Regulatory B cells (Bregs) and T cells (Tregs) are thought to be involved in the regulation of graft acceptance in renal transplant recipients. However, mechanisms that affect Breg differentiation and interaction with Tregs are rather unclear.
Using eight‐color‐fluorescence flow cytometry, Tregs and CD19+ CD24hiCD38hi Bregs were analyzed in whole blood samples of 80 stable kidney transplant recipients, 20 end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and 32 healthy controls (HC). In addition, differentiation of Bregs and Tregs was studied in different micromilieus using cocultures with strongly enriched B‐lymphocytes and autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with CpG and phytohemagglutinin.
Bregs were higher in HC than in ESRD patients and lowest in transplant recipients. Bregs were higher early as compared to late posttransplant. Posttransplant, high Bregs
Objectives Collection and storage of biospecimens and data for biobanking raise many ethical concerns. Stakeholders’ opinions about these ethical issues are important since they can help in the development of ethical guidelines to govern biobanking activities. Physicians are among the important stakeholders since they contact potential participants and could be biobank users. The goal of this study is to evaluate the perceptions and attitude of Egyptian physicians towards ethical issues in biobanking. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was designed and distributed with the target group between November 2019 and January 2020. Results The questionnaire was completed by 223 physicians. While 65.5% reported hearing the term "Biobanking" before, 45.7% knew that there are biobanks in Egypt. Participants had a general positive attitude towards the value of biobanks in research. About 73% agreed that biobanks can share biospecimens with international research organizations, but only 42.6% supported collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, and 44% agreed to the use of user fees by biobanks. About 48% supported the use of broad consent in biobanks, and 73.1% believed that donors of biospecimens should be informed about results of research performed on their biospecimens. Conclusion Although many Egyptian physicians heard about biobanking, they had limited knowledge about the existence of biobanks in Egypt. They had concerns about commercialization, use of broad consent and user fees. A knowledge gap exists among these stakeholders, which should be covered by different educational activities
The Identification of B cell subsets with regulatory functions might open the way to new therapeutic strategies in the field of transplantation, which aim to reduce the dose of immunosuppressive drugs and prolong the graft survival. CD25 was proposed as a marker of a B-cell subset with an immunosuppressive action termed Bregs. The effect of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs on graft function in renal transplant recipients has not yet been elucidated. We investigated a potential impact of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs on renal graft function as well as a possible interaction of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs with peripheral Tregs in healthy controls, end-stage kidney disease patients (ESKD), and renal transplant recipients. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the association of CD19 + CD25 + Bregs with serum IL-10, TGF-ß1, and IFN-γ in the same study groups. Thirty-one healthy controls, ninety renal transplant recipients, and eighteen ESKD patients were enrolled. We evaluated the CD19 + CD25 + Bregs and Treg absolute counts. Next, we investigated CD19 + CD25 + Bregs as predictors of good graft function in multiple regression and ROC analyses. Finally, we evaluated the association between CD19 + CD25+ Bregs and serum IL-10, TGF-ß, and IFN-γ. ESKD patients and renal transplant recipients showed lower counts of CD19 + CD25+ Bregs compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). Higher CD19 + CD25+ Breg counts were independently associated with a better GFR in renal transplant recipients (unstandardized B coefficient = 9, p = 0.02). In these patients, higher CD19 + CD25+ Bregs were independently associated with
Genetic differences among individuals could affect the clinical presentations and outcomes of COVID-19. Human Leukocyte Antigens are associated with COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and prognosis. This study aimed to identify HLA-B and -C genotypes among 69 Egyptian patients with COVID-19 and correlate them with disease outcomes and other clinical and laboratory data. HLA-B and -C typing was performed using Luminex-based HLA typing kits. Forty patients (58%) had severe COVID-19; 55% of these patients died, without reported mortality in the moderate group. The alleles associated with severe COVID-19 were HLA-B*41, -B*42, -C*16, and -C*17, whereas HLA-B*15, -C*7, and -C*12 were significantly associated with protection against mortality. Regression analysis showed that HLA-B*15 was the only allele associated with predicted protection against mortality, where the likelihood of survival
At the beginning of the medical convoy from the South Egypt Cancer Institute to the New Valley. In the city of Dakhla at Diab Specialized Hospital headed by Ed Mohamed Abul-Magd, professor of surgery at the South Egypt Cancer Institute, the Institute’s deputy for environmental affairs and community service, and many doctors in various medical specialties in oncology surgery and oncology. And orthopedics, children and others, many of the cases arriving at the hospital from men, women and children of different ages were examined.
Important and urgent for faculty members
Media Department:
Announcement regarding the opening of registration in the lists of scientific committees and arbitrators for the fourteenth session
It was decided to open the door for applications for membership of scientific committees and arbitrators in the fourteenth session (2022-2025), which is scheduled to start in September 2022. This is in accordance with the decisions of the Supreme Council of Universities dated 22/1/2022 regarding the scientific committees.
To be submitted, starting from 1/2/2022 and for a period of one month, on the following link:
https://scicom.scu.eg/
To register for the first time as a member of the arbitrators’ committees, please register on the following link (scicom.scu.eg)
The current members of the committees should log on to their own accounts and express their desire to continue in the scientific committees and arbitrators in the fourteenth session and update their data if necessary.
Despite the growing interest in dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to truncal blocks, little is known about the systemic absorption of dexmedetomidine after these blocks and its role in analgesia and in hemodynamics.
We investigated the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in patients undergoing lower abdominal cancer surgery.
Twenty-four adult patients were randomized to receive a bilateral single-injection TAP block before surgery with 20 mL of bupivacaine 0.5% (TAP group, n = 12) or combined with 1 µg/kg dexmedetomidine (TAP-DEX group, n = 12) and diluted with saline to a volume of 40 mL (20 mL on each side). Plasma concentrations of dexmedetomidine and its pharmacokinetics were investigated using non-compartmental methods, postoperative analgesia, hemodynamics, and adverse events (nausea, vomiting, itching, hypotension, bradycardia, and respiratory depression).
Dexmedetomidine was detected in the plasma of 11 patients in the TAP-DEX group. The mean dexmedetomidine peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 0.158 ± 0.085 (range, 0.045–0.31) ng/mL. The median time to reach peak plasma concentration of dexmedetomidine (Tmax) was 15 (15–45) min. From 2 to 8 h postoperatively, visual analog pain scale (VAS) scores at rest and during movement were significantly lower in the TAP-DEX group. Analgesia time was (11.3 ± 3.12 vs 9.0 ± 4.69 h; P = 0.213) and postoperative morphine consumption was (7.4 ± 3.24 vs 11.5 ± 4.46 mg; P = 0.033) in TAP-DEX and TAP groups, respectively. Lower mean heart rate and mean blood pressure were recorded in the TAP-DEX group intraoperatively and 2 h postoperatively (P < 0.05). Except for mild nausea and vomiting, no adverse events were recorded in either group.
Systemic absorption of dexmedetomidine administered in a TAP block is common. Direct central effects on the locus coeruleus caused by this systemic absorption may play a role in the analgesia and hemodynamic effects produced by TAP-dexmedetomidine in addition to local mechanisms.
