Effect of rice cultivation on the prevalence and infection rates of Schistosoma intermediate host.

In this study, it was aimed to explore the effect of rice cultivation on the prevalence, density and infection rates on the snail intermediate hosts of human schistosomiasis. A village was chosen and examine for the main water canal supplying the rice field by making three successive scoops at 10.20, 30, 40 and 50 meters up stream the site of the pump supplying the rice field. The same was done in the large irrigation canal supplying 50 feddans of rice up to 100 meters (i.e. 10 sampling sites). Also the drains in between the rice fields were examined at 10 meters distance throughout the drain. The hunted snails were sorted, the Biomphalaria alexanderina and Bulinus truncatus were separated, their age was determined then crushed to look for immature stages under the microscope. Also the vegetations coming in the scoops were examined. The results showed that rice cultivation and irrigation is a suitable site for the prevalence and intensity of snails. Both species of snails were found in the main canal, irrigation canal and drains. All Bulinus truncatus snails were free from infections. The number of infected Biomphalaria alexanderina snails was significantly higher in the irrigation canal and drains than main canal which may be attributed to pollution of the drain water and irrigation canal by micturition and defecation or to the use of water in ablution.

The effect of nifedipine [correction of nifidipine] and cimetidine on the haemodynamics of Egyptian bilharzial pulmonary hypertension.

The pathogenesis of bilharzial pulmonary hypertension differs from the hypoxic type of pulmonary hypertension. Nifedipine [corrected] a calcium channel blocker was tried as a treatment for lowering pulmonary artery pressure. Nifedipine [corrected] 20 mg sublingually was found to lower the pulmonary artery pressure but not to a statistically significant level. No significant changes before and after 200 mg cimetidine intravenous, were seen.

Assessment of left ventricular function by Doppler echocardiography in Egyptian bilharzial patients with or without pulmonary hypertension.

Forty-eight Egyptian bilharzial patients were selected for this study. Forty males and eight females. Their ages ranged from 12-60 years. All had hepatosplenomegaly with or without cardiopulmonary schistosomiasis. Also a group of ten subjects was chosen as a control group. After full clinical, laboratory and radiological examinations our subjects were subjected to: right cardiac catheterization, M-mode, two-dimensional as well as Doppler echocardiography. We found that the left ventricular geometry was distorted from its circular configuration as a result of right ventricular pressure overload as measured by the eccentricity index in bilharzial pulmonary hypertension. Also there were significant impairment of all Doppler echocardiographic parameters in those patients except time to E-peak (early diastolic flow velocity) and acceleration time of aortic flow (cm/sec2).