[Fetuin-A and high sensitivity-CRP in children with chronic kidney diseases]

Background: Fetuin-A is a circulating calcium- regulatory glycoprotein that inhibits vascular calcification. In end stage renal disease [ESRD], fetuin -A has been demonstrated to be reduced and inversely related to cardiovascular mortality. The present study aimed to determine the effect of renal function on serum levels of fetuin-A in patients with chronic kidney disease [CKD] and to investigate the relationship between fetuin-A serum level and vascular calcification which represents a risk factor for the development of endothelial dysfunction[ED]

Methods: 20 CKD patients on conservative treatment, 20 ESRD patients on regular hemodialysis [HD] treatment, as well as 40 apparently healthy controls of matchable age and sex were enrolled in the study. All the patients and controls were subjected to the following investigations: estimation of serum levels of fetuin-A, high sensitivity-CRP [hs-CRP], creatinine, calcium [Ca], phosphorus [Po4], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], and parathormone [PTH]. In addition, glomerular filtration rate was estimated for cases and controls

Results: There was significant reduction in fetuin-A serum levels in CKD and ESRD patients compared to controls. A significant decrease was also detected in ESRD group when compared to CKD group. The inflammation marker hs-CRP was significantly increased in CKD and ESRD patients in comparison to controls. The increase was also significant on comparing ESRD group with CKD group. A strong inverse correlation was found between serum fetuin-A and hs-CRP, Significantly increased serum levels of ALP and PTH were found in CKD and ESRD patients compared with controls. The increase was also significant in ESRD patients compared with CKD patients. In ESRD patients, Serum levels of fetuin-A showed significant inverse correlations with each of: duration of igalysis, ALP and PTH serum levels, while hs-CRP serum levels showed significant positive corelations with CaxPo4 ratio and PTH serum levels

Conclusion: Results of the present study demonstrate that inflammatory processes are increased among CKD and ESRD patients and linked to low fetuin-A serum levels and vascular calcification which represents a risk factor for the development of ED. The interaction of these incidents may be responsible for the development and progression of thrombogenesis in such cases

Prognostic and predictive factors of breast cancer among Egyptian women

To assess the prognostic as well as the predictive factors among the female Egyptian breast cancer patients to evaluate how much they affect the outcome; being free or had local recurrence or distant metastasis on follow up. From January 1998 to December 2003, 3985 Egyptian women having breast cancer, with their prognostic factors which were: age, nodal status and number of affected lymph nodes, tumor size, tumor grade, hormone receptor status, surgical therapy that patients underwent [Modified radical mastectomy versus conservative breast surgery], and whether they received hormonal therapy or not. All data were analyzed retrospectively to detect the 5-year survival rate, using the patients' data sheets and pathology reports that were included. Furthermore, for confirmation the slides were reexamined for the histopathological diagnosis as well as studying their hormonal receptors immunohistochemically. Uni-variant analysis showed that, age 4 affected lymph nodes had more than double fold incidence of having recurrence within the 5- year follow up [RR 2.1; 95% CI; 1.13- 3.99]. Tumor size of more than 2cm increases the risk of recurrence by 18.8 [95%CI; 2.19-161.9]. number of lymph node metastasis, age less than 35 years and tumor size were the most significant prognostic factors affecting the breast cancer behavior among female Egyptian breast cancer patients

Homocysteine and related metabolites in essential hypertension and associated complications: possible role of cysteinylglycine

