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Biomedical subjects

S Ismail

Publications and source records attributed to S Ismail.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Schistosoma hematobium soluble egg antigens induce proliferation of urothelial and endothelial cells.

Bladder carcinoma accounts for 26% of reported human malignancies in Egypt, and has been strongly associated with urinary schistosomiasis. Nevertheless, the immediate role of schistosomal egg proteins in bladder carcinogenesis is unexplored. We investigated the effects of crude soluble egg antigens (SEA) of Schistosoma hematobium on urothelial cell proliferation. The proliferation of bovine endothelial Endo, human urothelial J82 and smooth muscle SMC cell lines was assessed by low-density growth assays. SEA induced proliferation of both J82 and Endo cells in a dose-dependent fashion, but not SMC. Preboiling or proteinase K treatment of SEA abolished its effect. In addition, SEA enhanced urothelial expression of B-cell translocation protein (BTG1) and human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) mRNAs. Given the strong correlation between cell proliferation and carcinogenesis, the findings suggest that crude SEA may play some role in schistosomal bladder carcinogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Female sterilisation through mini-laparotomy at Gondar College of Medical Sciences.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the socio-demographic characteristics and clinical course and follow up of clients who have undergone voluntary surgical contraception (VSC) through minilaparotomy (mini-lap) under local anaesthesia (LA). Also, to evaluate the safety and method satisfaction, so as to forward recommendations for method utilisation in the Ethiopian context. DESIGN: A case series design where pre- and post-operative conditions of clients coming for voluntary surgical contraception via mini-laparotomy were systematically analysed. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Gondar, Ethiopia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty two clients (median age of 33 years, range 25-40) who decided to use tubal sterilisation method of contraception from April 1993 to May 1995 were included in the study. A format prepared and distributed to VSC providing sites in Ethiopia by the Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) was used in collecting the necessary information, including informed consent of every client. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Previous knowledge of contraceptive methods, decision making for tubal sterilisation, size of incision, advantages of use of local anaesthesia in the local setting, duration of hospital stay, conditions on follow up. RESULTS: Eighty two (55.4%) women underwent tubal sterilisation through mini-lap. The mean number of the live children per client was 6.2 +/- 1.7, with parity ranging from two to eleven children. Mothers with five or more children were 70 (85.4%). Among 69 mothers (84.1%), the last pregnancy outcome were live births. The average length of the time since making a decision not to have any more children was 2.5 +/- 2 years (median of one year). The rationales given were economic, ill health and completed family size. Regarding the pattern of decision making, in 77 (91.9%) clients both the couples were involved in decision making. All except two underwent the procedure under LA and no complication was encountered during surgery. Follow-up attendance was 100% in one-year period and nothing serious was reported. All reported to be satisfied with the method. CONCLUSION: The study showed that early decision making by involving both couples other than proper case selection minimises regrets. The authors believe that tubal sterilisation through mini-lap under LA is an ideal method in developing countries where access to family planning and other reproductive health services are not widely available and where there is population explosion, less than 10% contraceptive prevalence rate and high maternal mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Occurrence and diversity of egg pathogenic fungi of the Mediterranean cereal cyst nematode Heterodera latipons.

Eighteen fungal strains in nine genera present in German and Syrian soils were isolated from eggs of the barley cyst nematode H. latipons. The fungi were selected out of the soil microflora using the slide-frame baiting technique from a semiarid soil originating from Syria heavily infested with H. latipons and from a temperate soil from German heavily infested with H. schachtii. Fusarium and Acremonium were the most common fungi isolated from the both soils. The natural suppressiveness or antagonistic potential of egg pathogenic fungi in the Syrian and German soils toward H. latipons also was measured. The results demonstrated that a higher level of antagonistic potential and a greater level of fungal egg pathogen biodiversity is present in the semiarid Syrian soils. This is important for the natural control of the Mediterranean cereal cyst nematode H. latipons which is widely spread throughout the region. The high level of biodiversity in the soil may allow subsequent buffering of the pest even when unsuitable soil conditions for growth of the antagonistic fungi occur e.g. low organic matter, as is common in the semiarid soils of the Middle East. These isolates may also lend themselves to management in the field or to inundative approaches to biocontrol of cereal cyst nematodes in the semiarid production zone.

Acremonium↗
PubMed2000

A monoclonal antibody against Schistosoma haematobium soluble egg antigen: efficacy for diagnosis and monitoring of cure of S. haematobium infection.

