Lead exposure and its association with pubertal development in school-age Egyptian children: pilot study.

Background: The aim of the present study was to determine blood lead levels in a group of Egyptian school-age children and assess its relationship to pubertal development.

Methods: Forty-one children were recruited from high- and low-pollution areas in Cairo, Egypt. Sexual maturation was evaluated using Tanner score.

Lipid profile, apolipoproteins A and B in children with epilepsy.

In this study, lipid profile was assessed, and the intimal wall thickness of both carotid arteries in children with idiopathic epilepsy was measured. The study comprised 22 children with idiopathic epilepsy on either carbamazepine or valproate. A profile including triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoproteins cholesterol, apolipoproteins AI and B, and Duplex estimation of intimal wall thickness of carotid arteries were performed.

Serum concentrations of CCR4 ligands in relation to clinical severity of atopic dermatitis in Egyptian children.

T helper 2 (Th2) lymphocytes, the key effector cells in pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD), express CCR4 receptors. CCR4 ligands (macrophage-derived chemokine 'MDC' and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine 'TARC') direct trafficking and recruitment of Th2 cells into lesional skin in AD. These chemokines appear to be useful inflammatory markers for assessing severity of AD in adults.