Hepatitis C and B viruses, and their association with hepatocellular carcinoma in Egypt.

Hepatitis C and B viruses are associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in Europe, Asia and Southern Africa. A study of hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus infection was carried out on 70 patients with HCC, from the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. Sera from patients were tested for anti-HCV and HBsAg markers.

Clinical efficacy and tolerability of tenoxicam in African patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tendinitis and/or bursitis: an open study.

An open clinical evaluation was carried out in 736 African out-patients suffering from rheumatic and inflammatory disorders to assess the efficacy and tolerability of tenoxicam in relieving the signs and symptoms of their condition. On entry, all previous treatment was discontinued and patients received a simple daily dose of 20 mg tenoxicam orally for 15 days in the case of those with rheumatoid arthritis or tendinitis, or for 30 days in those with osteoarthritis. Paracetamol was allowed as a rescue analgesic.

25 Hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin E absorption in healthy children and children with chronic intrahepatic cholestasis.

Patients with chronic cholestasis have reduced 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and vitamin E levels. We determined serum concentrations of 25OHD, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] and vitamin E before and after oral administration of 10 micrograms/kg body weight 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) and 100 IU/kg body weight vitamin E, respectively, in 4 patients with intrahepatic cholestasis and 6 healthy children. Vitamin E increased in all controls but in only one of the four patients.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin in chronic renal failure.

Serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) is normal in some patients with chronic renal failure. We studied the question, whether factors known to regulate the serum 1,25(OH)2D concentration such as parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphate and especially the serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25 OH D) concentration are related to circulating levels of serum 1,25(OH)2D in such patients. We found no correlation between these serum parameters and 1,25(OH)2D.

Serum vitamin D metabolites do not change in response to intravenous injection of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) and growth hormone releasing factor (GHRF 1-44) in children.

Several reports claim that thyroid hormones and growth hormone participate in the regulation of vitamin D synthesis. We investigated whether there was a direct effect of their releasing hormones on vitamin D metabolism. TRH (7 micrograms/kg) was injected iv in 8 children with euthyroid diffuse goiter and GHRF (1 microgram/kg) in 10 short normal children.

[Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis--report of 2 cases].

Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis appears in temporal coherence with puberty leading to a reversible generalized osteoporosis of the skeletal system, spontaneous fractures and skeletal deformities. First symptoms in a 14 years old boy occurred as muscle pareses. A lymphocytic pleocytosis could be detected in cerebrospinal fluid.

The influence of progressive hyperinsulinemia on duodenal calcium absorption in the rat.

Using an in situ loop technique, we studied the influence of moderate hyperinsulinemia on the bidirectional fluxes [lumen-to-plasma (LP), plasma-to-lumen (PL)] and on the net absorption of calcium (Ca) in the duodenum of the rat. Under hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp conditions, three different steady-state plasma insulin levels (66 +/- 16, 187 +/- 13, 263 +/- 24 microU/mL) were maintained by intravenous (IV) infusion of either 20, 40, or 60 mU/h of insulin. LP flux and net Ca absorption (CaA) increased significantly under all, while the PL flux was not changed by any of the three insulin doses.

Parathyroid hormone is normal in renal stone patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria and high fasting urinary calcium.

In a group of patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria and an increased fasting urinary calcium excretion we re-examined the question: does secondary hyperparathy-roididsm exist? Eight out of 51 patients with calcium renal stones had a high calcium excretion in both fasting and in 24 h urines. The carboxyl-terminal immunoreactive PTH (iPTH) values in these patients were 16 +/- 5 ngeq/ml (M +/- SD), no higher than the iPTH values in the other groups, e.g.

Immunoreactive parathyroid hormone in early and advanced renal failure.

Immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was measured in the serum of 20 patients with early renal failure (ERF) using three assays with different specificity. Half of these patients had elevated iPTH in one or more assays, up to twice the upper limit of normal. In contrast, 36 patients with a creatinine clearance below less than 20 ml/min had an 80% elevated iPTH, up to 5 times the upper limit of normal.