study on humoral immunity and oral bacterial diversity in patients with Trichomonas Tenax infection

Trichomonas tenax [T tenax] is a protozoan that inhabit the oral cavity of poor oral hygiene. It is found in the dental caries, tartar and periodontal area. It feed on the normal flora of the mouth. It had been found to cause pulmonary infection and respiratory diseases in immunocompromised patients and patients with advanced cancer. To determine the humoral immune response to Trichomonas tenax and studying if there is any relation with specific bacteria. Forty patients who consult Al-Kindy Teaching hospital -maxillofacial and dental department from June-2008 to January -2009.Two gingival swabs were taken from those patients, one examined directly for the presence of T tenax by light microscope and other swab was cultured on Blood, Chocolate and MacConkey's agar for isolation of oral bacteria. Blood was collected from patients for estimation of serum IgG, IgA, IgM, C3 and C4 levels by using radial immune diffusion method. The study group consists of forty individuals, their ages range from 6-65 years. Male more than female [22:18], thirty of them was smoker, 25% of them were positive for T tenax. The types of bacteria that were isolated are a normal flora of the mouth like Streptococcus viridans. In spite of the level of Immunoglobulins and complement in both groups lie within normal values, there was a significant increased in serum IgM level and significant decreased in serum IgG, IgA, C3 and C4 level. There was increased in the prevalence of T tenax infection due to low social class and low oral hygiene .There was no specific bacteria that was confected with it. Lastly, increased in T tenax infection when there is an immune suppression as in advanced cancer patients and on radiotherapy and or chemotherapy

Immunological non invasive blood tests to evaluate gastric mucosa in Iraqi dyspeptic patients

Dyspepsia is a common symptom in general practitioner. Using non invasive serological biomarkers would help to identify individuals at increased risk of atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer. In present study, the evaluation of the utility of a serological gastric panel test combining pepsinogen I [PGI], pepsinogen II [PGII], pepsinogenl/pepsinogenll ratio [I/II], gastrin-17 [G-17] [basal and stimulated] and Helicobacter pylori [HP] IgG antibodies as a screening method and to predict the state of gastric mucosa: non atrophic, atrophic gastritis and its sequel of developing gastric carcinoma and intestinal metaplasia. Prediction of gastric mucosa using non invasive immunological blood tests from dyspeptic patients. The serological gastro panel test was evaluated in [54] Iraqi dyspeptic patients divided into two groups: [HP+] and [HP-]. Levels of PGI, PGll, PGI/PGII ratio, G-l 7 basal and stimulated and HP IgG antibodies were determined through a specific immunological non invasive Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay [ELISA] test from Biohit PlC, Helsinki, Finland. Using fasting and postprandial samples from those patients. 60% of dyspeptic patients complain from epigastric pain and 62.96% of them had HP+. There were significant increase in PGI, PGII [p<0.05] in NAG. ln case of I/II ratio, there was no significant difference between two groups of HP+ and HP-. The other parameter was done is basal 0-17 which is significantly increased in HP+ [p>0.05] and postprandial G-l7 showed no significant difference between two groups. Most of those Iraqi dyspeptic patients had non atrophic gastritis due to Helicobacter pylori infection that leads to increased in the PGI, PGII, G-17 through many mechanisms. If HP not treated properly this may leads to atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric carcinoma. Gastric panel test was considered as a non endoscope immunological blood test in the diagnosis of atrophic gastritis and its outcome in dyspeptic patients

Systemic humoral Anti Helicobacter pylori immune response in dyspeptic patients

Helicobacter pylori [HP] cause a continuous gastric inflammation virtually all infected persons. It induces a vigorous systemic and mucosal humoral and cellular immune response. In spite of these responses, the vast majority of infected hosts are unable to clear the infection and it persists for decades. Determination the humoral immune response to HP infection in dyspeptic patients. The immunological serological tests were evaluated in 80 dyspeptic patients divided into two groups: [HP +] and [HP-]. Levels of specific HP IgG antibodies were determined through a specific immunological non invasive Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay [ELISA] test from Biohit PIC, Helsinki, Finland. Immunoglobulin levels and complement were done [IgG, IgA, IgM, C3 and C4] using single radial immune diffusion [BioMaghreb-Tunis]. About 62.5% of dyspeptic patients had HP + infection. There was no significant differences between two groups in the levels of [IgG, IgA, IgM, C3 and C4] and most of them were within normal values. Humoral immune response had an important role in the control and limits the inflammation of gastric mucosa

Auto antibodies in Iraqi patients with spinal cord injury

Autoantibodies can be generated by different mechanisms and detected in different autoimmune diseases, neoplastic conditions and other diseases. These autoantibodies are important in the diagnosis and management of these disordered. Forty-eight patients with spinal cord injury, twenty-eight quadriplegics and twenty patients were paraplegics, resident in spinal cord accidents hospital [Ibn - AIgiff formerly] from 2002 to 2003. The other group was twenty-five apparently healthy individuals. Both groups were investigated for the presence of autoantibodies against nuclear, mitochondria and smooth muscle using indirect immunofluorescense test. There was no significant difference in anti nuclear antibody between patients and control group. Other autoantibodies, mitochondria and smooth muscle were not detected in both groups. Spinal cord injury did not lead to formation of autoantibodies in spite of damage to spinal cord and exposed sequestered neuronal antigens to immune system probably due to decreased MHC class II expression on neuronal tissues and corticosteroid effect neuroimmune interactions that administered immediately after traumatic injuiy or cortisol formation in the body. Autoantibodies [nuclear, mitochondria, smooth muscle] were not detected in both control and patients group. Other autoantibodies directed against neurological tissues by using other methods like western blot method

