Evaluation of hepatocyte growth factor [HGF] as a prognostic indicator in acute myeloid leukemia

This study evaluated the serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor [HGF] and analyzed their prognostic significance in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay [ELISA] was performed to quantify the HGF in stored samples obtained from 40 patients with acute myeloid leukemia [AML] at diagnosis and reanalysis was performed in those who obtained complete remission [CR]. Real time PCR was earned out on thirteen samples that were selected as having the lowest ELISA readings for HGF after complete remission. We aimed to study the potential role of HGF in prognosis and severity of AML. We investigated the other currently available methods for AML diagnosis including bone marrow morphology, cytochemistry, immunophenotyping and cytogenetics for all patients. Our data showed that the levels of HGF were significantly higher in patients with AML than in healthy individuals [4870.52 +/- 6310.48 Vs 410.2 +/- 185.89 with p<0.001] with a significant reduction of HGF levels after achieving complete remission [341.09 +/- 181.05 with p<0.001]. A significant correlation between HGF level and total leukocytic count [TLC] [p 0.001], bone marrow blasts [p 0.02] and time to complete remission [p 0.03] was found. We found no correlation between TLC and time to complete remission [p 0.32], but there was a poor correlation between bone marrow blast% and time to complete remission [p 0.17]. Only three samples out of the thirteen ones that were subjected to RT-PCR detection of HGF-mRNA showed mRNA down regulation, while the rest of cases did not express HGF mRNA, a finding which supports the assumption that chemotherapy down regulates the expression of HGF rather than its degradation

Immunological Role of Nasal Staphylococcus aureus Carriage in Patients with Persistent at Allergic Rhinitis

Nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) exerts immunomodulatory effect in patients with atopic dermatitis and it may contribute to airway inflammation and allergic response in patients with allergic rhinitis. We Aim to investigate the frequency of nasal S.aureus carriage in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis and its possible influence on their symptoms and immune markers. We chosed 20 non smoker patients with house dust mite (HDM) allergy causing allergic rhinitis and 20 non smoker healthy subjects matched for age and sex. For all subjects rhinoscopy was done; skin prick test; nasal culture for S.aureus; nasal interleukin 4;nasal total IgE; serum total IgE and serum specific IgE(SSIgE) for HDM. Nasal S.aureus was detected in 16/20 patients (80) and 5/20 (25) in healthy subjects with highly significant statistical difference p0.01. Correlation of nasal staph.aureus count and different systemic and local immune markers revealed highly significant positive correlation between nasal S.aureus count and serum total IgE (r

Immunological Role of Nasal Staphylococcus aureus Carriage in Patients with Persistent at Allergic Rhinitis

Nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) exerts immunomodulatory effect in patients with atopic dermatitis and it may contribute to airway inflammation and allergic response in patients with allergic rhinitis. We Aim to investigate the frequency of nasal S.aureus carriage in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis and its possible influence on their symptoms and immune markers. We chosed 20 non smoker patients with house dust mite (HDM) allergy causing allergic rhinitis and 20 non smoker healthy subjects matched for age and sex. For all subjects rhinoscopy was done; skin prick test; nasal culture for S.aureus; nasal interleukin 4;nasal total IgE; serum total IgE and serum specific IgE(SSIgE) for HDM. Nasal S.aureus was detected in 16/20 patients (80) and 5/20 (25) in healthy subjects with highly significant statistical difference p0.01. Correlation of nasal staph.aureus count and different systemic and local immune markers revealed highly significant positive correlation between nasal S.aureus count and serum total IgE (r

Hepatitis B virus [HBV] genotypes in Egyptian pediatric cancer patients with acute and chronic active HBV infection

Background: There are eight genotypes of hepatitis B virus [A-H] and subgenotypes are recognized. Genotyping can be accomplished based on a partial sequence of HBV genome such as the pre-S or S gene. Several methods have been developed and used for HBV genotyping. This study was undertaken to determine the HBV genotypes in Egyptian pediatric cancer patients with acute and chronic liver disease

Methods: HBV genotypes were determined in 22 patients who had acute forms of liver disease [AH] and in 48 patients with chronic active hepatitis [CAH]. A type-specific primer based on the nested-PCR method was employed in the HBV genotyping