To study the relation between plasma homocysteine [Hcy] and its corresponding metabolites [S-adenosyl homocysteine,SAH; S-adenosyl methionine, SAM]. Plasma folic acid and vitamin B 12 were evaluated to clarify their role in Hcy-methionine interaconversion in pathogenesis of essential hypertension and related vascular disorders. The question of whether these metabolic intermediates are altered with severity of the disease and if they have a role in development of hypertensive complications was considered. Patients and The study was conducted on 65 patients suffering from essential hypertension. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group I [uncomplicated hypertension] was further subdivided into 2 subgroups; subgroup Ia [moderate hypertension] and subgroup lb [severe hypertension]. Group II [complicated hypertension] included patients with renal complications and non- renal complications [coronary heart disease [CHD] and cerebro-vascular stroke [CVS]]. Fifteen healthy age and sex matched subjects were included as controls [Group III]. Plasma Hcy, SAH and SAM were determined by high performance liquid chromatography [HPLC]. Plasma folate and vitamin B12 were determined by dual count radioimmunoassay. Significant elevations in plasma Hcy and SAH and decrease in SAM/SAH were observed in hypertensive patients versus controls. Plasma Hcy level was increased significantly in group II compared to group Ia and group lb. Significantly higher levels of Hcy and SAH were found in hypertensive patients with renal complications versus controls and those without renal complications. Also, significantly higher levels of Hcy and SAH were found in hypertensive patients with CHD and CVS versus controls. There was significant decreases in plasma folate and vitamin B12 in hypertensive patients versus controls. Plasma cysteinylglycine was significantly higher in hypertensive than in controls. It was still higher in Group II compared to group I. Its rise is especially observed in patients with renal disease. There were significant negative correlations between plasma Hcy and both plasma folate and vitamin B12 in all hypertensive groups. The risk of homocysteine-associated hypertensive complications may partly be due to low folate and vitamin B12 which decreased significantly with the severity of hypertension and coincided with the increased homocysteine level. Possible role of cysteinylglycine [Cysgly] particularly for end-stage renal disease was discussed

Transferrin and the prediction of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Patients with advanced liver disease are particularly susceptible to spontaneous bacterial peritonitis [SBP]. Pathogenic micro-organisms could survive and become more virulent in the presence of free iron. Thus, iron binding proteins provide protection against these organisms. The present study was conducted to evaluate the role of determining transferrin levels in serum and ascitic fluid, as well as its serum: ascitic fluid ratio [mg/mg] in differentiating between SBP and SA [sterile ascites] in cirrhotic patients. Moreover, the role of the ratio between ascitic fluid transferrin: ascitic fluid total protein [mg/g], as a marker for SBP was tested. Our study included 50 patients. Twenty five patients had SBP [according to Runyon's and Hoefs criteria] while the other 25 patients had SA. Our results revealed that patients with advanced liver impairment had higher susceptibility for SBP than SA. They had significantly higher serum total bilirubin [p<0.001] and significantly lower serum albumin and transferrmn [p<0.001, respectively]. More over, SBP group had significant prolongation of the prothrombin time [p<0.001]. Ascitic fluid aspirated from the SBP patients showed significantly lower transferrin and total protein values [p<0.05 and <0.001, respectively]. Serum: ascitic fluid transferrin ratio [mg/mg] was significantly lower in patients with SBP [p<0.001]. The best cut off level giving the highest diagnostic sensitivity and specificity was 3.5 yet, at this level poor diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in differentiating between the two clinical conditions [76% and 28%, respectively] was found. Ascitic fluid transferrin: ascitic fluid total protein ratio [mg/g] was significantly higher in patients with SBP [p<0.001] and had a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100%, respectively in differentiating between both clinical conditions at a cut-off level of 22.26. Patients with advanced liver disease are more liable for the occurrence of SBP than SA. Ascitic fluid transferrin: ascitic fluid total protein ratio, at a cut-off level of 22.26, can differentiate between the two clinical conditions with a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 100%, respectively

Electrokinetic studies on interfaces of group IV-a metal oxides in different electrolytes

