Characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus in a sample of the Egyptian population: a retrospective cohort of 1109 patients from a single center.

Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease that can vary among different ethnic and racial groups. Objective The objective of this paper is to study the prevalence of various manifestations of SLE in a sample of the Egyptian population. Patients and methods Information in this study was derived from the medical records of SLE patients who sought medical advice at a private clinic in Cairo from January 1980 to June 2016. Results This study included 1109 SLE patients, of whom 114 (10.3%) were males and 995 were females (89.7%). Mean age of onset was 25.89 ± 10.81 years, while the median of disease duration from the onset of the disease till the last recorded visit was 26 months. The most common cumulative manifestations were arthritis (76.7%), malar rash (48.5%), leukopenia (45.7%), and photosensitivity (45.6%). A total of 33.1% of the patients had nephritis, and neuropsychiatric lupus was present in 6.4% of the patients. Secondary antiphospholipid syndrome was present in 11.5% of the patients. Antinuclear antibody and anti-double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid were present in 1060/1094 (96.9%) and 842/1062 (79.3%) of the patients, respectively. Antiphospholipid antibodies were present in 266/636 (41.8%) of the patients, anti-Smith in 54/240 (22.5%), anti-SSA/Ro in 61/229 (20.4%), and anti-SSB/La in 32/277 (11.6%) of the patients. Male patients had a statistically higher prevalence of nephritis ( p = 0.01), whereas arthritis and alopecia were statistically higher in females ( p = 0.012 and p = 0.006, respectively). Patients with juvenile onset had a statistically higher prevalence of nephritis and seizures ( p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively). Conclusions Arthritis and malar rash represented the most common clinical manifestations. Male and juvenile-onset patients had a predilection toward a more severe disease. These results are in agreement with many studies conducted in the Middle East and worldwide. On the other hand, major organ involvement was exceptionally low, which is contradictory to several reports from the Middle East and across the globe.

Batch bioethanol production via the biological and chemical saccharification of some Egyptian marine macroalgae.

AIMS: Marine seaweeds (macroalgae) cause an eutrophication problem and affects the touristic activities. The success of the production of the third-generation bioethanol from marine macroalgae depends mainly on the development of an ecofriendly and eco-feasible pretreatment (i.e. hydrolysis) technique, a highly effective saccharification step and finally an efficient bioethanol fermentation step. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potentiality of different marine macroalgal strains, collected from Egyptian coasts, for bioethanol production via different saccharification processes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Different marine macroalgal strains, red Jania rubens, green Ulva lactuca and brown Sargassum latifolium, have been collected from Egyptian Mediterranean and Red Sea shores. Different hydrolysis processes were evaluated to maximize the extraction of fermentable sugars; thermochemical hydrolysis with diluted acids (HCl and H2 SO4 ) and base (NaOH), hydrothermal hydrolysis followed by saccharification with different fungal strains and finally, thermochemical hydrolysis with diluted HCl, followed by fungal saccharification. The hydrothermal hydrolysis of S. latifolium followed by biological saccharification using Trichoderma asperellum RM1 produced maximum total sugars of 510 mg g-1 macroalgal biomass. The integration of the hydrothermal and fungal hydrolyses of the macroalgal biomass with a separate batch fermentation of the produced sugars using two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, produced approximately 0·29 g bioethanol g-1 total reducing sugars. A simulated regression modelling for the batch bioethanol fermentation was also performed. CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the possibility of using seaweeds as a renewable source of bioethanol throughout a suggested integration of macroalgal biomass hydrothermal and fungal hydrolyses with a separate batch bioethanol fermentation process of the produced sugars. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The usage of marine macroalgae (i.e. seaweeds) as feedstock for bioethanol; an alternative and/or complimentary to petro-fuel, would act as triple fact solution; bioremediation process for ecosystem, renewable energy source and economy savings.

Resveratrol ameliorates oxidative stress and organ dysfunction in Schistosoma mansoni infected mice.

Schistosoma mansoni causes a major chronic debilitating disease in more than 230 million people around the world. The pathognomonic granuloma is a major cause of the oxidative stress encountered as a consequence of infection not only in the liver, but also in other important organs as spleen, lung, brain and kidney. Resveratrol administration at a dose of 20 mg/kg once daily for two weeks to mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni resulted in improvement in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Enzymatic antioxidant profile showed significant modulations in Superoxide dismutase, catalase activities and reduced glutathione levels. Specific biomarkers for homeostasis of brain and lung i.e. Tau and RAGE respectively, showed significant improvement after resveratrol administration.

