Helicobacter Pylori Treatment Eradication in Egypt: Standard Clarithromycin-based Triple versus Quadruple Regimen Therapy

Absence of adequate treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection leads to prolonged life time colonization which is responsible for complications. Antibiotics resistance is the main cause of eradication failure in H. pylori infection, thus our study aimed to evaluate the efficiency and tolerability of standard triple therapy vs. quadruple regimen therapy in H. pylori eradication in Egypt.

Sero-prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers: A multicenter study from Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a high risk for disease exposure. Given the limited availability of nucleic acid testing by PCR in low resource settings, serological assays can provide useful data on the proportion of HCWs who have recently or previously been infected. Therefore, in this study, we conducted an immunologic study to determine the seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in two university hospitals in Egypt. METHODS: in this cross sectional study, HCWs who were working in SARS-CoV-2 Isolation Hospitals were interviewed. Estimating specific antibodies (IgM and IgG) against SARS-CoV-2 was carried out using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay targeting the Spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2 virus. RESULTS: Out of 111, 82 (74%) HCWs accepted to participate with a mean age of 31.5 ± 8.5 years. Anti-SARS-COV2 antibodies were detected in 38/82 (46.3%) of cases with a mean age of 31 years and female HCWs constituted 57.6% of cases. The highest rate of seropositivity was from the nurses (60.5%), and physicians (31.6%) with only (7.9%) technicians. Only 28/82 (34.1%) HCWs reported previous history of COVID19. We reported a statistically significant difference in the timing of exposure (p = 0.010) and the frequency of contact with COVID-19 cases (p = 0.040) between previously infected and on-infected HCWs. Longer time of recovery was reported from IgG positive HCWs (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: The high frequency of seropositive HCWs in investigated hospitals is alarming, especially among asymptomatic personnel. Confirmation of diseased HCWs (among seropositive ones) are warranted.

Knowledge, perception, and confidence of healthcare workers about COVID-19 preventive measures during the first wave of the pandemic: a cross-sectional study from Egypt.

INTRODUCTION: The ongoing coronavirus-disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic had a variable history with differences in its various stages. This study evaluates the status of knowledge, perception, and confidence about COVID-19 preventive measures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Egypt. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, in July 2020, in Egypt. An-online-based questionnaire was used to collect data. It included items to record demographic data, and an assessment of knowledge, the perception of healthcare facilities preparedness, and HCW confidence about applying infection prevention measures. RESULTS: A total of 465 responses were analyzed. HCWs' mean age was 36.76 ± 9.57 years, 94.2% (n=438) had an adequate level of knowledge, 31% (n=144) had an adequate perception level, and 39.4% (n=183) had an adequate confidence level. The main source of information was international organizations' websites 46.5% (n=216). The main barriers to applying preventive measures were the overcrowding of patient care areas 73.1% (n=339), and limited infection control supplies 68% (n=316). Factors associated with COVID-19 among HCWs were COVID-19 infected family members (OR: 5.86), inability to protect themselves and their families (OR: 5.73), uncertainty about the available hand hygiene supplies (OR: 3.76), male gender (OR: 3.07), and single HCWs (OR: 2.88). CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority reported an adequate knowledge level, lower rates of adequate perception and confidence were observed. Revision of preparedness plans in different facilities should be further studied. Psychological support and gender differences should be considered in response programs.

Community acquired pneumonia among adult patients at an Egyptian university hospital: bacterial etiology, susceptibility profile and evaluation of the response to initial empiric antibiotic therapy.