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of constant concentrations [2.0 mmol] of Sr2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, or Fe3+ ions on the electrokinetic [sigma] potentials of SiO2, GeO2, SnO2 and PbO2 oxides over a wide range of pH. The chlorides of these cations, except Fe3+ decreased the negative electrokinetic potential of the above oxides by 10-15 mv, the effect was more pronounced at pH > 5.0. However, Sr2+ and Ba2+ ions present in all oxides as well as Ni2+, CO2+, and Mn2+ in GeO2 oxides showed no effect on the point of zero charge [PZC] of these oxides, but the presence of Fe3+ ions shifted the PZC values of oxides at pH values from 2.0 +/- 0.25 to 6.7 +/- 0.1, while Ni2+, CO2+ and Mn2+ in GeO2 oxides showed a new PZG at pH = 8.15 +/- 0.35. Furthermore, the effect of Mg2+ ions in SiO2, SnO2 and PbO2 suspensions was sharply different from the other alkaline-earth ions, the sign of the sigma potential was reversed to positive at pH >10.5. The adsorption mechanism of the specific metal ion species on the oxide surfaces is discussed

Diabetic control, prokinetic drugs and gastroparesis diabeticorum

Gastric emptying time was investigated in 30 non insulin dependent diabetic patients [NIDD] using a non invasive technique; abdominal ultrasonography. They were subdivided into two groups, controlled diabetics [15 patients] and uncontrolled diabetic patients [15 patients]. Moreover, 10 apparently healthy subjects were included in the research as a control group. All patients had symptom[s] of gastroparesis [nausea, early satiety, vomiting etc]. The patients showed a significant delayed gastric emptying time when compared with healthy subjects, the mean of the latter is [3.3 +/- 0.3 hours]. The delay in gastric emptying is obvious in those with longer duration of diabetes mellitus, and is marked in the uncontrolled group [mean 5.4 +/- 0.7 hours] than the controlled diabetics [mean 4.1 +/- 0.3 hours]. Following domperidone administration for one month [one tablet 3-4 times a day]; gastric emptying time was shortened. That improvement was more significant in patients with uncontrolled diabetes [with much more delayed gastric emptying time] than those with controlled diabetes [with less delayed gastric emptying time] when either of them is compared to the normal healthy group. Inspite of significant improvement in symptom score after treatment, the total symptom score did not show significant correlation with improvement in gastric emptying time in the uncontrolled group denoting that symptoms of gastroparesis diabeticorum are not solely related to delayed emptying of the stomach and suggest that gastric dysrhythmia is to be considered in patients with long standing diabetes mellitus. Moreover, domperidone may restore the three cycles per minute gastric myoelectric activity rather than a prokinetic effect on gastric emptying rates

Effect of certain fertilizers and growth regulators on the growth and alkaloidal content of Catharanthus roseus donn

This investigation was carried out to study the effect of some fertilizers and growth regulators separately and the interaction between them, on growth, alkaloidal concentration and yield of Catharanthus roseus plant. All the fertilization levels increased plant height, number of leaves and branches per plant, dry weight of leaves and roots per plant as well as alkaloidal concentration. The growth regulators used were gibberellin, cycocel and ethrel. Gibberellin at 100 ppm markedly increased the vegetative growth characters, alkaloidal concentration and yield in the different plant organs. Significant increase in these characters resulted from the combined treatment between the high fertilization level [N300 P150 K75 kg/feddan] and the different concentration of gibberellin and cycocel. On the other hand, reduction in these characters was observed with the combined treatments between ethrel concentrations and different fertilization levels

Isolation of antibiotic griseofulvin from fungus nematospora Coryli

Isolation and purification of the antibiotic produced by Nematospora coryli and comparison of its physicochemical and biological properties with those of griseofulvin from Penicillium griseofulvin are described. This comparison revealed that the isolated antibiotic from N. coryli was identical with griseofulvin

Isolation of [+] -tubocurarine and an unknown alkaloid from curare resin by a new chromatographic technique

This paper describes a new TLC method which gives an excellant resolution of the 12 alkaloids present in curare resin. The method is simple, suitable for isolation of [+]-tubocurarine alkaloid and the interferred unknown alkaloid in commercial curare resin. The unidentified laevorotatory alkaloid gives rise to particular problems in the production of pure d-tubocurarine chloride as it interferes in the crystallization process of d-tubocurarine. Pure crystalline [+]-tubocurarine and the unidentified alkaloid can be prepared by this method. It is also suitable for control analysis of commercial curare resin and [+]-tubocurarine chloride alkaloid