Serum erythropoietin level in cases of normocytic normocytic anaemia in hepatic fascioliasis

In Egypt human fascioliasis is an increasing health problem especially in the Nile Delta. This study was conducted on 35 anaemic patients with fascioliasis, 20 anaemic patients with schistosmiasis [parasitic control group] and 10 persons [healthy control group].Serum erythropoietin "EPO" and ferritin were measured using a sandwitch ELISA technique, also other ferrokinetic parameters were done .In patients with fascioliasis, EPO level [19.05 +/- 13.3 mU/ml] was significantly higher than those of healthy control [7.23 +/- 1.6 mU/ml] and of schistosomiasis [12.3 +/- 2.85 mU/ml] groups [P < 0.001]. Serum ferritin was significantly higher in fascioliasis group [384.8 +/- 51.1 ng/ml] than in schistosomiasis [174.7 +/- 83.4 ng /ml] and in healthy control [117.5 +/- 29.5 ng/ml] groups. [P < 0.001]. Other ferrokinetic studies showed low serum iron, subnormal transferrin saturation, low total iron binding capacity, inspite of adequate iron stores shown by high serum ferritin, these findings together with normal reticulocytic count were similar to those found in the anaemia of chronic disorders.The presence of anaemia inspite of high EPO level and adequate body iron stores may be explained by unresponsiveness of bone marrow to high EPO level which may be due to blocking the action of EOP by some cytokines as interleukin-1, tumour necrosis factor, and gamma interferon which were proved to be abundant in hepatic fascioliasis, or it may be due to an inhibition of bone marrow by large amount of proline which is usualy present in hepatic fasioliasis after treatment, cases of hepatic fascioliasis showed a good improvement of all parameters which were more or less comparable to those of healthy control. Normocytic normochromic anaemia

Biochemical changes in case of tetanus and their relation to severity of the disease

Forty subjects were included in this study, they were divided into four groups; group 1 included 10 healthy individuals, group 2 comprised 10 patients with manifestations of mild tetanus, groups 3 included 10 patients with symptoms and signs of moderate tetanus and group 4 included 10 patients with symptoms and signs of sever form of tetanus. It was found that some biochemical changes correlated with the severity of the disease, the rise in creatine phosphokinase [CPK] and serum glutamic oxal acetic transaminase [SGOT] was significant in the groups of patients with moderate and severe disease. The rise in urea and creatinine was significant only in the severe form of the diseases. A battery of the four tests can thus help in determining the severity, and consequently, the prognosis of the disease. Thus cases that show no significant rise in CPK and SGOT only are considered of moderate severity. Significant rise in all of the 4 tests indicates a severe disease

One week ciprofloxacin versus two weeks chloramphenicol treatment of enterica in Egypt

The present study was conducted on 30 patients diagnosed as enterica by isolation of salmonella organism from blood and/or bone marrow cultures. The received ciprofloxacin 500 mg orally twice daily for one week, the cure rate was 96.7%, no carrier slate or relapse was encountered with minimal adverse effects. Another 20 patients diagnosed as enterica treated with chloramphenicol 50 mg/kg body weight orally for 2 weeks, the cure rate was 95%, 15% of patients become convalescent carriers and 5% showed relapse. One week treatment with ciprofloxacin is superior to 2 weeks treatment with chloramphenicol in the treatment of enterica in Egypt