Elevated serum neutrophil elastase is related to prehypertension and airflow limitation in obese women

Background  

Neutrophil elastase level/activity is elevated in a variety of diseases such as atherosclerosis, systolic hypertension and obstructive pulmonary disease. It is unknown whether obese individuals with prehypertension also have elevated neutrophil elastase, and if so, whether it has a deleterious effect on pulmonary function. Objectives: To determine neutrophil elastase levels in obese prehypertensive women and investigate correlations with pulmonary function tests.     

Can rheumatoid arthritis affect sleep in Egyptian patients?

Aim of the work

To investigate sleep problems in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to correlate sleep scores with disease characteristics and activity.

Characteristics,evolution, and outcome of patients with non-infectious uveitis referred for rheumatologic assessment and management: an Egyptian multicenter retrospective study

Clinical Rheumatology - To investigate the characteristics, evolution, and visual outcome of non-infectious uveitis. Records of 201 patients with non-infectious uveitis (136 (67.7%) males and 84...     

Efficacy of ultrasonography-guided intra-articular steroid injection of the shoulder and excercising in patients with adhesive capsulitis: Glenohumeral versus subacromial approaches

Aim of the work

To evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular steroid injection of the shoulder joint with exercises in the management of patients with adhesive capsulitis and to compare glenohumeral (GH) versus subacromial subdeltoid (SASD) ultrasound-guided approaches.

Case of acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with t(14;18)/BCL2, t(8;14)/cMYC, and t(1;2)/FCGR2B

The majority of follicular lymphoma and Burkitt's lymphoma are associated with reciprocal translocations involving BCL2 and cMYC, respectively. Unusual reports of aggressive lymphoma presenting with both translocations have been described as well as rare cases with a third structural alteration usually involving BCL6. The patient described here presented with aggressive high-grade lymphocytic leukemia, FAB subtype L2 (ALL-L2), and three reciprocal translocations, t(14;18)(q32;q21), t(8;14)(q24.1;q32), and t(1;2) (q22-23;p13). Despite immature morphology the leukemic blasts had a mature B-cell phenotype; they were positive for surface immunoglobulin heavy chains and negative for CD34, TdT, and CD10. Most reported dual t(14;18)/t(8;14) cases have not shown sIg and were positive for CD10. Molecular genetic analyses showed the typical rearrangements of BCL2 and cMYC as well as the FCGR2B gene on chromosome 1q23. The occurrence of a third oncogene rearrangement in association with the dual BCL2, cMYC translocations in ALL patients is very rare. To our knowledge, this is the first case where the third hit involves the FCGR2B locus. This report reiterates the poor prognosis associated with activation of cMYC together with elevated Bcl-2 expression. These data also support recent evidence that dysregulation of FCGR2B may play a role in tumor progression.     

Psychiatric and functional neuroimaging abnormalities in chronic hepatitis C virus patients: Is vasculitis a contributing factor?

Background and study aims

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has different facets such as anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment and vasculitis. We were interested in detecting subclinical CNS involvement in chronic HCV infected subjects with and without systemic vasculitis.

Detection of Chikungunya virus in Aedes aegypti during 2011 outbreak in Al Hodayda, Yemen

In October 2010, the Ministry of Public Health and Population reported an outbreak of dengue-like acute febrile illness in Al Hodayda governorate. By January 2011, a total of 1542 cases had been recorded from 19 of the 26 districts in the governorate with 104 purportedly associated deaths. In response this event, in January 2011 entomological investigations aimed at identifying the primary vector and the epidemic associated etiological agent were carried out. Based on the reported cases and the progress of the outbreak in the governorate, mosquito collection was undertaken in two of the most recent outbreak areas; Al Khokha district (130 km south of Al Hodayda) and Al Muneera district (100 km north). Mosquito adults were collected from houses using BG-sentinel? traps, aspiration of resting mosquitoes and knock-down spraying. Indoor and outdoor containers adjacent to the houses were inspected for larvae. Subsequently mosquito pools were analyzed by RT-PCR for detection of the four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4), and for Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Aedes aegypti was the dominant mosquito species collected. Four pools represent 40% of the tested pools, all containing adult female Ae. aegypti, were positive for CHIKV. Three CHIKV isolates were obtained from the RNA positive mosquito pools and identified by rRT-PCR. This finding marks the first record of CHIKV isolated from Ae. aegypti in Yemen. The larval container and Breteau indices in the visited localities surveyed were estimated at 53.8 and 100, respectively. The emergence of this unprecedented CHIKV epidemic in Al Hodayda is adding up another arboviral burden to the already existing vector-borne diseases. Considering the governorate as one focal port in the Red Sea region, the spread of the disease to other areas in Yemen and in neighboring countries is anticipated. Public health education and simple measures to detect and prevent mosquito breeding in water storage containers could prevent and reduce the spread of mosquito-borne viruses like CHIKV and DENV in Yemen.