Epidemiology of tinea capitis among primary school children in Assiut City

A cross sectional survey of a representative sample of 1765 students was undertaken. Children were subjected to clinical examination and culture was followed for suspected cases. Data on the sociodemographic, school environment, family as well as hygienic practices and habits were collected. Prevalence of tinea in the studied population was 4% and infection was mainly caused by anthropophilic fungi. Trichophyton violaceum was isolated from 62% of cases, while T. soudanense from 11.3%, Cladosporium from 5.6%, Candida albicans from 2.5% and M. audoini from 2.5%. The only zoophilic fungus detected was Microsporum canis in 15.5%. There was an association between tinea and crowding index in the classroom and the type of school whether public or private

Effect of P53 antibodies, interleukin-10, platelet derived growth factor and nitric oxide on apoptosis in discoid and systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis

This study included seventy patients with systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE, twenty-five patients], systemic sclerosis [SSc, twenty-five patients] and discoid lupus erythematosus [DLE, twenty patients]. The study also included fifteen healthy subjects of comparable age as controls. P53 antibodies were detected in 32% of SLE, 20% SSc and 10% of DLE patients, while they were undetectable in sera of the controls. Serum IL-10, PDGF and NO were significantly higher in SLE, SSc and DLE compared with controls [except for PDGF in DLE]. NO and PDGF were significantly higher in SLE than either SSc or DLE patients. Circulating P53 antibodies were significantly correlated with IL-10, PDGF and NO in all studied groups of patients. Only in SLE patients, disease activity score significantly correlated with the studied bioindices except IL-10. From the revealed results, patients with SLE, SSc and DLE had changes in the aforementioned biochemical factors which might had a role in the defective apoptotic process which occurs in these autoimmune diseases

Seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis among infertile couples in Assiut

The association between Chlamydia trachomatis infection and female and male infertility is scarcely studied in Egypt. Goal of this study immunoglobulin G antibody in the sera of infertile women and men were measured, as an indicator of past Chlamydial infection. 200 women [144 infertile and 56 age-matched pregnant controls] and 160 men [104 infertile and 56 age-matched control] were included in the study. Reproductive and sexual history were recorded, and immunoglobulin G antibody to Chlamydia trachomatis was measured. The seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis among infertile women was 52% versus 10% in the control group [P < 0.001]. Infertile women with tubal factor had a 60% prevalence. though the difference was not statistically significant. Infertile men were not significantly different from the control group in chlamydial seropositivity [24% vs. 14%]. Risk factors for Chlamydia trachomatis infection [early sexual experience, multiple lifetime sexual partners. age under 20 years, being an STD contact, history of therapeutic abortion, previous pelvic inflammatory disease] could not be correlated with seropositivity. Clinical examination was not informative in patients tested seropositive for chlamydial infection. The higher prevalence of Chlamydial seropositivity among infertile women points to its association with infertility, possibly due to tubal factor. In men such a relation was not evident and semen abnormalities were not significantly higher among Chlamydial seropsitive cases