Background/Purpose: This work aimed to assess the impact of different etiologies
of acute pancreatitis (AP) and vitamin D receptor (VDR) TaqI rs731236 gene polymorphism
on the severity of AP.
Methods: This case-control study included 70 patients with AP and 40 healthy controls.
Etiologies of AP were identified by imaging, ANA, cytomegalovirus (CMV)
IgM, coxsackie B virus IgM, and IgG4. Genotyping of VDR TaqI rs731236 polymorphism,
Laboratory tests and severity scores using Ranson, BISAP, Atlanta and
APACHE II scores were determined.
Results: The age in AP patients was 36.03 ± 10.76, and females were 85.7%. The
etiologies of AP were as follows: biliary (51.4%), coxsackievirus (22.9%), autoimmune
(14.3%), post-ERCP (8.6%) and 2.9% were idiopathic. The TT genotype of
VDR polymorphism was significantly more common in AP than control (P = .001)
and allele T dominated in AP group (OR = 2; 95% CI: 0.665–5.64). Most cases
showed low severity scores with significant differences among etiologies and VDR
genotypes. Biliary pancreatitis showed highest percentages of severe AP. However,
etiologies and VDR polymorphism were not predictors of severity.
Conclusion: Etiology of AP could have impact on the disease severity. VDR gene
polymorphism increases the risk of AP. Neither the etiology nor VDR gene polymorphism
could predict AP severity.
KEYWORDS
acute pancreatitis, etiology, vitamin D, gene polymorphism, predictors

Hospital-acquired infections represent a serious public health problem in all countries. It is clear that monitoring of the hospital
environment is an essential element in the control and a part of the policy for preventing nosocomial infections. It allows a better
understanding of the microbial ecology for the purpose of conducting preventive and corrective actions. &e aims of this work
were to determine the percentage of bacterial contamination of environmental samples and to identify potential nosocomial
pathogens isolated from environments of seven referral hospitals from 2009 to 2015. By using the swab technique, 12863 samples
were collected. Qualitative and quantitative cultures were performed. &e organisms were primarily identified by colony
morphology, microscopy of Gram stain, and standard biochemical tests. 25.6% of total samples showed contamination (93% was
monomicrobial and 7.0% was polymicrobial). &e predominant species was coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CNS) (32%),
followed by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (26%) and then K. pneumonia (10.6%). &e percentage of contamination
varied among the covered hospitals and according to the year of monitoring with highly statistically significant difference
(p value < 0.001). Direct contact with environmental surfaces or equipment transmits the majority of nosocomial infection. Major
nosocomial pathogens have been identified. Hospital managers and healthcare bodies must be aware of the reality of the concept
of environmental bacterial tanks and the need for respect of biocleaning procedures and choice of biocleaning tools.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver. Tumors can recruit and promote the expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs) to suppress antitumor immune responses for survival and progression. Furthermore, there is a strong evidence for the potential roles of cytokines in promoting HCC carcinogenesis and progression. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of Treg cells and serum levels of IL6 and IL10 before and after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). We carried out a cross-sectional study at Assiut University hospitals that included 34 HCC patients and 10 matched apparently healthy controls. Peripheral Treg frequency was evaluated by Flow cytometry. IL6 and IL10 serum levels were evaluated by ELISA before and after TACE. HCC patients had a significantly higher level of IL6 and IL10 when compared to the control group (P=0.0002, P<0.0001), respectively. However, after treatment, there was an elevation in the levels of IL6 and IL10 followed by a decrease to the baseline levels. Patients with large tumors (≥5 cm) showed higher levels of both IL 6 and IL 10 than those with smaller tumors. Moreover, HCC patients showed a higher frequency of Treg cells in comparison to the controls (P=0.002). No significant correlation was observed between the frequency of Treg cells and IL10 before and after treatment (r=0.38, P=0.30). In conclusion, HCC patients have significantly higher levels of IL 6, IL 10 and a higher percentage of Tregs than control individuals. Treg levels are altered after chemoembolization. IL 6 have a potential in reflecting the patient's condition after treatment, thus, can help in monitoring therapy.