[Rare case of incomplete Shone syndrome in adult man with marfanoid morphotype]

Shone syndrome is a rare and complex congenital heart disease. It is characterized in its complete form, by a constellation of the four potentially obstructive lesions of the left heart side. Incomplete Shone's complex includes 2 or 3 of the characteristic lesions which, include a supravalvular mitral membrane, valvular mitral stenosis (MS) by a parachute mitral valve (PMV), subaortic stenosis and aortic coarctation (Coa). We describe here, the case of a 35-year-old man, hospitalized for chronic dyspnea and in whom, the diagnosis of incomplete Shone's complex is retained by echocardiographic analysis. Observed lesions include a parachute mitral valve responsible for mild regurgitation and moderate mitral stenosis, bicuspid aortic valve, and pseudo interruption of the aorta with dilatation of the ascending aorta and a patent ductus arteriosus. This case is the 2nd on 3942 patients in Drighil congenital heart disease registry.

Sustainable operations of a combined cycle power plant using artificial intelligence based power prediction

Combined Cycle Power Plants (CCPP) are an effective method for Power generation due to their high thermal efficiency, low fuel consumption, and low greenhouse emissions. However, investing millions into building a power plant without knowledge of the power generation capacity seems unproductive. With the help of AI, we have tried to eliminate this conundrum. The present study focuses on the prediction of power produced by a 747 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) using a Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) and compares its results with the actual data from CCPP. BPNN is a regression-based prediction technique that is utilized in this study to develop a predictive model and train it using the following input features: Ambient Temperature, Ambient Pressure, Mass Flow rate of fuel in Gas Turbine 1, and Mass Flow rate of fuel in Gas Turbine 2. The Predictive Model with 10 neurons in the hidden layer was found to be most effective with Mean Squared Error (MSE) value, for the validation dataset, of 0.0063237. CCPP is also analyzed through a thermodynamic model, developed using EES. A detailed energy analysis is carried out and the results were compared with predicted and actual data. It was found that the thermal efficiency and total power generation of actual, predicted, and simulated models were 27.541% & 667.32 MW, 28.238% & 683.48 MW and 28.201% & 683.16 MW, respectively. A parametric study was further carried out to investigate the significance of operating parameters on power output and it was concluded that the temperatures across the Gas turbines have a significant impact on the performance of CCPP. Finally, Methane was replaced by 3 different fuels, one by one, and the effect of each fuel was investigated thermodynamically. It was found that the Lower Heating Value (LHV) of fuel was an important parameter in achieving a higher power output. It can be summarized from this research work that predictive models do have accuracy and such data science techniques can be used as a substitute for extensive thermodynamic calculations.

Fault Classification for Cooling System of Hydraulic Machinery Using AI

Hydraulic systems are used in all kinds of industries. Mills, manufacturing, robotics, and Ports require the use of Hydraulic Equipment. Many industries prefer to use hydraulic systems due to their numerous advantages over electrical and mechanical systems. Hence, the growth in demand for hydraulic systems has been increasing over time. Due to its vast variety of applications, the faults in hydraulic systems can cause a breakdown. Using Artificial-Intelligence (AI)-based approaches, faults can be classified and predicted to avoid downtime and ensure sustainable operations. This research work proposes a novel approach for the classification of the cooling behavior of a hydraulic test rig. Three fault conditions for the cooling system of the hydraulic test rig were used. The spectrograms were generated using the time series data for three fault conditions. The CNN variant, the Residual Network, was used for the classification of the fault conditions. Various features were extracted from the data including the F-score, precision, accuracy, and recall using a Confusion Matrix. The data contained 43,680 attributes and 2205 instances. After testing, validating, and training, the model accuracy of the ResNet-18 architecture was found to be close to 95%.

Predicting Multimorbidity Using Saudi Health Indicators (Sharik) Nationwide Data: Statistical and Machine Learning Approach

The Saudi population is at high risk of multimorbidity. The risk of these morbidities can be reduced by identifying common modifiable behavioural risk factors. This study uses statistical and machine learning methods to predict factors for multimorbidity in the Saudi population. Data from 23,098 Saudi residents were extracted from the "Sharik" Health Indicators Surveillance System 2021. Participants were asked about their demographics and health indicators. Binary logistic models were used to determine predictors of multimorbidity. A backpropagation neural network model was further run using the predictors from the logistic regression model. Accuracy measures were checked using training, validation, and testing data. Females and smokers had the highest likelihood of experiencing multimorbidity. Age and fruit consumption also played a significant role in predicting multimorbidity. Regarding model accuracy, both logistic regression and backpropagation algorithms yielded comparable outcomes. The backpropagation method (accuracy 80.7%) was more accurate than the logistic regression model (77%). Machine learning algorithms can be used to predict multimorbidity among adults, particularly in the Middle East region. Different testing methods later validated the common predicting factors identified in this study. These factors are helpful and can be translated by policymakers to consider improvements in the public health domain.