Development, preparation, and evaluation of a novel non-adjuvanted polyvalent dermatophytes vaccine.

Ringworm is a worldwide distributed contagious disease infecting both man and animals that constitute an economic, zoonotic, and health problem concern all over the world. During the last decade, attention has been directed to vaccination as an ideal approach to the control of such diseases. In the present study, non-adjuvanted polyvalent vaccines were prepared from locally isolated hot and virulent dermatophyte species, namely Trichophyton verrucosum (T. verrucosum), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (T. mentagrophytes), and Microsporum canis (M. canis) were immunologically evaluated. The prepared vaccine evaluation was focused on the aspects of immunogenicity and protective efficacy using guinea pigs. Both in its living or inactivated forms, the vaccine-induced significant humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and achieve proper protection of guinea pigs against challenging infections with homologous and heterologous dermatophyte strains. On the other hand, investigations on dermatophyte exo-keratinases showed that it was better produced and more expressed in a mineral-based medium containing pure keratin (3 g/L) than in the same medium with human hair supplementation (2.6 g/L). The maximum dermatophyte productivity of exo-keratinases was found to be between 18 and 21 days post-incubation. Using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), two fractions with molecular weights of 40 kDa (fraction I) and 28 kDa (fraction II) have been identified in the culture filtrate of the three involved dermatophyte species. Both fractions demonstrated keratinolytic activity. The specific activity of the isolated keratinases (number of Keratinase units (KU)/mg protein) was stronger in fraction I, where it reached 18.75, 15.38, and 14 KU/mg protein as compared to 12.9, 8.74, and 12 KU/mg protein in fraction II of T. verrucosum, T. mentagrophytes, and M. canis, respectively. The dermatophyte exo-keratinases proved to be immunogenic as they stimulated high keratinase-specific antibody titers and induced strong delayed skin hypersensitivity reactions in vaccinated animals. Anti-keratinase-specific IgG was detected in sera of guinea pigs immunized with the inactivated or living polyvalent dermatophyte vaccines by a homemade enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using dermatophyte exo-keratinases as coating antigen. The intradermal injection of dermatophyte exo-keratinases induced specific delayed skin reactions in guinea pigs immunized with the inactivated or the living polyvalent dermatophyte vaccines. The intradermal injection of dermatophyte exo-keratinases in the control non-sensitized guinea pigs was associated with itching, swelling, and bloody scar formation, however, no skin indurations were formed. The development of those post-exo-keratinases injection reactions in the control non-sensitized apparently healthy guinea pigs group, suggests an exo-keratinases possible role in the pathogenesis of dermatophytosis.

Sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir with or without ribavirin for treatment of chronic HCV genotype 4 patients: real-life experience.

INTRODUCTION: New regimens involving direct-acting antiviral agents have recently been approved for the treatment of HCV. Our aim was to assess the efficacy and safety of 12 or 24 weeks of Sofosbuvir 400 mg plus Daclatasvir 60 mg, with or without ribavirin (800-1000 mg) in treating chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 patients. METHODS: This is an open-label observational study that describes the effect of 12 week or 24 weeks of daily oral Sofosbuvir (SOF) 400 mg plus Daclatasvir (DCV) 60 mg with or without ribavirin (RBV) with dose adjustment if indicated. It included the first 1168 patients that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria and treated in the Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt. RESULTS: Sustained viral response after 12 weeks of end of treatment (SVR12) was achieved in 96.6% (95% CI 95.1-98.2%) of the patients receiving 12 weeks of DCV + SOF treatment, in 95.7% (95% CI 93.6-97.8%) of the patients receiving 12 weeks of DCV + SOF + RBV, in 93.3% (95% CI 90.0-96.6%) of those receiving 24 weeks of DCV + SOF, and in 92.2% (95% CI 85.4-98.9%) of patients receiving 24 weeks of DCV + SOF + RBV treatment. SVR12 rate was significantly higher in patients with no cirrhosis receiving DCV + SOF only for 12 weeks or 24 weeks (97.4 and 97.4%, respectively) than in patients with cirrhosis (91.7 and 88.9%, respectively). The most common adverse events were fatigue, headache, insomnia, and anemia. No treatment-related serious adverse events or death were reported in the studied groups. CONCLUSION: Treatment with SOF (400 mg) plus DCV (60 mg), with or without RBV (800-1000 mg) for 12 or 24 weeks, was effective and well tolerated in chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 patients. SVR rates were higher for patients with no cirrhosis. Addition of RBV has benefit only in treatment-experienced group receiving 24 weeks.

