study of effect of experimental pre-eclampsia on plasma lipocalin-2 level in rats

Background: preeclampsia [PE] is a pregnancy related complication defined as a disease that begins in the placenta and ends at the maternal endothelium. It is a multi-stage disease that starts by utero-placental insufficiency and leads to generalized maternal endothelial dysfunction.Lipocalin2 [LCN2] is a 25kDasecretory glycoprotein implicated in many functions such as apoptosis and innate immunity. Also, it has been recognized to have potential effects in obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance in mice and humans. Many controversial studies about the changes in the plasma LCN2 levels in PE are reported. Aim: The current study was designed to perform an animal model of experimental PE in a trial to demonstrate the possible relationship between PE and the circulating LCN2 levels

Design: forty eight healthy adult female albino rats and eight adult male albino rats were used. The male rats were used for induction of pregnancy. The adult female rats [n=48] were divided into four equal groups: group I [control non-pregnant group], group II [non-pregnant treated with L-NAME], group III [normal pregnant group] and group IV [pregnant treated with L-NAME to induce a model of experimental PE]. In all groups, body weight, body mass index [BMI], blood pressure, circulating levels of urea, creatinine, triglycerides [TGs], IL-6, endothelin-l[ET-l], vitamin D [VD], LCN2 and D-dimers in addition to total urinary proteins are measured. Histopathological examination of placental sections was done in group III and group IV

Results: The results of the present study revealed a significant increase in the body weight, BMI, MAP, total urinary proteins, circulating levels of urea, creatinine, TGs, IL-6, ET-1, LCN2 and D-dimers in both group II and IV. In addition to a significant decrease in VD in the same two groups. In group III, there was a significant increase in body weight, BMI, total urinary proteins and circulating levels of TGS, D-dimers and LCN2. There was a significant decrease in VD and MAP. Moreover, there was a positive significant correlation between LCN2 and all measured parameters except VD in group IV together with a positive significant correlation between LCN2 and MAP, IL-6, ET-1 and D-dimers in group II.The results in group IV are supported by the histopathological examination results

Conclusion: L-NAME can be used for induction of experimental PE and plasma levels of LCN2 can be used as an indicator for the renal complications and coagulopathies in PE. Further studies are needed to ascertain this association

Quality of life in COPD patients

Quality of life [QOL] can be severely impaired in patients with COPD. They usually show an accelerated decline in lung function and progressive impairment of physical performance. To study quality of life in patients with COPD and to examine its relationship with the severity of the disease. Quality of life was determined in 40 COPD patients using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD patients [SGRQ-C]. Mild COPD patients differed significantly from other grades of COPD in their total SGRQ-C score, symptoms score, activity score and impact score [p

Cytotoxin associated gene A [CAG A] antigen carrying strains of helicobacter pylori and increased risk of acute myocardial infarction

The aim of work: is to study the possible association between Helicobacter pylori infection and increased risk of acute myocardial infarction. Subjects and Fifty patients were included in this study with acute myocardial infarction "AMI" admitted to the intensive care unit at cardiology department Tanta university hospital. All patients were subjected to clinical assessment, electro cardiography [E.C.G]. Echo cardiographic examination, and quantification of IgG antibodies to cytotoxin associated gene-A [Cag-A] in plasma samples using ELISA. H. pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with acute myocardial infarction [80.4%] than in controls [20%]. Also, infection with CagA bearing strains of H. pylori was significantly higher in AMI patients [64.7%] than in controls [10.0%]. H. pylori seropositive AMI patients showed positive CagA strains were significantly higher [64.7%] compared to infection with CagA negative strains [15.7%]. Helicobacter pylori, particularly CagA positive strains, significantly increase the risk of coronary heart disease, and is independent from the classical risk factors

Cervical spine trauma: etiology, management and outcome

The present work aimed to study Cx-Sp.T. regarding the etiology, available management lines and their reflection on the patient's outcome. Fifty patients of Cx-Sp.T. admitted to the Neurological Department over a period of 15 months from January 2000 to March 2001 [mean age 34.8 +/- 7.4 years, 38 males and 12 females] were included in this study. Immediate first aid, medical treatment and neck support were provided to every patient. Data about the trauma etiology were recorded. ASIA scale was used for a neurological assessment on admission. All patients were imaged with PI-X-ray, MRI was used once it possible [46 patients]. Skull traction was applied for all unstable cases. Anterior cervical decompression realignment and vertebral fixation using anterior plating and screws were performed in cases with bony fusion in almost all of them. Follow up continued for at least 12 months. The patients were classified, regarding their final outcome, based on ASIA scale into satisfactory, unsatisfactory or death. Road traffic accidents and falling from height accounted for 62% and 32% of the cases with two sport injuries and one due to assault. Initially, 24% of the cases suffered from complete cord syndrome, 64% had complete cord syndrome, while only 12% were neurologically intact on admission, 14% of the patients had no fractures. Stable and unstable fractures constituted 22% and 64% of the cases. Fifteen patients received conservative management, while 32 of the cases were operated upon. The outcome of the patients was satisfactory in 34% and unsatisfactory in 58% with 8% mortalities, three of them were immediate and one postoperative. Rapid commencement of accurately decided lines of management and neural decompression together with vertebral realignment and stabilization is crucial in lowering down the unsatisfactory results

Exercise and the immune system

The effect of 8 weeks of bicycle training on the immune system was evaluated in 20 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis [RA]. Resting levels of serum IL[6] [by ELISA] and serum Ig[G] [by single RID technique] were measured before and then after 8 weeks of training. The study revealed a highly statistical significant increase [P<0.01] in the concentration of serum IL-[6] in the healthy individuals after training compared to its resting [baseline] level [240.62 +/- 281.62 versus 102.5 +/- 209.11]. On the contrary, there was non-significant decrease [P>0.05] in the concentration of serum Ig[G] [23.97 +/- 0.23 versus 27.43 +/- 8.06]. The decrease in the post exercise concentration of serum IgG was significantly correlated with the age of individuals. In RA patients, 8 weeks bicycle training didn't induce any significant effect either on the concentration of serum IL-[6] [116.67 +/- 61.21] or Ig[G] [27.99 +/- 7.95] as compared to their pre-exercise levels [100 +/- 142.55, 29.97 +/- 61.21 respectively]. A significant positive correlation [P<0.05] was found between the post-exercise IL-6 levels and the disease duration and between post-exercise Ig[G] levels and the duration of morning stiffness. There was also a significant negative correlation [P< 0.05] between the difference in the concentration of serum IL-[6] and that of Ig[G] in relation to training. It can be concluded that 8 weeks bicycle training induced an enhancing effect on the cellular and not humoral immune system in healthy individuals. On the other hand, this training didn't influence either the cellular or humoral immune system of patients with RA