In silico SNP prediction of selected protein orthologues in insect models for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases.

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's are the most common neurodegenerative diseases that are incurable and affect the elderly population. Discovery of effective treatments for these diseases is often difficult, expensive, and serendipitous. Previous comparative studies on different model organisms have revealed that most animals share similar cellular and molecular characteristics.

Impact of anti-sandfly saliva antibodies on biological aspects of (Diptera: Psychodidae), vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Sandflies are the main vectors of parasites in tropical and subtropical areas. The immunization of vertebrate hosts with vector components through repeated bites may offer an alternative method for sandfly control. Aliquots of female (Scopoli) (Diptera: Psychodidae) were weekly blood fed on 12 individual hamsters throughout 18 successive weeks.

Analysis of phoretic relation between chewing lice and hippoboscid flies of Columba livia.

Phoresy is a biologically mechanical phenomena where an immobile organism hitches on a other mobile organism to translocate. This behaviour is not studied very well on the field level especially between two important parasites infesting the same host. Parasite/parasite interaction is rarely studied through most biological host-parasite systems.

Impact of nano-conjugate on Drosophila for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease. Recent identification of AD biomarkers has led to the diagnosis of AD before the onset of dementia. It has been shown that Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable model for studying human neurodegeneration, including AD.

New records of chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) from Egyptian pigeons and doves (Columbiformes), with description of one new species.

Little information is available about the chewing lice of wild birds of Egypt, including common groups such as pigeons and doves (Columbiformes). Through this work, parasitic chewing lice of common columbiformes of Egypt were revised including new data. Three species of pigeons and doves (Streptopelia decaocto Frivaldszky 1838, Spilopelia senegalensis Linnaeus 1766 and Columba livia Gmelin 1789) were examined for chewing lice at three different localities.

Natural and experimental evidence of viscerotropic infection caused by Leishmania tropica from North Sinai, Egypt.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected clinical form that is quite prevalent in Eastern North parts of the country in Sinai Peninsula. Leishmania tropica was identified by previous reports as the causative agent responsible for viscerotropic infections in-patients and experimental animals. Here, we reported the viscerotropic infections from naturally infected rodent Gerbillus pyramidum floweri collected from North-Sinai.

Experimental effect of feeding on Ricinus communis and Bougainvillea glabra on the development of the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) from Egypt.

Plants are promising sources of agents useful for the control of vectors of human diseases including leishmaniasis. The effect of Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) and Bougainvillea glabra (Nyctaginaceae), on transmission of leishmaniasis was investigated using them as diets for Phlebotomus papatasi to monitor their effect on life-history traits. P.

Interactions of Spodoptera littoralis haemocytes following injection with the entomopathogenic fungi: Beauveria bassiana and Nomuraea rileyi.

This study compared the cellular interactions of Spodopteralittoralis haemocytes with two virulence-different entomopathogenic fungi: Beauveriabassiana and Nomuraearileyi. Using light and transmission microscopy, five types of haemocytes namely, prohaemocytes (PRs), plasmatocytes (PLs), granulocytes (GRs), spherule cells (SPs) and oenocytoids (OEs) were identified in the 6th instar larvae. PRs and PLs were found in the haemopoietic tissue.

Morphometrics and protein profiles of the salivary glands of Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus langeroni sand flies.

Sand fly salivary fluid contains numerous proteins that modulate host immune responses to infection and facilitate blood-feeding and establishing Leishmania infection. Salivary proteins are differentially expressed in adaptation to the host, the meal type and ecological factors. We report on the morphometrics and protein composition of salivary glands of colonised Phlebotomus papatasi and P.

Collection, storage and use of blood samples for future research: views of Egyptian patients expressed in a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: To determine the attitudes of Egyptian patients regarding their participation in research and with the collection, storage and future use of blood samples for research purposes.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Study Population: Adult Egyptian patients (n=600) at rural and urban hospitals and clinics.

First report of Leishmania tropica from a classical focus of L. major in North-Sinai, Egypt.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is prevalent in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and previous research has consistently documented the etiologic agent to be Leishmania major. We report the first isolation of Leishmania tropica from human cases of CL in a Northern Sinai community bordering Palestine. Parasite culturing, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gene sequencing, and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses indicate CL cases in this community were caused by either L.

Effect of conversion from mycophenolate mofetil to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium on maximum tolerated dose and gastrointestinal symptoms following kidney transplantation.

Despite the potential tolerability advantage of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS), no prospective, randomized trial has evaluated whether conversion from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to EC-MPS permits mycophenolic acid dose to be increased or gastrointestinal side-effects to be ameliorated. In a randomized, multicenter, open-label trial, kidney transplant recipients experiencing gastrointestinal side-effects either remained on MMF or switched to an equimolar dose of EC-MPS, adjusted 2 weeks subsequently to target the highest tolerated dose up to 1440 mg/day (EC-MPS) or 2000 mg/day (MMF). Patients were followed up to 12 weeks postrandomization.

Small bowel perforation by a piece of china with a synchronous asymptomatic sigmoid carcinoma: A case report.

A 75 year old gentleman who presented with an incarcerated paraumibilical hernia was found intraoperatively to have small bowel perforation due to a piece of china with a synchronous asymptomatic sigmoid carcinoma.

Conversion from mycophenolate mofetil to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium in patients with gastrointestinal side effects: case studies.

Background: The potential benefit of the current mycophenolic acid, mycophenolate mofetil, has not yet been fully achieved in clinical transplantation because of its gastrointestinal side effects. Dose splitting, dose reduction, and drug discontinuation are strategies that are used to manage gastrointestinal symptoms. However, recently reported registry data suggest these alterations result in inadequate graft protection, leading to increased late acute rejection rates and decreased longterm graft survival.

Human zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis and associated sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Sheikh Atiya village, southern Sinai, Egypt.

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in Sinai Peninsula. Human cases were recorded from the northern Sinai, however little was known about the disease in southern Sinai. During entomological surveys conducted southern Sinai in summers of 1997-1999, a clinically confirmed ZCL case was encountered for the first time in Sheikh Atiya village in June 1999.