Grafting enhances drought tolerance by regulating stress-responsive gene expression and antioxidant enzyme activities in cucumbers.

Water scarcity is a major limiting factor for crop yield production in arid and water-stressed areas worldwide. Cucumber plants have a high transpiration ratio and are vulnerable to drought. Grafting commercial genotypes onto selected strong rootstocks has been useful in mitigating the effects of drought.

Increased MicroRNA-1266 levels as a biomarker for disease activity in psoriasis vulgaris.

Background: Increasing evidence has shown that serum microRNA (miR) levels are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic value in various diseases. Psoriasis is characterized by a specific miR expression profile, with a characteristic miR signature, distinct from that of healthy skin.

Objectives: To understand the role of miR-1266 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and to explore if it has the potential as a blood biomarker.

Role of the tumor necrosis factor family member LIGHT in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

Background: LIGHT (the name of which is derived from "homologous to lymphotoxins, exhibits inducible expression, competes with herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D for herpes simplex virus entry mediator, and expressed by T lymphocytes"), is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that is involved in various inflammatory diseases.

Objectives: To assess serum LIGHT levels in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) before and after treatment and compare it with controls. To correlate serum LIGHT with the severity scoring of AD (SCORAD) index.

Latex hypersensitivity among allergic Egyptian children: relation to parental/self reports.

Background: Latex allergy is one of the major health concerns and allergic reactions to latex may be serious and fatal.

Purpose: In this study, we sought to determine the frequency of latex hypersensitivity in a group of allergic Egyptian infants and children and its relation to the history provided by the patients or caregivers.

Methods: We consecutively enrolled 400 patients with physician diagnosed allergic diseases.

Sensitivity to Five Types of House Dust Mite in a Group of Allergic Egyptian Children.

The published data on house dust mite (HDM) sensitization from Egypt are scanty. We sought to investigate the sensitization to five different types of HDM among a group of allergic children in a trial to outline the most frequent sensitizing strains in the Cairo Province. We consecutively enrolled 100 asthmatic patients, aged 1-7 years, of whom 22 had concomitant skin allergy.

Wheezing in infancy.

Several population-based birth cohort studies documented that 30% of children suffer from wheezing during respiratory infections before their third birthday. Infants are prone to wheeze because of anatomic factors related to the lung and chest wall in addition to immunologic and molecular influences in comparison to older children. Viral infections lead to immunologic derangements that cause wheezing both in immunocompetent and immunodeficient infants.

Serum interleukin-18 expression in children with bronchial asthma.

Background: : Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is reported to have regulatory functions on Th1 and Th2 cytokine production and proinflammatory effects through promoting recruitment of memory Th1 cells to inflammatory sites. We sought to investigate the expression of the serum IL-18 in childhood bronchial asthma in relation to disease activity and severity.

Methods: : Serum IL-18 was measured by enzymatic immunoassay in 25 asthmatic children during exacerbation and after complete quiescence of symptoms and signs.