Résumé
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the proportion of common clarithromycin‑resistant mutation types present in the 23S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene of H. pylori strains in Sri Lanka. Settings and Design: The study was a cross‑sectional, descriptive study where 76 dyspeptic patients who were required to undergo endoscopy examination were included. The study was carried out at a Teaching Hospital in Sri Lanka. Subjects and Methods: In‑house urease test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the glmM gene of H. pylori was performed to confirm the H. pylori infection. Analysis of point mutations in 23S rRNA gene strains were performed by PCR‑restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results: Of the 16 urease‑positive biopsies, 94% (n = 15) were positive by PCR using the glmM primer. All H. pylori strains yeilded a point mutation at A2142G site of the 23S rRNA gene, while A2143G mutation was not detected. Conclusions: For the first time in Sri Lanka, we reported predominance of A2142G point mutation associated with claritromycin resistance of H. pylori in a Sri Lankan population.
Résumé
Acute and convalescent phase blood samples from five dengue fever (DF) patients and four dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients were tested for the presence of tumour necrosis factor (TNF). While all blood samples showed elevated levels, the acute phase blood sample levels were much higher. The mean TNF level in the acute samples of the five DF cases was 862 while in the DHF cases the level was 1722 pg/ml. Though the sample size is small, the difference appears to be statistically significant. Unlike in DF the distinctive features in DHF are the occurrence of shock, thrombocytopaenic purpura and sometimes disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Increased TNF levels have not been reported in the literature in association with DHF, although it has been shown to contribute to these features which appear in some other diseases.