Effect of Material Change on Stirnol Engine: A Combination of NiTiNOL (Shape Memory Alloy) and Gamma Stirling Engine

Population explosion, industrialization, and urbanization have accelerated energy requirements across the globe. This has led to the human quest to find simple and cost-effective energy solutions. A promising solution is the revival of the Stirling engine with the addition of Shape Memory Alloy NiTiNOL in it. The experimental results reveal that the addition of a NiTiNOL spring at the base plate of the Stirling engine enhances the overall efficiency of the engine, demonstrating some impact of the shape memory alloy toward the performance output of the Stirling engine. The newly modified engine has been named the STIRNOL ENGINE. The comparative study of Stirling and Stirnol engines reveals a minuscule efficiency improvement, yet there is a furtherance that opens a window for future researchers to get a lead and venture into this new field. We are confident that with more complex designs and better Stirling and NiTiNOL combinations, more efficient engines can be invented in the future. This research focuses on changing the material of the base plate of the Stirnol engine and ascertaining its performance differential through the integration of the NiTiNOL spring. A minimum of four types of materials are utilized for experimentation.

Clean Energy Based Multigeneration System for Sustainable Cities: Thermodynamic, and Stability Analyses

This paper concerns the development and analysis of multigeneration systems based on hybrid sources such as biomass and wind. Industry requires different types of sources to provide several outputs, so the goal of this research was to fulfill the industrial requirement with optimization. The multigeneration cycle supplies enough power to satiate energy demands, i.e., power, cooling, hydrogen, air conditioning, freshwater, hot water, and heating. For this, the multigeneration cycle was modeled in the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) and Simulink to obtain optimized results for the industry. Energy and exergy for the multigeneration cycle were determined to assess the performance of the cycle and to investigate the optimized results for the overall system. This study shows that for configuration selection and design, different thermodynamic, economic, and environmental aspects should be considered. Based on the results, the selection of the best location for this multigeneration system was made. Power output from the wind turbine was around 7 MW and from biogas 0.6 MW. The overall exergy efficiency of the multigeneration system was found to be 0.1401.

Tool Health Monitoring of a Milling Process Using Acoustic Emissions and a ResNet Deep Learning Model

In the industrial sector, tool health monitoring has taken on significant importance due to its ability to save labor costs, time, and waste. The approach used in this research uses spectrograms of airborne acoustic emission data and a convolutional neural network variation called the Residual Network to monitor the tool health of an end-milling machine. The dataset was created using three different types of cutting tools: new, moderately used, and worn out. For various cut depths, the acoustic emission signals generated by these tools were recorded. The cuts ranged from 1 mm to 3 mm in depth. In the experiment, two distinct kinds of wood-hardwood (Pine) and softwood (Himalayan Spruce)-were employed. For each example, 28 samples totaling 10 s were captured. The trained model's prediction accuracy was evaluated using 710 samples, and the results showed an overall classification accuracy of 99.7%. The model's total testing accuracy was 100% for classifying hardwood and 99.5% for classifying softwood.

Prospective observational study of clinical outcomes in using posterior interosseous free flap for finger defects

Finger injuries are common in hand and plastic surgery practice. There are various options for reconstructing finger defects. Moderate sized skin defects of the fingers which need flaps are commonly covered using various abdominal flaps. These conventional workhorse flaps are thick, need two-staged procedures and require the hand to be kept in a cumbersome position. The radial artery or the ulnar artery flap need sacrifice a major vessel. To address the above, we have used the posterior interosseous artery free flap to cover finger defects. This was a prospective observational clinical study done on 15 patients admitted to a tertiary level hospital from July 2017 to July 2021. These patients had accidental industrial injuries with a loss of soft tissue on the fingers. There were finger fractures in 6 cases. These patients underwent posterior interosseous artery free flap cover. The flap size ranged from 6 × 3 cm to 10 × 4 cm. We had to cover the donor defects with skin graft in all our cases. Fourteen out of 15 flaps survived, with loss of one flap due to venous congestion. The mean two-point discrimination was 7.8 mm, with a total active motion percentage of more than 70% in 11 out of 15 cases. The posterior interosseous artery flap is a thin and pliable one stage flap, and may not need further flap thinning either, thereby establishing itself as a single stage procedure and moreover not requiring sacrifice a major vessel.

