Diagnostic and prognostic roles of miRNA and dielectric parameters in HCV Egyptian patients

Hepatic C virus (HCV) infection is a special case in Egypt due to its historical aspects, epidemiology, risk factors, andgenotype. Therefore, an urgent need arose to assess the HCV progression and efficacy of the used antiviral drugs. Thisstudy aimed to evaluate the role of different miRNAs types and blood dielectric measurements in the early diagnosisand prognosis of HCV in Egyptian patients. The study was carried out on a total of 80 blood samples. Twenty of theseblood samples were withdrawn from healthy volunteers and were served as the control group (G1). Sixty HCV patientsamples were divided according to the received treatment into four groups (15 for each). The second group (G2)included HCV patient samples, who did not receive any treatment. The third (G3), fourth (G4), and fifth (G5) groupsincluded the samples of HCV patients who were treated with Sovaldi (400mg) for 1, 2, and 3 months, respectively. G3,G4, and G5 were simultaneously administered Ribavirin (200 mg) and Daclatasvir (60mg) daily for 3 months. Theobtained results demonstrated the upregulation of miR-21, miR-155, and miR-205 and downregulation of miR-122and miR-133a in all HCV patients. HCV patients who did not receive any treatment showed a lower conductivity dueto the action of the virus; either the free charges on the surface of the red blood cells (RBCs) or membrane deformationor alterations were reduced. Noticeable improvement reached to nearly normal values in different miRNA expressionsand RBC dielectric relaxations was achieved by Sovaldi treatment.

Small interfering RNA for cancer treatment: overcoming hurdles in delivery

In many ways, cancer cells are different from healthy cells. A lot of tactical nano-based drug delivery systems are based on the difference between cancer and healthy cells. Currently, nanotechnology-based delivery systems are the most promising tool to deliver DNA-based products to cancer cells. This review aims to highlight the latest development in the lipids and polymeric nanocarrier for siRNA delivery to the cancer cells. It also provides the necessary information about siRNA development and its mechanism of action. Overall, this review gives us a clear picture of lipid and polymer-based drug delivery systems, which in the future could form the base to translate the basic siRNA biology into siRNA-based cancer therapies.

Two cases of cholera O1 in South Batinah, Oman, April 2019: lessons learned / 한국역학회지

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.

Two cases of cholera O1 in South Batinah, Oman, April 2019: lessons learned / 한국역학회지

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.

Two cases of cholera O1 in South Batinah, Oman, April 2019: lessons learned / 한국역학회지

Cholera represents an ongoing threat to many low-income and middle-income countries, but some cases of cholera even occur in high-income countries. Therefore, to prevent or combat cholera outbreaks, it is necessary to maintain the capacity to rapidly detect cholera cases, implement infection control measures, and improve general hygiene in terms of the environment, water, and food. The 2 cases, 1 imported and 1 secondary, described herein are broadly indicative of areas that require improvement. These cases were missed at the primary health care stage, which should be the first detection point even for unusual diseases such as cholera, and the absence of strict infection control practices at the primary care level is believed to contribute to secondary cases of infection. This report also encourages countries to ensure that rapid diagnostic stool tests are available to enable quick detection, as well as to provide information to people travelling to areas where cholera is endemic.

Volatile Compounds in the Skin Essential Oil of Moroccan Feijoa sellowiana

The oil of Feijoa skin (Feijoa sellowiana, family Myrtaceae) was isolated by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus and analyzed by GC-MS analysis. As a result, 76 components were isolated. Among 19 peaks identified which three were reported for the first time in this plant (Elixene, Linalylanthranilate and Farnesol). The sesquiterpene group was predominant, accounting for 97.8% of the total oil. Of which Caryophyllene was the most abundant 17.7%, followed by Germacrene D14.4%, Humulene 10.5%, Ledene 14%, Spathulenol 8.5%, Cadina-3,9-diene 8.3%, Farnesol 8%, Linalylanthranite 5.6%, β-elemene 4.8%, α-Cubebene 2.7%. Other constituents were also present in oil such as Octanone 5.3%, D limoneme 0.17%, Ocimene 1.6%, Benzoicacidmethylester 1.1%.

