Prevalence of erectile dysfunction among Egyptian male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The relation between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and erectile dysfunction (ED) has been identified in multiple studies. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the prevalence and to determine some associated factors of ED among a sample of adult Egyptian male patients with T2DM. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 150 adult male patients with T2DM (aged 40-60 years) who attended the outpatient clinic of Diabetes in Alexandria Main University hospital. They were evaluated for the presence of ED which was assessed by the validated Arabic-translated five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, total serum cholesterol, HDL-C, total serum testosterone (TT) and urinary albumin creatinine ratio (uACR) were measured for all study subjects. RESULTS: The prevalence of ED was 80% among the studied sample. Significant negative correlation was found between IIEF-5 score and age, duration of diabetes, FBG and urinary ACR; while there was a significant positive correlation between IIEF-5 score and serum total testosterone. On performing multiple linear regression analysis for the parameters affecting IIEF-5 questionnaire score, TT, urinary ACR, age and FBG were the independent predictors of ED. CONCLUSION: ED was a common finding in our sample of Egyptian men with T2DM. Poor glycemic control and albuminuria may be considered as independent risk factors for ED.

Relation between vitamin D and geriatric syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D level is a common health problem for elderly persons and it is associated with a decrease in physical performance, furthermore, it has been demonstrated that those with low serum vitamin D level has more risk of cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety. AIM: The aim of the study was to estimate relation of vitamin D and geriatric syndrome. METHODS: A prospective study was done on 50 subjects who were normal elderly persons above 65 years. All the participants were subjected to full history taking, complete physical examination, laboratory assessment including serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (OH)D by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and geriatric syndrome assessment using 5 methods namely fall risk assessment using timed up &go test, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), geriatric depressive scale, mini nutritional assessment and Tinetti performance - oriented mobility assessment (POMA). RESULTS: The number of patients who were vitamin D deficient (<12 ng/ml), insufficient (12-20 ng/ml) and sufficient (>20 ng/ml) were 11, 24 and 15 respectively. There was significant p association between low vitamin D level and female gender (p = 0.024), advanced age (p = 0.026), no-sun exposure jobs (p = 0.001) and nursing home residency. Mini mental state examination (p = 0.006) and geriatric depressive scale (p = 0.002) had a significant positive correlation with low vitamin D level while mini nutritional assessment (p = 1.000), timed up and go test (p = 0.225) and POMA score (p = 0.133) had no significant correlation with low vitamin D level. CONCLUSION: There is correlation finding between vitamin D deficiency and advanced age, cognitive dysfunction, and depression.

Global sperm DNA methylation and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes.

Routine semen analysis is a poor predictor of pregnancy rates after intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). There is an assumption that embryos' quality and fertilization rates could be influenced by epigenetic factors. We aimed at comparing global sperm DNA methylation level (GSDML) between normal and abnormal semen, investigating its relationship with sperm parameters and assessing its effect on ICSI outcomes; fertilization, good embryo and pregnancy rates. Ejaculates were obtained from 104 infertile and 60 fertile males undergoing ICSI at Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS software package, 20. Inter-group differences in semen parameters were assessed by t-test. GSDML, measured by ELISA, showed significant positive correlation with sperm count, concentration and motility. It correlated positively but insignificantly with morphology and fertilization rate. High levels were significantly associated with embryos having good quality and positive pregnancy rates. GSDML could predict good embryo rate and pregnancy occurrence after ICSI.

Detection of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer using C8Magnetic Bead Separation and MALDI-TOF Plasma Proteome Profiling in Egyptian Females.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in females with the highest mortality rate of all gynecological cancers due to its late discovery and ambiguous symptoms. Thus, there is a need for new promising strategies to diagnose ovarian cancer. We aimed at finding a characteristic plasma proteome pattern that could be used for the detection of epithelial ovarian cancer, in comparison with benign ovarian masses and healthy controls. We also aimed at differentiating between profiling of plasma proteins in early and advanced stages of ovarian cancer and between serous and non-serous histopathological types. METHODS: The combination of MagSi-proteomics C8 beads, Ultraflextreme MALDI-TOF and ClinPro Tools software was used to compare the plasma protein spectra from 50 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, 20 patients with benign ovarian masses and 50 age matched healthy females. RESULTS: A plasma proteome profile of 21 peaks differentiated patients with epithelial ovarian cancer from healthy controls with a sensitivity of 73 % and a specificity of 82.8% upon external validation, while a 5-peak profile differentiated patients with epithelial ovarian cancer from patients with benign ovarian masses with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 73.7%. A 20 peak profile was generated to discriminate between early and late stages of the disease with 88.3% recognition capability and 70% cross validation. CONCLUSION: MALDI-TOF proteomic profiling represents a promising potential tool for diagnosing epithelial ovarian cancer, discriminating between early and advanced stages and between serous and non- serous types.

DObesity: Relationship between vitamin D deficiency, obesity and sclerostin as a novel biomarker of bone metabolism.

