Microbiological profile of ventilator-associated pneumonia among intensive care unit patients in tertiary Egyptian hospitals.

Introduction: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the common serious infectious diseases encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU), which highly affects the healthcare cost and patient prognosis. VAP is caused by various antimicrobial-resistant aetiological agents and the clinical manifestations lack sensitivity and specificity, making the prompt treatment is a challenge. This study aimed to investigate the microbial profile of VAP causing microorganisms among ICU patients in Egypt, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and the genetic diversity among the frequently isolated organisms.

Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus infections and their clinical relevance in Egyptian leukemic pediatric patients.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections are environmental risk factors affecting the outcome of cancer due to an impairment in the cell-mediated immunity. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the frequency of EBV and CMV DNA and their association with clinical characteristics and outcome of pediatric leukemic patients.

Methods: Samples of 50 immunocompromised pediatric leukemic patients and 30 apparently healthy children were subjected to the amplification of EBV DNA by one version of PCR targeting the Bam H1 W region of the genomic region of EBV, and the amplification of CMV DNA by targeting the CMV UL97 genomic region by a second round PCR.

Epidemiological investigation of nosocomial infection with multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Background: Multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, (MRAB) is an important cause of hospital acquired infection.

Aim: To document the emergence of MRAB in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU); and to characterize its hospital-wide outbreak by investigating antibiotypes and genotypes.

Materials And Methods: A six-month prospective study for the presence of MRAB infection or colonization on inpatients, health care workers and environmental sites was done at an ICU in Fahd Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

Disease progression from chronic hepatitis C to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with repression of interferon regulatory factor-1.

Background/aim: Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) frequently results in a persistent infection, suggesting that it has evolved efficient mechanism(s) for blocking the host cell's innate antiviral response. The immune response to virus infection results in activation or direct induction of the interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), which are a family of proteins involved in the regulation of interferon (IFN) and IFN inducible genes. IRF-3 and IRF-7 have been shown to play an essential role in virus-dependent signaling, whereas IRF-1 is critical for proper IFN-dependent gene expression.