Calcium in the management of atonic postpartum hemorrhage

Objective: was to compare the role of methergine, misoprostol and calcium in the management of atonic postpartum hemorrhage

Design: randomized Controlled Trial

Setting: this study was conducted in obstetrics and gynecology department of Al-azhar University Hospital, Assiut

Patients: 300 women with PPH were included in the study

Intervention: 300 women, each received 5 IU of oxytocin as prophylaxis then divided into three groups: Group A [N=100]: women with atonic PPH took methergine, Group B [N=100]: women with atonic PPH took misoprostol and Group C [N=100]: women with atonic PPH took calcium

Outcome measures: the primary outcome was change in hemoglobin concentration before and after intervention

Results: there was no significant difference between the three study groups as regard mean hemoglobin level before and after treatment. However, a significant difference was present as regard mean change [drop] in hemoglobin level after treatment, with misoprostol group showing the highest drop in Hb% [2.07 +/-0.8] compared to calcium group [1.7 +/-0.8] and methergine group [1.3 +/-0.5]

Conclusion: methergine is more effective in controlling the amount of blood loss during delivery giving a better chance in treatment of atonic postpartum hemorrhage followed with calcium then misoprostol. Although of that calcium is good alternative to methergine with low side effects so can be used safely and effectively when methergine is contriandicated

An assessment of Pakistani pharmacy and medical students’ knowledge of black box warnings / Una evaluación del conocimiento de estudiantes de medicina y de farmacia en Pakistán sobre alertas de medicamentos / Uma avaliação sobre o acesso de estudantes paquistaneses de medicina e farmácia ao conhecimento das advertências das caixas de tarja preta

Food and Drug Administration delivers the black box warnings (BBW) which should appear on the leaflets of medicines for patient awareness and the prescription of drugs indicating its highly fatal adverse effects to human body. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Pakistani pharmacy and medical students about BBW. A questionnaire containing contents about BBW was given to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd professional year pharmacy and medical students from different pharmacy and medical institutes. A 76 percent survey response rate was observed. It was observed that student’s knowledge about BBW improves in association with the promotion in professional years of pharmacy and medical education. The results indicate that student’s knowledge about black box increases with the study level. Training in black box warnings should be implemented in pharmacy and medical institutions influencing the meaningful ways to educate and train pharmacy and medical students, and help these students to get recent knowledge about black box warnings so that, in future, they may perform an ethical practice in their respective fields.

La Agencia Reguladora de Alimentos y Medicamentos comunica alertas sobre medicamentos (AM), que debieran aparecer en los prospectos de medicinas, para el conocimiento de los pacientes y la prescripción de medicamentos, indicando sus efectos adversos fatales para el cuerpo humano. El objetivo de este estudio es averiguar el conocimiento de estudiantes de medicina y de farmacia sobre AM. Se entregó un cuestionario con contenidos sobre AM a estudiantes de farmacia y de medicina de primero a tercer año de diferentes institutos médicos y farmacéuticos. Se obtuvo un 76 por ciento de respuesta. Se observó que el conocimiento de los estudiantes sobre AM mejora asociado a la promoción en años profesionales de medicina y farmacia. Los resultados indican que el conocimiento de los estudiantes sobre alerta de medicamentos aumenta con el nivel de estudio. Debería implementarse la formación sobre alerta de medicamentos en farmacia y medicina y ayudar a los estudiantes a tener conocimiento actual sobre alerta de medicamentos de forma que, en el futuro, puedan realizar prácticas éticas en sus campos respectivos.

A Food and Drug Administration disponibiliza as advertências das caixas de tarja preta (BBW) que devem aparecer em bulas de medicamentos para conscientização de pacientes e a prescrição de drogas, indicando seus efeitos adversos altamente fatais para o corpo humano. O propósito deste estudo foi o de de inteirar a cerca do conhecimento de estudantes de medicina e farmácia sobre BBW. Um questionário com conteúdos sobre BBW foi dado a estudantes de farmácia e medicina, do 1º, 2º e 3º ano de diferentes instituições de ensino em farmácia e medicina. Foi observada uma taxa de 76 por cento de resposta dos pesquisados. Observou-se que o conhecimento de estudantes sobre BBW melhora quando se associa à promoção para anos seguintes da educação nas faculdades de farmácia e medicina. Os resultados indicam que o conhecimento dos estudantes sobre as caixas de tarja preta aumenta com o nível de estudo. Treinamento com caixas de tarja preta pode ser implementado em instituições de ensino de farmácia e medicina, influenciando de modo significativo as formas de educação e treinamento de estudantes de farmácia e medicina, e,assim, ajudar estes estudantes a obter conhecimentos recentes sobre medicamentos de tarja preta de modo que, no futuro, elas possam exercer uma prática ética em seus respectivos campos de atuação profissional.

