Introduction: The glycogen storage diseases are caused by inherited deficiencies of enzymes that ... more Introduction: The glycogen storage diseases are caused by inherited deficiencies of enzymes that regulate the synthesis or degradation of glycogen. The most common forms of glycogen storage disease (GSD) are types I, II, III, and IV, which may account for more than 90% of all cases. The most common form is type I, or von Gierke’s disease, which occurs in one out of every 100,000 births. Intracellular antioxidant defence is primarily provided by antioxidant enzymes, which catalyse decomposition of reactive oxygen species. To study the oxidative stress status in children with glycogen storage disease by determining activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase in liver tissue. Material and methods: Nine children suffering from glycogen storage diseases types I and III were studied. They were selected from the Hepatology Clinic, Cairo University and compared with children who happened to have incidental normal liver biopsy. Glutathione peroxidase (GPX), supero...
Background: Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis is challenging. The widely used tuberculin skin t... more Background: Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis is challenging. The widely used tuberculin skin test has many limitations. In this study, we evaluated the role of QuantiFERON-Gold-In-Tube (QFT-IT) and Interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) for diagnosis of active TB. We further studied their efficacy in monitoring the effect of anti-tuberculous therapy. Methods: The study comprised two population groups. Group I comprised 53 children and adolescents diagnosed with active TB, whereas Group II comprised 33 patients recruited at different time intervals: at 2, 4, and 6 months following start of treatment. Blood samples were withdrawn from each patient for measurement of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and IP-10 levels. Statistical package SPSS version 15.0 for Windows was used for statistical analysis. Results: QFT-IT and IP-10 tests yielded sensitivities of 86% and 86.5%; and specificities of 33% and 44.4% respectively. Combining both tests improved sensitivity to 91.89%. A highly sig...
Comparison between magnetic activated cell sorted monocytes and monocyte adherence techniques for... more Comparison between magnetic activated cell sorted monocytes and monocyte adherence techniques for in vitro generation of immature dendritic cells: an Egyptian trial
Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences
BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infection is a common serious health problem worldwide... more BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infection is a common serious health problem worldwide, especially in pediatric intensive care units and is associated with high mortality and morbidity, prolonged hospital stays and high cost.AIM: To determine the types of organisms involved in hospital-acquired an infection in two pediatric intensive care units during the one-year study and its anti-microbial susceptibility.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was carried out in the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) of Ain Shams & Cairo Universities, where 86 pediatric patients were recruited. Their age ranged from 1 month to 156 months with mean 20.7 ± 25.8 months. Male to female ratio was 37:29. Four samples were collected from each child for culture and sensitivity: blood, endotracheal aspirate, urine and skin swab.RESULTS: The most common microorganism was staphylococcus while Gram-negative bacteria were the commonest group. Amikacin and imipenem are the most sensitive antibiotics. Ri...
Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), Jan 17, 2017
Cystatin-C (CyC) is a middle molecule that is freely filtered at the glomerulus and almost comple... more Cystatin-C (CyC) is a middle molecule that is freely filtered at the glomerulus and almost completely reabsorbed by the proximal tubules. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum CyC and its reduction ratio as a biomarker for assessing the adequacy of the hemodialysis (HD) sessions in children with end-stage renal disease on maintenance HD. We also compared levels of CyC in patients on low-flux HD (LFH) and high-flux HD (HFH). Forty patients were included in the study and divided into two groups, with one group (16 patients) receiving HFH and the other group receiving LFH (24 patients) (high-flux and low-flux polysulfone filters, respectively). Before and after each dialysis session serum CyC and beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) levels were measured using an ELISA technique, and routine laboratory tests were performed for each patient. Pre-dialytic levels of CyC were significantly lower in the patients receiving HFH than in those receiving LFH (7.33 ± 1.35 vs. 9.73 ± 0.93, respectively...
IntroductionCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery is considered one of the most frequent surgical ... more IntroductionCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery is considered one of the most frequent surgical procedures in which acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a frequent and serious complication. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early AKI biomarker after CPB in pediatric cardiac surgery.Material and methodsThe study included forty children aged 2 to 78 months undergoing CPB. They were divided into group I: patients who suffered AKI grades II and III; and group II: patients who did not develop AKI or at risk. Peripheral venous blood was withdrawn pre- and post-operatively for serial measurements of NGAL and creatinine. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 14.ResultsMean plasma NGAL levels showed highly significant elevations in group I patients at 2, 12, and 24 h after surgery (p < 0.0001) compared to group II. Significant correlations were found between NGAL and creatinine at different time intervals. Highly significant correlations (p < 0.0001) were found between plasma NGAL and AKI at 2, 12 and 24 h after surgery. A cut-off level of 100 ng/ml at 2 h, and 125 ng/ml at 12 h post-operatively both recorded the highest accuracy, being 95% accurate, with sensitivity of 100% and 89.5% respectively, and specificity of 90.5% and 100% respectively.ConclusionsThis study showed that plasma NGAL could be used as an early biomarker for detection of AKI following CPB. We recommend further studies on a wider scale to validate the current study results.
