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PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of antibodies against measles virus in Tripoli, The Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

A compulsory immunization policy against measles was introduced in the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 1972. Data are presented to show that a decreased incidence of measles followed this programme. Nevertheless, measles epidemics still occur and the serological status of the population has, therefore, been examined. In the area of Tripoli, measles haemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) antibodies were found at a titre of greater than or equal to 1:10 in 97% of the adult population, and in 78%, 100% and 97.1% of schoolchildren of primary, preparatory and secondary schools respectively. The relatively high HI titres observed, particularly in adults, imply that antigenic restimulation of antibody against measles occurs and thus that coverage by immunization remains inadequate. Increased efforts to improve immunization coverage at an early age are recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Genetics and biochemistry of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Libyan Jews.

A focus of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) among Jews from Libyan origin was identified in Israel 20 years ago. The incidence of the disease in this ethnic group is about 100 times more than in the worldwide population. The consumption of lightly cooked sheep brain has been invoked to explain the high incidence of CJD in this community. The discovery of mutations in the PrP gene which segregates with other familial prion diseases such as Gerstmann-Straussler syndrome (GSS) lead us to perform a molecular genetic study and compare it to an epidemiological survey among the Libyan community. The epidemiological data suggests a very high familial incidence of CJD in this population and a molecular genetic research elucidated that CJD segregates with a point mutation at codon 200 of the PrP gene resulting in the substitution of Lysine for Glutamate. This mutation was found in some 40 CJD patients of Libyan origin and was not found in one Moroccan Jew suffering from CJD. It was also absent in almost 100 healthy Libyan controls above the age of 60. This result strongly supports a genetic etiology for CJD pathogenesis in the Libyan Jewish community and disregards the previous culinary hypothesis. The disease is vertically transmitted in autosomal dominant inheritance with unknown penetrance. All our patients were heterozygote for the mutation except one homozygote patient. The course of the disease in this patient was identical to the heterozygote patients, strongly arguing that inherited CJD displays complete phenotypic dominance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMed1996

An autosomal-recessive congenital myasthenic syndrome with tubular aggregates in a Libyan family.

We studied a Libyan family in which five out of seven siblings have had slowly progressive limb-girdle weakness accentuated by exercise since childhood. Ptosis or ophthalmoplegia were not observed. Pronounced decremental electromyographic responses on 3 Hz stimulation indicated the presence of a defect of neuromuscular transmission. Repeated testing for acetylcholine receptor antibodies was negative. Muscle biopsy revealed tubular aggregates in 34% of the type 2 muscle fibers. Our observation illustrates the wide clinical spectrum of congenital myasthenic syndromes.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Doses from radiocesium and 40K activities found in some tobacco leaves and cigarettes.

It has been found that tobacco leaves and cigarettes contain on the average 1.30 +/- 0.40 Bq.g-1 of 40K which is a beta-gamma emitter. Besides due to the unfortunate Chernobyl accident tobacco leaves may contain 0.04 Bq.g-1 of 137Cs and 0.01 Bq.g-1 of 134Cs depending on their country of origin. From these activities, the annual dose equivalents and the 50 year committed dose equivalents from ingested and inhaled 134Cs, 137Cs and 40K through tobacco consumption are presented.

Canada↗
PubMed2004

Coeliac disease in Middle Eastern countries: a challenge for the evolutionary history of this complex disorder?

About 10,000 years ago domestication and farming of wheat and other cereals developed in the 'Fertile Crescent', an area including modern Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Agriculture then slowly spread from Middle East to Europe. Coeliac disease is the permanent intolerance to dietary gluten, the major protein component of wheat. It has been until relatively recently hypothesised that wheat consumption exerted a negative selective pressure on genes predisposing to coeliac disease, eventually leading to higher coeliac disease frequency in Northeastern Europe because of lack of exposure to cereals. This theory is at variance with recent studies showing that coeliac disease is as common in Middle Eastern countries as in Europe. High prevalence of coeliac disease has been found in Iran, in both the general population and at-risk groups, e.g. patients with irritable bowel syndrome or type 1 diabetes. Clinical manifestations of coeliac disease vary markedly with the age of the patient, the duration and the extent of disease. Clinical studies showed that presentation with non-specific symptoms or no symptoms is as common in the Middle East as in Europe. Wheat represented a major component of the Iranian diet for many centuries and it may be argued that the continuous and high level of exposure to wheat proteins has induced some degree of immune tolerance, leading to milder symptoms that may be misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or unexplained gastrointestinal disorders. The gluten-free diet represents a real challenge to both patients and clinicians in this area. This is particularly difficult in the absence of any supply for gluten-free diet in Middle Eastern countries.