A monoclonal antibody (mAb), 2F/11F, raised against Schistosoma haematobium soluble egg antigen (SEA) was found to be nonreactive with S. mansoni SEA or other parasite antigens (Fasciola hepatica, Echinococcus granulosus). This IgG1 mAb recognized a repetitive epitope on S. haematobium SEA in the molecular-weight regions of 70, 42, and 35 kDa. It was employed as both an antigen-capture and a biotinylated detection antibody in a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of circulating schistosome antigen (CSA) and had a detection limit of <1 ng S. haematobium SEA/ml. CSA levels were measured in serum and urine samples from 116 S. haematobium-infected rural students before therapy and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after praziquantel treatment. Serum and urine samples from 50 S. mansoni -infected patients, 15 patients harboring other parasites, and 30 noninfected individuals were also assessed. CSA was detected in 90.5% of serum samples and 94% of urine samples from S. haematobium-infected patients. CSA was undetectable in serum from the 15 patients harboring other parasites and in 94% of serum samples and 84% of urine samples from S. mansoni-infected patients. In the S. haematobium-infected group a positive correlation was detected between CSA levels in serum and urine samples and the egg load per 10 ml urine. A significant reduction in CSA levels was detected in serum and urine samples after praziquantel therapy. CSA was undetectable in 87% of serum samples and 81.5% of urine samples from schistosomiasis haematobium patients at 12 weeks post-treatment. These data demonstrate that the use of mAb 2F/11F for detection of CSA provides a sensitive method for the immunodiagnosis and monitoring of cure of schistosomiasis haematobium.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase loci GSTM1 and GSTT1 and susceptibility to colorectal cancer in Egypt.

Egypt has an unusually high proportion of early-onset colorectal cancer under age 40 years. Environmental exposures and low DNA repair capacity are among the risk factors. Because GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene deficiencies may act as risk modifiers for colorectal cancer risk, we investigated the relationship between genetic polymorphism in these genes and colorectal cancer risk in Egyptians. Sixty-six patients and 55 controls were included. Genotyping for GSTM1 and GSTT1 was conducted using PCR techniques and the results were related to epidemiologic and clinical information. No overall association was observed between GSTM1 or GSTT1 null genotypes and colorectal cancer risk. However, the data suggest a possible role for GSTM1 genotype in influencing tumor site. Furthermore, GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes, in conjunction with gender and place of residence, may play a role in modifying disease risk. Further studies on a larger population in Egypt are needed to generalize the results of this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Influence of heavy agricultural work during pregnancy on birthweight in northeast Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Women in developing countries often continue their agricultural work during late pregnancy. Whether this adversely affects birthweight is not clear from previous studies as few controlled for confounding factors. This study seeks to clarify this issue. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study investigated 958 low-income women and their singleton newborn babies residing in a region of Northeast Brazil dependent on sugar-cane production. Women were recruited at maternity centres, when attending for delivery, and were allocated to one of two groups according to their exposure to heavy agricultural labour for at least 3 months during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (n = 250), or to household activities only (n = 708). RESULTS: The mean birthweight of infants born to women who worked in agriculture during 9 months of pregnancy was 190 g lower than that of the non-exposed group (P = 0.02). After controlling for confounding factors, the adjusted effect was 117 g (P = 0.05). Heavy agricultural work for 6, 7 or 8 months had no significant effect. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that working throughout pregnancy significantly reduces birthweight in this low-income population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Albumin microbubble persistence during myocardial contrast echocardiography is associated with microvascular endothelial glycocalyx damage.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that the persistence of albumin microbubbles within the myocardium during crystalloid cardioplegia (CP) infusion and ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) occurs because of endothelial injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: The myocardial transit rate of albumin microbubbles was measured in 18 dogs perfused with different CP solutions and in 12 dogs undergoing I-R. Electron microscopy with cationized ferritin labeling of the glycocalyx was performed in 9 additional dogs after CP perfusion and in 3 additional dogs undergoing I-R. Microbubble transit was markedly prolonged during crystalloid CP perfusion. The addition of whole blood to the CP solution accelerated the transit rate in a dose-dependent fashion (P<0.05), which was greater with venous than with arterial blood (P<0.05). The addition of plasma or red blood cells to CP solutions was less effective in improving transit rate than addition of whole blood (P<0.05). Microbubble transit rate was independent of the temperature, K+ content, pH, PO2, osmolality, viscosity, and flow rate of the perfusate. Similarly, a proportion of microbubbles persisted in the myocardium after I-R, which was related to the duration of ischemia (P<0.01) but not of reflow. Crystalloid CP perfusion and I-R resulted in extensive loss of the endothelial glycocalyx without other ultrastructural changes. This effect was partially reversed in the case of crystalloid CP when it was followed by blood CP. CONCLUSIONS: Sonicated albumin microbubbles persist within the myocardium in situations in which the endothelial glycocalyx is damaged. The measurement of the myocardial transit rate of albumin microbubbles may provide an in vivo assessment of endothelial glycocalyx damage.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Familial aggregation of colorectal cancer in Egypt.

