Human Antibodies

Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder of haemoglobin causing myriad of pathology including anaemia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate some haematological parameters and trace elements of total of forty-five (45) children with Sickle cell disease attending Specialist Hospital Sokoto.

Twenty-five (25) apparently healthy children which were assessed as controls. The haematological parameters were determined using automated method and trace elements (copper and selenium) were determined using colorimetric and atomic absorption spectrophotometry method respectively.

The Mean WBC and PLT was significantly higher among sickle cell disease subjects when compared to controls individuals ( p < 0.05). The Mean RBC, HCT, HGB, MCV, MCH and MCHC was significantly lower among Sickle cell disease patients when compared to controls ( p < 0.05). The Mean Copper and Selenium value was significantly lower (40.4 ± 1.44 μ g/dl and 54.6 ± 1.60 ng/ml) among Sickle cell disease subjects compared to controls (75.6 ± 1.30 μ g/dl and 86.3 ± 2.30 ng/ml) ( p < 0.05). The WBC, HGB, HGT and Copper values of Sickle cell disease subjects shows a weak positive put non-statistically significant correlation with age ( p > 0.05). The RBC, MCV, MCH, MCHC, PLT, and Selenium values of sickle cell disease patients shows a negative non-statistically significant correlation indicating that the selenium level decreases as the age increases ( p < 0.05).

This study shows that the WBC and platelet count was significantly higher among sickle cell disease subjects compared to controls. The RBC, HCT, HGB, MCV, MCH and MCHC were significantly lower among sickle cell disease patients compared to controls. The serum copper and selenium levels were significantly lower among sickle cell subjects compared to controls. We recommend that trace elements (copper and selenium) and haematological parameters be monitored routinely among sickle cell disease children to optimize the care offered to these individuals.

Pneumococcal infections are a leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, complicated by the increasing antimicrobial resistance of pneumococcal isolates.

To evaluate morbidity and mortality associated with both invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and non-IPD in Jamaica in both the paediatric and adult population. Pneumococcal isolates ( n = 94) were collected over a 2-year period (2008–2009).

Risk factors for poor clinical outcomes: death, complicated disease and length of hospitalization (LOH) were evaluated and antimicrobial resistance patterns were determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion.

The case fatality rate was 6.8%. Independent mortality risk factors included complicated disease [OR 30.9 (3.4–276.6)] and diabetes mellitus [OR 8.3 (1.4–48.8)]. Independent risk factors for the development of complicated disease included sickle cell disease [OR 36.5 (4.2–320.3)] and sepsis [OR 3.5 (1.2–10.4)]. The LOH was increased most in patients with invasive disease (4.6-fold) and resistance to ceftriaxone (4.3-fold). Penicillin (16.0%) and erythromycin (14.9%) resistance was most prevalent, while ceftriaxone (4.3%) resistance was least prevalent.

The high burden of IPD in at-risk groups in our population and the associated increase in morbidity and mortality underlie the need for improved preventive and therapeutic management strategies in these patients.

To evaluate the management and the pregnancy outcomes of patients positive for anti-smooth muscle antibody (ASMA).

We retrospectively evaluated the pregnancy outcomes of the patients with ASMA positivity compared to patients without any known autoantibody positivity and/or autoimmune diseases. We have also evaluated the obstetric outcomes of the patients with ASMA positivity in terms of existence of MTHFR polymorphisms, other hereditery thrombophilias and other autoantibody positivities.

In this study, 40 ASMA positive patient were evaluated and compared with 80 control cases. Gestational week at delivery, birthweight and APGAR scores for the 1st, 5th, 10th were significantly lower at patients with ASMA positivity ( p < 0.01; p < 0.01; p < 0.01; p < 0.01; p : 0.030 respectively). Further analysis regarding to existence of additional risk factors revealed no significant difference between each pair of groups in terms of any obstetric outcome.

ASMA positivity may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Several recent studies have assessed suitability of tumor antigens for immunotherapy. Based on the restricted expression pattern in somatic tissues, cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) are possible candidates for cancer immunotherapy. These antigens are expressed in various tumors including gastrointestinal, breast, skin and hematologic malignancies.

To find clinical trials utilizing CTAs in cancer patients.

We searched PubMed, google scholar and specific websites that registers clinical trials.

A number of clinical trials have been designed to evaluate safety and efficacy of CTA-based treatments. The results of some of them have been promising. In the current literature search, we summarized the clinical trials of CTA-based therapies in cancer patients.

Based on the availability of different formulations of CTA-based vaccines, future researches should compare efficiency of these modalities.

Although HCV is one of the major health problems worldwide with the highest prevalence of genotype 4a in Egypt, it is poorly understood because of the limitations of having a robust in vitro model that allows the investigation and understanding of viral pathogenesis and life cycle. Genomic replicons for HCV are widely used and proved to have strong replication efficiency in cell culture, however, they are not able to produce infectious particles to enable the investigation of the whole viral life cycle and they mostly represent few sub-genomic classes for HCV. Hence, Genotype specific replication system is necessary to address specific sub-genomic phenotypes related to Hepatitis C pathogenicity.

In this study we attempt to develop a sustainable co-culture model, which potentially provides essential route of infection for HCV by using HCV-positive sera from infected patients. In this novel in vitro model, we tested the viral replication in co-cultured Huh 7.5 and HepG2 cells in order to sustain full viral replication cycle. We used high viral load serum of HCV-infected patients (10 × 10 6 to 20 × 10 6 IU/ml) as a source for HCV particles to infect co-cultured cells for 7 days.

: Viral replication capacity was increased 3–5 folds in the coculture condition compared to the individual cell lines, which indicates an improvement to viral infectivity in vitro.

: This novel coculture system represents a new in vitro model that will help study the underlying mechanisms of HCV pathogenicity.

The Lewis (b) blood group antigen-Binding Adhesion2 (BabA2) has been reported to mediate the attachment of H. pylori to human.

assessment the diagnostic potential of detection of (BabA2) gene compared with immunostaining of Lewis (b) by specific mouse monoclonal antibodies in gastric biopsies from Egyptian Patients as a diagnostic maker for Helicobacter pylori infection.

Fifty untreated patients suffering from dyspeptic complaints were enrolled in this study and underwent for upper gastro-duodenal endoscopy. Biopsies were taken for histological examination by (H&E) and immunohistochemical analysis for Lewis b by specific mouse monoclonal antibodies, and scoring of Lewis b expression in gastric tissue biopsy as well as molecular detection of BabA2 gene of H. pylori by PCR. Biochemical analysis was performed to detect the presence of H. pylori urease activity using Rapid Urease Test (RUT).

: Out of 50 gastric biopsies, 41 biopsies were positive for histological, Immunostaining for Lewis b expression and urease activity test (RUT) for H pylori. RUT showed a sensitivity of 87.8%, specificity 88.9%, positive predictive value (PPV) 97.2%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 61.5%. BabA2 gene results revealed that, out of 41 positive biopsied cases, 39 (95.1%) were positive by the PCR test for BabA2 gene. And all 9 negative biopsies (100%) for H pylori negative for BabA2gene so the sensitivity and specificity of BabA2 gene detection in gastric biopsies by PCR were 95.1% and 100%; respectively.

: BabA2 gene detection in gastric tissue biopsies could be suggested as a diagnostic biomarker to be included among the other biomarkers routinely performed for clinical diagnosis of H. pylori infection.