Diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a common complication in diabetic patients

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy [DPN] is a common condition among people with diabetes mellitus [DM], which could result in foot ulceration and amputation. To evaluate Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy among diabetic patients. A Cross-Sectional Study. Royal Medical Services Bahrain Defence Force Hospital. Five hundred randomly selected patients diagnosed with DM were included in the study from April 2012 to June 2012. Thorough neurological assessment [Neuropathy Symptom Score [NSS], Neuropathy Disability Score [NDS] and Vibration Perception Threshold [VPT]] was performed. Five hundred were included in the study, 242 [48%] were males and 258 [52%] were females. The mean age was 55 +/- 14 years and the mean BMI was 35 +/- 9. Type I DM was present in 38 [8%] patients compared to 462 [92%] type II DM. Three hundred thirty-one [66%] patients had medical complications; the most common was DPN 186 [37%] followed by vascular insufficiency 141 [28%]. Sixty [12%] DPN patients were undiagnosed. The study revealed that many DM patients have neuropathic complications and at substantial risk of developing foot ulceration. A number of patients with neuropathy were unaware of their condition

Significant effects of smoking habit on male fertility

Smoking is a common health problem worldwide. Many diseases and life threatening conditions have been linked to smoking habits, such as, lung cancer, oral cancer, bronchitis and several gastrointestinal disorders. Infertility link to smoking is still under intensive investigation. To evaluate the effect of smoking on semen parameters of infertile Bahraini males. Open controlled trial. Department of Molecular Medicine, CMMS, Princess Al-Jawhara Center for Molecular Medicine, Genetics and Inherited Diseases, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain. Semen samples from 52 infertile patients were analyzed by conventional analysis methods, sperm chromatin dispersion test for sperm DNA integrity and colorimetric assay for total antioxidant capacity. Twenty-two [42.3%] were smokers of the study group. The data showed that smokers had more semen analysis abnormalities than the non-smokers. Smokers had more sperm with fragmented DNA than non-smokers [x2=6.17; P<0.002]. Our study used conventional and molecular techniques to investigate male infertility in Bahraini patients and demonstrated that smoking is a contributing factor in the etiology of male infertility

Chlamydia pneumoniae induces chemokine expression by platelets in patients with atherosclerosis

In this study, the role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in triggering platelets to induce the inflammatory potential chemokines CCL3, CCL5, CCL7 and CXCL8 in atherosclerotic patients was investigated. Venous blood from control subjects [n=35] and atherosclerotic patients [n=35] was collected in tubes with and without EDTA. Platelets from controls and patients were separated from whole blood and then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide [LPS], live C. pneumoniae and heat-treated C. pneumoniae. The ability of C. pneumoniae and its LPS to stimulate platelets and expression of CCL3, CCL5, CCL7 and CXCL8 was assessed with immunofluorescence. Immunosorbent assays were used to detect anti-C. pneumoniae antibodies in sera from patients and healthy subjects. Nonstimulated platelets from patients showed significant expression of CCL3, CCL5, CCL7 and CXCL8 compared to controls [p<0.0001]. Stimulation of platelets from patients with live and heat-treated C. pneumoniae and its LPS demonstrated significant induction of chemokines compared to similarly stimulated platelets from controls [p<0.01]. After stimulation with heat-treated C. pneumoniae chemokine expression in platelets from controls was significantly lower than after stimulation with live C. pneumoniae [p<0.01], which was not the case when platelets from patients were stimulated. Increased levels of anti-C. pneumoniae antibodies were detected in sera from patients compared to healthy subjects, suggesting prior C. pneumoniae exposure. Our data demonstrated an interactive link between C. pneumoniae and platelets in atherosclerotic patients, leading to induction of potential chemokines and possibly disease development

Acute ischemic brain stroke is associated with the consequences of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection

Ischemic brain Stroke is associated with chronic inflammation and elevation of several cytokines such as Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha [TNF-alpha] and Interleukin [IL]-8 [IL-8] which are correlated with CNS injury and stroke.Chlamydia pneumoniae [CP] was suggested to be an independent riskfactor for stroke. Atherosclerosis may be a manifestation of chronic or persistent CP infection in the atherosclerotic plaque. To investigate the effect of live CP and chlamydial lipopolysaccharide [LPS] on the production of TNF-alpha and IL-8, and to study the levels of anti-CP IgG antibodies in the first acute ischemic stroke patients. Venous blood samples were collected in EDTA tubes from patients who had first time acute ischemic stroke [n=14] and from healthy subjects [controls] [n=14]. Leukocytes were isolated and cultured either non-stimulated or stimulated with chlamydial LPS and live CP. Intracellular cytokine production was detected by immunocytochemistry. Anti-CP IgG and IgA antibodies were detected by enzyme immunoassay [EIA]. The data showed significant increase of chlamydial stimulated and non-stimulated TNF-alpha and IL-8 production in patients compared to control [P<0.03]. There were a significant increase in anti-CP IgG antibodies in stroke patients compared to controls [P<0.0001]. The study concluded that pathological changes in acute brain stroke might be a consequence of CP infections that mediated induction of potential proinflammatory cytokines

possible role for chlamydia pneumoniae in vaso-occlusive crisis in sickle cell disease

Vaso-occlusive crisis [VOC] is the most common complication in sickle cell disease [SCD]; it causes a wide spectrum of end-organ damage, a process found to be mediated by inflammatory responses. Through activating endothelial and immune cells, Chlamydia pneumoniae [Cp] infection was postulated to be a factor in the morbidity of acute chest syndrome in sickle cell patients [SCP]. To provide serological evidence of a possible role of Cp in VOC in SCD by investigating the occurrence of Cp IgG and IgA antibodies in SCD patients compared to control subjects. Open Controlled Trial. Bahrain Defense Force Hospital and Princess Al Jawhara Center for Molecular Medicine, Arabian Gulf University Bahrain. Venous blood samples were collected from one hundred and twelve patients who had acute phase of VOC and from one hundred and twelve controls. Anti-Cp IgG and IgA antibodies were detected by using species specific Cp IgG and IgA enzyme immunoassay [EIA] kits, in both patients and controls sera. Parametric comparisons were performed using t-test. The results showed a significant difference in Cp IgG and IgA antibodies prevalence between patients and controls [P<0.0001]. Dual Cp IgG and IgA seropositive were higher in patients than controls. The study provided serological evidence of a possible role of Cp infection in VOC in the SCD