BACKGROUND: Effective empirical antibiotic therapy for community acquired pneumonia (CAP), based on frequently updated data about the pattern of bacterial distribution and their antimicrobial susceptibilities, is mandatory. AIM: To identify the bacterial etiology of CAP in adults and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns and to evaluate the response to initial empirical antibiotic therapy in an Egyptian university hospital. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional hospital-based study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: CAP cases were selected by systemic random sampling from those admitted to the chest department. All were evaluated at admission and 4 days after starting empiric therapy. Typical bacteria were isolated, identified and tested for their antibiotic susceptibility. An indirect IF assay was used to diagnose atypical bacteria. Clinical response to initial empiric antibiotic therapy was clinically, laboratory and radiologically evaluated. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy CAP patients were included. Bacteria represented 50.4% of them. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most prevalent bacterium (10.37%) followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa (7.78% each). Overall, 76.2% of isolates showed a multidrug resistant phenotype: 82.61% (19/23) S. pneumoniae, 89.66 % (26/29) K. pneumoniae, 65.22% (15/23) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 87.50% (7/8) Escherichia coli and 81.25 % (13/16) Staphylococcus aureus. Broad spectrum ß-lactams, especially carbapenems, and moxifloxacin showed in vitro efficacy on most of the tested isolates. Forty-three cases (15.9%) were nonresponders, 37 (86%) of them showed bacterial etiology. The highest rate of nonresponsiveness (30.43%) was observed in cases receiving antipseudomonal/antipneumococcal ß-lactam plus a fluoroquinolone for suspected P. aeruginosa infection. CONCLUSION: Multidrug resistance in bacteria causing CAP and high frequency of isolation of hospital pathogens are prominent features of this study. Azithromycin containing regimens were associated with the lowest rates of nonresponsiveness. Development and implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program are highly recommended for CAP management.

Injectable PLGA Adefovir microspheres; the way for long term therapy of chronic hepatitis-B.

For patient convenience, sustained release Adefovir Poly-d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres were formulated to relieve the daily use of the drug which is a problem for patients treated from chronic hepatitis-B. PLGA microspheres were prepared and characterized by entrapment efficiency, particle size distribution and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In-vitro release and in-vivo studies were carried out. Factors such as drug: polymer ratio, polymer viscosity and polymer lactide content were found to be important variables for the preparation of PLGA Adefovir microspheres. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were performed to determine any drug-polymer interactions. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to analyze the pharmacokinetic parameters after intramuscular injection of the pure drug and the selected PLGA microspheres into rats. FTIR and DSC revealed a significant interaction between the drug and the polymer. Reports of SEM before and after 1 and 24 h release showed that the microspheres had nonporous smooth surface even after 24 h release. The entrapment efficiency ranged between 55.83 and 86.95% and in-vitro release studies were continued for 16, 31 and 90 days. The pharmacokinetic parameters and statistical analysis showed a significant increase in the Tmax, AUC0-t and MRT, and a significant decrease in the Cmax of the tested formulation (p < 0.05). Results demonstrated that PLGA Adefovir microspheres could be used for long-term treatment of chronic hepatitis-B instead of the daily dose used by the patient.

Upregulation of microRNA-21 is a poor prognostic marker in patients with childhood B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: Many studies have demonstrated that microRNA-21 (miR-21) is an oncogene and is upregulated in tumor tissue. However, its association with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) remains poorly understood. METHODS: The expression of miR-21 was detected by real-time quantitative PCR in 75 children with de novo B-ALL as well as in 50 healthy controls. This study was conducted to evaluate the miR-21 as a biomarker for risk assessment, diagnosis and prognosis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Compared with normal controls, miR-21 expression was significantly upregulated in childhood B-ALL patients. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve 3.23 was selected as the cut-off value of miR-21 expression in distinguishing patients from controls. Patients group with High miR-21 expression was significantly associated with those aged <2 and >10 years, lower platelets count, more incidence of CNS infiltration and poorer treatment outcome also, they showed a significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to those with low miR-21 expression group. Its expression was an independent prognostic marker according to multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: This is the first report demonstrating the upregulation of miR-21 in childhood B-ALL, and its association with poor response to induction therapy, shorter DFS and OS. These results suggest that miR-21 upregulation represent an unfavorable prognostic marker in Childhood B-ALL.