Results: This study showed that HBV infections in pediatric cancer patients are attributed predominantly to viral genotypes D and B that constituted 37.1% and 25.7%, respectively of the total infections. In addition, there was a relatively high prevalence of mixed infections of 15.7% among the studied group especially mixed A/D genotype infections. Genotype D was found significantly more often in patients with CAH than in patients with AH [P<0.05]

Conclusion: These findings show the distribution of HBV A-D genotypes in pediatric cancer Egyptian patients. Furthermore, our results indicate a markedly high prevalence of mixed A/D genotype infections in subjects with CAH and a possible association of mixed infections with the severity of liver diseases

Dysregulation of the fibrinolytic system in normal glucose tolerant offspring of type 2 diabetic patients

Impaired fibrinolysis increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and favors the intravascular deposition of fibrin. Fibrinolysis is regulated through plasminogen activators, and especially inhibitors, primarily the plasminogen activator inhibitor-l [PAI-l]. First-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic subjects are supposed to be genetically prone to the development of clinical disease. It might be possible that hemostatic dysregulalion may be present even in normal glucose tolerant first-degree relatives. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the hemostatic parameters, including tissue plasminogen activator [tPA], fibrinogen, PAI-l antigen, and PAI-l activity, in a group of diabetic patients offspring in comparison with healthy control subjects who have no family history of diabetes. We also investigated relationships between these parameters and plasma insulin levels. We studied 40 nondiabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic population. There were 25 normoglycemic subjects without a family history of diabetes who served as the control group. Fasting and post-load insulin concentrations were significantly higher in the offspring group compared with those in the control group. Plasma fibrinogen and LPA antigen concentrations were comparable between offspring and control subjects. Plasma PAI-l antigen concentration was higher in offspring compared with control subjects. Similarly, plasma PAI-l activity was significantly higher in offspring compared with control subjects. Plasma PAI-l activity was positively correlated with plasma PAI-l antigen and fibrinogen concentrations. PAI-l activity also had an inverse correlation with HDL cholesterol concentration, and was significantly correlated with the Waist Hip Ratio [WHR], plasma fibrinogen, plasma tPA antigen, and HDL cholesterol. These data suggest that none obese normal glucose tolerant offspring of type 2 diabetic subjects have elevated PAI-l activity indicating to hypofibrinolysis. Despite the presence of hyperinsulinemia and, possibly, insulin resistance, there is no association between insulin levels and PAI-l activity in these subjects. Hypofibrinolysis associated with enhanced PAI-l activity may be a risk factor for early development of atherosclerosis in these subjects who are genetically prone to the development of diabetes in the future. Large-scale controlled studies are required to elucidate whether the increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases present even at the diagnosis of overt diabetes is related to hypofibrinolysis, in the prediabetic state

Effect of Schistosoma mansoni egg depostion on multiple low doses streptozotocin induced insulin dependent diabetes

To explore the role of Schistosoma mansoni infection in the prevention of autoimmune mediated insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, the study examined the effects of multiple low doses of the pancreatic islets beta cell toxin, streptozotocin STZ [40 mg/kg] body weight i.p., given eight weeks post infection period of S. mansoni egg deposition on S. mansoni infected C57BL/6J mice in comparison to non-infected STZ given group. G IV was the control group. Mice treated with STZ [G III] became gradually hyperglycemic reaching the highest level on day 17 post STZ. S. Mansoni infection [G II] significantly reduced the elevation in blood glucose levels from day seven post STZ onwards. Morphologic examination of pancreas on day 21 post STZ revealed that the non-infected STZ [G III] given mice had significantly smaller mean islets area and significantly fewer mean number of beta cells/islets. Pancreatic tissue revealed also focal degeneration in the cells of islets of Langerhans in the non-infected STZ given mice [G III] in comparison to the infected STZ given group [G II], which had much less evident cells degeneration

Long-term follow up of Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis c: impact of interferon therapy on their outcome - with special reference to HCC

