Publications by authors named "Essam M Akl"

Background: Pruritus is a common complaint in patients with end-stage renal disease. Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a tryptophan end metabolite extremely renal excreted. Activated charcoal can interfere with IS intestinal absorption.

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Introduction: Several modalities are used in the treatment of verrucae vulgaris; however, their side effects are common. Vitamin D3 has been recently used as a treatment in verruca vulgaris.

Aim Of The Work: We aimed to assess the expression of involucrin in verrucae before and after intralesional injection of vitamin D3 and its correlation with clinical response.

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Varicocele has been raised as a contributor to male infertility supported by the improvement of sperm parameters after varicocelectomy. Cystatin C (Cys C) has been linked to several cellular changes that are common in male infertility cases associated with varicocele such as apoptosis and autophagy. This preliminary study aimed to assess the seminal levels of Cys C in infertile oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) men associated with varicocele that have been shown to have spermatic vein vasodilation and active death pathway.

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Introduction: The serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) protein is involved in many pathological diseases. The increased secretion of SAA1 can maintain inflammatory conditions. Acne vulgaris (AV) is a chronic inflammatory disease of pilosebaceous glands and may be associated with systemic manifestations.

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Background: Melasma negatively impacts patient's quality of life (QoL). Although hydroquinone 4% is the most prescribed treatment, several side effects had been reported. The traditionally used azelaic acid 20% has poor tolerability and low skin absorption rate.

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Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the skin and joints, IL- 17 family has been shown to be the major effector cytokine in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate genetic polymorphism of IL-17F (rs763780) and evaluate the impact of this polymorphism on circulating levels of IL-17F as a potential risk locus for psoriasis. 60 patients suffering from chronic plaque psoriasis and 60 healthy controls were genotyped for the IL-17F (rs763780) using an Amplification Refractory Mutation System -PCR (ARMS-PCR) method.

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem all over the world including Egypt. Chronic HCV infection is usually accompanied by decrease of libido and erectile dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of new oral direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapy on sexual function of male patients with HCV.

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Several studies attempted to explain the negative impact of varicocele on spermatogenesis and fertilisation processes. YKL-40 is a novel glycoprotein biomarker that had been associated with several diseases. This quasi-interventional study aimed to assess the seminal levels of YKL-40 in infertile men with varicocele before and after varicocelectomy.

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Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic disease of inflammatory nature which can be considered as a systemic disorder. Metabolic syndrome is prevalent in psoriatic patients, with a negative impact on disease severity. Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) role has been investigated in several chronic inflammatory conditions, but not in psoriasis.

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Background: Preservation of homeostasis status in the skin needs an equilibrium of keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, necrosis and apoptosis. Disturbance of these regulatory mechanisms may lead to keratinocyte neoplastic and hyperproliferative diseases. Pigment epithelium-derived factor is a glycoprotein that is endogenously produced in different tissues and has a variety of biological effects in different diseases.

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Varicocele is the most common cause of male infertility. Several theories have been proposed to explain how varicocele induces infertility. The role of epididymis in male infertility is not fully well established.

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Introduction: Despite the promising results of intralesional vitamin D in verruca treatment; its precise mechanism of action is not fully understood.

Aim Of The Work: To investigate immunohistochemical expression of cathelicidin (LL 37) before and after injection of vitamin D in verruca vulgaris and to clarify its possible role in pathogenesis of verruca.

Patients And Methods: This study included 20 patients with multiple verrucae vulgaris.

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Background: Hirsutism is a common clinical condition encountered in day-to-day practice. The androgenic causes account for more than 80% of these patients and include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects about 70%-80% of hirsute women. The second most common cause is idiopathic hirsutism.

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Infantile hemangioma (IH) in most cases can be a self-limited condition; however, it may be ulcerated, infected, causing organ function disability and even death. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has a role in IH. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against VEGF-A.

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Background: Pruritus is a common symptom in end-stage renal failure. Many patients suffer from this severe distressing symptom. Although several factors have been postulated to explain uremic pruritus, there is not any conclusive evidence for one of these factors.

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Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common non-scarring autoimmune disease that affects hair-bearing areas. A variety of therapeutic options has been used for treating this disease such as corticosteroids, minoxidil, methotrexate, cyclosporine, and azathioprine. Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TRA) injection is considered the first-line treatment in localized alopecia areata involving <50% of the scalp; however, intralesional steroid injections are associated with a variety of side effects.

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Background: The aim of the study was to measure serum levels of endocan, myeloperoxidase (MPO), pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)D) in psoriatic patients and to study their correlations with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in trial to evaluate predictability of these parameters in diagnosing asymptomatic atherosclerosis (AAS).

Patients And Methods: Seventy-five psoriasis patients and 75 control subjects underwent complete clinical examination and Doppler estimation of CIMT using thickness of 0.9 mm as cutoff point for diagnosis of AAS.

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Varicocele has a common association with male infertility, but its exact role is still debated. Apoptosis has been suggested as one of the mechanisms of varicocele-associated infertility. Granulysin is a molecule that plays a role in apoptosis with no previous study about its role in male infertility.

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Unlabelled: Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by a ‎‎course of remissions and exacerbations of unpredictable frequency and duration‎. Pro-‎inflammatory cytokines seem to be responsible for the enhanced inflammatory ‎‎response in BD.

Aim Of The Work: This study aimed to investigate serum levels of IL-33 in patients with Behcet's disease (BD) and their relationship to disease activity and clinical manifestations.

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