Occult hepatitis C virus infection in haemodialysis unit: a single-center experience

Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC] and/or hepatocytes in the absence of HCV RNA in serum, designated as 'occult HCV infection', has been a matter of controversy in the recent years. Occult hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection has not been investigated in haemodialysis patients. We investigated for the first time the prevalence of occult HCV infection in large cohorts of chronic hemodialysis [CHD] patients in a single heamodialysis center at Al-Taif, KSA. We enrolled 84 CHD patients, whose sera are negative for HCV markers. HCV RNA was tested in PBMC using a sensitive commercial real time assay. In this study, real-time PCR was used to test for the presence of genomic HCV-RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of all of these patients. For comparison, 20 patients on HD with evidence of chronic hepatitis C virus infection were included as a control group. In CHD patients, occult HCV infection, determined by the presence of genomic HCV-RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMNCs], was found in 13.4 % of the patients; 83 % of these patients had ongoing HCV replication, indicated by the presence of HCV-RNA. Patients with occult HCV infection had spent a significantly longer time on heamodialysis and had significantly higher mean alanine aminotransferase levels during the 3 months before study entry. Compared to CHCV patients, those with occult HCV have less elevated bilirubin, AST and ALT. The prevalence of occult HCV infection was moderate in our CHD patients, and it did not appear to be clinically relevant. Further studies in other geographic populations with high HCV endemicity are required to clarify the significance of occult HCV infection in these patient groups

Effects of some antidiabetic medicinal plants on pancreas and liver of diabetic albino rats

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease which affects large number of population all over the world. More than 400 traditional medicinal plants have been recorded for helping in controlling such disease. This study investigated effects of some plants used in Saudi Arabia and some other Arab countries as antidiabetic agents. One hundred fifty adult male Albino rats were divided into six experimental groups each consist of twenty five rats. The first group was considered as a control group. The rest of groups were affected by induction of experimental diabetes by subcutaneous injection of Alloxan. The second group consisted of diabetic rats without any treatment. The third group was treated by the aqueous extract of mixture contains Foenugreek, Nigella and Termis seeds. The fourth group was treated with the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seeds, while the fifth group was treated with the aqueous extract of Foenugreek seeds. The sixth one was treated with the aqueous extract of Termis seeds with the administered dose of the plant extracts [100 mg/kg body weight].After four weeks of treatment, different biochemical parameters were performed including estimation of blood sugar level and serum insulin level. Pancreatic and liver samples were obtained and processed for microscopic and quantitative evaluation after staining the prepared sections with both heamatoxylin and eosin as well as a special stain for demonstration of the different pancreatic cells in the Islet of Langerhans. The usage of the mixture or each plant alone corrected the glucose level and insulin level. Microscopically there was definite decrease in the number and diameter of beta pancreatic cells in the diabetic group, while the other pancreatic cells were not affected [alpha and delta cells]. The use of medicinal plants in the different groups of this study greatly improved such cellular changes and the level of blood sugar level was corrected. The present results showed that the activity of the mixture was the best when compared with Nigella, Foenugreek and Termis seeds. The water extract of the mixture is the most powerful in amelioration hyperglycemia and most of all damage effects of Alloxan on the liver and texture, hematological parameters, and lipid profile. So it is advised to use the plant mixture as an antidiabetic agent rather than the use of each plant separately. Repeating such study with the use of variable doses may be helpful in better evaluation for the required doses

Pattern of muscle injuries and predictors of return-to-play duration among Malaysian athletes

