Frequency of Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections in Egyptian children as determined by conventional and immunofluorescence methods.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
A Mortagy
Publications and source records attributed to A Mortagy.
Epidemiological evaluation of oral polio vaccine efficacy in Cairo.
A case-control study was conducted between November 1992 and May, 1993 to assess the effectiveness of routine oral polio vaccine (OPV) immunization against paralytic poliomyelitis among children aged 1-5 years in Cairo city. Cases of paralytic poliomyelitis at Imbaba Institute of poliomyelitis and Ain-Shams Pediatric Hospital fulfilling the study criteria were obtained. The diagnosis of cases was based on clinical grounds. Age and sex-matched controls were recruited concurrently from patients admitted for reasons other than poliomyelitis. There were 55 cases of poliomyelitis. Vaccination status of cases and controls was ascertained by asking the mothers through interviewing using a questionnaire that had been developed for the purpose of the study. Vaccine efficacy (VE) was 86% (95% CI: 39-97%) and 92% (95% CI: 64-98%) for 3 and 4 doses of OPV respectively. For a vaccine like OPV with the potential of near 100% VE after 3 doses, the estimated level of protection (86%) is considered low especially when we realize the enormous efforts carried out by Ministry of Health and UNICEF in Egypt for upgrading the cold-chain. Higher figures of VE are supposed to be achieved if we are going to meet the challenge of poliomyelitis eradication by the year 1994. Potential biases in study design were also discussed.
Case-Control Studies↗
Histamine challenge testing: comparison of three methods.
Non-specific bronchial reactivity is related to the severity of clinical asthma. Histamine challenge testing is increasingly used in association with questionnaires in epidemiological studies of the prevalence and morbidity of asthma in the community. The histamine challenge method described by Cockcroft et al is widely used and well standardised but it has disadvantages for epidemiological studies, being relatively slow and dependent on a supply of pressurised air. In this study we have assessed two simpler methods, one described by Yan et al and one by Mortagy, and compared these with the Cockcroft method. Twenty four adults with asthma were tested with each method in set order in a balanced design, and retested with each method in the same order. The Mortagy and Yan methods recorded PC20 or PD20 values on both occasions in all 24 subjects, but the Cockcroft method only 16 subjects. Repeatability, assessed as the 95% range for a single measurement, did not differ significantly, being +/- 1.94, 2.11, and 2.40 doubling concentrations for the Mortagy, Yan, and Cockcroft methods respectively. The Mortagy and Yan methods required less cumbersome equipment and took under 15 minutes to complete, compared with up to 45 minutes for the Cockcroft technique. The similar repeatability of all three methods in these subjects suggests that the two faster techniques are viable alternatives. The technical problems of standardising the Mortagy method lead us to conclude that, of the three methods compared, the Yan technique offers the greatest advantages for epidemiological studies.
Adolescent↗