Assessment of The Role of Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in Egyptian Childhood Bronchial Asthma: One Centre Study.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is emerging as a potential biomarker in many medical conditions including asthma. The aim of this study was to assess the role of serum NGAL in Egyptian childhood bronchial asthma. The study included 156 patients and 39 apparently healthy control children. Full clinical examination, pulmonary function tests; CBC, CRP, IgE, liver function tests, and renal function tests, and serum NGAL level were performed. The difference between the studied groups was statistically significant regarding IgE, eosinophils and NGAL (P= 0.001 for each). In addition, the difference between the subgroup with severe persistent asthma and the subgroup with mild intermittent asthma was significant (P=0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that at a cut-off value of 0.884 the sensitivity and specificity of differentiating severe bronchial asthma patients from controls was 82 % and 76 %, respectively. In conclusion, NGAL may represent a potential marker of bronchial asthma in children with severe disease.

The impact of polymerase chain reaction assays for the detection of hepatitis C virus infection in a hemodialysis unit.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is most often diagnosed by detection of antibodies against the virus (HCV Ab). However, it has been reported that some HCV Ab negative patients test positive for HCV-RNA. Over a study period of 30 months, all patients on hemodialysis at the Al Hada Armed Forces Hospital in Taif, Saudi Arabia were tested monthly for HCV Ab and twice per year for HCV-RNA. HCV Ab was tested by a third generation microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA), and HCV-RNA by a qualitative hepatitis-RNA assay, second version (COBAS Amplicor PCR), which was recently introduced in the Molecular Pathology Laboratory of our hospital. Of the 180 patients studied, 34 (18.9%) had positive HCV Ab, and of the 146 HCV Ab negative patients, five patients tested positive for HCV-RNA (3.42%). Our study further finds that, when applying HCV Ab testing only, some patients with HCV viremia may be undetected. For better HCV infection control, routine HCV-RNA testing of dialysis patients should be considered, particularly in areas where the infection is common and in units applying isolation policies.