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Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the most common cause of gastric infections worldwide. Due to antibiotic resistance and adverse effects, phytotherapy and phage therapy have been a research focus as an alternative therapy for H. pylori infection. Objectives: To assess the medicinal plant extracts and bacteriophages as a treatment of H. pylori infection. Methodology: Thirty five gastric biopsies were cultured for H. pylori isolation. Screening of medicinal plants extract efficiency was done by Disc diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of extracts were assessed. In vivo effect of Punica granatum peel extract was tested by bacterial density and histopathology in rats. Sewage water samples were screened for H. pylori specific bacteriophages. Single plaque isolation technique was used for phage purification. Results: Ten out of 35 (28.57%) patients had positive gastric biopsy for H. pylori by culture. Four out of 10 (40%) isolates were resistant to all antibiotics. Inhibitory effect of Rosemarinus officinalis, Syzygium aromaticum, Rhus coriaria and Ammi visagna on H. pylori was detected. Punica granatum extract was the most efficient in vitro. In vivo, Punica granatum peel extract caused significant reduction of bacterial density (Pty (P<0.05) and enhanced ulcer healing. Sewage water filtrates contained 3 types ofH. pylorispecific bacteriophages. During phagepurification,phage infectivity waslost.Conclusions:Punicagranatumpeel extract revealed better in vivo activity againstH. pylorithanv standard regimen antimicrobials. Other effective plants can be beneficial inH. Pylori infection management .Loss of bacteriophage infectivity may be an obstacle to phage therapy of H. pylori
Assuntos
Antibacterianos , Bacteriófagos , Egito , Helicobacter pylori , Plantas MedicinaisRESUMO
Background: Helicobacter pyloriis is a Gram negative, bacterium that colonizes human gastric mucosa and is one of the most common bacterial pathogens worldwide with prevalence of up to 90 % in developing Countries. It is the primary cause of peptic ulcer disease and an etiologic agent in the development of gastric cancer. H. pylori infection is curable with regimens of multiple antimicrobial agents. However, antibiotic resistance is a leading cause of treatment failure. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of H.pylori in gastric biopsies taken from Egyptian patients by using invasive methods and study the role of antimicrobial agents in elimination of this bacterium
Methodology: From 50 patients, 3 antral gastric biopsies were taken from the greater curvature about 2 cm, from pylorus. The first biopsy was for direct Gram's stain and culture [using Blood agar] to apply Traditional Biochemical tests and antimicrobial susceptibility test to different antibiotics, The second biopsy was used for rapid urease test [using modified Christensen's urea broth] and the third biopsy was kept in deep, freezer at -70 C in brain heart infusion broth for PCR assay using Ure c gene
Results: Among 50 patients, 22[44%] were positive by culture, 17[34%] were positive by direct Gram's stain with 77.3% sensitivity, 100% specificity and 90% accuracy, while 19[38%] were positive by rapid urease test with 63.6% sensitivity, 82.1% specificity and 74% accuracy, and 25[50%] were positive by PCR with 95.5% sensitivity, 89.3% specificity and 92% accuracy .By antimicrobial Susceptibility testing using disc diffusion method, it was shown that the highest susceptibility of the isolated H.pylori strains was to amoxicillin [90.9%] followed by tetracycline [81.8%], Gentamicin [54.5%] Erythromycin [18.2%] and Ciprofloxacin [9.1 %]. However no one [zero %] was highly sensitive to Metronidazole
Conclusion: Some of antibiotics widely used in Egypt are no longer suitable for treatment of Helicobacter pylori and new antibiotics regimen are needed to eradicate this organism
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Background and study aim: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma [SCC] is the most frequent tumor of the head and neck region. Apoptosis is a genetically regulated cell death involved in the deletion of cells in normal as well as malignant tissues. Inhibition of apoptosis or programmed cell death may be critical both in the development of cancer and in determining response to therapy. Apoptotic sensitivity is modulated by Bcl-2-related proteins through interactions between positively and negatively acting family members. It has been shown that the proteins of the bcl-2 gene family heterodimerize and homodimerize with each other and the relative proportions of these dimers may determine whether or not a cell becomes apoptotic. A hallmark of apoptosis is DNA degradation. Circulating DNA has generally been referred to as cell free DNA. In various pathologic conditions, qualitative and quantitative changes in circulating DNA have been shown. In this work, we studied the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax and the serum DNA fragments in patients with primary squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx and their correlations with the clinicopathologic tumor parameters
