Composition, distribution patterns and habitat dlvergence of street trees in the greater Cairo city, Egypt

Species diversity of the tree flora of 38 districts in the Greater Cairo city was studied with reference to landscape differentiation of species make-up. Three main habitats including 14 sites with 263 sample plots were considered [35 urban parks, 76 road islands and 152 street verges]. In total, 378 of vascular plant species belonging to 264 genera and 79 families were recorded in urban areas of the Greater Cairo city. The most species-rich [44.7%] families were Fabaceae [36 spp.], Asparagaceae, Poaceae [21 spp.], Moraceae [19 spp.], Asteraceae [17 spp.], Euphorbiaceae and Malvaceae [15 spp.], Arecaceae [14 spp.], Lamiaceae [11 spp.], whereas the remaining families [70] constituted together 193 species. Ficus [18 spp.] was the highest among the species-rich genera, followed by Euphorbia [11 spp.], Asparagus, Brachychiton, Callistemon, Citrus and Pinus [4 spp, each]. 257 genera contained only 1-3 species e.g. Cereus, Koelreuteria, Strelitzia, Terminalia, Carica and Toona. Growth form spectra revealed that, the recorded trees [139 spp.] belonged to 32 families; shrubs [79 spp.] to 30 families, herbs and others [160 spp,] to 48 families

Breast conserving therapy for early breast cancer: long term follow-up

Breast conserving surgery followed by breast irradiation for appropriately selected patients with early stage breast cancer gives the same long term survival rates as radical mastectomy. The large breast volume of female Egyptian patients allows for a wide resection margin during wide local excision without a marked alteration in the aesthetic breast contour. Between 1995 and 2004, 101 female patients with early stage breast cancer were diagnosed and treated, at the Cairo National Cancer Institute hospital, by breast conserving surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy and adjuvant systemic therapy. Patients were regulary followed up till the end of the study. Mean age of patients was 47.1 years [SD +/- 10.2]. The median time of follow-up of patients was 34 months [range: 3-127]. Kaplan-Meier estimate of 5-year local recurrence rate was 11.5% [95% confidence interval]. There was no axillary nodal recurrence. The cumulative 5 year disease tree survival was 80%. 44.5% of patients showed a good cosmetic results while 40.6% showed a fair cosmetic result. It is concluded that, inappropriately selected patients with an early stage breast cancer, they should be offered breast conserving surgery followed by breast radiation. BCT do not affect patient's survival, it preserves the breast in an acceptable cosmetic result and avoid the mutilating result of mastectomy

Raised serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in Egyptian children with sickle cell anemia: does it have a role in sickle neovascular retinopathy?

Proliferative retinopathy is the most serious eye complication in sickle cell anemia [SCA]. Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] is a multifunctional cytokine involved in angiogenesis. It acts as a survival factor for newly formed retinal vessels promoted by hypoxia. To estimate serum level of VEGF in SCA and its correlation with clinical and hematological parameters as well as to clarify the role of VEGF on SCA pathobiology especially on neovascularizing retinopathy, 30 pediatric SCA patients divided into 2 groups were studied. Group I [18 patients, in steady state] and Group II [12 patients, in severe acute painful events]. Fifteen healthy age and sex matched children served as controls. All patients were submitted to complete ophthalmologic examination and fundus fluorescein angiography [FFA] to detect any sickle related fundus abnormality. Serum VEGF levels were performed by competitive enzyme immunoassay [EIA]. Ophthalmologically, all patients were free from any sickle retinopathy or any other sickle related eye complication. The VEGF levels were significantly elevated in both SCA groups compared to controls [P< 0.01 for each comparison]. Also, Group II patients showed significant elevation of VEGF versus Group I [P< 0.01]. Insignificant relation was found between VEGF levels and all clinical data of SCA children. A significant negative correlation was detected between VEGF and hemoglobin levels [r = -0.4, P< 0.05], while, there was no significant relationship between VEGF levels and WBCs, platelet count and HbS% and HbF% at diagnosis [p> 0.05 for each comparison]. Excessive VEGF generation may have a role in endothelial pathobiology of SCA children that may have important therapeutic implications for this complex disease. No sickle retinopathy could be detected among our patients, however, we recommend follow up of these children for the possibility of developing retinopathy at any time. Also, a complete ophthalmologic study of a large group of severe pediatric HbSS disease is warranted

Incidence of hepatitis B and C among bilharzial school children in a rural area

This work was done on 96 children, 72 children were infected with schistosomiasis as proved by Schistosoma ova in their rectal snips and 24 children as control with no Schistosoma ova in their rectal snips. All the studied cases were subjected to a screen test for hepatitis B surface antigen [HBSAg] and a screen test for hepatitis C antibodies [anti-HCV] by ELISA. The screen test for HBSAg was positive in 13 patients, while was positive in two cases of the control group with a significant difference. The screen test for HCV antibodies was positive in 15 patients, while was positive in one case of the control group with a significant difference. Combined infection [HBSAg positive and HCV antibody positive] was found in eight patients, while no combined infection was found in the control group