To our knowledge no previous data worldwide investigated the effects of interferon therapy in the treatment of hepatitis C virus [HCV] for longer than two years. So, this study was conducted to address the longer-term [3.5 years] Group II: 59 patients, chronic HCV with no cirrhosis, [interferon group-I] received interferon 3MIU every other day for 6 months. 57 patients completed the interferon therapy as 2 patients excluded during interferon therapy.outcomes of clinical, virological, biochemical and clinical responses to interferon therapy and the change in incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] and other HCV-related complications in-patients with chronic hepatitis C with and without liver cirrhosis. 139 patients in our study were classified into 4 groups: Group I: 20 patients, chronic HCV with no cirrhosis, [control group-1] received silymarin 70 mg thrice daily for 3.5 years. Group III: 20 patients, chronic HCV with cirrhosis, [control group-2] received silymarin 70mg thrice daily for 3.5 years. Group IV: 40 patients, chronic HCV with cirrhosis, [interferon group-2] received interferon 3MIU every other day. for 6 months. Evaluation of our patients during the study period was based on the followings: 1] Response at the end of interferon therapy and 3 years after interferon withdrawal. 2] Incidence of liver decompensation. 3] Incidence of portal hypertension 4] Incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding. 5] Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. 1- Interferon alpha is effective in chronic hepatitis C and 49% of patients obtain a sustained benefit [long-term responders]. 2-The sustained response to interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C with cirrhosis is 0% after 3 years of stop interferon. 3-Interferon therapy significantly reduces the risk of developing portal hypertension, ascites and hepato-cellular carcinoma in patients with HCV cirrhosis irrespective of the virological response to interferon. - Early treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C before reaching the stage of cirrhosis.- Proper selection of patient who is candidate for interferon therapy to increase the response rate. Cirrhosis should not be considered a reason for excluding patients with HCV- related liver disease from interferon therapy

Expression of fas antigen in acute myeloid leukemia and its clinical imorttance

Flow cytometric immunofluorescent analysis was used to assess Fas antigen [CD95] expression in blasts obtained from bone marrow of 24 patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The percentage of positive cells in each sample was highly variable. Fas antigen expression did nor correlate with age Hb% concentration, while blood cell count, platelet count, blast% in peripheral blood, blast% in bone marrow, CD34 expression or BC12 protein. Low expression of Fas was associated with a low complete remission rate after induction chemotherapy [69.2% in cases with <20% positive cells versus 90.9% in cases with >/20% positive cells, P <0.01]. The main cause for not achieving remission was resistant diseases. The result of this study suggested that the quantitation of Fas expression can be predictive of treatment outcome in acute myeloid leukemia

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor [sIL-2R] as a tumor marker in hematologic malignancies

This work aimed to evaluate serum levels of sIL-2R in some of the hematologic malignancies and to find out if it could be a predictive marker of tumor burden and response to therapy. The mean value of sIL-2R in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] was significantly higher than the controls. It was also significantly high in the patients with activity as compared with those at remission. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL] had significantly elevated sIL-2R compared with the controls. The mean value of sIL-2R in the newly diagnosed cases of CLL was significantly higher than that of the group under treatment. There was no significant difference in the mean value of sIL-2R on comparing patients with stage I CLL to those with stage II. There was a significant difference between patients with stage I CLL and those with stage IV and between patients with stage II and stage IV. Newly diagnosed cases had a significantly high mean serum value of sIL-2R compared with those under treatment. Also, patients under treatment showed a significantly high mean serum value of sIL-2R compared with those at remission. Thus, it is clear that measurements of serum sIL-2R in patients with ALL, CLL, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL] and Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL] could offer a useful marker for tumor burden, prognosis and monitoring of treatment

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor [sIL-2R] in some hematologic malignancies

The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of sIL-2R in some of the hematologic malignancies and to find out if it could be a predictive marker of tumor burden and response to therapy. The mean value of sIL-2R in ALL was significantly elevated than in the controls. It was also significantly high in the patients with activity as compared with those at remission. Also, the mean value of sIL-2R in NHL was significantly elevated compared with the controls. Newly diagnosed cases had a high mean serum value of sIL-2R compared with those under treatment and a more significant elevation in comparison with the cases at remission. Also, patients under treatment showed a significantly higher mean serum value of sIL-2R than patients at remission. In patients with HL the mean value of sIL-2R was significantly elevated as compared with the controls. Newly diagnosed cases with HL had a significantly high mean serum value of sIL-2R as compared with patients under treatment and at remission. Also, patients under treatment showed a significantly high mean serum value of sIL-2R compared with those at remission