Rates and profile of victimization in a sample of Egyptian patients with major mental illness.

Background: Patients with major mental illness have an increased risk of victimization. Nevertheless, this topic was not thoroughly studied in Egyptian patients with major mental illness.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to investigate the rates of victimization and understand its profile, psycho-demographic and clinical correlates among a sample of Egyptian patients with major mental illness.

The Standard for Clinicians' Interview in Psychiatry (SCIP): A Clinician-administered Tool with Categorical, Dimensional, and Numeric Output-Conceptual Development, Design, and Description of the SCIP.

Existing standardized diagnostic interviews (SDIs) were designed for researchers and produce mainly categorical diagnoses. There is an urgent need for a clinician-administered tool that produces dimensional measures, in addition to categorical diagnoses. The Standard for Clinicians' Interview in Psychiatry (SCIP) is a method of assessment of psychopathology for adults.

Comparing cognitive functions in medication adherent and non-adherent patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Medication non-adherence presents a considerable problem in patients with schizophrenia. Cognitive and executive functions can affect adherence. The association between medication non-adherence and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia is under investigated with limited and conflicting research data.

Cognitive functions in euthymic Egyptian patients with bipolar disorder: are they different from healthy controls?

Background: There is marked interest to research neurocognitive functions in bipolar disorder during euthymia. Consequently we aimed to study cognitive functions in euthymic bipolar patients and factors affecting them.

Methods: It is a cross sectional case-control study of 60 euthymic bipolar patients and 30 matched healthy controls.

Screening for ADHD in a Sample of Egyptian Adolescent School Students.

Objective: To screen for ADHD in a sample of Egyptian adolescent students, and study the distribution of different subtypes of ADHD, associated comorbidities, and sociodemographic correlates.

Method: A total of 925 adolescents were randomly selected and screened by the Conners-Wells' Adolescent Self-Report Scale-Short form (CASS:S), and potential cases were further assessed by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime versions (K-SADS-PL).

Results: A total of 87 students (9.

The reliability of the standard for clinicians' interview in psychiatry (SCIP): a clinician-administered tool with categorical, dimensional and numeric output.

Background: Existing standardized diagnostic interviews are not used by psychiatrists in clinical settings. There is an urgent need for a clinician-administered tool for assessment of adult psychopathology that produces dimensional measures, in addition to categorical diagnoses.

Methods: The Standard for Clinicians' Interview in Psychiatry (SCIP) was designed to be used in clinical settings and generates dimensional measures.

Screening for depression in a sample of Egyptian secondary school female students.

Background: Depression is common in female adolescents. Data on prevalence rates, socio-demographic correlates, and putative risk factors in Egyptian population are needed along with better screening tools to inform future research and service development. We aimed to estimate the point prevalence of depression in a representative sample of Egyptian female students; to detect the sensitivity and specificity of CDI as a screening tool, and to highlight some putative risk factors associated with depression.

Detection of G1 genotype of human cystic echinococcosis in Egypt.

The first trial to detect G1 genotype in Egyptian human isolates of hydatid cysts (HC) and serum samples to approach diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE) using human sera by PCR. Using strain specific primers, 27/36 confirmed CE patients (75%) showed G1 specific band in their sera at 254 bp. Specificity was 100% without detecting bands for either other parasitosis, or mass occupying lesions.

Angiotensin II AT2 receptor oligomers mediate G-protein dysfunction in an animal model of Alzheimer disease.

Progressive neurodegeneration and decline of cognitive functions are major hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD). Neurodegeneration in AD correlates with dysfunction of diverse signal transduction mechanisms, such as the G-protein-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis mediated by Galphaq/11. We report here that impaired Galphaq/11-stimulated signaling in brains of AD patients and mice correlated with the appearance of cross-linked oligomeric angiotensin II AT2 receptors sequestering Galphaq/11.

Dominant negative AT2 receptor oligomers induce G-protein arrest and symptoms of neurodegeneration.

Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlates with dysfunction of signaling mediated by Galphaq/11. Nondissociable angiotensin II AT2 receptor oligomers are linked to the impaired Galphaq/11-stimulated signaling of AD patients and transgenic mice with AD-like symptoms. To further analyze the role of AT2 receptor oligomers, we induced the formation of AT2 oligomers in an in vitro cell system.

The Reliability of Psychiatric Diagnosis Revisited: The Clinician's Guide to Improve the Reliability of Psychiatric Diagnosis.