Celiac Disease↗
PubMed2005

Intraoral minor salivary gland tumors: a review of 75 cases in a Libyan population.

Minor salivary gland carcinomas are uncommon but most often occur in the oral cavity, particularly the hard palate. Dental examination may provide an opportunity for early detection. During the period of 1977-2000 a group of 75 patients (31 males and 44 females, median age 44.2 years and range 15-86 years) with minor salivary gland tumors were diagnosed, based on the 1991 WHO classification. The peak occurrence of the tumors was in the fifth decade for males and sixth decade for females. The frequency of benign tumors was 38.6% (n = 29) and malignant tumors 61.3% (n = 46). Pleomorphic adenoma was the most common histological type of benign tumor identified whereas mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma were the most common malignant tumors. The most common primary location of the tumors was the palate followed by the cheek. A benign tumor usually presented as an asymptomatic swelling and ulceration, pain being more frequently associated with the malignant tumors. This study shows that intraoral tumors of minor salivary glands vary widely in presentation, and should be taking into account by medical and dental practitioners in any differential diagnosis when assessing intraoral pathology. Any lesion arising from the hard palate (the most common site in this series) should be considered as a possible minor salivary gland tumor. Referral to a multidisciplinary head and neck clinic following diagnosis is strongly recommended.

Adenoma, Pleomorphic↗
PubMed2005

Ethnic differences in CYP2C9*2 (Arg144Cys) and CYP2C9*3 (Ile359Leu) genotypes in Japanese and Israeli populations.

CYP2C9 is a major P450 2C enzyme, which hydroxylates about 16% of drugs that are in current clinical use and contributes to the metabolism of a number of clinically important substrate drugs such as warfarin. Ethnic differences in the genetic variation of CYP2C9 have been reported, and might be related to the frequencies of adverse reactions to drugs metabolized by CYP2C9 in different ethnic groups. In the present study, ethnic differences in the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 allele distribution in Japanese and Israeli populations were evaluated using a newly developed oligonucleotide based DNA array (OligoArray(R)). The population studied consisted of 147 Japanese and 388 Israeli donors (100 Ashkenazi Jews, 99 Yemenite Jews, 100 Moroccan Jews and 89 Libyan Jews). The CYP2C9*2 [Arg144Cys (416 C>T), exon 3] and CYP2C9*3 [Ile359Leu (1061 A>C), exon 7] genotypes were determined using an OligoArray(R). The accuracy of genotyping by the OligoArray(R) was verified by the fluorescent dye-terminator cycle sequencing method. A Hardy-Weinberg test indicated equilibrium (chi(2)<3.84 is Hardy-Weinberg) in all populations. The CYP2C9*2 genotype (CC/CT+TT) was absent in Japanese (1/0) (OR 0.02), and its frequency was significant in Libyan Jews (0.697/0.303) (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.07-4.24) compared with Ashkenazi Jews (0.83/0.17), Yemenite Jews (0.899/0.101), and Moroccan Jews (0.81/0.19). The frequencies of CYP2C9*3 genotype (AA/AC+CC) was significantly lower in Japanese (0.986/0.014) (OR 0.08), and was higher in Libyan Jews (0.652/0.348) (OR 3.03; 95% CI 1.5-6.1) and Moroccan Jews (0.77/0.23) (OR 1.69; 95% CI 0.62-3.48) compared with those in Ashkenazi Jews (0.85/0.15) and Yemenite Jews (0.849/0.151). Thus, the CYP2C9*2 (Arg144Cys) and CYP2C9*3 (Ile359Leu) variants were rare in the Japanese population, and showed different frequencies in the four Jewish ethnic groups examined.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Two hormone replacement therapy (HRT) regimens for middle-eastern postmenopausal women.

