HLA-B27 typing by flow cytometery to identify high risk group for ankylosing spondylitis among patients with low back pain

The human leucocyte antigens [HLA] are known to be associated with some diseases, the most common is HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis [AS]. We studied hundred patients suffering from low back pain and radiologic sacroiliitis and 260 normal healthy individuals. Two methods were used for HLA-B27 typing namely complement mediated lymphocytotoxicity and flow cytometery. Results obtained by the two methods were in agreement. The percentage of B27 individuals among the total number of patients with back pain was 25% while in the control group it was 2.7% [p< 0.001]. Among patients suffering from AS, the percentage of B27 was 96% and relative risk was 85%. Flow cytometery had the advantages of being rapid, simple and accurate. The monoclonal antibody used had the ability to identify all subtypes of B27 known to be associated with AS. It is concluded that HLA - B27 is a rare allele among healthy individuals in Bahrain and that flow cytometery is an excellent method for HLA-B27 typing to identify patients at high risk for AS

Comparative study of testicular sperm maturation in vitro using ham's f10, earle's and ferticult culture media

Testicular sperm extraction [TESE] from azoospermic males followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection [ICSI] is a recent advance in treatment of male infertility. This study describes the total number and motility changes in vitro of freshly extracted testicular sperm and compares between Ham's F-10, Earle's, and Ferticult culture media. Testicular biopsies were obtained from azoospermic patients [n=11] and processed to obtain a cell suspension that was incubated in equal portions in each culture medium supplemented with 10% human albumin for 5 days. The number of total and motile spermatozoa was evaluated on day 0 and daily afterwards for 5 days. Our results revealed that all patients were suffering from obstructive azoospermia with mean age of 39 +/- 3.36 and duration of infertility of 9.25 +/- 2.98 years. The total number of spermatozoa showed no significant changes in all days of incubation and between all used media [p>0.05]. However, the number of motile spermatozoa was significantly higher in Ferticult medium when compared with Ham's F10 and Earle's media [p <0.05]. In all used media, spermatozoa become motile within 24 hours of culture and the motility was maintained for the 4th day before a decline to the near 0 level is observed on the 5th day of incubation. Furthermore, the number of progressively motile sperm significantly peaked on day 3 of incubation in all media but the best significant yield was observed in Ferticult medium [p <0.05]. No significant correlation was found with age of patients or duration of infertility [p> 0.05]. From our study we recommend that TESE is carried out approximately 3 days before oocyte retrieval and that Ferticult medium is the medium of choice to use in in vitro cultivation for obtaining the most mature of testicular tissue sperm to be used for IVF related procedures, e.g. ICSI

Strain improvement in streptomyces rimosus a producer of oxytetracycline

THE production of oxytetracycline by Streptomyces rimosus NRC 50 and NRC 5034 cultures increased 6.6 and 4.6 fold respectively with respect to the parent strain strepromyces rimosus IMRU 3558 as a result of treatment with mutagens [gamma-irradiation, U.V. light and MnC12] gamma -irradiation and U.V. light exhibited the highest mutagenic effect in increasing the productivity of the antibiotic and producing variants having a modified morphology or pigmentation