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>The purpose of this study was to investigate the pattern of muscle injuries and the factors that predict the return-to-play duration among Malaysian athletes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This is a retrospective review of the case notes of athletes who attended the National Sports Institute Clinic in Malaysia. The medical records of athletes with muscle injury, diagnosed on clinical assessment and confirmed by diagnostic ultrasonography, were included for final analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From June 2006 to December 2009, 397 cases of muscle injury were diagnosed among 360 athletes. The median age of the athletes with muscle injuries was 20.0 years. Muscle injuries were mostly diagnosed among national-level athletes and frequently involved the lower limb, specifically the hamstring muscle group. Nearly all of the athletes (99.2%) were treated conservatively. The median return-to-play duration was 7.4 weeks. Athletes who waited more than one week before seeking medical attention, those with recurrent muscle injuries and female athletes were significantly more likely (p < 0.05) to take more than six weeks before returning to the sport.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Grade 2 lower limb muscle injury was commonly diagnosed among national-level athletes in this study. The frequency of weekly physiotherapy sessions did not affect the return-to-play duration. Factors such as initial consultation at more than one week post injury, recurrent muscle injuries and female gender were significant predictors of return-to-play duration among Malaysian athletes. These predictive factors should be kept in mind during clinical assessment so as to aid in prognosticating recovery after muscle injury.</p>

Preliminary Phytochemical, Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Alafia barteri Stem Grown in Nigeria.

The preliminary phytochemical studies of Alafia barteri stem extracts revealed the presence of reducing sugar, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids and anthraquinones. Hexane, ethylacetate and methanol successive extracts of A. barteri stem showed inhibition on the six test bacteria. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were sensitive to methanol extract at concentrations ranging from 25 to 200mg/ml using agar disk diffusion procedure, while hexane and ethylacetate extracts of the plant inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at concentrations between 50 and 200mg/ml. Hexane and ethylacetate extracts showed lower inhibition on Staphyloccocus aureus and Bacillus subtilis (gram positive), and Klebsiellae pneumonae (gram negative). Meanwhile, methanol extract exhibited antibacterial properties on Staphyloccocus aureus at concentrations between 50 and 200mg/ml, and Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiellae pneumonae and Salmonellae typhii at concentrations between 100 and 200mg/ml. The three extracts exhibited higher antifungal properties on Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolon, Penicillum notatum, Tricophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum with activity comparable to that of the reference drug tioconazole trosyd.

changing pattern of upper gastro-lntestinal lesions in southern Saudi Arabia: an endoscopic study

Dyspepsia is a common gastrointestinal disorder and is the most common indication for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy [UGIE]. In recent years, it has been observed in several centers that there is a change in the causes of dyspepsia as revealed by UGIE. Our main objectives were: [1] To study the pattern of upper gastrointestinal pathology in patients with dyspepsia undergoing upper endoscopy; [2] Compare that with the pattern seen 10-15 years earlier in different areas of KSA. Retrospective study of all UGI endoscopies performed at Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Southern Saudi Arabia during the years 2005-2007 on patients above 13 years of age. Patients who underwent UGIE for reasons other than dyspepsia were excluded. The analysis was performed using the SPSS 14 statistical package. A total of 1, 607 patients underwent UGI endoscopy during the three-year study period [age range, 15-100]. There were 907 males [56.4%] and 700 female [43.6%]. Normal findings were reported on 215 patients [14%] and the majority had gastritis [676 = 42%], of whom 344 had gastritis with ulcer disease. Moreover, 242 patients [15%] had gastro-esophageal reflux [GERD], with or without esophagitis or hiatus hernia. Also, a total of 243 patients had duodenal ulcer [DU] [15%] while only 12 had gastric ulcer [0.7%]. There is clear change in the frequency of UGIE lesions detected recently compared to a decade ago with an increasing prevalence of reflux esophagitis and hiatus hernia. This could be attributed to changes in lifestyle and dietary habits such as more consumption of fat and fast food, increased prevalence of obesity, and smoking. These problems should be addressed in order to minimize the serious complications of esophageal diseases

Crocetin reduces TNBS-lnduced experimental colitis in mice by downregulation of NFkB