Materials and methods: The study included 55 patients with primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma without distant metastasis. The expression of apoptosis related factors Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax was studied by immunohistochemical staining of the biopsy specimens that were obtained before the administration of any treatment. Also, blood samples were taken to study the serum DNA fragments using cell death detection ELISA technique. Thirty five healthy males were chosen as a control group for serum DNA analysis matching in the ages with the 55 laryngeal carcinoma patients
Results: Twenty three cases [42%] were classified high Bax and 32 cases [58%] low Bax. High expression of Bax was associated with low T category, early clinical stage, low grade histology, negative lymph node metastasis and glottic location of tumors. Thirty cases [54.5%] were classified high Bcl-2 and 25 cases [45.5%] low Bcl-2. High Bcl-2 expression was associated with high grade histology, high T category, advanced clinical stage, positive regional lymph node metastasis and supraglottic location of tumors. Thirty three cases [60%] were classified high Bcl-xL and 22 cases [40%] low Bcl-xL. There was an inverse relation of Bcl-xL protein expression to the tumor histological grade as Bcl-xL expression decreased with decreasing tumor differentiation. Bcl-xL protein expression was negatively correlated with regional lymph node metastasis. No significant correlation was found between Bcl-xL expression and the parameters of tumor site, primary tumor size and clinical stage. There was a significant difference in concern to DNA fragmentation products among the studied laryngeal carcinoma patients with an increase in DNA fragmentation with increase in the tumor histological grade, primary tumor size and clinical stage of the tumor. The values of DNA fragmentation levels were significantly higher in patients with supraglottic tumors and also in patients with regional lymph node metastasis than without metastasis
In conclusion: the study of expression of apoptosis related proteins in tumor cells and the changes in serum DNA fragmentation may contribute to the prediction of prognosis of primary laryngeal carcinoma
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Hepatotoxicicity of dimethylnitrosamine [DMNA] and counteraction effects by phycocyanin were evaluated in an experiment using male rats [100-120g] for each. Six groups 10 animals for each were selected. All animals were intraperitonally injected. The first one injected with saline phosphate buffer serve as control. The second injected with phycocyanin at the dose [300 mg/kg body weight]. The third with dimethylnitrosamine at the dose [10mg/kg body weight]. The fourth injected with C-PC then one week later injected with DMNA, where the fifth injected with DMNA THEN one week later injected with CPC. The last one injected with a mixture of C-PC and DMNA. All the animals were housed for 30 days then, sacrificed .Blood and plasma were collected and prepared for biochemical analysis. Liver was excised and subjected to histopathological examination. RESULTS showed that cpc inhibited the increases in plasma ALT; AST by DMNA.AMNA also caused obvious decreases in both protein and albumin to the minimum levels. Moreover DMNA induced a marked reductions in the antioxidant enzymes activities in serums of rats especially superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes. The percentages of their activities were less than their controls by 31%and 48%respectivelly. The previous activities were elevated to normal levels as the animal exposed to injection with C-PC. Regarding to the production of immunoglobulin, it could be obvious that DMNA suppress IgM and IgG to the minimum levels [62 and 52%] less than their irrespective controls. IgA was also decreased to the level of 32%. C-PC injection after DMNA has antagonistic effects to the serious response of DMNA. It enhanced the production of immunoglobulin more than control animals with special references to IgM. Histopathological examination confirmed that DMNA has hepatotoxicity since, the hepatocytes showed vascular and nuclear degeneration with different sign of congested blood sinusoids andVon Kupffer cells. The pathological responses of DMNA were dimensioned with the administration of C-PC where hepatocytes appeared normal with normal vesicular nuclei. The cells had well distinct endothelium of the central vein, normal cytoplasm constituents with no congestion in the sinusoid
