ABSTRACT
Background: To investigate the hematological and biochemical parameters in pre – dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and compared with the normal individuals. Methods: The samples of CKD patients (n= 30) belong to both genders were collected from different tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan and compared with normal individuals (n = 30) not suffering from any disease used as control. Results: 18 of CKD patients and 19 from normal groups were male and 12 from CKD and 11 from normal group were female. The average age (yr) was 38 ± 12.06 for normal group and 44 ± 09.10 for CKD. The mean height (cm) of normal subjects was 163 ± 6.87 and body weights (kg) were 71.04 ± 10.12. Mean height of CKD group was 165.3 ± 7.79 and weights were 64.35 ± 12.23. Higher magnitudes of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine were found as 85.63 ± 56.11 and 6.86 ± 3.42 mg/dL respectively in CKD group. Hemoglobin, red blood cells (RBCs), pack cell volume, lymphocytes and eosinophils were found significantly (p<0.01) very low while white blood cells, monocytes and neutrophils were found high (p<0.01) in CKD patients. Conclusions: Findings concluded that hematological parameters were severely affected in CKD patients as compared to normal controls. Kidney dysfunction in turn not only affects the erythropoietin synthesis that normally stimulates the bone marrow to produce RBC’s but also the synthesis of rennin and Vitamin D that normally regulates blood volume and blood pressures and involves in making bones respectively.
ABSTRACT
Leishmaniasis has been identified as a major public health problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries. The present study was aimed to investigate antileishmanial effects of various extracts of Berberis vulgaris also its active com-poenent, berberine against Ieishmania tropica and L infantum species on in vitro experiments..In this study in vitro antileishmanial activity of various extracts of B. vulgaris also its active compoenent, berberine against promastigote and amastigote stages of L. tropica and L. infantum was evaluated, using MTT assay and in a macro-phage model, respectively. Furthermore, infectivity rate and cytotoxicity effects of B. vulgaris and berberine in murine macrophage cells were investigated. The findings of optical density [OD] and IC[50] indicated that B. vulgaris particulary berberine significantly [P<0.05] inhibited the growth rate of promastigote stage of L.tropica and lL.infantum in comparison to meglumine antimoniate [MA]. In addition, B. vulgaris and berberine significantly [P<0.05] decreased the mean number of amastigotes in each macrophage as compared with positive control. In the evaluation of cytotoxicity effects, it could be observed that berberine as compared with B. vulgaris exhibited more cytotoxicity against murine macrophages. Results also showed that when parasites were pre-incubated with B. vulgaris their ability to infect murine macrophages was significantly decreased. Conclusion. B.vulgaris particularly berberine exhibited potent in vitro leishmanicid-al effects against L tropica and L.infantum. Further works are required to evaluate the antileishmanial effects of B. vulgaris on Leishmania species using clinical settings
ABSTRACT
Malaria is a major problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries, with high morbidity and mortality. Splenectomy makes patients more susceptible to serious bacterial and parasitic infections. We report for the first time in Iran a fatal case of Plasmodium vivax malaria, confirmed by microscopic and molecular [Semi-nested multiplex PCR] tests in a patient who had undergone splenectomy due to hemolytic anemia
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Splenectomy/mortality , Fatal Outcome , Malaria, Vivax/diagnosis , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
Giardiasis is one of the human parasitic diseases caused by a flagellate protozoan named Giardia duodenalis [G.lamblia]. Giardia is one of the most common organisms causing diarrhea in human and also a common gastrointestinal parasite in vertebrates. A total of 352 stool samples were collected from patients infected with giardiasis referred to health centers in Kerman city. Samples were examined by formalin- ether concentration procedure. First, DNA extraction was performed on 30 stool samples containing adequate Giardia cysts and then PCR-RFLP was done on glultamate dehydrogenase [gdh] marker. Clinical signs of patients were recorded in a questionnaire and their relationships with molecular results were analyzed. The highest rate of infection was in the age group of 0-12 years with significant difference with other age groups [P<0.0001]. The most common clinical signs were abdominal pain [71.7%], diarrhea [69%], abdominal cramping [54.1%] and the least common signs were malaise [20.4%] and fever [16.1%]. Of all 30 isolates, 18 samples [60%] were found as genotype All, 5 ones [16.7%] belonged to Al assemblage and 7 samples [23.3%] were BIII assemblage. There was a significant difference between genotyping of Giardia and clinical signs of diarrhea, abdominal signs and nausea [P<0.05]. Higher prevalence of Giardiasis was found in the age group below 12 years, but clinical signs in different age groups and two sexes were identical. Assemblage A showed correlation with mild intermittent diarrhea and assemblage B had correlation with persistent diarrhea
ABSTRACT
The determination of Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in a variety of domestic birds is thought as a good indicator of distribution of T.gondii ooccyts in the environment. To verify the potential role of domestic birds in circulating toxoplasmosis in Iran, the present study was conducted in Mazandaran Provinces, northern Iran. Latex agglutination test [LA] antibodies were found in 25 of 58 free-ranging chickens [Gallus domesticus] and ducks [Anas sp.]. Also, viable T. gondii was isolated from 7 of 25 seropositive chickens and ducks by bioassay of their brains and hearts into mice. Most of the isolated strains were avirulant to mice. Genotyping of T.gondii isolates using Multiplex PCR for 5 microsatellite markers indicated that 7 isolates were type III. In this study type II and III isolates and mixed genotypes were not found. This study showed that domestic birds could have a potential role in transmitting toxoplasmosis to humans in Iran