Mosquitoes [diptera: culicidae] in relation to the risk of disease transmission in el Ismailia Governorate, Egypt

Mosquito were surveyed [Nov. 2009 - March 2010] in El Ismailia Governorate. Nine species were reported: Culex pipiens, Cx. perexiguus, Cx. antennatus, Anopheles tenebrosus, An. pharoensis, An. multicolor, Ochlerotatus detritus, Oc. cas-pius and Culiseta longiareolata. Culex pipiens was the predominant species [ca. 87% larvae and 57% adults]. For the 3 common species, Cx. pipiens, Cx. perexiguus, and Cx. antennatus the following were examined: [1] the type and characteristics [temperature and pH] of the breeding habitats and their relation to the larval density and [2] the relation of adult indoor density to the indoor and outdoor temperature and RH. The abundance of mosquito vectors in El Ismailia with its old history of vector transmitted diseases contributes to the risk of mosquito borne disease transmission in this area. This would assist in the control activities

Encapsulation of carbacyclin within human platelets and its effect on platelet aggregation in vitro

In the course of exploring the use of platelets as carrier vehicles for drug delivery in vivo, some initial studies are reported on the effect of platelet encapsulated anti-platelet drug on platelet aggregation in vitro. A possible clinical application may be in directing drug loaded cells to areas of vascular damage during balloon angioplasty, to reduce over-excessive recruitment of platelets to the injury site by the slow release of the drug from a lesion-adherent drug-loaded platelets and minimise the risk of thrombotic re-occulsion and restenosis. The stable prostacyclin analogue, carbacyclin, has been encapsulated within reversibly electroporated human platelets using high voltage discharges [1,2]. During electroporation, the drug diffuses to equilibrium across the platelet membrane pores reaching intracellular concentration of 55.2 +/- 2.8% [mean +/- SD, n=6] of the concentration, to which the cells were exposed. Leakage rates for the drug from washed platelets stored at room temperature were maximum after about 2 days, being 40% and 51% for loading concentrations of 100 micro g/ml and 200 micro g/ml, respectively, with little further losses at 5 days. In aggregometry, 1:1 mixture of autologous platelets loaded with carbacyclin [at loading concentration of 200 micro g/ml] and control [sham-encapsulated] platelets inhibited agonist-induced platelet aggregation by 50%. Biological assays of the entrapped carbacyclin showed that the drug's functional integrity [i.e. the ability to inhibit platelet aggregation] is unimpaired within the platelet cytosol. These data suggest that platelet encapsulated carbacyclin may be used as suitable anti-platelet agent for further studies in vivo, which when trageted to injured blood vessels may prevent over-excessive recruitment of platelets to the injury site and reduce thrombotic events