We have investigated the familial aggregation of colorectal cancer and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) in Egypt because of the high incidence of colorectal cancer in Egyptian children and young adults and the prevalence of consanguinity there. In a pilot study, we conducted detailed interviews with 111 Egyptian colorectal cancer patients and 111 healthy Egyptian controls about their family histories of colorectal cancer, and other cancers, consanguinity, age at diagnosis, symptoms and recurrence. Eight patients (7.2%) had one or more first- or second-degree relatives under age 40 with colorectal cancer, suggestive of HNPCC by the Amsterdam criteria. One of these families had a typical history of HNPCC, with 4 relatives having colorectal cancer in 3 generations; 3 of these relatives were younger than age 45 at colon cancer diagnosis, and other relatives had extracolonic tumors. Another 14 patients (12.6%) had a first- or second-degree relative with a family history of other neoplasms such as endometrial, urinary and hepatobiliary cancers that could also be related to HNPCC. Four patients with early-onset colon cancer and a family history of other HNPCC-related cancers reported that their parents were first-degree cousins.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Changes in the defense against free radicals in the liver and plasma of the dog during hypoxia and/or halothane anaesthesia.

Defenses against free radicals were evaluated in the dog under different conditions of ventilation. Changes in the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and the lipid peroxidation end-products, estimated as malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), were studied in serial liver biopsies from dogs ventilated with either oxygen, halothane and oxygen, hypoxic gas mixture of 8% oxygen and 92% nitrogen or halothane under hypoxic conditions. Simultaneous determination of GSH, vitamin E and MDA were carried out in the plasma. The results showed time-dependent depletion of GSH and vitamin E in liver and plasma and vitamin C in the liver. This was accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the levels of MDA. The magnitude of the change was in the following order: halothane and hypoxia > hypoxia > halothane and oxygen > oxygen. The greatest depletion was observed for vitamin E and the least for vitamin C. The rise in the level of MDA in plasma was much higher than in the liver tissue. Hypoxia resulted in inhibition of liver SOD activity. It seems that increased production of free radicals under hypoxic conditions may have overwhelmed the anti-oxidant defenses in the liver. In addition, the much higher level of MDA in plasma, as compared to liver tissue, may indicate that MDA could have originated in tissues or organs other than the liver and leaked into the blood, indicating possible damage in other locations in the body.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1998

The nutritional status of older Rwandan refugees.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional status of older people in an unstable situation. DESIGN: Anthropometric and socioeconomic data were collected cross-sectionally. Body mass index (BMI), arm muscle area (AMA) and arm fat area (AFA) were calculated to evaluate nutritional status. For 41 subjects with kyphosis, height was estimated from arm span using sex-specific regression equations from the non-kyphotic group. SETTING: The study was carried out in the post-emergency phase in a Rwandan refugee camp in Karagwe district, north-west Tanzania. SUBJECTS: Measurements were obtained from 413 men and 415 women aged 50-92 years. RESULTS: The prevalence of undernutrition (BMI < 18. 5) was 19.5% in men and 13.1% in women and was higher above age 60 years in both sexes: in men the prevalences were 23.2% and 15.0% (P < 0.05) and in women 15.1% and 10.9% for the older and younger age groups respectively. AMA, which is important in relation to the ability to remain active and independent, was also significantly lower in older age groups. No difference was found in AFA. The proportion with low BMI was much higher in the group with kyphosis. CONCLUSIONS: Even in this population of older Rwandans who managed to reach the camp and survive in exile for more than a year, undernutrition does occur and is more prevalent at an advanced age. The higher prevalence of undernutrition in kyphotic people illustrates the importance of including this group in nutritional status assessments.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1998

Reduced expression of mismatch repair genes in colorectal cancer patients in Egypt.

