Chemical modification of Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase and its catalytic properties.

Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase was modified by covalent coupling to periodate activated polysaccharides (glycosylation). The conjugated enzyme to activated starch showed the highest specific activity (128.5 U/mg protein).

Evaluation of noninvasive versus invasive techniques for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background: Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial strains causing chronic infections, affecting over one half of the world's population. There is increasing interest in noninvasive methods for diagnosing H. pylori infection.

Chronic hepatitis c genotype-4 infection: role of insulin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and different HCV genotypes show characteristic variations in their pathological properties. Insulin resistance (IR) occurs early in HCV infection and may synergize with viral hepatitis in HCC development. Egypt has the highest reported rates of HCV infection (predominantly genotype 4) in the world; this study investigated effects of HCV genotype-4 (HCV-4) on prevalence of insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and HCC in Egyptian patients.