Effectiveness of montelukast in modulation of filaggrin mutation 2282del4 in atopic dermatitis Egyptian patients.

Montelukast is one of leukotriene (LT) receptor antagonists, which is safe and effective drug as a combined systemic and topical treatment regimen for treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The present study aimed to evaluate the role of montelukast treatment in modulation of filaggrin R501X and 2282derl4 mutations in Egyptian patients with atopic dermatitis. Total of (32) patients with AD and 16 healthy non-AD volunteers with no allergic disease were enrolled in this study. Patients were given montelukast sodium 4 mg daily for 2 weeks. SCORAD, total IgE levels and eosinophils counts were measured. Genotyping for FLG gene mutations R501X and 2282del4 were evaluated. Montelukast treatment showed significant improvement in AD patients through the reduction of serum IgE levels, blood eosinophils counts and disease severity. FLG 2282del4 mutation could be detected in 76.9% of the AD patients. FLG 2282del4 mutation was modulated in 4 out of 20 AD patients upon treatment with montelukast. Montelukast treatment could improve the skin barrier integrity through its modulatory effect on FLG mutation 2282del4 in the Egyptian patients.

The relationship between genetic variability and the susceptibility of Biomphalaria alexandrina snails to Schistosoma mansoni infection

In the present study, Biomphalaria snails collected from five Egyptian governorates (Giza, Fayoum, Kafr El-Sheikh, Ismailia and Damietta), as well as reference control Biomphalaria alexandrina snails from the Schistosome Biological Supply Center (SBSC) (Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Egypt), were subjected to species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to identify the collected species. All of the collected snails were found to be B. alexandrina and there was no evidence of the presence of Biomphalaria glabrata. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR assays showed different fingerprints with varying numbers of bands for the first generation (F1) of B. alexandrina snail populations (SBSC, Giza, Fayoum, Kafr El-Sheikh, Ismailia and Damietta). The primer OPA-1 produced the highest level of polymorphism and amplified the greatest number of specific bands. The estimated similarity coefficients among the B. alexandrina populations based on the RAPD-PCR profiles ranged from 0.56 (between SBSC and Ismailia snails) to 0.72 (between Ismailia and Kafr El-Sheikh snails). Experimental infection of the F1 of progeny from the collected snails with Schistosoma mansoni (SBSC strain) showed variable susceptibility rates ranging from 15% in the Fayoum snail group to 50.3% in SBSC snails. A negative correlation was observed between the infection rates in the different snail groups and the distances separating their corresponding governorates from the parasite source. The infection rates of the snail groups and their similarity coefficients with SBSC B. alexandrina snails were positively correlated. The variations in the rates of infection of different B. alexandrina groups with S. mansoni, as well as the differences in the similarity coefficients among these snails, are dependent not only on the geographical distribution of the snails and the parasite, but also on the genetic variability of the snails. Introduction of this variability into endemic areas may reduce the ability of the parasite to infect local hosts and consequently reduce schistosomiasis epidemiology.

Characterization of surface lectins binding and SDS-PAGE protein patterns of biomphalaria alexandrina haemocytes infected with schistosoma mansoni

Seven biotinylated lectins were tested with fluorescein labeled Avidin D for binding to haemocyte surfaces of non-infected and infected Biomphalaria alexandrina snails with Schistosoma mansoni at 24 to 72 hours post infection [P1]. Five lectins [Con A, DBA, SBA, RCA120 and WGA] yielded positive results. Two lectins [PNA and UEA-I] were negative. For the five positive lectins, the use of specific inhibition sugar indicated presence of glucose/mannose, galactose, N-acetyl-gal actosamine [Gal NAc] and N-acetyl-glucosamine [GlcNAc]. The UEA-1 lectin was negative and this indicates the absence of L-Fucose. There were no changes in the carbohydrates of haemocyte surfaces during the short periods [0 hr to 72 hrs] PT with S. inansoni. Electrophoresis of haemocyte homogenates of both non-infected and infected snails with S. mansoni yielded a complex pattern of polypeptides. The separated profiles demonstrate the occasional appearance or absence of certain bands in infected snails through four weeks P1. Post S. mansoni infection, dominant proteins appeared only through four weeks P1 which were of average molecular masses 36, 9.3 and 5.3 kDa. At fourth week P1 a remarkable decrease in the number of haemocyte protein fractions as well as the protein densities were reduced in compared to control snails. The results showed that qualitative and quantitative differences were detectable in the haemocyte proteins between non-infected and infected snails during four weeks of infection