Reversibility of minimal hepatic encephalopathy following liver transplantation in Egyptian cirrhotic patients.

AIM: To evaluate the reversibility of minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) following liver transplantation (LT) in Egyptian cirrhotic patients. METHODS: This prospective study included twenty patients with biopsy-proven liver cirrhosis listed for LT and twenty age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. All underwent neuro-psychiatric examination, laboratory investigations, radiological studies and psychometric tests including trail making test A (TMT A), TMT B, digit symbol test and serial dotting test. The psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) was calculated for patients to diagnose MHE. Psychometric tests were repeated six months following LT in the cirrhotic patient group. RESULTS: Before LT, psychometric tests showed highly significant deficits in cirrhotic patients in comparison to controls (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant improvement in test values in the patient group after LT; however, their values were still significantly worse than those of the controls (P < 0.001). The PHES detected MHE in 16 patients (80%) before LT with a median value of -7 ± 3.5. The median PHES value was significantly improved following LT, reaching -4.5 ± 5 (P < 0.001), and the number of patients with MHE decreased to 11 (55%). The pre-transplant model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score ≥ 15 was significantly related to the presence of post-transplant MHE (P = 0.005). More patients in whom reversal of MHE was observed had a pre-transplant MELD score < 15. CONCLUSION: Reversal of MHE in cirrhotic patients could be achieved by LT, especially in those with a MELD score < 15.

VALUE OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TN-ALPHA) FOR RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS.

Meningitis is common in tropical areas and also in Egypt and has a world-wide distribution. This study evaluated the potential role of CSF TNF alpha in diagnosis and differenfial diagnosis of acute meningitis (bacterial versus asepic meningitis). This case-control study was conducted between Ain Shams University Tropical Medicine Department and Embaba Fever Hospital. Fifty patients with suspected meningitis were recruited during from January 2014 to June 2014. They were divided according to culture results into 2 groups: GI: 40 patients with acute bacteria men ingitis (proved by CSF culture), G2: 10 patients matched according to age and sex with clinical sings of CNS infection but without laboratory evidence of bacterial origin, (Suspected cases, and negative culture). Both groups were subjected to thorough history taking, full clinical examination, and laboratory invistigations including CSF analysis & CS TNF was measured by ELISA. The results showed a highly significantdifference between cases and control reading CSF TNF (P=0.00). The criteria's of diagnostic validity test as 100% for all at cutoff > or = 275 ng/ml and < or = 700 ng/ml with 100% specificity and sensitivity. A significant correlation between CSF-TNF and each of ESR (P=003) & CSF cells (P=0.015), without significant correlation regarding other parameters (P>0.05).