Virological profiles of HBV and HCV in hepatocellular carcinoma in Egypt and Yemen

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] is one of the very frequent malignancies that has poor prognosis. Chronic hepatitis B is the most important risk factor in the world particularly in developping countries. In developed world, HCC occurs in the background of chronic infection with HCV or alcohol abuse. Several factors affects the development of HCC in chronic hepatitis patients including viral genotype

Objectives:The aim of this study was to determine HCV and HBV viral profile in Egyptian and Yemeni HCC patients. Additionally, HCV and HBV were genotyped to investigate any possible correlation with HCC development

Methodology:Thirty HCC Egyptian patients admitted to the Hepatology Unit, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University and thirty HCC Yemeni patients attending the oncology center in Al-Gomhory hospital in Sanaahave been enrolled in this study.Hepatitis B surface Ag [HBs-Ag] was not detected in Egyptian HCC patients but in 36.7% of Yemeni HCC patients. On the other hand, anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 93.3% of the Egyptian HCC patients and in 16.7% only in Yemeni patients.HBV genotyping by direct sequencing of pol gene showed 11 cases of genotype D and 1 case of genotype E among HCC Yemeni patients. HCV genotyping by sequencing of NS5b and 5'UTR showed 21 cases of genotype 4 and 2 cases of genotype 1 and genotype 2 among Egyptian HCC patients

Conclusion:From the current study HCC appears to be significantly associated with HBV and HCV chronic infections in Yemen and Egypt respectively. In Egypt, occult HBV co-infection might escalate the danger of HCC development among HCV patients

Study of combination effects of nystatin and clotrimazole with some antibiotics on candida albicans

Binary combinations between 2 antifungal agents nystatin and clotrimazole and 4 antibiotics tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, rifampicin and gentamicin were tried using 7 Candida albicans strains isolated from clinical specimen using the checker board method. The best combinations were obtained with nystatin-tetracyclines and clotrimazole- gentamicin. However, synergistic activity between the 2 antifungal agents and these antibiotics was found only at high concentrations of the latter 500 ug - 125 ug/ml, thus limiting its application in vivo

Isolation of legionella species from water samples

39 water samples from various sources were investigated for the presence of legionella. Isolation was carried on BCYE agar rendered selective by the addition of Trimethoprin [2.5 ug/ml], Vancomycin [5 ug/ml] and Polymyxin [79 iu/ml]. Legionella was isolated in 5 cases [12.8%] with a higher frequency in water samples isolated from shower heads [28.57%] followed by water from air conditioning cooling towers [16.6%]. 2 Legionella strains carried a plasmid of 14.8 Kbp while the other 3 stains were plasmidless. Further epidemiological and serological studies will be needed to associate the presence of legionella with undiagnosed pneumonic like cases

Antibacterial activity of staphylococcus aureus isolated from impetigo and non-impetigo cases

Screening of 56 S. aureus isolated from impetigo and 30 from non impetigo cases for their antibacterial activity as well as for hemolysin, lipase, lecithinase and DNase production was carried in this study. The antibacterial activity in both groups was mainly against micrococci and diphtheroids; being more pronounced in the impetigo group while hemolysis, lecithinase, lipase production were higher in the non impetigo group. The production of antagonistic substance in the impetigo group was encoded on a plasmid different from that responsible for the ampicillin resistance. In both groups, the active substance was found to be a protein of high molecular weight related to the bacteriocins. Such substances could be used as an epidemiological tool in rapid tracing of S. aureus strains in cases and carriers

Pathogenic properties of e coli isolated from urinary tract infection and faeces of normal subjects

This study was carried out on 39 urinary E. coli and 31 E. coli isolated from feces of normal individuals. Properties of E. Coli considered to be important in the pathogenesis of upper urinary tract infection were investigated. The properties which were found to be significantly more common in the urinary strains than in the fecal strains included production of hemolysin, pellicle formation, mannose sensitive hemagglutination and sensitivity to serum. On the other hand, no significant differences were found as regards sugar fermentation and sensitivity to urea and serine. Strains rich in the combination of these pathogenic properties were significantly more common among the urinary strains indicating that these properties might confer to them a greater ability to invade the urinary tract

Lysozyme production: a possible index of pathogenicity among staphylococci

Lysozyme production was tested among 63 coagulase positive staphylococcal strains [20 of pathogenic origin and 42 from healthy nasal carriers] and 26 coagulase negative staphylococci isolated from cases of urinary tract infections. It was found that this property was significantly higher among pathogenic staphylococci [61.9%] than nasal staphylococci [38%]. Regarding coagulase negative staphylococci this property was much less frequent [3.8%]. Other criteria of pathogenicity [hemolysis, DNase production and growth on Mannitol salt agar] were tested. These four criteria were more frequent among pathogenic staphylococci than those isolated from healthy nasal carriers. DNase production was the most frequent property in association with lysozyme production and these two properties could be used as a good index of pathogenicity among coagulase positive staphylococci

Colicinogenicity in Escherichia colI strains isolated from diarrheal and nondiarrheal children in El Shatby Alexandria Pediatric hospital

In this study, the colicinogenicity of E. coli strains isolated from 75 diarrheal and 75 non-diarrheal children. The isolation frequency of colicinogenic strains among diarrheal cases was significantly higher [17.07%] than among non-diarrheal cases [5%]. The activity of the diarrheal producer strains was restricted to closely related species. Two out of 7 diarrheal colicinogenic strains [44d and 37d] were found to be of the same type, while none of the diarrheal colicinogenic strains were of E1, V, Ia and Ib colicin types. The production of 5 out of the 7 diarrheal colicinogenic strains was found too be encoded on plasmid. As colicinogenic strains were isolated in only 9.3% and 2.6% in diarrheal and non-diarrheal cases respectively, it is improbable that they could be responsible for any change in the flora of both groups. This does not exclude the fact that colicinogeny could be a factor in the establishment of individual strains in the intestine