Does sacral pulsed electromagnetic field therapy have a better effect than transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in patients with neurogenic overactive bladder?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on neurogenic overactive bladder dysfunction (OAB) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In all, 80 patients [50 men and 30 women, with a mean (SD) age of 40.15 (8.76) years] with neurogenic OAB secondary to suprasacral SCI were included. They underwent urodynamic studies (UDS) before and after treatment. Patients were divided into two equal groups: Group A, comprised 40 patients who received 20 min of TENS (10 Hz with a 700 s generated pulse), three times per week for 20 sessions; Group B, comprised 40 patients who received PEMFT (15 Hz with 50% intensity output for 5 s/min for 20 min), three times per week for 20 sessions. RESULTS: In Group B, there was a significant increase in the maximum cystometric capacity (P < 0.001), volume at first uninhibited detrusor contraction (P < 0.002), and maximum urinary flow rate (P < 0.02). CONCLUSION: The UDS showed that the effects of PEMFT in patients with neurogenic OAB secondary to suprasacral SCI was better than TENS for inducing an inhibitory effect on neurogenic detrusor overactivity.

Evaluation of excretory/secretory Fasciola (Fhes) antigen in diagnosis of human fascioliasis.

No doubt, human fascioliasis is an increasing worldwide zoonotic liver fluke. Clinically, human fascioliasis has to be differentially diagnosed from many hepatic diseases as acute & chronic hepatitis, schistosomiasis mansoni, visceral toxocariasis, visceral leishmaniasis, hepatic amoebiasis, biliary tract diseases and others. The parasitological diagnosis based on the demonstration of the eggs in stool, duodenal contents or bile is usually unsatisfactory due to false passage of eggs, ectopic fascioliasis, and failure of immature worm to maturation. So, ELISA-Fhes antigen (Fasciola hepatica excretory/secretory) and IHAT were evaluated in the immunodiagnosis of parasitologically proven cases of human fascioliasis compared with proven cases of human schistosomiasis mansoni and parasite-free individuals. ELISA-Fhes gave 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. On the other hand, IHAT was less sensitive and less specific.

Clinical, laboratory and ultrasonography features of proven human fascioliasis.

Examination of twenty parasitologically proven human cases of fascioliasis showed the following clinical, laboratory and ultrasonography results: (1) Both sexes are susceptible to fascioliasis. The smallest one was a child 3-year old. (2) The most important clinical manifestations are: a- abdominal distention and flatulence (30%), b- right upper quadrant pains (25%), colicky abdominal pains (25%), d- pallor (25%), and etympanitic abdomen (25%). Nevertheless, 15% of the patients showed no symptoms. (3) The most significant items in the CBC and liver function tests are: a- significantly high eosinophilia, b-high alkaline phosphatase, and c- low haemoglobin. Besides, two fascioliasis patients had high serum bilirubin. (4) Ultrasonography diagnosed only nine fascioliasis patients (45%). The result was critically discussed.

A review on fascioliasis in Egypt.

Fascioliasis, caused by Fasciola species, is a disease of herbivorous animals. It has a worldwide distribution in a large variety of grass-grazing animals as sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes, horses and rabbits. In Egypt, donkeys and camels as well, are hosts for F. gigantica. Fascioliasis may occasionally affect man. Human infection causes serious hepatic pathological sequences that add to the already known threats to the liver of the Egyptian population. Two clinical stages are recognized in human fascioliasis. An acute stage coincides with the larval migration and worm maturation in the hepatic tissue, and a chronic stage coincides with the persistence of Fasciola worms in the bile ducts. Human infection with fascioliasis was very sporadic until the last three decades where clinical cases and outbreaks were reported. The estimated the number of people currently having fascioliasis to be 360,000 in Bolivia, 20,000 in Ecuador, 830,000 in Egypt, 10,000 in Islamic Republic of Iran, 742,000 in Peru, and 37,000 in Yemen. The total estimated number of people infected is 2.4 million in 61 countries and that the number at risk is more than 180 million throughout the world. Human fascioliasis has to be differentially diagnosed from some diseases as acute hepatitis, infection with other liver flukes as schistosomiasis, visceral toxocariasis, biliary tract diseases and hepatic amoebiasis. The parasitological diagnosis is based on identification of eggs in stool, duodenal contents or bile, also by the recovery of adult worm during surgical exploration, after treatment or at autopsy. However, the eggs may be present in very small number at irregular intervals, hence difficult to be found. Besides, the eggs may be transiently present in stool after ingestion of raw or undercooked liver from infected animals. The direct methods of diagnosing the egg are usually unsatisfactory. The symptoms may be present for several weeks before eggs are recovered in stool. Thus, the serologic tests are the alternative method of confirming early and extrabiliary human fascioliasis. However, cross-reactions with other helminthic antigen may confuse the interpretation of the results.