Anesthetic management for lobectomy of a 2-month-old infant with bronchogenic cyst: Case report along with review of literature

Bronchogenic cyst, a benign congenital cystic lesion of the lung, is a rare cause of respiratory distress in children comprising 7.5% of all mediastinal masses. A thorough preoperative evaluation is crucial to plan for definitive intra- and post-operative management. All patients should be thoroughly evaluated for the presence of compression, deviation or distortion of airways and great veins. The easiest means of providing one lung ventilation in pediatrics is to intubate the main stem bronchus of the nonoperated lung. Other options available for pediatric one lung ventilation are single lumen endobronchial tubes, micro cuff tubes, Marraro bilumen tubes, and bronchial blockers. We hereby present a case report of a 2-month-old infant posted for excision of bronchogenic cyst along with a review of literature.

Calcium Carbonate Scale Formation, Prediction and Treatment (Case Study Gumry Oilfield-PDOC)

In this study the predictions and probabilities of calcium carbonate scale formation and corrosion occurrence inside Gumry Field Process Facilities (GFPF) and produced water injection process units (PWTP) was carried out. This was done calculating the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI), Ryznar Stability Index (RSI), Puckorius Scaling Index (PSI). The samples results for LSI index and PSI index were compared and found that all samples under threaten of calcium carbonate scale. The samples results for RSI index and found that all samples under formation of heavy calcium carbonate scale. Special excel computer program was designed to calculate the (LSI, RSI, PSI). The scale was cleaned and removed by 10% diluted hydrochloric acid and commercial scale inhibitor.

Importance of peak PRA in predicting the kidney transplant survival in highly sensitized patients

Do patients with high historic peak panel-reactive antibodies (PRA) remain high risk if their PRA levels fall before transplantation? We examined retrospectively 406 first and repeat kidney recipients with a peak PRA of >50%, who were transplanted from our center between January 1990 and December 2001. Univariate analysis by log-rank test was performed for variables that affect graft survival. The factors tested included current PRA, peak PRA, difference between peak and current PRA (DeltaPRA), HLA mismatch, gender, age, transplant number, and donor source. Receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC) were generated to obtain the best cutpoints for current PRA and DeltaPRA. Current PRA (P < .0001), peak PRA (P = .0004), and DeltaPRA (P = .0015) were significant predictors by univariate analysis. However, in a multivariate model, peak PRA was not significant. Current PRA (P < .0001) was significantly associated with graft survival, while DeltaPRA showed a strong trend to significance (P = .05). Current PRA of <26% and DeltaPRA of >37% were the best cutpoints for separating good and poor outcomes. This study shows that current PRA and DeltaPRA impact on graft survival in highly sensitized (>50%) patients. Sensitized patients with peak PRA >50% who subsequently have a drop in PRA to <26% are at lower risk of graft loss than those with a persistently high PRA. A fall in peak PRA of >37% at the time of transplant appears to be of benefit only in those patients who achieve a current PRA of <26%.

Biologic variability of sperm DNA denaturation in infertile men

OBJECTIVES

To examine sperm DNA denaturation (DD) in fertile and infertile men and assess the variability of conventional semen parameters and sperm DD in repeated semen samples from infertile men.

METHODS

Twenty-one consecutive nonazoospermic, infertile men each submitted two semen samples, 2 to 6 weeks apart. We examined semen samples from consecutive fertile men (n = 10) presenting for vasectomy as controls. Standard semen parameters (World Health Organization criteria) and sperm chromatin structure (evaluated by flow cytometry analysis of acridine orange-treated spermatozoa and expressed as the percentage of spermatozoa with denatured DNA) were monitored.