To study the oxidative stress status in children with cholestatic chronic liver disease by determ... more To study the oxidative stress status in children with cholestatic chronic liver disease by determining activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in liver tissue. A total of 34 children suffering from cholestatic chronic liver disease were studied. They were selected from the Hepatology Clinic, Cairo University, and compared with seven children who happened to have incidental normal liver biopsy. The patients were divided into three groups: extrahepatic biliary atresia (n=13), neonatal hepatitis (n=15) and paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts (n=6); GPx, SOD and CAT levels were measured in fresh liver tissue using ELISA. In the cholestatic patients, a significant increase was found in mean levels of SOD, GPx and CAT in hepatic tissue compared to control children. The three enzymes significantly increased in the extrahepatic biliary atresia group, whereas in the groups of neonatal hepatitis and paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts, only GPx and CAT enzymes were significantly increased. Oxidative stress could play a role in the pathogenesis of cholestatic chronic liver diseases. These preliminary results are encouraging to conduct more extensive clinical studies using adjuvant antioxidant therapy.
Central-European journal of immunology / Polish Society for Immunology and eleven other Central-European immunological societies, 2015
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient antigen presenting cells, which are considered a cen... more Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient antigen presenting cells, which are considered a central component of the immune system for their extraordinary capacity to initiate and modulate the immune responses elicited upon recognition of infectious agents. This has made them a major focus of interest in the conception of immunotherapeutic vaccine strategies. To standardise a protocol for in vitro differentiation of human peripheral blood monocytes into immature DCs (iDCs) upon treatment with specific growth factors and to compare two monocyte isolation methods including magnetic activated cell sorted (MACS) monocytes by CD14(+) immuno-magnetic beads and monocytes separated by adherence. Immature DCs were generated from monocytes of human peripheral blood in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4 after in vitro culture for seven days. Cultured cells were stained with surface markers of iDCs: FITC-anti-CD14, PE-anti-CD11c, P...
Introduction: The glycogen storage diseases are caused by inherited deficiencies of enzymes that ... more Introduction: The glycogen storage diseases are caused by inherited deficiencies of enzymes that regulate the synthesis or degradation of glycogen. The most common forms of glycogen storage disease (GSD) are types I, II, III, and IV, which may account for more than 90% of all cases. The most common form is type I, or von Gierke’s disease, which occurs in one out of every 100,000 births. Intracellular antioxidant defence is primarily provided by antioxidant enzymes, which catalyse decomposition of reactive oxygen species. To study the oxidative stress status in children with glycogen storage disease by determining activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase in liver tissue. Material and methods: Nine children suffering from glycogen storage diseases types I and III were studied. They were selected from the Hepatology Clinic, Cairo University and compared with children who happened to have incidental normal liver biopsy. Glutathione peroxidase (GPX), supero...
Background: Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis is challenging. The widely used tuberculin skin t... more Background: Diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis is challenging. The widely used tuberculin skin test has many limitations. In this study, we evaluated the role of QuantiFERON-Gold-In-Tube (QFT-IT) and Interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) for diagnosis of active TB. We further studied their efficacy in monitoring the effect of anti-tuberculous therapy. Methods: The study comprised two population groups. Group I comprised 53 children and adolescents diagnosed with active TB, whereas Group II comprised 33 patients recruited at different time intervals: at 2, 4, and 6 months following start of treatment. Blood samples were withdrawn from each patient for measurement of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and IP-10 levels. Statistical package SPSS version 15.0 for Windows was used for statistical analysis. Results: QFT-IT and IP-10 tests yielded sensitivities of 86% and 86.5%; and specificities of 33% and 44.4% respectively. Combining both tests improved sensitivity to 91.89%. A highly sig...
Comparison between magnetic activated cell sorted monocytes and monocyte adherence techniques for... more Comparison between magnetic activated cell sorted monocytes and monocyte adherence techniques for in vitro generation of immature dendritic cells: an Egyptian trial
Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences
BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infection is a common serious health problem worldwide... more BACKGROUND: Hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infection is a common serious health problem worldwide, especially in pediatric intensive care units and is associated with high mortality and morbidity, prolonged hospital stays and high cost.AIM: To determine the types of organisms involved in hospital-acquired an infection in two pediatric intensive care units during the one-year study and its anti-microbial susceptibility.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was carried out in the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) of Ain Shams & Cairo Universities, where 86 pediatric patients were recruited. Their age ranged from 1 month to 156 months with mean 20.7 ± 25.8 months. Male to female ratio was 37:29. Four samples were collected from each child for culture and sensitivity: blood, endotracheal aspirate, urine and skin swab.RESULTS: The most common microorganism was staphylococcus while Gram-negative bacteria were the commonest group. Amikacin and imipenem are the most sensitive antibiotics. Ri...
Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), Jan 17, 2017
Cystatin-C (CyC) is a middle molecule that is freely filtered at the glomerulus and almost comple... more Cystatin-C (CyC) is a middle molecule that is freely filtered at the glomerulus and almost completely reabsorbed by the proximal tubules. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum CyC and its reduction ratio as a biomarker for assessing the adequacy of the hemodialysis (HD) sessions in children with end-stage renal disease on maintenance HD. We also compared levels of CyC in patients on low-flux HD (LFH) and high-flux HD (HFH). Forty patients were included in the study and divided into two groups, with one group (16 patients) receiving HFH and the other group receiving LFH (24 patients) (high-flux and low-flux polysulfone filters, respectively). Before and after each dialysis session serum CyC and beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) levels were measured using an ELISA technique, and routine laboratory tests were performed for each patient. Pre-dialytic levels of CyC were significantly lower in the patients receiving HFH than in those receiving LFH (7.33 ± 1.35 vs. 9.73 ± 0.93, respectively...
IntroductionCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery is considered one of the most frequent surgical ... more IntroductionCardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery is considered one of the most frequent surgical procedures in which acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a frequent and serious complication. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early AKI biomarker after CPB in pediatric cardiac surgery.Material and methodsThe study included forty children aged 2 to 78 months undergoing CPB. They were divided into group I: patients who suffered AKI grades II and III; and group II: patients who did not develop AKI or at risk. Peripheral venous blood was withdrawn pre- and post-operatively for serial measurements of NGAL and creatinine. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 14.ResultsMean plasma NGAL levels showed highly significant elevations in group I patients at 2, 12, and 24 h after surgery (p < 0.0001) compared to group II. Significant correlations were found between NGAL and creatinine at different time intervals. Highly significant correlations (p < 0.0001) were found between plasma NGAL and AKI at 2, 12 and 24 h after surgery. A cut-off level of 100 ng/ml at 2 h, and 125 ng/ml at 12 h post-operatively both recorded the highest accuracy, being 95% accurate, with sensitivity of 100% and 89.5% respectively, and specificity of 90.5% and 100% respectively.ConclusionsThis study showed that plasma NGAL could be used as an early biomarker for detection of AKI following CPB. We recommend further studies on a wider scale to validate the current study results.
To study the oxidative stress status in children with cholestatic chronic liver disease by determ... more To study the oxidative stress status in children with cholestatic chronic liver disease by determining activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in liver tissue. A total of 34 children suffering from cholestatic chronic liver disease were studied. They were selected from the Hepatology Clinic, Cairo University, and compared with seven children who happened to have incidental normal liver biopsy. The patients were divided into three groups: extrahepatic biliary atresia (n=13), neonatal hepatitis (n=15) and paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts (n=6); GPx, SOD and CAT levels were measured in fresh liver tissue using ELISA. In the cholestatic patients, a significant increase was found in mean levels of SOD, GPx and CAT in hepatic tissue compared to control children. The three enzymes significantly increased in the extrahepatic biliary atresia group, whereas in the groups of neonatal hepatitis and paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts, only GPx and CAT enzymes were significantly increased. Oxidative stress could play a role in the pathogenesis of cholestatic chronic liver diseases. These preliminary results are encouraging to conduct more extensive clinical studies using adjuvant antioxidant therapy.
Central-European journal of immunology / Polish Society for Immunology and eleven other Central-European immunological societies, 2015
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient antigen presenting cells, which are considered a cen... more Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient antigen presenting cells, which are considered a central component of the immune system for their extraordinary capacity to initiate and modulate the immune responses elicited upon recognition of infectious agents. This has made them a major focus of interest in the conception of immunotherapeutic vaccine strategies. To standardise a protocol for in vitro differentiation of human peripheral blood monocytes into immature DCs (iDCs) upon treatment with specific growth factors and to compare two monocyte isolation methods including magnetic activated cell sorted (MACS) monocytes by CD14(+) immuno-magnetic beads and monocytes separated by adherence. Immature DCs were generated from monocytes of human peripheral blood in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4 after in vitro culture for seven days. Cultured cells were stained with surface markers of iDCs: FITC-anti-CD14, PE-anti-CD11c, P...
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