Radiopacity of selected types of composite resin materials - a computerized method

Radiopacity property is thought to be one of the essential requirement of composite resin restorative material for early detection and diagnosis of recurrent caries under these restorations. The objective of this study was to compare radiopacities of recent composite resin formulations and to study the effect of both filler percent and filler type on this property. A radiograph was taken for nine composite resin samples of different brands and one amalgam control sample, then scanned to form bitmap image which was analyzed using gray scale level, and data were recorded

Results showed that there were different degrees of radipacity among tested brands. The radiopacity was influenced by the filler type rather than the filler percent. Therefore, it was concluded that filler type has the major effect on radiopacity of composite resin materials

Bacterial and non-bacterial prostatitis: detection of chlamydia trachomatis, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus

Eighty-six patients with persistent symptoms of chronic prostatitis were screened for possible aetiological organisms affecting the prostate. Our study entailed a culture of expressed prostatic secretion [EPS] for bacteria. A positive culture was obtained in 40 [46.5%] patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis [CBP]. Forty-six patients [53.5%] were negative for a bacterial culture of EPS and therefore categorized as having non-bacterial prostatitis [NBP]. Immunofluorescence study of the EPS revealed that 12 [26%] out of these 46 patients with non-bacterial prostatitis were positive for Chlamydia trachomatis. Prostatic specimens taken by perineal needle biopsy from all patients with non-bacterial prostatitis were tested for vira antigens by immunoperoxidase study [15.2%] of these prostatic biopsies gave positive results for Cytomegalovirus [CMV] antigen, while 3 [6.5%] showed a positive immunoperoxidase reaction for Herpes Simplex virus type II [HSV-2]. In the remaining 24 [27.8%] patients, no definite organism could be isolated. The results demonstrate that chlamydial and viral prostatitis cover a reasonable group of patients with non-bacterial disease in whom the effort should be directed to eradicating these organisms from the prostate

Serum neopterin levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis [RA] is a common disease with widely varying severity. A significant proportion of patients have a chronic course with progressive joint destruction and disability. Anti-rheumatoid drug therapy is potentially toxic and therefore needs to be directed at those most likely to benefit. Measurement of serum levels of products released from macrophages, lymphocytes, polymorphs or plasma cells may supply information about different aspects of the disease process. The aim of this work was to study the monocyte/macrophage activation in rheumatoid patients by measuring neopterin concentrations in patient's sera to reflect the value of this parameter in detecting rheumatoid disease activity. Thirty-six patients [34 females and 2 males] with various grades of rheumatoid arthritis and 20 healthy controls were screened for serum neopterin levels using radioimmunoassay. Our results showed statistically significant elevation [p < 0.05] of serum neopterin of patients with grade III and IV rheumatoid activity, compared to healthy controls. In grade II [mild rheumatoid activity] the difference was insignificant [p > 0.05]. In conclusion neopterin, a new biochemical marker, can be used as a reliable sensitive and reproducible in rheumatoid disease. Its direct relation to the pathogenesis of the disease, correlation with clinical disease activity and its significant elevation when the disease becomes more active, recommend neopterin as an activity marker

Anti-proteus antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis

Antibodies [Abs] to Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia Coli in 14 active rheumatoid arthritis [RA], 16 inactive RA and 20 healthy controls were measured using the indirect immunofluorescence technique. The mean titres to Proteus mirabilis were found significantly higher in active RA patients than in the other two groups [P < 0.001]. On the other hand, the mean titres to E. coli were not significantly elevated in the three groups. These results emphasized the importance of searching for an environmental factor during the acute phase of the disease, either directly by looking for a microbial or viral antigens or indirectly by testing for [Abs] titres against particular micro organism. Proteus mirabilis is one of these organisms

Value of prostatic specific antigen in prostatic cancer detection

A prospective evaluation of 110 men above the age of 50 years, were performed, including three groups, first group [45 patients] with abnormal palpatory prostate, second group [45 patients] with symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH] confirmed by digital rectal examination [DRE] and third group [20 men] with no prostatic symptoms and normal DRE taken as a control group. We found that 37.8% of the first group, patients proved to have prostatic cancer, while only 8.9% of the second group and none of the third group had prostatic malignancy. The positive predictive value of prostatic specific antigen [PSA] was 26%, the sensitivity of the test was 95.2%, the specificity 18. 8%, while the negative predictive value was 92.3%. The other tumor marker prostatic acid phosphatase [PAP] was found to be less valuable than PSA in detecting prostatic cancer, having a sensitivity of 61.9% and a positive predictive value 24%. The results of this study favours the conclusion that DRE, PSA and transrectaI ultrasound [TRUS] are complementary tests which should be used together for early detection of prostatic cancer

Screening of chronic renal failure patients for cytomegalovirus antibodies before and after hemodialysis

60 chronic renal failure patients have been screened for the presence of Ig[G] and Ig[M] cytomegalovirus [CMV] antibodies, before and after hemodialysis using the ELISA test. Before deciding hemodialysis as a treatment for these patients [predialysis], 45 patients [75%] were seropositive for CMV Ig[G] antibodies, while only 3 patients [5%] were seropositive for CMV Ig[M] antibodies which may be due to recent infection before starting diaIysis. After patients have been on the hemodialysis treatment, 10 of them [16.6%] proved seropositive for CMV Ig[M] antibodies, so 7 cases developed these antibodies post-dialysis in addition to the already 3 positive pre-dialysis cases previously recorded. Four patients of the 60 studied cases [6.6%] were seropositive only for CMV Ig[G] antibodies before hemodialysis treatment, and became positive for CMV Ig[M] after dialysis, which may indicate either reactivation of endogenous CMV infection or development of a new recent Infection. These results mean, in a way, that screening of patients before undergoing hemodialysis is of importance to lower the incidence of machine or blood transfusion transmitted CMV infection. Also pre and post dialysis serum sampling for CMV Ig[M] antibodies is essential for discrimination between recent infection and or reactivation of endogenous infection