Ulcerative colitis [UC] is characterized by oxidative and nitrosative stress, leukocyte infiltration and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines. In this study, we aim to investigate the effects of crocetin and its protective mechanism on 2, 4, 6- trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid [TNBS]-induced colitis in mice model. Intestinal lesions [judged by macroscopic and histological score] were associated with neutrophil infiltration [measured as increase in myeloperoxidase [MPO] activity in the mucosa], and high levels of malondialdehyde MDA [an indicator of lipid peroxidation]. Dose-response studies revealed that treatment of mice with crocetin [50 mg/kg/day] i.g. for 8 days] significantly ameliorated diarrhea and the disruption of colonic architecture. Higher and lower doses [100 and 25 mg/kg/day] did not exhibit comparable effects. In crocetin-treated mice, a significant reduction was noted in the degree of both neutrophil infiltration [measured as decrease in myeloperoxidase activity] and lipid peroxidation [measured as decrease in malondialdehyde activity] in the inflamed colon. Crocetin also reduced the levels of nitric oxide [NO] associated with the favorable expression of TH1 and TH2 cytokines and inducible NO synthase along with the down regulation of nuclear factor-kB [NFkB]. These findings suggest that crocetin exerts beneficial effects in experimental colitis, and therefore we propose that this carotenoid may have therapeutic implications for human UC and can be administered along with the conventional therapy of UC

Impact of high plasma concentrations of dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBS] in south Indian women with endometriosis

To estimate the levels of Dioxin and PCBs present in the plasma of women with different stages of endometriosis and relation between Dioxin, PCBs and their possible impact on the pathogenesis of endometriosis. A prospective case control study. Department of Reproductive Medicine, Bhagawan Mahavir Medical Research centre, Maternal Health and Research Trust, and Owaisi Hospital AND Research Center Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. 97 women with endometriosis undergoing laparoscopy and 102 controls. Heparinised blood samples were collected for dioxins, PCBs estimation. The levels of dioxins and PCBs were measured via gas chromatography. Women with endometriosis showed significantly higher concentrations of dioxin and PCBs when compared with the control group. The correlation between the concentrations of dioxin -TCDD, PCBs, and difference in the severity of endometriosis was strong and statistically significant at p<0.05 for all the four compounds PCB-1: r=+0.53; P<0.0001, PCB-5: r=+0.67; P<0.0001, PCB-29: r=+0.64; p<0.0001, PCB-98: r=+0.43; p<0.0014 and concentration of dioxin-TCDD: r=+0.36, p<0.0001. These results suggest that women having higher concentration of Dioxin and PCBs might have an increased susceptibility to endometriosis

Predictive factors for success and failure of pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients

The aim of this study was to determine the clinical, biological, virological and histological predictive factors for success and failure of pegylated interferon/Ribavirin therapy among Egyptian patients infected by hepatitis C virus [HCV]. This retrospective study included 100 patients with HCV infection who underwent clinical, biochemical and virological assessments before treatment and at 12, 24 and 48 weeks from the start of treatment. The selected patients were divided equally into two groups according to the seroconversion state after receiving a course of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Group I: 50 patients with CHC who show seroconversion after 12, 24 and 48 weeks of treatment. Group II: 50 patients with CHC who did not show good virological response after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment and they further divided into two groups: Group II A: 25 patients who stop treatment at 12 weeks due to absence of virological response [S 2 log decline in HCV RNA by Quantitative PCR] and Group II B: 25 patients who siop treatment at 24 weeks due to presence of detected HCV RNA by Qualitative PCR. At the end of this study we found that the best positive predictor factors that associated with good virological response before treatment are male sex, younger patients, low BMI, low APP, low viremia and low grade of activity and fibrosis in liver biopsy. The positive predictive factors that associated with good virological response after 12 weeks of treatment are low liver enzymes low viremia and early virological response

