Hepatitis C Virus Exposure Rate among Health-care Workers in Rural Lower Egypt Governorates.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies on hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Egypt supported a strong role for various exposures in the health-care setting. In this study, we attempted to estimate the frequency of HCV exposure among Egyptian health-care workers (HCWs). METHODS: Five hundred and sixty-four (564) HCWs were included in this study. Two hundred and fifty-eight (45.74%) were health-care providers and 306 (54.25%) were non-health-care providers. All HCWs completed both the study questionnaire and provided a blood sample for anti-HCV testing by third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Subsequently, anti-HCV-positive samples were tested for HCV RNA using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The mean age of included HCWs was 33.0 ± 9.8 years; of them, 319 (56.56%) were males and 245 (43.44%) were females. The mean duration of health-care work was 9.3 ± 6.7 years. The frequency of antibody against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) among included HCWs was 8.7% (n = 49). Old age and prolonged duration of health-care work were significantly associated with anti-HCV seropositivity. Forty (81.63%) of 49 with anti-HCV-positive HCWs had positive hepatitis C viremia. The frequency of HCV RNA positivity increased with age. The frequency of eradicated past infection among nurses (36.85%) was markedly higher than that (6.7%) detected in non-health-care providers. CONCLUSION: High rate of HCV infection is detected in Egyptian HCWs in rural Lower Egypt governorates. Health-care providers seem to eradicate HCV infection more frequently than non-health-care providers. National screening and treatment of infected HCWs are recommended.

Hepatitis B Virus Genotype E Infection among Egyptian Health Care Workers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Health Care Workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of needle stick injuries and HBV infection in Egypt; this problem is further aggravated by low Hepatitis B (HB) vaccination coverage. Limited data are available on the prevalence of HBV infection in Egyptian HCWs. In this study, we aimed to assess the HBV infection rate and genotypes among Egyptian HCWs. METHODS: Five hundred and sixty-four (564) HCWs were included. Of them, 258 (45.74%) were health care providers and 306 (54.25%) were non-health care providers. All HCWs completed both the study questionnaires and provided a blood sample for HBV testing. Indeed, all HCWs were tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to Hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HBVDNA was checked for HCWs who tested positive for HBsAg and/or anti-HBc, by nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). HBVDNA positive HCWs were further subjected to HBV genotyping. RESULTS: The mean age of included HCWs was 33.0 ± 9.8 years, of whom 319 (56.56%) were males. The mean duration of health care work was 9.3 ± 6.7 years. The frequency of HBsAg and anti-HBc were 1.4%, and 24.5%, respectively. Old age and prolonged duration of health care work were significantly associated with anti-HBc seropositivity. Among 140 HCWs positive for HBsAg and/or anti-HBc, 14 (10 %) had positive HBVDNA by PCR. HBV/E (n = 7), HBV/D (n = 3) and co-infection with E and D (n = 4) genotypes were detected. CONCLUSION: Egyptian HCWs have a significantly high rate of HBV exposure. The detection of HBV/E genotype among Egyptian HCWs suggests prevalent transmission of HBV/E among Egyptian populations.

Relation of fibroblast growth factor-23 and cardiovascular calcification in end-stage kidney disease patients on regular hemodialysis.

More than half of deaths in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients are due to cardiovascular disease. Elevated fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) was found to be associated with mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients and correlates with peripheral calcification. Aortic calcification is associated with coronary artery calcification. Both aortic and peripheral vascular calcifications were associated with mortality in chronic kidney disease. We aimed to investigate the relation between intact FGF-23 and cardiovascular calcification in patients with ESKD who were maintained on regular HD. Sixty clinically stable ESKD patients on regular HD were enrolled into this cross-sectional study. They were evaluated by basal abdominal X-ray. They were divided into two groups: (Group A, n = 30), patients with abdominal aortic calcification who underwent multislice computerized tomography scan to measure coronary artery calcification score; and (Group B, n = 30), patients without abdominal aortic calcification. All of them were evaluated by lipid profile and dialysis adequacy parameters. Fifty percent of patients had vascular calcification. We found a significant positive correlation between age and intact FGF-23; significant positive correlations between age, body mass index, duration of HD, and abdominal aortic calcification score. FGF-23 of all patients was elevated and had significant positive correlation with aortic and coronary calcifications in addition to lipid profile, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and inflammatory markers. Plasma intact FGF-23 was elevated in nondiabetic ESKD patients, and vascular calcification was prevalent in such group of patients with many traditional and nontraditional risk factors. Possibly through its disturbing effects on minerals and parathyroid hormone, FGF-23 might indirectly affect vascular calcification. LVMI was higher in patients with vascular calcification and correlated positively with it.