diagnostic significance of ascitic fluid ferritin

This work was done on 25 patients [13 males and 12 females] suffering from ascites. They were subjected to careful history taking, thorough clinical examinations, liver function tests, complete blood pictures and ESR, tumor markers for suspected cases of malignancy, tuberculin tests and Ziehl-Neelsen stains, urine and stool examinations and sigmoidoscopy for schistosomal diagnosis. Abdominal CT and ultrasonography, abdominal paracentesis and analysis of ascitic fluid for biochemical, bacteriological, cytological and determination of ferritin level by ELISA were also done. Tuberculous peritonitis was characterized by high ascitic LDH, high ascitic ferritin and the presence of lymphocytes in the ascitic fluid. So, the estimation of ascitic fluid ferritin was superior to LDH and was a sensitive, reliable and an easy test for the distinction of various forms of ascites

Value of bone biopsy and mineral apposition rate [MAR] in the diagnosis of renal osteodystrophy

35 patients on regular hemodialysis treatment [with purified water system using reverse osmosis] were studied by history, clinical, radiologic bone examination [hand, pelvis, skull], biochemical investigations such as blood urea, serum creatinine, Ca++, PO4, Mg++, Cl-, HCO3-, alkaline phosphatase, parathormone [RTH] by radioimmunoassay [RIA] and serum aluminium, in addition to bone biopsy with special stains for aluminium and preparation for MAR using tetracycline labeling in order to detect the correlation between clinical and biochemical parameters in dialysis patients with renal osteodystrophy and pathological findings on bone biopsy. Hyperparathyroid bone disease was detected in 14 cases [40%], osteomalacia in 6 cases [17.1%], mixed osteodystrophy in 11 cases [31.4%] and aplastic or a dynamic bone disease in 4 cases [11.4%]. Though serum aluminium level was elevated in most cases, evidence of aluminium bone staining was detected in only 4 cases [11.4%], one with hyperparathyroid bone disease and 3 with aplastic bone disease. Among the 4 varieties of renal osteodystrophies there were no statistical differences in age, sex, clinical or radiologic presentation, duration of dialysis nor biochemical criteria including PTH and aluminium levels. Thus, it could be concluded that bone biopsy and MAR are essential for assessment of nature and follow up of treatment in renal osteodystrophies

Incidence and bacterial causes of buffalo-calves mortality with respiratory disorders

Pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 173 out of 192 buffalocalves which had died from respiratory disorders [90.10%]. Out of these cases, single micro-organism were isolated from 120 cases [69.36%] meanwhile, the remaining 53 [30.64%] had duplicate mixed infection. The mot prevalent members isolated were: C. pyogenes [13.87%], followed by Str. pyogenes, Ps. aeruginosa, Kl. pneumoniae, Past. multocida, Str. pneumoniae, H. somnus and H. agni in order of their frequency. Serological typing of 24 Past. multocida isolates revealed that 15 strains [65.50%] belonged to type B, 8 were type E [33.33%] and one strain was untypable. Past. Haemolytica biotype A was identified in an incidence of 20.00%, biotype T was determined in 60.00% and the remaining 3 strains [20.00%] were untypable. The susceptibility of most predominant isolates to various chemotherapeutic agents was discussed briefly

Rapid diagnosis of bacterial meningitis by latex agglutination test

Forty-three patients admitted to Abassia Fever Hospital suffering from meningitis were studied. They were 27 male and 16 female and divided Into 3 age groups, as a control, 4 normal CSF samples were collected. A sterile CSF was collected and examined for pressure, aspect, glucose, protein and cellular content. Although all these tests were helpful in differentiating the type of meningitis, a remarkable overlap between the results were detected. Bacteriological study of CSF showed that bacterial cultur was more sensitive than the Gram-stained film in [80% and 72% respectively] [p <0.05]. However, it is a time consuming and its results greatly affected by prior uses of antibiotics. Also the antigen of N. meningitidis A and C, H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae were detected by latex agglutination [L.A.] and gave positive results in 76% of cases. It was less sensitive than the culture method. As a conclusion, L.A. test is a rapid and simple method of diagnosis of bacterial meningitis which give immediate information to the clinician. The sensitivity and specificity of L.A. can be greatly improved by using a higher quality of antibody for all serotypes in the locality

Intrathoracic manifestations in patients suffering from parasitic infection

14 cases [1%] were selected out of 1385 patients attending the outpatient clinic of chest and tropical diseases of Al-Zahraa hospital, on the basis of having positive urine or stool for parasites, symptoms of chest troubles or showing suspecious X-ray findings. Investigations done revealed that among the studied 14 cases; 7 suffered from pulmonary amoebiasis, 4 from pulmonary bilharziasis, 2 from pulmonary echinococcosis and one from pulmonary toxoplasmosis. So chest physician must put in mind parasitic infections when dealing with chest cases

Serum protein patterns in chronic lymphatic filariasis

In this study we have demonstrated the effect of chronic lymphatic filariasis on serum protein patterns. We have found insignificant decrease in total serum proteins, significant decease in albumin fraction and significant increase in the alpha and gamma globulins. The gamma globulins have been also estimated separately which also showed a highly significant increase