Frequency and detection of respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia in children by nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

Respiratory syncytial virus [RSV] is one of major causes of viral respiratory tract disease in young children and infants. We aimed to study the frequency of respiratory syncytial virus and its subtypes in pneumonia and bronchopneumonia in pediatric patients less than two years old tested by nested polymerase chain reaction with the evaluation of routinely used methods of diagnosis which are clinical manifestations and chest X-ray. The study included 70 patients exhibited lower respiratory tract symptoms in the form of pneumonia and bronchopneumonia. Their age ranged from two months to eighteen months. All participants were subjected to clinical examination, chest X-ray examination, nasopha-ryngeal aspirate [NPA] samples for microbiological examination and nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus. RSV was highly prevalent infection in our studied patients, as 60 patients [86%] out of 70 were positive. Children from 2-3 months were highly affected [43.3%] and rate of infection decreases with increase of age. RSV infection was statistically significant with some clinical findings and radiological findings. RSV is the most important etiological agent causing pneumonia and bronchopneumonia in infancy. Na-sopharyngeal aspirate is a sensitive method in detecting viral infection during infancy. Nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction which is rapid and reliable technique may provide important diagnostic information in establishing the etiology and improving management of the patients

Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies as a discriminating marker between rheumatoid arthritis and chronic hepatitis C-related polyarthropathy

Articular involvement is a frequent extrahepatic manifestation of hepatitis C virus infection. The distinction between HCV-related polyarthropathy and true RA may be very difficult especially with recent onset RA before articular damage and erosions develop. To assess the diagnostic utility of anti-CCP antibodies and compare it with that of rheumatoid factor in distinguishing between rheumatoid arthritis and HCV related polyarthropathy. Anti-CCP antibodies and RF were determined in the sera of 30 patients with RA and 22 patients with HCV-related polyarthropathy. Anti-CCP antibodies were positive in 83.3% of patients with RA and in 4.5% in patients with HCV and polyarthropathy. RF was positive in 90% of RA patients and in 81.1% of HCV patients with polyarthropathy. The anti-CCP antibodies showed higher specificity for RA compared to RF [95.4% Vs 18.2%]. However the sensitivity of anti-CCP was comparable to that of RF [83.3% Vs 90%]. Anti-CCP antibodies are reliable laboratory markers to differentiate between RA and HCV-related polyarthropathy

Study of fasting plasma ghrelin hormone in obese non diabetic and obese type 2 diabetic patients

Obesity is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by an excessive adipose tissue accumulation. The aim of our work was to study the possible role of ghrelin hormone in the pathogenesis of obesity in obese non diabetic and obese type 2 diabetic patients. The study was conducted on 45 adult subjects. The studied subjects were subdivided into three groups: Group I includes 15 obese type 2 diabetic patients, Group II includes 15 simple obese non diabetic patients and Group III includes 15 normal subjects with normal BMI as a control group. All subjects were subjected to full history taking, clinical examination, routine investigations, fasting blood glucose, HbA 1c, fasting insulin, insulin resistance estimated by HOMA-IR and fasting plasma ghrelin. There was a significant decrease regarding fasting plasma ghrelin hormone in obese [either type 2 diabetic or non diabetic] than the control group p>0.05. However, ghrelin hormone was more decreased in obese type 2 diabetic than obese non diabetic. There was negative correlation between fasting plasma ghrelin hormone and both of fasting insulin hormone, fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance estimated by HOMA-IR. Also, there was negative correlation between fasting plasma ghrelin hormone and BMI, weight, waist circumference and waist hip ratio. Fasting plasma ghrelin was decreased in obese subjects and seemed to be a down-regulation in human obesity and this may be a consequence of elevated insulin