitis group [20 patients], chronic liver diseases [30 patients], Liver cirrhosis [18 patients] and hepatocellular carcinoma [8 patients]. In addition to the patient groups, the fifth group of 24 healthy blood donors as control group was included within the study. All patients and control groups were examined for the detection of TTV DNA by PCR. Thirty seven had history of blood transfusion and 23 patients were subjected to surgical manipulation. TTV DNA was detected in 57.9% [44/76] of patients with liver diseases and in 45.7% [11/24] of healthy blood donors. The prevalence of TTV in the studied groups were 60%, 46.7%, 66,7% and 75% in acute hepatitis, chronic liver diseases, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma respectively. TTV is commonly present in patients with liver disease attended to Assiut University Hospitals as well as in blood donors. High prevalence of TTV in blood donors may indicate other routes of transfusion of this virus such as fecal-oral and sexual routes beside transfusion of blood and blood products. The blood transfusion and operative intervention are a major risk factor for transmission of TTV

Surgical treatment of thoracic and lumbar tuberculosis by anterior interbody fusion and posterior instrumentation

To evaluate the efficacy and clinical outcome of simultaneous or sequential anterior and posterior surgical approaches in the management of spinal tuberculosis in the form of anterior extirpation of the tuberculous lesion, strut bone grafting of the defect produced and posterior instrumentation for spinal fixation. Subjects and Twenty-two patients who had tuberculosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine with moderate to severe localized kyphosis and variable degrees of neurological deficits were treated at Al Razi Hospital [Kuwait] in the period from 1998 to 2000 by anterior debridement and autogenous strut bone grafting with simultaneous or staged posterior spinal fixation using either USS or SOCON spinal instrumentation. Appropriate antituberculosis treatment was given to all patients for 9-12 months. The postoperative follow-up period was 18 months. Of the 22 cases the average of preoperative kyphosis was 42°. The average of immediate postoperative correction was 27°. At the last follow-up the average correction was 24° and the loss of correction did not exceed 3°. Average fusion times were 5 months for one-segment fusions and 8 months for two-segment fusions. There was no recurrence of the disease in any of the cases. Posterior instrumental stabilization and anterior interbody fusion were found to be effective in arresting the disease, correcting kyphotic deformity and maintaining correction until solid spinal fusion

pattern of bacterial isolates and its sensitivity to antibiotics in chronic obstructive airway disease with exacerbation of infection in upper Egypt

This study was carried out on 150 patients having chronic obstructive airway disease. Ninety-six males [64%] and 54 females [36%] with age groups ranged from 20-70 years old. Seventy-six of 96 male patients [79.1%] were smokers either cigarettes or [Goza], most of them [44.6%] consumed 10-20 cigarettes per day, they were classified into 15 patients [10%] having chronic bronchitis, 86 patients [57.3%] having bronchial asthma and 49 patients [32.7%] having emphysema. A sputum sample [purulent or mucopurulent] from each patient was collected in dried and sterilized Petridishes and subjected for various bacteriological investigations [films, cultures and biochemical reactions]. Tuberculous patients were not included in our study. The pneumococci constituted the highest frequency 66 cases 3 [44%], next in frequency the Staphylococcus aureus 53 [35.3%] followed by Branhamella catarrhalis 21 [14%], Klebsiella pneumoniae 13 [8.7%]. Haemophilus influenzae 11 [7.3%], Pseudomonas aeruginosa 5 [3.3%], Microccus tetragenous 4 [2.7%], Streptococcus pyogenes 3 [2%], Acinetobacter pneumoniae 3 [2%] E. coli 2 [1.3%] and yeast 8 [5.3%]. Many of the isolated organisms were present in mixed form. The antibiogram of 100 pure isolates was done. It showed that most of these isolates are sensitive to cefadroxil [duricef], clindamycin [dalacine], cephaloridine [cephalexine], amoxycillin [hiconcil] and cefotoxime [claforan]. On the other hand most of the bacterial isolates were resistant to trimethoprim [bactrim], ampiciliin and chloramphenicol