Bacterial and non-bacterial prostatitis detection of chlamydia trachomatis cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus

Over the last two years, 86 patients with persistent symptoms of chronic prostatitis, had been screened for the possible etiological organisms that affect the prostate. The study entailed culture of expressed prostatic secretion [EPS] for bacteria. Positive culture was obtained in 40 [46.5%] patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis. 46 patients [53.5%] were negative for bacterial culture of EPS and were categorized as having nonbacterial prostatitis. Among the last group, 12 [26%] patients proved positive for Chlamydia trachomatis by immunofluorescence study of the EPS, while 7 [15.2%] patients had cytomegalovirus and 3 [6.5%] patients had Herpes simplex virus type II. Viral antigens have been tested by immunoperoxidase study for prostatic biopsy specimens taken by perineal needle biopsy. The results demonstrated that chlamydial and viral prostatitis cover a reasonable group of patients with non-bacterial disease, in whom efforts should be directed to eradicate these organisms from the prostate. After all, a group of 24 [27.8%] patients remained, in whom no definite organism could be isolated

Concentration of soluble interleukin-2 receptor in bronchoalveolar lavage and serum in patients with sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

T-Iymphocyte activation in sarcoidosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [IPF] was evaluated using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for soluble interleukin-2 receptor [IL-2R] in serum samples and bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] Fluids. The study included 12 patients with active untreated sarcoidosis, 8 patient with IPF and 14 subjects as normal control. The mean serum levels were significantly higher in sarcoidosis and IPF [2562.5 +/- 1349.9 and 541.6 +/- 197.6 u/ml] compared to normal control subjects [192.3 +/- 77.3 U/ml] and being higher in sarcoidosis than IPF [p < 0.001]. In contrast, in BAL fluids the IL-2R levels were low among the three studied groups [0.04 +/- 0.05, 0.035 +/- 0.03 and 0.030 +/- 0.02 micro/mg total protein] respectively]. It is concluded that serum IL-2R may reflect disease activity in patients with active sarcoidosis

Eighteen-month follow-up of glipizide and human insulin combination in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus

This study reports a follow up of 29 Type II Diabetic patients with secondary drug failure treated by a combination of Human Insulin and Glipizide. During their follow-up, Insulin therapy was instituted following discontinuation of the maximum permissible dose of sulphonylureas for variable periods of time and thereafter Glipizide was added to Insulin treatment. Their diabetic control was assessed by checking the fasting and 2hr postprandial venous blood glucose values, HbA[1c] and weight changes. These results were then compared in various phases of treatment, i.e. Phase I: Oral hypoglycemic agents, Phase II: Insulin alone [mean duration 2.55 +/- 1.75 years], and Phase III: Human Insulin and Glipizide combination [mean duration 1.93 +/- 0.72 years]. It was found that patients in Phase III showed an overall improved glycemic control compared to Phase I and II. HbA1c dropped to 9.11 +/- 3.25 in Phase III compared to 11.13 +/- 2.75 in Phase II and 11.45 +/- 2.07 in Phase I. There was a weight gain of 3.66 +/- 6.69 kg in Phase II as compared to a net loss of 1.14 +/- 5.93 kg in Phase III. The mean daily requirement of Insulin in Phase II of 65.19 U decreased to 49.62 U in Phase III.No relationship was established between the initial high Body Mass Index and initial C-peptides of responders and non-responders to combination therapy. This study highlights the value of combination therapy of Glipizide plus Human Insulin in the control of diabetes after secondary failure in Type II diabetic patients

pattern of complications in Saudi Arabian diabetics

The pattern of complications in 533 Saudi Arabian diabetics followed over a 2-year period at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, is reported. The subjects consisted of 137 type 1 [25.7%] and 396 type 2 diabetics [74.3%]. For type 1, the mean age was 32.1 +/- 1.1 years, and the mean duration of the disease was 7.4 +/- 0.5 years. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurred in 37.2% of subjects. Peripheral neuropathy affected 28.5%, retinopathy 13.1%, nephropathy 18.2%, and macrovascular complications 10.2% of the type 1 group. For type 2, the mean age for the group was 46.5 +/- 0.6 years, and the mean duration of the disease was 4.5 +/- 0.3 years. Peripheral neuropathy affected 23.7%, retinopathy 8.3%, nephropathy 11.4%, and macrovascular complications 11.1% of type 2 subjects

Diabetic ketoacidosis - a report of 123 Saudi diabetics

Diabetic ketoacidosis [DKA] still forms one of the potentially fatal complications of IDDM diabetes. In a study of 123 consecutive admissions to King Abdulaziz University Hospital Medical Ward, with an age range of 15-80 years, poor compliance was the most frequent predisposing factor accounting for 65.9% of admissions. The mean blood glucose on admission was 26.2 +/- 0.12 mmol/1 and mean pH was 7.22 +/- 0.24. An insulin regimen of continuous low dose i.v. infusion was used in 43.1%, hourly i.v., hourly i.v., bolus in 34.1% and hourly i.m. in 22.8% of all subjects. The mean total fluid replacement in the first 5 h was 3.3 +/- 0.11. Mortality was 4.3% in the group. All three modalities of therapy were equally effective