CTLA4 -819 C/T dimorphism is associated with type 1 diabetes in Egyptian children

We investigated whether the C-819T SNP of the CTLA4 gene is associated with Type 1 diabetes [T1D] for the Egyptian population, a multi-ethnic group. We determined if expression of the C-819T SNP correlated with onset of T1D for Egyptian children and the prevalence of this polymorphism with respect to gender. The association of the C-819T SNP in intron 1 of the CTLA-4 gene with T1D was investigated in 396 Egyptian patients 24 years old, with a similar ratio of males to females in both groups. The diagnosis of T1D was made based on ketoacidosis or ketosis with severe symptoms of acute onset at presentation and continuous dependence on insulin. Controls were negative for anti-GAD antibodies and were greater than 24 years of age. Genotyping was performed using single strand conformation polymorphism [SSCP], temperature gradient gel electrophoresis [TGGE], polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism [PCR-RFLP], and reverse dot blot [RDB]. The results demonstrated an association of the C-819T SNP in the CTLA-4 gene with T1D patients [P= 0.0096]. This association was more pronounced in children

Effects of ambulatory surgery on the utilization of health insurance hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt

Surgery centres offering one-day surgery without requiring admission to a hospital are flourishing. It is believed that a considerable segment of surgical workload can be safely performed at these centres. The objectives of the present study were, first to find the opinion of the practicing surgeons and anaesthetists about those procedures that are amenable to the shift.Second, to identify the magnitude of better utilization at the two hospitals of the Health Insurance Organization when ambulatory surgery is adopted for these procedures. The study included 4 surgical specialities, namely general surgery, orthopedics, gynecology and urology, and 4 sub-specialities namely ENT, ophthalmology, plastic and neurosurgery. Results showed high preference for hospital controlled units, and working hours extending from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Among surgical specialities cystoscopy, diagnostic or therapeutic, constituted 84.3% followed by dilatation and curettage [70.1%] and anal and perianal surgery [42.6%] of all potential ambulatory surgical procedures. Among surgical sub specialities cataract, nerve repair and tonsillectomy and adenoids constituted 88.9%, 66.7% and 52.2%, respectively. Estimation of savings in hospital days was attempted

ultrasonic study of diabetic patients undergoing cataract extraction

This study was conducted on 50 diabetic patients having cataract that was dense enough to obscure visualization of the posterior segment of their eyes by optical means. A comparison was done between the pre- operative ultrasonic findings and the postoperative ophthalmoscopic evaluation of the operated eyes. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography was 82%. Dense vitreous echoes were detected in 4% of the cases while epiretinal membranes were found in 6% of the cases, both findings were accurately diagnosed by ultrasonography. When dealing with scattered vitreous echoes, the sensitivity and negative predictive values of ultrasonography were higher than its specificity and positive predictive values, indicating that the ultrasonography is a good negative test