An Initial Investigation of Do Not Resuscitate Acceptance in Egypt.

Background: The aim of this work was to obtain objective data on the extent of knowledge and attitudes of the do not resuscitate (DNR) concept in an Egyptian urban setting.

Methods: This survey was conducted in Cairo, Egypt, using a structured questionnaire including 23 questions. Questions and questionnaire were developed from literature on DNR in the region and from pilot testing.

The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of diarrhea associated with enteropathogenic, enteroaggregative and diffuse-adherent Escherichia coli in Egyptian children.

A total of 220 enteroadherent Escherichia coli were identified from 729 Egyptian children with diarrhea using the HEp-2 adherence assay. Enteropathogenic E.coli (EPEC = 38) was common among children <6 months old and provoked vomiting, while diffuse-adhering E.

Fractionation of organ extracts of Culex pipiens mosquitoes for the isolation of active components that impair biological parameters of the insect.

The previous phase of the present study revealed that when crude extracts of Culex pipiens midgut, ovaries, and salivary glands are injected into New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), rabbits immunized with midgut extract exert the greatest negative impact on adult Cx. pipiens survival and fecundity. This study was conducted to further our understanding of the immunogenic nature of the aforementioned antigenic preparations, thus providing data for the ultimate goal of developing a vaccine against the numerous Cx.

Clinic-based surveillance for bacterial- and rotavirus-associated diarrhea in Egyptian children.

To identify enteropathogens for vaccine development, we implemented clinic-based surveillance for severe pediatric diarrhea in Egypt's Nile River Delta. Over 2 years, a physician clinically evaluated and obtained stool samples for microbiology from patients with diarrhea and less than 6 years of age. In the first (N = 714) and second clinic (N = 561), respectively, 36% (N = 254) and 46% (N = 260) of children were infected with rotavirus, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Campylobacter, or Shigella.

Diarrhea associated with Cryptosporidium parvum among young children of the Nile River Delta in Egypt.

Over a 2-year period, the prevalence and clinical characteristics of Cryptosporidium-associated diarrhea in the Nile River Delta of Egypt was studied. A stool sample was obtained from children with diarrhea attending one of two study hospitals and of the 1275 children evaluated, 214 (17%) were found to be infected with Cryptosporidium. Younger age was a risk factor for developing Cryptosporidium-associated diarrhea.

Lymphoproliferative responses of splenocytes before and after challenge with Schistosoma haematobium in C57BL/6 mice vaccinated with human anti-Idiotypes.

Anti-idiotypic vaccines (anti-Id or antibody 2; Ab2) in experimental schistosomiasis engender varying degrees of resistance to challenge infection. To further characterize the mechanisms involved in the induction of protective immunity associated with such a vaccine model, spleen cells of mice vaccinated with human Ab2 (HAb2) were investigated for their lymphoproliferative responses before and after challenge infection with normal S. haematobium cercariae.

Epidemiology of Shigella-associated diarrhea in rural Egyptian children.

During the period from February 1995 to February 1998, the epidemiology of Shigella diarrhea was studied among children less than three years of age residing in Egypt's Nile Delta. Children were visited twice a week and a stool sample was collected from any of them with diarrhea. The incidence of Shigella-associated diarrhea was 0.

Analysis of T cell responses against hepatitis C virus genotype 4 in Egypt.

Background/aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Egypt. Despite the high prevalence of HCV and Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) in Egypt, the effect of co-infection on the immune response against HCV genotype 4a has not been extensively examined.

HCV-specific CD27- CD28- memory T cells are depleted in hepatitis C virus and Schistosoma mansoni co-infection.

Factors that influence the generation and maintenance of memory CD8+ T cells are not fully understood. The homeostasis of memory T cells is highly dynamic and tightly regulated by various stimuli, including cytokines and antigen-major histocompatibility complex ligands. We characterized the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8+ T-cell responses in a cohort of HCV-infected individuals with or without Schistosoma mansoni co-infection from Egypt.

Phenotypic diversity of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolated from cases of travelers' diarrhea in Kenya.

Background: The aim of this study was to characterize phenotypically enterotoxins, colonization factors (CFs) and the antibiotic susceptibility of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains isolated from cases of acute diarrhea that occurred in Europeans traveling to resorts in Mombasa, Kenya; this information is critical for the development of vaccines and empirical treatment.

Methods: Over a 1-year period from 1996 to 1997, five E. coli-like colonies were obtained from each of 463 cases with acute diarrhea.