A simple bedside blood test (Fibrofast; FIB-5) is superior to FIB-4 index for the differentiation between non-significant and significant fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION: A simple non-invasive score (Fibrofast, FIB-5) was developed using five routine laboratory tests (ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, albumin and platelets count) for the detection of significant hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The FIB-4 index is a non-invasive test for the assessment of liver fibrosis, and a score of ≤1.45 enables the correct identification of patients who have non-significant (F0-1) from significant fibrosis (F2-4), and could avoid liver biopsy. The aim of this study was to compare the performance characteristics of FIB-5 and FIB-4 to differentiate between non-significant and significant fibrosis. METHOD: A cross-sectional study included 604 chronic HCV patients. All liver biopsies were scored using the METAVIR system. Both FIB-5 and FIB-4 scores were measured and the performance characteristics were calculated using the ROC curve. RESULTS: The performance characteristics of FIB-5 at ≥7.5 and FIB-4 at ≤1.45 for the differentiation between non-significant fibrosis and significant fibrosis were: specificity 94.4%, PPV 85.7%, and specificity 54.9%, PPV 55.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: FIB-5 score at the new cutoff is superior to FIB-4 index for the differentiation between non-significant and significant fibrosis.

Preparation and antidiabetic activity of some sulfonylurea derivatives of 3,5-disubstituted pyrazoles.

Four series of p-[3,5-dimethyl- (and 5-methyl-3-carboxy-) pyrazole-1]benzenesulfonylureas, thioureas, 2-thiohydantions, and 5,6-dihydro-4(3H)-oxo-2(1H)-pyrimidinethiones were prepared for evaluation as hypoglycemic agents. Biological testing of these compounds showed that some possessed antidiabetic activity.

Antidiabetic activity of some 1-substituted 3,5-dimethylpyrazoles.

Several new 1-substituted 3,5-dimethylpyrazoles were prepared for testing as hypoglycemic agents. A number of these containing para-substituted 1-carbonylphenylurea and para-substituted 1-carbamoylbenzenesulfonylurea derivatives were found to possess potent hypoglycemic activity.

Synthesis of new mercaptotriazoles with potential antibilharzial activity.

Several 3-mercaptotriazoles with the 8-hydroxyquinoline moiety in the 5-position were prepared and tested for antiparasitic activity. Preliminary biological tests on experimentally infected mice with Schistosoma mansoni worms revealed that the new compounds possess potent schistosomicidal activity.

Synthesis and antidiabetic activity of some sulfonylurea derivatives of 3,4,5-trisubstituted pyrazoles.

Three series of 3,4,5-trisubstituted pyrazolesulfonylurea derivatives were prepared and evaluated as hypoglycemic agents. Preliminary biological testing revealed that the new compounds possess moderate hypoglycemic activity.

Synthesis and antidiabetic activity of some sulfonylurea derivatives of 3,5-disubstituted pyrazoles.

Two series of 3,5-disubstituted pyrazolesulfonylurea derivatives were prepared and evaluated as hypoglycemic agents. Preliminary biological testing revealed that the new compounds possess potent hypoglycemic activity.

Synthesis of 4-substituted aminobenzoate quaternary salts as potent antispasmodic agents.

N-(Diethylaminoethyl)-4-substituted aminobenzoate quaternary salts, N-(diethylaminoethyl)-4-substituted aminobenzamide quaternary salts, 4-substituted acylaminobenzamide quaternary salts, and 4-substituted acylaminosalicylamide derivatives were prepared and tested for antispasmodic activity. Preliminary pharmacological tests on isolated guinea pig ileum revealed that the new compounds possess nonspecific inhibitory action on smooth muscles.

New biphenyl derivatives i: 1-(4-biphenylyl)-2-phenylethylamines as potential antispasmodic and cardiovascular agents.

A series of 1-(4-biphenylyl)-2-phenylethylamine derivatives was synthesized as potential antispasmodic and cardiovascular agents related to papaverine. Preliminary pharmacological tests, on isolated guinea pig ileum and anesthetized cat blood pressure, showed that the new compounds possess nonspecific inhibitory action on smooth muscles.