UNLABELLED: Most previous studies designed to evaluate the efficacy of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have been carried out in Europe, North America and Australia, involving Caucasian women for 6 months or less. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the 12-month effects of two different HRT regimens on postmenopausal symptoms of Middle-Eastern women. METHODS: Hundred healthy Libyan women with postmenopausal symptoms, 12 months or more since their last menstrual period, were enrolled in a 12-month prospective study. Participants were randomly prescribed one of the two formulations, 50 in each group. These regimens were a continuous regimen of tibolone 2.5 mg oral tablets and a continuous regimen of 17beta-oestradiol sequentially combined with dydrogesterone (2/10 mg) oral tablets. The presence and severity of short- and intermediate-term symptoms were reported at 0, 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment. Observed symptoms were hot flushes, night sweating, palpitations, insomnia, depression, nervousness, loss of memory, vaginal dryness, loss of libido and joint pain. RESULTS: Forty-nine women (98%) in each group completed the 12-month study period. Participants, in the two groups, experienced a significant improvement within the first 3 months of treatment. The observed symptoms were completely relived by the sixth month without any significant difference between the two groups. Improvements were sustained over the 12-month period of the study. HRT users showed their acceptance to the two regimens. CONCLUSIONS: Tibolone and 17beta-oestradiol/dydrogesterone oral tablets were effective and safe to treat short- and intermediate-term symptoms in Middle-Eastern postmenopausal women, within 6 months, and with no significant differences between the groups. Thus, the use of HRT to relieve menopausal symptoms is highly recommended, at least in this region.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

The imaging appearance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease caused by the E200K mutation.

The E200K mutation on chromosome 20 can cause familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Patients with this mutation are clinically similar to those with sporadic CJD, but their imaging features are not well documented. We report here the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging characteristics of this unique group of patients using three-dimensional spoiled gradient recalled (SPGR) echo images, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements, MR spectroscopy and a fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence. The SPGR and ADC data were analyzed with SPM99. ANCOVA and regression models were used for a region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of ADC and metabolic ratios. CJD patients had a decreased fraction of gray matter and an increased fraction of cerebrospinal fluid (P=.001) in the cortex and cerebellum and increased ADC values in the cortex (P<.001). Focal decreases of ADC were found in the putamen via ROI analysis (548+/-83 vs. 709+/-9 microm(2)/s, P=.02). N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) was generally reduced, with the NAA/Cho ratio lowest in the cingulate gyrus. Qualitative assessment revealed hyperintensities on FLAIR, DWI or both in the putamen (three out of four patients), caudate (three out of four patients) and thalamus. These results provide a framework for future study of patients with genetically defined familial CJD.

Brain↗
PubMed2002

A neutral beta-D-glucan from dates of the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L.

Polysaccharides extracted from Libyan dates with hot water and 0.05 M NaOH were fractionated and purified by ion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. According to the methylation and hydrolysis analyses, the results indicate the D-glucan to be linear and to contain both (1-->3)- and (1-->4)-linkages. The anomeric NMR measurements confirm that the sugar residues are beta-glycosidically linked. This is the first report on the isolation of a neutral beta-D-glucan from dates.

Arecaceae↗
PubMed2001

Sesquiterpene lactones from Smyrnium olusatrum.

Fruits of Smyrnium olusatrum afforded three sesquiterpene lactones, namely, 1beta,8beta-dihydroxyeudesman-3,7(11)-dien-8alpha,12-olide, 1beta,8beta-dihydroxyeudesman-4(15),7(11)-dien-8alpha,l2-olide, and 1beta,10alpha,4alpha,5beta-diepoxy-6beta-hydroxyglechoman-8alpha,12-olide. Four related known sesquiterpenes were also isolated and characterized. The structure elucidation of the isolated compounds was based primarily on 1D and 2D NMR analyses. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the extract and isolated compounds against P-388 mouse lymphoma cells will be also discussed.

Animals↗