Role of parasites among chronic diarrheic patients

This work studied the role of parasitic infection among 85 chronic diarrheic patients in Delta region and cross-matched 20 normal controls. They were subjected to thorough history taking and clinical examination and stool examination by direct smear, formol-ether concentration, simple sedimentation, simple floatation and Kato-katz thick smear. Questionnaire sheet was obtained for each case included personal history, complaint, present as well as past history and family history. The results showed that 67.1% of patients suffered from parasites versus 20% in controls. They included giardiasis mixed with hymenolepiasis nana, ameobiasis; ascariaisis, S.mansoni, heterophyiasis, B. hominis, Taenia spp and enterobiasis respectively. Single infection represented 54.2 %, while mixed ones were 12.9% of total chronic diarrhea cases and non-parasitic causes were responsible for 32.9%. Mixed infection was common in A. lumbricoides with E.histolytica [18.18%] and H. nana with G. lambia [27.28%]. The diarrhea duration was longer in mixed infections [3 months], E.histolytica [2 months] and H.nana [1.5 months]. Commonest symptom other than diarrhea was abdominal pain mainly in mixed parasitosis. Parasitic diarrhea was more common in males than females [1.28: 1]. Chronic parasitic diarrhea was most prevalent among low social class [49 or 57.6%] followed by very low social class [20 or 23.5%], middle social class [10 or 11.7%] and finally high social class [6 or 7.1%] with significant increase in low social class as compared to high one, and most prevalent among positive cases in rural area than in urban area

role of plasma transforming growth factor beta-1 in the development of fibrosis in patient with HCV related steatohepatitis

Hepatitis C virus [HCV] is a major public health problem worldwide, which causes high rate of chronic liver disease such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Plasma transforming growth factor Beta-1 [TGFB-1] is a member of large family of peptides, which has a major regulatory role in hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. The study evaluated the role of transforming growth factor Beta-1 [TGFB-1] in induction of fibrosis in liver parasites-free HCV patients with related steatohepatitis. Thirty HCV patients who were clinically and serologically positive were selected. They were diagnosed as fatty liver by abdominal ultrasonography; steatohepatitis and confirmed by histopathological biopsies examination. ELISA evaluated plasma transforming growth factor Beta-1 [TGFB-1] level. Also, 12 cross-matched subjects clinically, parasitologically and serologically free were used as a controls. The level of plasma transforming growth factor Beta-1 [TGFB-1] was highly elevated in the patients versus controls with mean +/- SD 18739.86 +/- 18539.46 and 6465 +/- 1142 respectively [P < 0.001]. The TGFB-1 level in HCV related steato-hepatitis was elevated in all grades in contrast to controls [P < 0.05], without relation between the TGFB-1 levels and steatohepatitis severity. The TGFB-1 level showed high significant difference in all stages of fibrosis in patients in contrast to controls and the TGFB-1 level was very high when fibrosis started in stage I [P < 0.01] and tended to decrease in fibrosis of stage 2 and 3 [P < 0.05]. There was highly significant positive correlation between TGFB-1 and body mass index [BMI] r = 0.774

Immunohistochemistry in toxocaral granulomas

Clean laboratory bred albino mice were used. Three mice of these were used for testing the infectivity of eggs. Twenty four mice were sacrificed at 3 weeks and 3 months, 12 each time. Immunohistochemical study which is a combination of immunological and pathological changes was performed to determine the differential population of inflammatory cells in the reaction produced to T. canis infection in early and late stages