An Egyptian hospital-based pilot case-control study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the expression level of mismatch repair (MMR) genes and the risk of colorectal cancer. The relative expression of five known MMR genes, i.e., hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS1, hPMS2, and GTBP/hMSH6, was measured by a multiplex reverse transcriptase (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in peripheral blood lymphocytes from 31 colorectal cancer patients and 47 age- and-sex matched controls. The expression of hMSH2, GTBP/hMSH6, hPMS1 and hPMS2 tended to be lower in patients than controls, but only the difference in hPMS2 expression was statistically significant (p<0. 01). Although 50% of the cases had chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the last six months before the blood was drawn, their gene expression was not statistically different from those who had not undergone such therapies. After adjustment for age and sex, the odds ratios (OR) calculated from a logistical regression model, using the median levels of gene expression of controls as cut-off values, indicated that increased risk was associated with reduced expressions of both hPMS1 (OR = 3.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04 to 7.65) and hPMS2 (OR = 2.86, 95% CI = 1.05 to 7.76). Although the results of this study were inconclusive because of the small sample size and use of prevalent cases, it is biologically plausible that patients with colorectal cancers may have a lower expression of MMR genes than healthy controls because malfunction of these genes has been shown in hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer. The involvement of low hPMS2 expression in colon cancer risk seems to be unique in the Egyptian population. Further studies with newly diagnosed patients before they begin therapy will provide more convincing data about the role of MMR gene expression in the etiology of colorectal cancers in Egypt.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed1998

Men's knowledge, attitude and practices of family planning in north Gondar.

This community-based cross-sectional study assessed the perceptions and practices of 832 men on family planning in North Gondar, Ethiopia, in June 1995. Sixty one percent of men knew at least one method of family planning (FP) and 64.3% of them approved the use of FP. Forty one percent of these said that only women should use contraception. Involvement of couples on the choice of family planning methods and desired number of children in the family was approved by 58.3% of men. Half of the men did not support nulliparous women of any age using contraception. The mean +/- SD desired life-time children was 6.7 +/- 3.5. Only 47.2% of the study participants had heard about condoms. Misconceptions and negative attitudes towards condoms prevailed among men. Only 23.9% of married men have discussed family planning with their wives. Overall, 10.6% of men have ever used condoms in the past, and 6.1% are currently using condoms. Only 39.3% of current non-users of FP are planning to use FP in the future. Educational status was positively associated with higher awareness, favourable attitude and practice of family planning (p < 0.00001).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Colorectal cancer in Egyptian patients under 40 years of age.

Although colorectal cancer is not a common cancer in Egypt, the age distribution of the disease shows that a high proportion occurs in children and adults under 40 years of age. We reviewed the records of 1,608 colorectal cancer patients treated in 4 cancer hospitals in Egypt during a period of 3 to 10 years. The hospitals in which about 85% of all colorectal cancer cases in Egypt were seen included Egypt's 2 major cancer centers, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Cairo and Tanta Cancer Center (TCC) in the mid-Nile Delta region, and 2 major university hospitals, Assiut University in South Egypt and Ain Shams University in Cairo. Our review showed that patients younger than 40 years represented 35.6% of all patients in the 4 cancer hospitals, and that these rates were similar among the hospitals and for the years reviewed. The male-to-female ratio increased from 1.0 to 1.7 for the age groups ranging from 0-9 and 30-39 years, and increased from 1.0 to 1.5 for the age groups ranging from 40-49 to over 60 years. More than half of all the patients had rectal tumors, and about 90% of the cancers were adenocarcinomas; 30.6% of patients younger than 40 years, compared with 13.8% of older patients, had mucin-producing tumors. This study confirmed the occurrence of a high colorectal cancer rate in young Egyptians, and it opens the door to future epidemiologic studies to identify causes and risk factors of this disease pattern in Egypt.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Determination of pyronaridine in blood plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography for application in clinical pharmacological studies.

A method is described for the determination of pyronaridine in plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The method involves liquid-liquid extraction with phosphate buffer (pH 6.0, 0.05 M) and diethyl ether-hexane (70:30%, v/v) and chromatographic separation on a C18 column (Nucleosil, 250 x 4.6 mm I.D., 5 microns particle size) with acetonitrile-0.05 M phosphate buffer pH 6.0 (60:40%, v/v) as the mobile phase (1 ml/min) and detection by fluorescence (lambda ex = 267 nm, lambda em = 443 nm). The detector response is linear up to 1000 ng and the overall recoveries of pyronaridine and quinine were 90.0 and 60.3%, respectively. The assay procedure was adequately sensitive to measure 10 ng/ml pyronaridine in plasma samples with acceptable precision (< 15% C.V.). The method was found to be suitable for use in clinical pharmacological studies.

Antimalarials↗
PubMed1997

Differential responsiveness of humans with early-stage schistosomiasis haematobium to Schistosoma haematobium soluble adult-worm and egg antigens.