RESULTS

Fertile men had a significantly higher sperm concentration and percentage of sperm motility and a significantly lower percentage of sperm with DD than did infertile men (36 +/- 5.2 x 10(6)/mL versus 12.5 +/- 2.2 x 10(6)/mL, 60.0% +/- 5.2% versus 30.1% +/- 4.1%, and 8.9% +/- 1.9% versus 20.3% +/- 2.5%, respectively, P <0.05). The sperm concentration, sperm motility, and percentage of spermatozoa with DD were not significantly different between the first and second semen samples from the infertile men. Sperm DD showed the lowest average within-subject coefficient of variation (SD/mean), followed by motility and concentration (coefficient of variation 21%, 24%, and 35%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate that infertile men have significantly higher sperm DD compared with fertile men and that sperm DD exhibits a low coefficient of variation ( approximately 20%) on repeated assessment. These data suggest that sperm DD has a relatively low degree of biologic variability.

Remote village survey for agents causing hepatosplenic disease in the Republic of Yemen

The objective of this study was to epidemiologically describe potential infectious agents among rural people in the Republic of Yemen. This would aid clinicians in designing empirical therapy and public health officials in planning disease prevention. We sought to examine evidence for the geographical distribution of pathogens causing human hepatic and splenic disease among villagers and domestic animals living in three remote areas with differing altitudes. In June 1992, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at three survey sites of differing altitudes: 3080, 1440 and 250 m above sea level. Questionnaires, parasitic and serological tests were administered to 627 human volunteers. Additionally 317 domestic animals were studied. Malaria, schistosomiasis, and hepatitis B and C infections were found to be likely causes of human hepatic or splenic disease. Additionally, evidence of human and animal infections with the agents of brucellosis and Q fever was found: IgG antibodies against hepatitis E virus were discovered in two (2.0%) of the 100 volunteers. The prevalence of markers for human and animal disease was often lowest at the village of highest elevation, suggesting that increasing altitude, as a surrogate or a true independent risk factor, was protective against infection with the agents studied.

Phenotypic diversity of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains from a community-based study of pediatric diarrhea in periurban Egypt

No past studies of diarrhea in children of the Middle East have examined in detail the phenotypes of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains, which are important pathogens in this setting. During a prospective study conducted from November 1993 to September 1995 with 242 children under 3 years of age with diarrhea living near Alexandria, Egypt, 125 episodes of diarrhea were positive for ETEC. ETEC strains were available for 98 of these episodes, from which 100 ETEC strains were selected and characterized on the basis of enterotoxins, colonization factors (CFs), and O:H serotypes. Of these representative isolates, 57 produced heat-stable toxin (ST) only, 34 produced heat-labile toxin (LT) only, and 9 produced both LT and ST. Twenty-three ETEC strains expressed a CF, with the specific factors being CF antigen IV (CFA/IV; 10 of 23; 43%), CFA/II (5 of 23; 22%), CFA/I (3 of 23; 13%), PCFO166 (3 of 23; 13%), and CS7 (2 of 23; 9%). No ETEC strains appeared to express CFA/III, CS17, or PCFO159. Among the 100 ETEC strains, 47 O groups and 20 H groups were represented, with 59 O:H serotypes. The most common O serogroups were O159 (13 strains) and O43 (10 strains). O148 and O21 were each detected in five individual strains, O7 and O56 were each detected in four individual strains, O73, O20, O86, and O114 were each detected in three individual strains, and O23, O78, O91, O103, O128, and O132 were each detected in two individual strains. The most common H serogroups were H4 (16 strains), 12 of which were of serogroup O159; H2 (9 strains), all of which were O43; H18 (6 strains); H30 (6 strains); and H28 (5 strains); strains of the last three H serogroups were all O148. Cumulatively, our results suggest a high degree of clonal diversity of disease-associated ETEC strains in this region. As a low percentage of these strains expressed a CF, it remains possible that other adhesins for which we either did not assay or that are as yet undiscovered are prevalent in this region. Our findings point out some potential barriers to effective immunization against ETEC diarrhea in this population and emphasize the need to identify additional protective antigens commonly expressed by ETEC for inclusion in future vaccine candidates.