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Hepatitis C virus [HCV] is a serious global health threat and current medical treatment options are limited. Gama interferon [IFN-[gamma]] is an important pro-inflammatory cytokine with antiviral activity however, the mechanism of its action as anti-hepatitis C treatment remains unclear. Many studies suggest that priming with IFN-[gamma] prior to initiation of INF-[gamma] treatment has a beneficial effect in some cases of chronic hepatitis C infected patients through changing the balance of cytokines in favor of a Th-1 type response in the host. C-phycocyanin is a water-soluble Bili protein from the filamentous Cyanobacterium spirulina planeness with a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous properties. In this study we investigated the effect of C-phycocyanin on the production of IFN-[gamma] from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC] obtained from patients with chronic hepatitis C with different degrees of liver disease severity. We obtained two groups of blood; the first was from healthy volunteers as a control group and the second was from patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Both groups were subjected to phycocyanin and phytoheamaglutinin as stimulators of the release of interferon gamma from the PBMC. We found that in both groups the level of IFN-[gamma] production without addition of phycocyanin or phytoheamaglutinin was less than after addition of 5ul or 10 ul of phycocyanin. Also the results showed that the mean level of IFN-[gamma] production in the diseased group was higher than that of the control group. Among the diseased group the production was much higher in class B subgroup [Child B] sss. The safety of Spirulina and its content C-phycocyanin and its immune stimulatory effects encourage us to recommend its use in vivo study especially in chronic hepatitis C patients who failed to respond to or unfit for the classical interferon therapy
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Children receiving multiple transfusions or cancer chemotherapy are at an increased risk of acquiring and spreading hepatitis B [HBV] and/or hepatitis C [HCV] virus infections. Concurrent infections with both viruses are increasingly recognized and the reciprocal influence of dual infection remains controversia1. Hepatitis B virus [HBV] infections in patients who lack detectable hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] is considered occult infection
Aim of work: this work was designed to: a] study the prevalence and risk factors of occult HBV infection in children and adolescents with hematological disorders and malignancies, with or without HCV infection, and b] detect the correlation between occult HBV and HCV infections
Material and Methods: The study included 96 poly-transfused children and adolescents. Patients were 47 with hematological disorders [Group 1, median age 11.7 years] and 49 with hematological malignancies [Group 2, median age 8.1 years]. Sera were tested for HCV antibodies, HCV-RNA [nested RT-PCR], NBV markers [HBsAg, Anti-HBcAb IgM and total and HBeAg] and HBV-DNA [nested PCR for "s", "c" and "x" regions]
Results: anti-HCV was detected among 38/47 [80.9%] in Group 1 [24/47; 51% HCV-RNA+ve] and 8/49 [16.3%] in Group 2 [11/49; 22.4% HCV-RNA+ve]. Overall, HBV-DNA was positive among 39.6% [l4/47; 29.8% in Group 1 and 24/49; 49% in Group 2]. HBV-DNA "c" region was positive in 35.4% [14/47; 29 8% in Group 1 and 20/49; 40.8% in Group 2]; "s'' region in 4 leukemics [one, was both "c" and "s" regions +ve] and "x" region in one leukemics [also "c" region +ve]. Twenty one patients [21.9%] had occult HBV infection and twelve of them [57.1%] were HCV-RNA+ve [8/47; 17% in Group 1 and 4/49; 8.2% in Group 2]; whereas 8 patients [8.3%] [Group 2] showed overt HBV-infection [HBsAg+ve / HBV-DNA +ve HCV-RNA-ve]
In conclusion, occult HBV infection is not uncommon in immunocompromised children with chronic HCV infection. The high prevalence of occult HBV infection [particularly core DNA] may have clinical implications in the pathogenesis and therapy of HCV-induced chronic liver disease