We aimed to examine the levels of lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells in patients with newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and their correlation with the course of ITP. The study included 40 pediatric patients with acute ITP and 30 controls. Lymphocytes and regulatory T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The percentages of CD19(+) and CD8(+) cells were significantly increased while that of CD4(+) cells and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio were significantly decreased. The percentages of CD4(+)CD25(+High) and CD4(+)CD25(+High) forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3(+)) cells and the expression of Foxp3(+) in CD4(+)CD25(+High) cells were significantly decreased in patients. Age, platelet count, and mean platelet volume (MPV) in patients with brief duration of thrombocytopenia were significantly decreased than in those with prolonged duration. The percentages of CD8(+), CD4(+)CD25(+High), and CD4(+)CD25(+High) Foxp3(+) were significantly increased in patients with brief duration. Age, platelet count and MPV, and CD8+ cells had prognostic significance. CD4(+)CD25(+High) Foxp(+) T cells may be a helpful prognostic marker in children with acute ITP.

No definitive procedure for cleft repair has been identified yet as the gold standard. Accordingly, this work tried to appraise the hypothesis that if the bony detachment and full retropositioning of the levator veli palatini muscle can ideally present an anatomical C-shape muscular sling restoration and if this is accompanied with pushback palatoplasty, would this present a better result in terms of tissue fistulation and phonetic impairment? A series of 74 different degrees of palatal clefts were operated by pushback palatoplasty combined with a modified approach of the levator vili palatini. This muscle was dissected only from the oral mucosa while kept attached to the nasal one as a musculo-nasomucosal unit. This unit was completely detached from the bony margin of the hard palate and then medially rotated and retropositioned in a typical C-shape mobile sling. Evaluations included suture line assessment and fistula development, and following the child’s need for speech therapy. There were no intraoperative complications. Definite anterior fistulae with nasal air and foot leakage were observed in 2 cases. Four cases had postoperative velopharyngeal incompetence with a need for speech therapy. Tension-free closure, lower risk of fistula, good restoration of velopharyngeal functions, ability to be performed on all cleft types, ability to provide a good intraoperative exposure, and being a single stage seem to be the most important advantages of this unpublished technique.

OBJECTIVES: Tamsulosin is proved to promote spontaneous passage of distal ureteral and juxtavesical calculi. Our aim is to prospectively evaluate the role of neoadjuvant tamsulosin during ureteroscopic treatment of lower ureteric stone. METHODS: One hundred thirty-eight adult patients with lower ureteral calculi underwent ureteroscopic management. Stone length varied from 7 to 12 mm. Before treatment, the patients were randomly divided into 2 groups; the study group (n = 70) received tamsulosin 0.4 mg once daily for 3-6 weeks and the control group (n = 68) received standard analgesia only. Preoperative medications were blinded to the endourologists. The primary endpoint was the need for intraoperative ureteral dilatation. Postoperative complications were recorded for both groups. RESULTS: Of the 120 patients available for follow up, the need for intraoperative ureteral dilatation was 30% in the study group, compared with 86.7% in the control group (p0.001). Of the control group, 5% had postoperative pyelonephritis episodes, in contrast to only 1.7% of the study group (p=0.619). CONCLUSIONS: Preopertive tamsulosin simplifies ureteroscopic management of lower ureteric calculi. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show the value of neoadjuvant tamsulosin in ureteroscopic management of distal ureteric calculi

Although the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is approximately 80% in adult Egyptians living in rural areas, symptomatic HEV-caused acute viral hepatitis (AVH) is sporadic and relatively uncommon. To investigate the dichotomy between HEV infection and clinical AVH, HEV-specific immune responses in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic HEV infection during a waterborne outbreak in Egypt were examined. Of 235 acute hepatitis patients in Assiut hospitals screened for HEV infection, 42 (17.9%) were acute hepatitis patients confirmed as HEV-caused AVH; 37 (88%) of the 42 patients were residents of rural areas, and 14 (33%) were from one village (Kom El-Mansoura). Another 200 contacts of AVH cases in this village were screened for HEV and 14 (7.0%), all of whom were family members of AVH cases, were asymptomatic HEV IgM-positive. HEV infections in this village peaked during the summer. Asymptomatic HEV seroconverters had significantly higher levels of epitope-specific neutralising (p=0.006) and high avidity (p=0.04) anti-HEV antibodies than the corresponding AVH cases. In conclusion, naturally acquired humoral immune responses appear to protect HEV-exposed subjects from AVH during an HEV outbreak in Egypt.