Characterization of an enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain from Africa expressing a putative colonization factor

An enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strain of serotype O114:H- that expressed both heat-labile and heat-stable enterotoxins and tested negative for colonization factors (CF) was isolated from a child with diarrhea in Egypt. This strain, WS0115A, induced hemagglutination of bovine erythrocytes and adhered to the enterocyte-like cell line Caco-2, suggesting that it may elaborate novel fimbriae. Surface-expressed antigen purified by differential ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatography yielded a single protein band with M(r) 14,800 when resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (16% polyacrylamide). A monoclonal antibody against this putative fimbrial antigen was generated and reacted with strain WS0115A and also with CS1-, CS17-, and CS19-positive strains in a dot blot assay. Reactivity was temperature dependent, with cells displaying reactivity when grown at 37 degrees C but not when grown at 22 degrees C. Immunoblot analysis of a fimbrial preparation from strain WS0115A showed that the monoclonal antibody reacted with a single protein band. Electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy revealed fimbria-like structures on the surface of strain WS0115A. These structures were rigid and measured 6.8 to 7.4 nm in diameter. Electrospray mass-spectrometric analysis showed that the mass of the purified fimbria was 14,965 Da. The N-terminal sequence of the fimbria established that it was a member of the CFA/I family, with sequence identity to the amino terminus of CS19, a new CF recently identified in India. Cumulatively, our results suggest that this fimbria is CS19. Screening of a collection of ETEC strains isolated from children with diarrhea in Egypt found that 4.2% of strains originally reported as CF negative were positive for this CF, suggesting that it is biologically relevant in the pathogenesis of ETEC.

Antiproliferative effect of elevated glucose in human microvascular endothelial cells

Diabetic microangiopathy has been implicated as a fundamental feature of the pathological complications of diabetes including retinopathy, neuropathy, and diabetic foot ulceration. However, previous studies devoted to examining the deleterious effects of elevated glucose on the endothelium have been performed largely in primary cultured cells of macrovessel origin. Difficulty in the harvesting and maintenance of microvascular endothelial cells in culture have hindered the study of this relevant population. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the effect of elevated glucose on the proliferation and involved signaling pathways of an immortalized human dermal microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC-1) that possess similar characteristics to their in vivo counterparts. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were grown in the presence of normal (5 mM) or high D-glucose (20 mM) for 14 days. The proliferative response of HMEC-1 was compared under these conditions as well as the cAMP and PKC pathways by in vitro assays. Elevated glucose significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) HMEC-1 proliferation after 7, 10, and 14 days. This effect was not mimicked by 20 mM mannitol. The antiproliferative effect was more pronounced with longer exposure (1-14 days) to elevated glucose and was irreversible 4 days after a 10-day exposure. The antiproliferative effect was partially reversed in the presence of a PKA inhibitor, Rp-cAMP (10-50 microM), and/or a PKC inhibitor, Calphostin C (10 nM). HMEC-1 exposed to elevated glucose (20 mM) for 14 days caused an increase in cyclic AMP accumulation, PKA, and PKC activity but was not associated with the activation of downstream events such as CRE and AP-1 binding activity. These data support the hypothesis that HMEC-1 is a suitable model to study the deleterious effects of elevated glucose on microvascular endothelial cells. Continued studies with HMEC-1 may prove advantageous in delineation of the molecular pathophysiology associated with diabetic microangiopathy.

Strain activation of bovine aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation and alignment: study of strain dependency and the role of protein kinase A and C signaling pathways

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype can be altered by physical forces as demonstrated by cyclic strain-induced changes in proliferation, orientation, and secretion of macromolecules. However, the magnitude of strain required and the intracellular coupling pathways remain ill defined. To examine the strain requirements for SMC proliferation, we selectively seeded bovine aortic SMC either on the center or periphery of silastic membranes which were deformed with 150 mm Hg vacuum (0-7% center; 7-24% periphery). SMC located in either the center or peripheral regions showed enhanced proliferation compared to cells grown under the absence of cyclic strain. Moreover, SMC located in the center region demonstrated significantly (P < 0.005) greater proliferation as compared to those in the periphery. In contrast, SMC exposed to high strain (7-24%) demonstrated alignment perpendicular to the strain gradient, whereas SMC in the center (0-7%) remained aligned randomly. To determine the mechanisms of these phenomena, we examined the effect of cyclic strain on bovine aortic SMC signaling pathways. We observed strain-induced stimulation of the cyclic AMP pathway including adenylate cyclase activity and cyclic AMP accumulation. In addition, exposure of SMC to cyclic strain caused a significant increase in protein kinase C (PKC) activity and enzyme translocation from the cytosol to a particulate fraction. Further study was conducted to examine the effect of strain magnitude on signaling, particularly protein kinase A (PKA) activity as well as cAMP response element (CRE) binding protein levels. We observed significantly (P < 0.05) greater PKA activity and CRE binding protein levels in SMC located in the center as compared to the peripheral region. However, inhibition of PKA (with 10 microM Rp-cAMP) or PKC (with 5-20 ng/ml staurosporine) failed to alter either the strain-induced increase in SMC proliferation or alignment. These data characterize the strain determinants for activation of SMC proliferation and alignment. Although strain activated both the AC/cAMP/PKA and the PKC pathways in SMC, singular inhibition of PKA and PKC failed to prevent strain-induced alignment and proliferation, suggesting either their lack of involvement or the multifactorial nature of these responses.