Synthesis of new 8-(5-substituted amino-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl) and 8-(5-substituted amino-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) methoxyquinolines with antibilharzial activity.

Several 5-substituted amino-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl and 5-substituted amino-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl derivatives with different 8-hydroxyquinoline moieties in the 2-position were prepared and tested for their antiparasitic activity. Preliminary biological tests on mice experimentally infested with Schistosoma mansoni revealed that the new compounds show moderate schistosomicidal activity.

Preparation and antidiabetic activity of new substituted 3,5-diarylpyrazolesulfonylurea derivatives. II: Structure-activity relationship.

Four series of substituted p-(3,5-diaryl-2-pyrazoline-1) benzenesulfonylurea and thiourea derivatives, along with their corresponding substituted p-(3,5-diarylpyrazole-1) benzenesulfonylurea and thiourea derivatives, were prepared for evaluation as hypoglycemic agents. Preliminary biological testing revealed that the new compounds possess potent hypoglycemic activity.

Formation of thiazoles, thiazines, and thiadiazines from 1-phthalazine thiosemicarbazides as potential anticonvulsants.

3-Substituted-4-oxothiazolin-2-yl-(1-phthalazinyl)hydrazones, 3-substituted-4-oxo-5,6-dihydro-1,3-thiazin-2-yl-(1-phthalazinyl)hydrazones, and 2-substituted-amino-5-oxo-4-(1-phthalazinyl)-6-hydro-1,3,4-thiadiazines were prepared and tested for their anticonvulsant activity. Some compounds showed weak to moderate anticonvulsant activity.

Preparation and antidiabetic activity of cyclic sulfonylthiourea derivatives.

3-Substituted 5-methyl-1-(p-[(3,5-dimethyl)pyrazol-1-yl]-, 5-methyl-1-(p-[(5-methyl-3-carboxy)pyrazol-1-yl]-, 1-(p-[(3-methyl-5-phenyl)pyrazol-1-yl]-, and 1-(p-[(3-methyl-4-bromo-5-phenyl)pyrazol-1-yl]benzenesulfonyl)-2-thiohydantoin and their 5-methyl-2-thiohydantoin and 5,6-dihydro-4(3H)-oxo-2(1H)-pyrimidinethione derivatives were prepared for evaluation as hypoglycemic agents. Biological testing showed that some of these compounds possessed antidiabetic activity.

alpha-Phenyl-beta-(3,4-dimethoxy)phenethylamines: novel inhibitors of choline acetyltransferase from Torpedo electric organ.

Some derivatives of alpha-phenyl-beta-(3,4-dimethoxy)phenethylamine that might bear a certain conformational resemblance to choline were prepared. The in vitro inhibition of choline acetyltransferase from Torpedo electric organ was investigated. These compounds gave variable degrees of inhibition; the most potent inhibitor was, N,N,N,-trimethyl-alpha-phenyl-beta-(3,4-dimethoxy)phenethylammonium++ + iodide, with an I50 of 1.3 X 10(-5) M. The inhibition of choline acetyltransferase from Spodoptera littoralis larval brains was also determined for comparative study. The aforementioned compound has an I50 of 9 X 10(-6) M on choline acetyltransferase from this source.

(+/-)alpha-Phenyl-beta-(3,4-dimethoxy)- and (+/-)alpha-phenyl-beta -(3,4-dihydroxy)phenethylamines: potential probes for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-ion channel molecule from torpedo electric organ.

The synthesis of some N-methyl, N-alkyl derivatives of (+/-)alpha-phenyl-beta-(3,4-dimethoxy)- and (+/-)alpha-phenyl-beta-(3,4-dihydroxy)-phenethylamines was achieved. These compounds were shown to bear certain structural features of acetylcholine (ACh), as well as phencyclidine (PCP). The latter was reported to act as a specific probe for the nicotinic ACh receptor-ion channel molecule from Torpedo electric organ. Biochemical binding studies revealed that for the nicotinic ACh receptor, the 3,4-dimethoxy derivatives behaved as blockers for the binding interaction of [3H]ACh, whereas the 3,4-dihydroxy analogues stimulated such binding. On the other hand, all of the tested phenethylamines exhibited potent blockade towards [3H]PCP binding interactions. The results indicated that the tested compounds might be applied as potential probes for the ACh receptor-ion channel molecule.