HLA antigens among Iraqi muslims Arabs and Kurds

The HLA system is a relevant tool in population genetics analysis. From the genetic point of view, the HLA system is of general interest because of the extreme polymorphism of all known HLA loci. The aiiele and haplotype frequencies have a wide diversity among human population and differ in geographically and racially among populations. Iraq had a high percentage of Muslims people that distributed in two groups [Arab and Kurd], These groups are ancient populations and affected by many settlement in many centuries ago. These ancient settlements had left marks on the genetic structure of the modern Iraqi populations. The later immigrations to other countries were high in later years. The aim of study is to estimate the gene frequency of HLA class i [A, B, Cw] alleies in Iraqi Arab Muslims and Kurd Muslims and determine the genetic differences between them. A total of unrelated 1400 Iraqi Arab Muslims [AM] and 705 Kurd Muslims [KM] healthy volunteers and individuals referred to Immunology and Tissue Typing Center in Al-Karamah Teaching Hospital for organ transplantation and Forensic medicine, were examined for HLA polymorphism using complement dependent cytotoxicity test from June-2003 to April-2004. The phenotypes of HLA typing of Iraqi Arab Muslims [AM] and Kurd Muslims [KM] were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Regarding HLA class I [A and Cw loci], there was a significant differences between these groups. Lasly, there was no significant difference between them inHLA-B. This may be due to their inhabitants different area in Iraq, and also due to their different origin as Arab and Kurd races with mild differences due to outbreedmg and migration The effects of invaders and settlements from out side the country and intermixing with them may play an important role in these differences

Prevalence of autoantibodies to various tissue antigens before and during S2-complex immunotherapy in head and neck cancer patients

A total of 63 terminal untreatable stage IV head and neck cancer patients were investigated for clinical responses and presence of autoantibodies to various tissue antigens before and during S2-complex immunotherapy. S2-complex is a new low molecular weight biological response modifier [BRM] with a potant immunostimulating and anti tumor activities. Autoantibodies detected at pretreatment period were those directed towards the following antigens nuclear, thyroid microsomal, epithelial cells, gastric parietal cells, smooth muscles, peripheral leukocytes, T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, monocytes, thymus reticular epithelial cells and Hassall's corpuscles. Beside, autoantibodies with specificities to glomerular basement membrane and vascular endothelial cells were present at low incidence. Short term use of S2-complex induced a transient increase of the following autoantibodies: nuclear, thyroid microsomal, epithelial, parietal cells, smooth muscle, thymus reticuloepithelial cells, Hassal's corpuscles, thymocytes, peripheral blood leukocytes, 1, B-lymphocytes, monocytes, as well as kidney glomerular basement membrane and vasculr endothelial cells. In the later follow up period i.e. 2-6 months most of these autoantibodies responses returned to normal healthy control levels. Moreover, two exceptions were demonstrated which were the incidences of the antiglomerular basement membrane and vascular endothelial antibodies which remianed higher than the pretreatment frequencies. In addition, autoantibodies specific to mitochondria, thyroglobulin and red blood cells were only occasionally seen in our head and neck cancer patients both before and during S2-complex therapy

HLA typing and variant alleles in Iraqi Arab Muslims tribal origin compared with other HLA populations

The HLA region had been shown to be the most polymorphic genetic system in man. There is a variation in the frequencies of various HLA alleles between various populations. Estimating the gene frequency of HLA class I [A, B, Cw] and class II [DR and DQ] alleles in Iraqi Arab Muslims. Assessing the genetic relationship between Iraqi Arab Muslims and other Arabian, Asian and European populations. A total of 1400 unrelated Iraqi Arab Muslims [healthy volunteers and individuals referred to Immunology and Tissue Typing Center in Al-Karamah Teaching Hospital for organ transplantation and Forensic medicine] were examined for HLA polymorphism using complement dependent cytotoxicity test from June-2003 to April-2004. The distribution of HLA polymorphism [A, B, Cw, DR and DQ] was investigated in Iraqi Arab Muslims [AM]. It had been found that A2 was the most frequent allele in A Ioci [0.202], which is similar to other Arabian, Asian and European populations in the world. Other common allele was A1 [0.116]. The least frequent allele was A25 [0.003]. In case of B-locus, 851 was the most frequent allele [0.123]. This reflects the higher prevalence of Behcet's syndrome in Iraq and other Mediterranean countries. The other common allele was B35 [0.092] while rare alleles were B7, B8, B41, B44, B49, and B50. Those alleles showed shared comparable gene frequencies. Concerning HLA-Cw, the greater frequency was Cw4 and Cw7. Other class was class II, in this class; DR2 was the most frequent allele with a gene frequency was 0.153. It is a fortunately to have high level of this allele because it was a protective against insulin dependent diabetes mullets. The last locus was DQ; it had been found that DQ1 and DQ3 were the most frequent polymorphism [0.117 and 0.119, respectively]