Activation of the adenylyl cyclase/cyclic AMP/protein kinase A pathway in endothelial cells exposed to cyclic strain

The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of the adenylyl cyclase/cyclic AMP/protein kinase A pathway (AC) in endothelial cells (EC) exposed to different levels of mechanical strain. Bovine aortic EC were seeded to confluence on flexible membrane-bottom wells. The membranes were deformed with either 150 mm Hg (average 10% strain) or 37.5 mm Hg (average 6% strain) vacuum at 60 cycles per minute (0.5 s strain; 0.5 s relaxation) for 0-60 min. The results demonstrate that at 10% average strain (but not 6% average strain) there was a 1.5- to 2.2-fold increase in AC, cAMP, and PKA activity by 15 min when compared to unstretched controls. Further studies revealed an increase in cAMP response element binding protein in EC subjected to the 10% average strain (but not 6% average strain). These data support the hypothesis that cyclic strain activates the AC/cAMP/PKA signal transduction pathway in EC which may occur by exceeding a strain threshold and suggest that cyclic strain may stimulate the expression of genes containing cAMP-responsive promoter elements.

Front-line management of pulmonary tuberculosis: an analysis of tuberculosis and treatment practices in urban Sindh, Pakistan

SETTING

Karachi and Hyderabad, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the level and quality of tuberculosis (TB) case management by non-TB control program (TCP) physicians in urban Sindh, Pakistan.

DESIGN

We interviewed 152 adults with pulmonary TB confirmed by Karachi's TB control program regarding the initial management of their TB symptoms before entering the TCP. We also surveyed 65 general practitioners (GPs) attending continuing education seminars with a multiple choice test to assess their management of suspected pulmonary TB. We compared both results to guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD).

RESULTS

Eighty percent (122/152) of patients first sought GPs. Only 14% of GPs performed any sputum test. At most, 17 (40%) of the 42 patients recalling their GP's treatment, received the recommended 4-drug regimen. However, 68% (45/65) of surveyed GPs chose correct treatment from a multiple choice format. But their initial laboratory investigations, follow-up, and treatment cessation criteria (9%, 9-31%, and 11% correct, respectively) demonstrated under-utilization of sputum tests and over-reliance on unhelpful tests.

CONCLUSIONS

GPs first saw most of these TCP patients, but their weak management likely hinders TB control. A partnership between TB control programs and GPs could improve case management and hasten TB control.

Direct and indirect diagnosis of strongyloidiasis

Stool examination of 196 subjects from Sharkia Governorate was done by the use of direct smear, Zinc sulphate centrifugal floatation method and stool culture. Serological diagnosis by ELISA was done. Stool culture was the most sensitive method for diagnosing Strongyloidiasis. However, ELISA could be of great value in epidemiological studies and follow up.

Comparison between parasitological and serological techniques in assessment of schistosomiasis prevalence

The prevalence of schistosomiasis serologically based on detection of anti-soluble egg antigen (SEA)--IgM and/or IgG by ELISA technique was 68% of 380 cases, and 52.7% of 148 cases by stool examination. The serological technique seems to be more sensitive and able to detect early infection as well as detection of ectopic infection.

Modulation of cell-mediated immunity in mice with chronic unisexual or bisexual Schistosoma mansoni cercarial infection

Three groups of C57BL/6J female mice were infected with female Schistosoma mansoni cercariae alone, male cercariae alone, or both sexes of cercariae. In a longitudinal study, the spleen cell proliferative responses to the mitogens phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were monitored. Significant immune suppression was found in the three infected groups when compared with uninfected controls. Within the infected groups, mice inoculated with both sexes of cercariae were significantly more suppressed than those with single-sex cercarial infection. Thus, in addition to schistosome eggs, either sex of S. mansoni worms is capable, although to a lesser extent, of inducing hyporesponsiveness of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in chronic schistosomiasis mansoni.