Background: The authors reviewed the topic of reliability of psychiatric diagnosis from the turn of the 20th century to present. The objectives of this paper are to explore the reasons of unreliability of psychiatric diagnosis and propose ways to improve the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis.

Method: The authors reviewed the literature on the concept of reliability of psychiatric diagnosis with emphasis on the impact of interviewing skills, use of diagnostic criteria, and structured interviews on the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis.

Serum levels of tumour necrosis factor- alpha in schistosomiasis mansoni and their analogous changes in collagen diseases and schistosomal arthropathy.

Serum levels of TNF-alpha was quantitatively estimated by the use of solid enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay (EASIA) in different stages of schistosomiasis mansoni, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and schistosomal arthropathy. Statistically, significant higher levels were detected in the different groups compared to the normal control group. The level was found highest in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis with ascites (group 1c).

Study of interleukin-2 receptor in schistosomiasis mansoni and its analogous changes in collagen diseases and schistosomal arthropathy.

An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in the serum of patients with different stages of S. mansoni infection, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and schistosomal arthropathy. The results demonstrated significant higher level of sIL-2R in different patient groups compared to the control group.

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (cachectin) in human visceral leishmaniasis.

Generally speaking, the cell mediated immunity plays a pivotal role in the host resistance against the protozoal parasite of the genus Leishmania. The polypeptide hormone cachectin (Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha) which is produced mainly by macrophages, is a primary mediator in the pathogenesis of infection, injury and inflammation. Depending on its concentration, duration of cell exposure and presence of other mediators in the cellular environment, the net biological effect of this peptide regulatory factor may ultimately be benefit or injury to the host.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) in zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Generally speaking, the cell mediated immunity plays a pivotal role in the host resistance against the protozoal parasite Leishmania species. On the other hand, TNF-a (Cachectin) is a protein produced mainly by macrophages, with wide range of biological activities and may be important in inflammatory processes. Also, it plays the important role in some infectious diseases.

Cellular and humoral immunological changes in chronic renal failure associated with schistosomiasis.

The changes that occur in cell mediated and humoral immunity in patients suffering from chronic renal failure associated with schistosomiasis were studied. There was a decrease in T3%, T4% and T4/T8 ratio. IgG, IgM and IgE levels were found to be increased in such cases.

Effect of splenectomy on cell mediated immunity in bilharzial patients with splenomegaly.

The effect of splenectomy on cell mediated immunity was studied in 15 male patients with mean age 28 years +/- 9 s.d. with bilharzial splenomegaly and oesophageal varices, for comparison, ten healthy control males with mean age 28 years +/- 4 s.

Distribution of Phlebotomus species in the Nile Delta, Egypt.

The importance of sandflies of the genus Phlebotomus being in the fact that some species are the vectors of leishmaniasis and other pathogenic organisms such as virus of sandfly fever. In Egypt, cutaneous leishmaniasis and sandfly fever are known and recently visceral leishmaniasis has been identified in Alexandria. Consequently, there is a need to study the geographical distribution of Phlebotomus species and to present an illustrative key for their identification.

Evaluation of dot ELISA technique in the serodiagnosis of schistosomiasis in Egypt.

A simplified dot enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (dot ELISA) was evaluated as a recent diagnostic test for schistosomiasis in Egypt. 160 individuals with early intestinal, urinary and mixed schistosomiasis were subjected to this study. Another 27 sera of patients suffering from other parasitosis were included for the cross activity reaction.

Specific immunoglobulins in schistosomiasis.

Specific and total immunoglobulins antibodies levels to Schistosoma antigens were determined in 44 patients with S. mansoni infection. No Significant increase was observed in parasitic specific IgG, IgM, and IgA levels in both acute and chronic infections.

The relation between the two forms of COPT and levels of total IgG and IgM in acute and chronic schistosomiasis mansoni.

COPT was performed on 55 acute and 48 chronic male patients with schistosomiasis mansoni as well as on 20 control normal subject. The percentage of the segmented and the bleb reactions were determined. The total levels of IgG, IgM and IgA were measured.

Evaluation of the dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in diagnosis of leishmaniasis.

Human sera were collected from twenty patients of parasitologically proven cutaneous leishmaniasis, 35 cases of schistosomiasis mansoni and ten normal control sera. The antileishmanial antibodies were detected by the dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot ELISA). The results showed that the dot ELISA had high sensitivity.