Hepatitis C virus transmission in family members of Egyptian patients with HCV related chronic liver disease.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Egypt has become a major public health problem. In the present study, sexual and intrafamilial transmission of HCV infection were assessed in the family members of 200 Egyptian patients (index patients) with HCV-RNA positive and biopsy ascertained chronic hepatitis C. Index patients were 139 men (mean age 55+/-11 years) and 61 women (mean age 48+/-8 years).

Screening tests for diagnosis of cervical lymphadenopathy presenting as prolonged fever.

During a two years period, 16 cases having cervical lymphadenopathy presenting as prolonged fever were studied in Abbassia fever hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Patients were subjected to careful history, thorough clinical examination, complete blood picture, tuberculin test, chest x-ray, Monospot test, indirect fluorescent antibody test for toxoplasmosis, detection of cytomegalovirus antibodies and lymph node biopsy with histopathological examination. Ten within normal subjects were taken as controls.

Comparative study on different recent diagnostic and therapeutic regimens in acute typhoid fever.

Forty five positive blood culture acute typhoid cases were studied during a 2 years period (1997-1999) in Abbassia Fever hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Their ages ranged between 4-23 (12 +/- 2.5) years.

Characterization of three types of Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen and determination of their immunodiagnostic potential by western blot immunoassay.

On the search of highly sensitive and specific antigenic components for use in serological tests, the serologic activities of the various protein fractions of three types of Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen (SEA) were compared in an immunoblot analysis for their ability to detect schistosomiasis mansoni infections . Three types of soluble egg antigen (SEA) were prepared from three suspensions of Schistosoma mansoni eggs; namely living SEA (L-SEA), dead SEA (D-SEA) and mixed SEA (M-SEA). The three antigens were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Diagnostic potential of serum matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 as non-invasive markers of hepatic fibrosis in patients with HCV related chronic liver disease.

As chronic liver disease progresses, an imbalance occurs between synthesis and breakdown of extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in degrading ECM while tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) prevent their fibrolytic action. In the present study, serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) were investigated as non-invasive parameters for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis in patients with HCV related chronic liver disease.