use of intraperitoneal mersilene in the management of large ventral hernias

Large ventral hernias usually require prosthesis for a successful repair. Many prosthetic techniques have been described with extra-fascial, sub-fascial, and intra-peritoneal positioning. The present study was conducted to asses the value of Mersilene mesh intra-peritoneal placement in the management of large ventral hernias. This study included 15 female patients with large ventral hernias [myo-apponeurotic defect >/= 10cm in diameter]. Their ages ranged from 30 to 62 years with a mean of 42.8 years. Twelve patients had an incisional hernia, following midline incision [n=6], right subcostal incision [n=3], paramedian incision [n=2], and Mc Burney's incision [n=1]. Three patients had a huge paraumblical hernia. All patients were clinically evaluated, investigated and had their respiratory function tests assessed both pre-and post-operatively. Hernias were repaired using the intra-peritoneal technique of mesh [30x30 cm Mersilene] positioning with placement of the greater omentum between the mesh and the bowel whenever possible. Patients were followed-up for a mean of 11.5 months [range 8-18 months]. The size of the hernia defect at surgery ranged from 10x13 cm to 22x25 cm with a mean of 13x14 cm. The mean hospital stay was 8.5 days [range 7-10 days]. Post-operatively, one patient developed superficial wound infection and another developed a seroma. Both resolved spontaneously on conservative measures. None of the patients developed post-operative respiratory distress. No recurrence was encountered during the follow-up period. The technique of intra-peritoneal Mersilene mesh fixation in the treatment of large ventral hernias a'ppears to be simple, adequate and safe. It does not cause post-operative respiratory distress and does not necessitate dissection of the intermediate planes thus minimizing hematoma and seroma formation and the risk of sepsis

Developing a disease-specific tool for assessment of quality of life of patients with hepatitis C virus associated chronic liver disease

To develop an Egyptian disease-specific instrument to assess the health related quality of life [HRQoL] in patients with chronic hepatitis C [CRC], and to assess the HRQoL in CHC patients according to this instrument. Based on responses from 100 patients, 5 liver experts, and from reviewing previous studies and other disease-specific instruments, items affecting the HRQoL of CRC patients were selected. Responses from 100 patients were used for determining and maximizing the questionnaire's internal consistency reliability [ICR] and construct validity. Retained items were scaled and the final questionnaire was pretested in 20 patients. Using this instrument, the HRQoL was assessed in 126 subjects distributed into three equal groups, one healthy and two groups of patients having chronic liver disease [CLD] with and without hepatitis C antibodies [CLD HC+ve, CLD HC-ve respectively]. Sixty seven items were identified in the item selection process, and 33 were retained at the end of the process of maximizing ICR and construct validity. In pretesting, five items were combined into two, and three questions for assessing the general health perception [GHP] were added. Patients found the final 33 questionnaire clear and easy to complete in 15 minutes. The developed instrument proved gradients among CHC patients, CLD HC-ve controls and normal controls, and among patients with different grades of liver disease severity. Certain domains did better than others in discriminating among the three groups and in comparing different grades of disease severity. The specific questionnaire has acceptable reliability, good construct validity, and correlates with disease severity. Further researches were needed for investigating its usefulness in clinical practice and for supporting the findings of the major decrements in HRQoL domains

Schistosome/mollusk: genetic compatibility

Schistosomiasis remains one of the most prevalent parasitic infections and has significant economic and public health consequences in many developing countries. Economic development and improvement in standard of living in these countries are dependent on the elimination of this odious disease. For the control of Schistosomiasis, understanding the host/parasite association is important, since the host parasite relationship is often complex and since questions remain concerning the susceptibility of snails to infection by respective trematodes and their specificity and suitability as hosts for continued parasite development. Thus, the long term aim of this research is to learn more about the genetic basis of the snail/parasite relationship with the hope of finding novel ways to disrupt the transmission of this disease. In the current research, genetic variability among susceptible and resistant strains within and between Biomphalaria glabrata and B. tenagophila was investigated using RAPD-PCR. The results indicate great genetic variations within the two snail species using three different primers (intrapopulational variations), while specimens from the same snail species showed few individual differences between the susceptible and resistant strains (interpopulational variation).

Migration of copper T [IUD] from the uterus to the urinary bladder with calculus formation [unusual case report]

We report a 35 year old lady presenting with a bladder stone formed over a migrated intrauterine device. The lady presented with recurrent urinary tract infection for the last 2 years, irritative lower urinary tract symptoms and hematuria. History was suggestive of intrauterine contraceptive [IUCD] device placement 3 years back. She was treated with antibiotics on random basis but the urinary tract infection recurres few weeks after termination of treatment. Investigations included hematocrit, plain X-ray of abdomen, ultrasound of abdomen, urinalysis, and urine culture and sensitivity. Plain X-ray and ultrasound of the abdomen confirmed a bladder stone. Open cystolithotomy was performed under general anesthesia. The stone formed over a copper-T IUCD. Post operative course was uneventful and the patient is currently asymptomatic. The importance of post-insertion follow up and the need for awareness of migration of IUCD including intravesical migration cannot be overemphasized