Yaws eradication campaign in Nsukka Division,Eastern Nigeria

Nsukka Division in Eastern Nigeria was chosen as the starting point for a yaws eradication campaign undertaken by the Government assisted by WHO and UNICEF. Yaws was found to be hyper-endemic, and a policy of total mass treatment was therefore adopted. The objectives of the campaign, the field organization and methods of operation, and the clinical findings and treatment schedules used are described.     

Frequency and Clinical Manifestations of Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders in Iran: Update from the Iranian Primary Immunodeficiency Registry

Primary immunodeficiency disorders (PID) are a heterogeneous group of diseases, characterized by an increased susceptibility to infections. A total of 930 patients (573 males and 357 females) are registered in Iranian PID Registry (IPIDR) during three decades. Predominantly antibody deficiencies were the most common (38.4%), followed by congenital defects of phagocyte number and/or function (28.3%), other well-defined immunodeficiency syndromes (17.7%), combined T- and B-cell immunodeficiencies (11.0%), complement deficiencies (2.4%), and diseases of immune dysregulation (2.3%). Common variable immunodeficiency was the most frequent disorder (20.8%), followed by chronic granulomatous disease, ataxia-telangiectasia, btk deficiency, selective IgA deficiency, and T-B-severe combined immunodeficiency. The frequency of other PID disorders was less than 50 in number (<5%). There is an increasing trend in recognition of more PID in the recent years. Construction of such registry is not only important for its epidemiological aspect but also for its role in increasing the physician's knowledge about such disorders.     

Langerhans cell histiocytosis manifesting as recurrent simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax in early infancy

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder characterized by infiltration of either single or multiple organs by a distinct cell type that is S-100 and CD1a positive and contains ultrastructural Birbeck granules on electron microscopy. Historically, LCH included four main clinical forms: Letter-Siwe disease, Hand-Schuller-Christian disease, eosinophilic granuloma (together grouped as histiocytosis) and Hashimoto-Pritzker disease. The writing group of the Histiocytotic Society in 1987 proposed the uniform term of 'Langerhans cell histiocytosis' to encompass all the aforementioned eponymous forms. Lung involvement occurs in up to half of all children with multisystem disease and usually parallels overall disease activity. Spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) occurs in approximately 10% of children with pulmonary disease and may be a fatal complication. Patients with pulmonary LCH are likely predisposed to the development of pneumothorax based on destructive changes in the lung parenchyma. Here, we report a case of multisystem LCH in which the patient presented at 2 months of age because of simultaneous bilateral pneumothorax.     

Apoptosis in prostate cancer: Bax correlation with stage

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of apoptosis may contribute to the process of prostate tumorigenesis by reducing the rate of cell death. Bcl-2 and bax are important molecules involved in the regulation of apoptosis. The aim of the present study is to examine apoptosis and related regulatory molecular markers in a group of Iranian patients with prostate cancer. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissues from 50 patients of prostate carcinoma were examined for the expression of bcl-2 antiapoptotic and bax proapoptotic markers and also proliferation marker, Ki-67, by immunohistochemistry. Detection of apoptotic cells was performed using TUNEL method. Correlation between apoptotic index, proliferation index and bcl-2 and bax expression with stage, pathological grade and Gleason score was determined. RESULTS: Apoptosis was detected in 12% of prostate cancers. No correlation was observed between apoptosis and differentiation status of carcinoma. Bcl-2 expression was detected in 21 of samples. A significant correlation between bcl-2 expression and Ki-67 staining index (r = 0.349, P = 0.012) was observed. High bax protein expression was shown in our study. We found a significant correlation between bax expression and stage of carcinoma (r = 0.388, P = 0.031), but not with the apoptosis index, suggesting the presence of a non-functional bax protein or the role of other proapoptotic molecules. CONCLUSION: The patients in the present study showed a different pattern of apoptosis positivity compared to other reports. Bax expression may be a useful marker for prognosis of prostate cancer.     

Suppression of human papillomavirus type 16 E5 oncoprotein: A promising step in fostering the treatment of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is a growing global disease in developing countries. Persistent infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV) is an essential causative agent in this type of cancer. Several studies demonstrate HPV E5 oncoprotein can impress the normal life cycle of HPV-infected cells by targeting some pivotal cellular signaling pathways, such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway. In this study, we used E5-siRNA to knockdown that essential oncogene and considered the effect of E5 silencing on proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, apoptosis-related gene expression, and the initiator of the EGFR signaling pathway in cervical cancer cells. The results demonstrate that E5 plays an essential role in the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in cervical cancer. Furthermore, silencing E5 reduces proliferation, increases apoptosis, and elevates related-genes expression of these malignant cells. Overall, E5 suppression may be appropriate for ameliorating cervical cancer progression.