Schoolchildren (7-8 years old) infected with Schistosoma haematobium were tested for lymphocyte proliferative responses, in vitro granuloma formation (IVGF), and cytokine release in T-cell Western assays and for serum antibody reactivity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting against S. haematobium soluble adult-worm (SAWA) and egg (SEA) antigens. The lymphoproliferative response rate of individual subjects against 10 SAWA and 15 SEA electroseparated bands ranged from 0 to 33% and from 11 to 66%, respectively. The SAWA bands essentially failed to elicit significant IVGF, in contrast to the SEA bands, all of which were capable of inducing IVGF from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 30-80% of individual donors. The exclusive ability of SEA bands to induce IVGF could not be attributed to selective release of interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-4, or interferon-gamma, as SEA and SAWA bands were capable of eliciting release of a similar array of cytokines in supernatants of 4-day PBMC cultures. The antibody response to SEA was stronger than that to SAWA, yet the proportion of SAWA bands binding humoral antibodies of individual donors was significantly larger than that observed for SEA. The study thus suggests that humans with early-stage S. haematobium infection respond poorly to SAWA but mount strong cellular immune responses to SEA that result in granuloma and antibody formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Deoxygenated blood minimizes adherence of sonicated albumin microbubbles during cardioplegic arrest and after blood reperfusion: experimental and clinical observations with myocardial contrast echocardiography.

Both administration of cardioplegic solution and blood reperfusion result in endothelial dysfunction. The transit rate of albumin microbubbles during myocardial contrast echocardiography may reflect endothelial injury. Accordingly, we performed myocardial contrast echocardiography in 12 dogs undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass and measured the myocardial transit rate of microbubbles injected into the aortic root during delivery of cardioplegic solutions containing arterial and venous blood and delivery of pure crystalloid cardioplegic solution. The myocardial transit rate of 99mTc-labeled red blood cells was measured and perfusates were sampled for biochemical analysis at each stage. The microbubble transit rate was markedly prolonged during delivery of crystalloid cardioplegic solution and improved significantly during infusion of blood cardioplegic solution (p < 0.001); venous compared with arterial blood in the solution resulted in a greater rate (p < 0.001). The microbubble transit rate did not correlate with pH, oxygen tension or carbon dioxide tension values, or K+ concentration. The red blood cell transit rate remained constant regardless of the cardioplegic perfusate infused. Myocardial contrast echocardiography was also performed in 12 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass who underwent sequential arterial and venous reperfusion after cardioplegic arrest. The microbubble transit rate was faster with venous than arterial blood reperfusion (p = 0.01), although this gain was diminished when arterial blood reperfusion preceded venous blood reperfusion (p = 0.05). Our results indicate that endothelial dysfunction after cardioplegic arrest may be ameliorated by reperfusion with venous rather than arterial blood.

Albumins↗
PubMed1996

Contractile versus microvascular reserve for the determination of the extent of myocardial salvage after reperfusion. The effect of residual coronary stenosis.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that microvascular reserve is a better indicator of the extent of viable myocardium postinfarction than contractile reserve, especially in the presence of a residual stenosis of the infarct-related artery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifteen dogs with various infarct sizes were studied after reperfusion. Contractile reserve, studied by use of dobutamine echocardiography, and microvascular reserve, studied by use of myocardial contrast echocardiography, were measured both before and after creation of a stenosis. In the absence of a stenosis, the relation between infarct size, expressed as percent of risk area, and wall thickening improved with increasing doses of dobutamine (r = .41, .71, and .90 for 5, 10, and 15 micrograms.kg-1.min-1, respectively; P < .01 for dobutamine 15 micrograms.kg-1.min-1). In the presence of a stenosis, however, the relation was poor for all doses of dobutamine (r = .22, .57, and .32 for 5, 10, and 15 micrograms.kg-1.min-1, respectively; P < .01 for 15 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 dobutamine in the absence of a stenosis). There was a fair correlation between infarct size and perfusion defect size on myocardial contrast echocardiography after reperfusion (r = .82), with the defect size underestimating infarct size by approximately 20%. This relationship improved (P < .01) during infusions of both adenosine (r = .99) and dobutamine (r = .94) in the absence of a stenosis. The correlations between infarct size and perfusion defect on myocardial contrast echocardiography also remained good in the presence of a stenosis (r = .95 and .81 for adenosine and dobutamine, respectively; P = NS compared with stenosis). CONCLUSIONS: Microvascular reserve is superior to contractile reserve for definition of the spatial topography of necrosis and hence the extent of viable myocardium within the infarct bed after reperfusion, particularly when a residual stenosis is present in the infarct-related artery.

Adenosine↗