THE PREDICTIVE VALUE OF SOME RECENT PARAMETERS FOR DIAGNOSIS OF SPONTANEOUS BACTERIAL PERITONITIS.

Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent and severe complication in patient with cirrhosis and ascites due to CLD with high mortality rate (20%-40%). SBP causes an inflammatory reaction resulting in an increased number of PMNs in ascitic fluid. It was reported that diagnosis of SBP is established when the ascitic fluid PMN count is greater than 250 cells/mm3 Lysis of the PMNs during transport to the laboratory, may occur which may lead to false negative results. This study evaluated the*usefulness of some recent parameters for diagnosis of SBP that can be used for future development of a rapid bedside test. Identifying a sensitive marker that can be used for rapid diagnosis of SBP in cirrhotic patients will have important clinical and economic consequences for this group of patients and also for clinicians involved in their cares. This study was conducted on 100 patients with ascites admitted to Tropical Medicine department, Al-Azhar University.Hospitals in the period from January 2015 to August 2015. The results showed that there was a highly significant positive correlation between ascetic fluid LAF level and neutrophils in ascitic fluid in cases of SBP, Also there wasopositive correlation between ascetic fluid LAF and ascetic fluid LDH (p value<0.001).

Occult hepatitis B virus infection in Egypt.

The emerging evidence of the potentially clinical importance of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) increases the interest in this topic. OBI may impact in several clinical contexts, which include the possible transmission of the infection, the contribution to liver disease progression, the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, and the risk of reactivation. There are several articles that have published on OBI in Egyptian populations. A review of MEDLINE database was undertaken for relevant articles to clarify the epidemiology of OBI in Egypt. HBV genotype D is the only detectable genotype among Egyptian OBI patients. Higher rates of OBI reported among Egyptian chronic HCV, hemodialysis, children with malignant disorders, and cryptogenic liver disease patients. There is an evidence of OBI reactivation after treatment with chemotherapy. The available data suggested that screening for OBI must be a routine practice in these groups of patients. Further studies needed for better understand of the epidemiology of OBI among Egyptian young generations after the era of hepatitis B vaccination.

Absence of occult hepatitis B virus infection in sera of diabetic children and adolescents following hepatitis B vaccination.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of occult hepatitis B (HB) infection (OBI) in HB-vaccinated diabetic children has not yet been tested. Here, we aimed to determine the prevalence of OBI among HB-vaccinated children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). RESULTS: Eighty-seven (51.2%) children had a titer for antibodies to HB surface antigen (anti-HBs) of <10 IU/L. These included 44 (70%) IDDM children and 43 (40.2%) healthy children. Eighty-three (48.8%) children had an anti-HBs titer of ≥10 IU/L; they included 19 (30%) with IDDM and 64 (59.8%) healthy children. None of the enrolled children (n = 170) were reactive for total antibody to HB core antigen (anti-HBc) as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HB virus DNA was not detected in HB-vaccinated IDDM or healthy children and adolescents. METHOD: An amount of 170 HBsAg-negative sera samples from HB-vaccinated children and adolescents was included. They were classified into the IDDM group (n = 63) and the healthy control group (n = 107). HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and HB virus DNA was tested by nested polymerase chain reaction using 3 pairs of surface, core, and X genes. IN CONCLUSION: Primary HB vaccination confers long-term protection against OBI in Egyptian diabetic children and adolescents. However, the number of cases tested in this study was relatively low, and further studies and long-term follow-up of large populations are needed to draw solid and convincing conclusions.

High false-negative rate of anti-HCV among Egyptian patients on regular hemodialysis.

Routine serological testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among hemodialysis (HD) patients is currently recommended. A dilemma existed on the value of serology because some investigators reported a high rate of false-negative serologic testing. In this study, we aimed to detect the false-negative rate of anti-HCV among Egyptian HD patients. Seventy-eight HD patients, negative for anti-HCV, anti-HIV, and hepatitis B surface antigen, were tested for HCV RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In the next step, the viral load was quantified by real-time PCR in RT-PCR-positive patients. Risk factors for HCV infection, as well as clinical and biochemical indicators of liver disease, were compared between false-negative and true-negative anti-HCV HD patients. The frequency of false-negative anti-HCV was 17.9%. Frequency of blood transfusion, duration of HD, dialysis at multiple centers, and diabetes mellitus were not identified as risk factors for HCV infection. The frequency of false-negative results had a linear relation to the prevalence of HCV infection in the HD units. Timely identification of HCV within dialysis units is needed in order to lower the risk of HCV spread within the HD units. The high false-negative rate of anti-HCV among HD patients in our study justifies testing of a large scale of patients for precious assessment of effectiveness of nucleic acid amplification technology testing in screening HD patient.