Detection of endotoxins and bacterial agents in collected blood bags and their recipients

Bacterial contamination of blood and its cellular components remains an unresolved problem in transfusion medicine, and is considered to be the most common microbiological cause of transfusion associated morbidity and mortality. This is because contaminated units may contain large numbers of virulent bacteria as well as, endotoxins that are considered to be fatal to the recipients. Endotoxins are high-molecular weight complexes of lipopolysaccharides that constitute the major cell wall component in all Gram-negative bacterial families. These molecules have been intensively investigated because of the increasing appreciation of their potentially pathogenic role in a wide variety of human disease states. The present study aimed to detect endotoxins and bacterial agents in collected blood bags and their transmission to the recipients of these blood bags. The study involved 100 randomly selected blood bags and their recipients. They were all examined by Limulus Amebocyte Lysate [LAL] assay using gel clot method for detection of endotoxins and by blood culture for the detection of bacterial agents. Endotoxins were detected in five blood bags [5%] using LAL assay [gel clot method], while bacterial contamination was found in only one blood bag. The bag that gave positive blood culture yielded Staphylococcus aureus, which was mostly a skin associated organism and was considered as a contaminant related to the procedure during donor venipuncture. None of the 100 studied recipients of these blood bags revealed positive blood culture. It was concluded from this study that LAL assay is a rapid, easy to perform, and a highly sensitive test that can detect as little as 0.03 endotoxin units per ml using the gel-clot method. In addition not all endotoxins or bacterial agents could be transmitted to the recipients of blood bags, this depends on their volume and whether the recipient is on antibiotic therapy or not

Octreotide infusion plus emergency sclerotherapy versus sclerotherapy alone for the control of bleeding oesophageal varices: a prospective randomized clinical trial

In a prospective trial, 189 patients with acute variceal bleeding were underwent emergency sclerotherapy of them, 93 patients were randomly assigned to receive a continuous infusion of octreotide [25 microgram per hour] for 5 days [group II]. The rest of patients [96 patients] treated with only sclerotherapy [group I]. After 7 days of follow up, the proportion of patients who had survived without re-bleeding was higher in group II patients who treated with both urgently sclerotherapy and octreotide [89 of 93 patients or 95.7%] than in patients treated with emergency sclerotherapy alone [group I]. The mean number of units of blood transfused was lower in group II than in group I. Also, bleeding was controlled rapidly in group II [2.26 +/- 0.8 days] versus group II [2.84 +/- 0.84 days]

Efficacy of different dosage schedules of praziquantel in active intestinal schistosomiasis

This study is conducted on 420 patients with active intestinal bilharziasis, their age range from 16-60 year. 380 are males and 40 are females. Bilharzial activity was diagnosed after urine and stool analysis and/or rectal and colonic mucosal biopsy. All of them received praziquantel orally as anti-bilharzial drug. They were divided into 4 groups according to the dose of praziquantel given. From the results, it was found that there is insignificant increase in hemoglobin concentration in the first and second groups and significant increase in the third and fourth groups. The increase in hemoglobin concentration after praziquantel therapy may be attributed to improvement of appetite and increased degree of intestinal absorption. Also, it may be attributed to stoppage of bleeding per rectum following treatment

Serum pepsinogen in ulcer and non ulcer lesions

This study comprised 60 patients with ulcer and non ulcer lesions and 20 persons as a control group, with age ranging from 16-66 years. Three biopsies were taken from stomach, antrum and duodenum for pathological studies and radio- immunoassay detection of serum pepsinogens level. The results of this study showed increased level of serum PGI and high PGI/PGII ratio in cases with duodenal ulcers and duodenitis than those of control group, gastric ulcer patients and patients with gastritis. Also we found that elevated serum level of PGII with decreased PGI/PGII ratio in cases of gastric ulcer and patients with gastritis than those of control group, duodenal ulcer patients, patients with non ulcer lesions as patients with duodenitis and gastro duodenitis. Radio immunoassay of serum pepsinogens I and II are considered as a good markers for detection of early gastro duodenal lesions and they are markedly changed in established cases with duodenal or gastric ulcers

effect of theophylline and bumetanide with spironolactone and ventilatory function in bilharzial patients with portal hypertension

Respiratory dysfunction in patients with hepatosplenic bilharziasis was recorded by many workers, some of them attributed this dysfunction to the increased size of the liver and spleen beside ascites; and others to the bilharzial pulmonary lesions whether vascular or parenchymal. The material of this work comprised 20 males with hepatosplenomegaly and pulmonary hypertension together with 10 normal control males, the pulmonary functions were done to all of them. Patients were treated with thiophylline and diuretics. It was noticed that some patients became significantly better after use of these drugs indicating that pulmonary dysfunction in these patients are mostly combined obstructive and restrictive