AIM: To study the relationship between obesity, insulin resistance, vitamin D deficiency and sclerostin as a bone biomarker. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-section study of 75 subjects grouped into 3 groups; obese (n = 31), overweight (n = 23) and normal (n = 21) subjects. Sclerostin, fasting insulin, fasting plasma glucose and 25(OH)D were measured and anthropometric measures were taken. RESULTS: 25(OH)D was lower in obese subjects than overweight and control groups (mean ±â€¯SD 5.27 ±â€¯5.14 vs. 12.55 ±â€¯6.99 vs.17.65 ±â€¯4.07 ng/L, p < 0.001). Sclerostin was significantly lower in obese subjects versus the control (mean ±â€¯SD 1.02 ±â€¯0.45 vs 1.58 ±â€¯0.83 ng/mL, p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: These results lead us to hypothesize that the relationship between sclerostin and Vitamin D levels has an important role in the link between obesity and bone metabolism. DObesity could be an active focus of research in the coming years.

Protein Biomarker Discovery Using Human Blood Plasma Microparticles.

Cells shed into the extracellular space a population of membranous vesicles of plasma membrane origin called microparticles (MP). Given the fact that MP are abundantly present in body fluids including plasma, rich in cell-type or disease-specific proteins and formed in conditions of stress and injury, they have been extensively investigated as biomarkers in various diseases. With the advancement in the mass spectrometry-based proteome analysis, the knowledge of the protein composition of plasma MP (PMP) has been intensively expanded, which aids the discovery of novel diagnostic target proteins. However, the lack of standardized and accurate protocols for PMP isolation limits the implementation of PMP as biomarkers in clinical settings. Here, we describe in detail a robust protocol for PMP isolation from human blood plasma via ultracentrifugation followed by label-free quantitative proteome analysis of PMP.

Quantitative proteome analysis of plasma microparticles for the characterization of HCV-induced hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant liver tumor and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Cirrhosis induced by hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection is the most critical risk factor for HCC. However, the mechanism of HCV-induced carcinogenesis is not fully understood. Plasma microparticles (PMP) contribute to numerous physiological and pathological processes and contain proteins whose composition correlates to the respective pathophysiological conditions. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We analyzed PMP from 22 HCV-induced cirrhosis patients, 16 HCV-positive HCC patients with underlying cirrhosis and 18 healthy controls. PMP were isolated using ultracentrifugation and analyzed via label-free LC-MS/MS. RESULTS: We identified 840 protein groups and quantified 507 proteins. 159 proteins were found differentially abundant between the three experimental groups. PMP in both disease entities displayed remarkable differences in the proteome composition compared to healthy controls. Conversely, the proteome difference between both diseases was minimal. GO analysis revealed that PMP isolated from both diseases were significantly enriched in proteins involved in complement activation, while endopeptidase activity was downregulated exclusively in HCC patients. CONCLUSION: This study reports for the first time a quantitative proteome analysis for PMP from patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis and HCC. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD005777.

High prevalence of haemoglobin S in the closed Egyptian community of Siwa Oasis.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell haemoglobinopathy, the most frequent of the hereditary anomalies of haemoglobin, occurs most commonly in individuals of African descent. With a population of about 23 000, Siwa Oasis is situated in the Western Desert of Egypt, close to the Libyan border. It is Egypt's most remote oasis town and the Siwans have developed their own distinct Berber culture. Siwans represent a closed isolated community suffering from various health problems, among which is haemolytic anaemia. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at screening primary school children of Siwa Oasis for abnormal haemoglobin (Hb) profiles and determining the prevalence of Hb S among them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive and analytic study included 349 primary school children of both sexes, 153 males and 196 females with a male to female ratio of 1:1.3. Their ages ranged between 6 and 12 years. All subjects were screened for abnormal Hbs using complete blood counts and capillary Hb electrophoresis. RESULTS: Out of a total of 349 primary school children screened, 22% (77/349) were having abnormal Hb profiles, of whom 88% (68/77) had Hb S (ie, sickle cell disorder) constituting 20% of the total population studied. 94% of those having Hb S (64/68) had sickle cell trait (ie, Hb S less than 50%) constituting 18% of the total population screened, while 6% had sickle cell disease, having more than 50% Hb S. CONCLUSIONS: The closed Egyptian community in Siwa Oasis has a high frequency of Hb S carriers and so represents one of the targets of prevention programmes to be implemented in Egypt in order to reduce the economic burden of health services for treating patients with sickle cell disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1-25/15-1-2014.

Serum level of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in Egyptians with alopecia areata and its relation to the clinical severity of the disease.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common dermatological problem that manifests as sudden loss of hair without any inflammation or scarring. Various cytokines are implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is located at an upstream position in the events leading to the possible dysregulated immuno-inflammatory responses, and the high level of this cytokine in AA may suggest a role of MIF in the pathogenesis of AA. METHODS: This case-control study was carried out on 31 AA patients with different grades of severity and 15 apparently healthy subjects. Serum MIF level was measured by ELISA, and was correlated with the clinical severity of the disease using SALT (severity of alopecia tool) scoring system. RESULTS: In this study, there was a significant elevation in serum MIF levels in AA patients in comparison with controls. There was also a positive correlation between MIF levels and clinical severity and disease duration. CONCLUSION: MIF seems to have an essential role in the etiopathogenesis of AA. So, it is considered to be a promising target in the therapy of autoimmune diseases and as a future predictor of alopecia activity. Anti-MIF therapy might be added as one of the new biological treatments for AA.