Aberrant cytokine and VCAM-1 expression in patients with viral and non-viral related liver cirrhosis.

The study aim was to compare the alterations in the expression levels of proinflammatory and chemotactic cytokines as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-8, the down regulatory cytokine IL-10, in addition to the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) gene in different groups of patients with cirrhosis due to various etiologies. This case-control study included 84 patients suffering from cirrhosis of viral and non-viral etiologies and 20 sex and age-matched healthy controls. All patients were subjected to detailed history taking, clinical examination, and liver function assessment.

Regulatory T Cells and IL35 in Chronic Hepatitis C Related Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a fundamental role in maintaining immune homeostasis to balance between the tissue-damaging and protective effects of the immune response. There are strong evidences that Treg cells and their cytokines may play an important role in the induction of tolerance in the liver and progression of HCV infection. Herein, we investigated the frequency of Treg cells and interleukin 35 (IL-35) level in blood and their potential relationship to the various chronic hepatitis C (CHC) complications and outcomes.

Concordance between peripheral and decidual NK cell subsets and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors in women with recurrent spontaneous miscarriages.

Background: The role of decidual natural killer (dNK) cells in normal and complicated pregnancy and their relation with peripheral NK (pNK) cells remains unclear. The study aim was phenotypic analysis of pNK and dNK cells at time of miscarriage in recurrent spontaneous miscarriage (RSM) patients to assess whether measuring levels of pNK cell populations can reflect changes in dNK cells or not.

Methods: This study included 40 middle aged pregnant women in the 1st trimester subjected to evacuation because of a current miscarriage.

Genetic Polymorphism and Serum Levels of RORc2 in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

RORc2 is the master transcription factor of T helper 17 cells. We aimed to evaluate whether RORc2 genetic polymorphism and serum levels have association with the risk and activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RORC genetic polymorphisms were investigated by real time PCR.

Occult Hepatitis B Infection Among Blood Donors in Al Azhar University Hospital, Upper Egypt: The Current Status After 25 years of Vaccine Introduction.

Occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is a challenging topic with much debate regarding its clinical and virological relevance. The reliance on anti HBc seropositivity for diagnosis of OBI is still controversial. We aimed to determine the frequency of OBI among Egyptian blood donors, the role of anti HBc and HBe Ag as predictors of OBI and the possible risk factors.

Role of T-Helper 9 Cells in Chronic Hepatitis C-Infected Patients.

Hepatitis C virus is a hepatotropic virus that is transmitted parenterally. Viral infections are usually associated with modulations of the immune cells, leading to enhanced viral survival and spreading, and accordingly, life-threatening complications. Recently, it has been proposed that a new subset of T-helper, named T-helper 9, is involved in the pathogenesis of different immunopathological conditions, such as allergies, tumors, and viral infections.

Regulatory T cell subsets in children with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The aim of this work was to quantify CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells (Tregs) in Egyptian children with SLE and to correlate these findings with their disease activity scores and drug therapy. We enrolled 37 Egyptian children with active SLE. Disease activity was assessed by measuring serum levels of anti-dsDNA antibody and by the SLEDAI scores.

Comparison of different phenotypic and molecular methods for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in intensive care patients.

Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been problematic ever since its discovery. This work was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of different phenotypic methods for MRSA detection in intensive care patients. Three hundred and eighty-nine specimens from 100 patients were inoculated onto mannitol salt agar.

Dual effect of nitric oxide donor on adjuvant arthritis.

The effect of medical use of NO donors on the pathogenesis of arthritis is still yet unclear. We investigated the effects of the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), on the pathogenesis of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Rats were given SNP intraperitoneally either from day 5 to day 14 (as a prophylactic protocol) or from day 16 to day 25 (as a therapeutic protocol) after inoculation of adjuvant.

Chlamydia trachomatis: methods of identification and impact on semen quality.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is considered to be one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. It is currently unclear whether chlamydial infection causes pathological conditions of the male accessory glands has consequences for male infertility. To determine the frequency of C.

Oxidative stress as a common mediator for apoptosis induced-cardiac damage in diabetic rats.

Aim: To investigate the possible role of oxidative stress as a common mediator of apoptosis and cardiac damage in diabetes.

Materials And Methods: This experimental work was conducted on 5 groups of Wistar rats. Group I was the control group.