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Biomedical subjects

M Ashour

Publications and source records attributed to M Ashour.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

A new ultrasound protocol for extrusion of coelomocyte cells from the earthworm Eisenia fetida.

There is mounting evidence that earthworms could be used as a sentinel species for soil ecotoxicity evaluation. In this aspect, phagocytosis by coelomocytes was shown to be a sensitive biomarker of exposure to xenobiotics. In this paper, we introduce a simple method for ultrasound extrusion of earthworm coelomocytes that generates a high cell yield, does not interfere with phagocytic competence, and requires a minimum of manipulations. Coelomocytes were extruded from the earthworm Eisenia fetida using this new ultrasound method and compared with ethanol and electrical extrusion. The ultrasonic extrusion showed the highest cell recovery with 3.17 +/ -0.8 x 10(6) cells per earthworm compared with 2.22 +/- 0.8 x 10(6) cells per earthworm for electrical extrusion and 1.57 +/- 0.07 x 10(6) cells per earthworm for ethanol extrusion. No significant differences in the cell viability were observed using propidium iodide and flow cytometry with viability for extrusion with ethanol of 63.8 +/- 12.7%, electrical 76.8 +/- 7.5%, and ultrasound 68.2 +/- 7.8%. To compare the potential effect of extrusion on cell quality, the cells extruded using the three methods were subjected to an 18-h in vitro exposure to methylmercury chloride (MeHgCl; CH3HgCl) with concentrations ranging from 10(-9) to 10(-4)M. The half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) for inhibition of phagocytosis occurred between 10(-7) and 10(-6)M. We found no significant differences among the extrusion methods for the phagocytic potential of the coelomocytes. This method does not harm the worms and can certainly improve collection of coelomocytes from earthworms and therefore contribute to the development of bioassays using invertebrates.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Life threatening complications caused by bronchogenic and oesophageal duplication cysts in a child.

An 11-year-old girl presented with severe respiratory distress, fever and septic manifestations. Computed tomography scan (CT) of the chest showed 2 separate superior and posterior mediastinal cysts, the upper one causing severe extrinsic compression of the trachea, and the oesophagus, while the lower cyst was at the subcarinal region compressing the 2 major bronchi. Emergency thoracotomy was performed permitting complete resection of intra-mural oesophageal enteric cyst, and a subcarinal bronchogenic cyst. The postoperative course was uneventful.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed2001

Surgery for pulmonary aspergilloma in post-tuberculous vs. immuno-compromised patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of surgical resection for aspergilloma between patients with post-tuberculous complex and neutropenia. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our surgical experience with pulmonary resection for aspergilloma in 30 patients. Of the 20 patients with complex aspergilloma complicating healed tuberculosis (group 1), 14 were male and six were female with an average age of 54 years (SD 7). The indication for surgery was recurrent haemoptysis in all and there were 17 lobectomies, two pneumonectomies and one bilateral lobectomy. There were ten patients with acute myeloid or lymphoid leukemia (group 2), six male and four female with an average age of 26 years (SD 4). Twelve lesions required lobectomy in eight and wedge excision in four. RESULTS: In group 1 there was one post-operative death (5%), in a patient with massive haemoptysis and completely destroyed lungs with bilateral upper lobe aspergilloma secondary to pneumonia. Morbidity accounted for 25% (five patients), two required re-exploration for bleeding, two had prolonged air leak more than 7 days and one developed empyema. The later was treated with drainage and rib resection. One patient had recurrence of haemoptysis during the follow up period (mean 42 months). In group 2 there was no mortality or morbidity and six patients proceeded to bone marrow transplantation with no complication or recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical resection for pulmonary aspergilloma in selected patients provides the best chance of cure. Pulmonary resection for post-tuberculous complex aspergilloma is associated with higher morbidity than resection for immuno-compromised patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Antioxidant status in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) living in Cairo, Egypt.

The aim of this study was to examine both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant status in a select group of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), living in Cairo, Egypt. The plasma concentrations of albumin, ceruloplasmin, vitamin C, vitamin E as well as erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and whole blood glutathione peroxidase activities were all significantly decreased in the presence of JRA compared to those without JRA. Unlike these antioxidant factors, vitamin A and its carrier (e.g. retinol binding protein), which have very little or no antioxidant property, remained unaffected by JRA. These results suggest that the children with JRA are subject to oxidative stress.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1999

Current surgical therapy for bronchiectasis.

The ideal classification system for bronchiectasis continues to be debated. As an alternative to the present morphologic classification, a hemodynamic-based functional classification is proposed. This study examines the rationale for and outcome of surgery based on this classification in patients with unilateral or bilateral bronchiectasis. Between July 1987 and January 1997 the morphologic and hemodynamic features in 85 bronchiectatic patients were examined: 18 with bilateral bronchiectasis and 67 with unilateral disease. A policy of unilateral lung resection of the nonperfused bronchiectasis and preservation of the perfused type was adopted in all patients. The mean age at operation was 29.4 +/- 9.7 years (range 6-55 years) with a mean follow-up period of 45.2 +/- 21.0 months (range 2-120 months). Left-sided predominance of bronchiectasis was evident in this series both in frequency and severity. In those with unilateral disease, bronchiectasis was left-sided in 49 (73.1%) patients and right-sided in 18 (26.9%). The left lung was totally bronchiectatic in 11 (16.4%) patients and the right in 3 (4.4%). Moreover, among the patients with bilateral bronchiectasis, 14 of 18 (77.7%) patients had the left lung more severely involved. Based on the morphologic and hemodynamic features in the investigated patients, two types of bronchiectasis were recognized: a perfused type with intact pulmonary artery flow and a nonperfused type with absent pulmonary artery flow. Lobectomy was performed in 55 patients, basal segmentectomy and preservation of the apical segment in 16, and pneumonectomy in 14. There was no mortality in this series. Altogether 63 patients (74.1%) achieved excellent results, 19 (22.4%) scored good results, and 3 (3.5%) patients had not benefited from surgery at last follow-up. In the face of the general criticism of the traditional morphologic classification, the proposed classification not only predicts whether the involved lung will have a measure of respiratory function with regard to gas exchange but reflects the degree of severity of the disease process. Thus the question of which side to resect and which to preserve is defined more precisely. This classification was found to be logical, physiologically sound, and of proven benefit.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: disease pattern in central Arabia.

Despite a high prevalence of asthma in Saudi Arabia, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) has not been reported. We reviewed the medical records in a large university hospital in Saudi Arabia where thousands of asthmatics are being followed up. Over a 9-year period starting January 1986, the diagnosis of ABPA was made in 10 patients only. Delay in diagnosis was common and in some patients the disease was confused with fungal pneumonia, tuberculosis or tumours. Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from one patient only and different Aspergillus species were cultured from respiratory secretions of the others. Corticosteroids were uniformly effective in all patients with active disease. Low humidity may account for this apparent rarity of ABPA, although it is possible that some cases are overlooked. Further work is needed on the prevalent fungi in the Arabian environment and their potential health effects and particularly on the prevalence of allergic bronchopulmonary fungal disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Sanitation characteristics of some food processing industries.

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the sanitary conditions surrounding the food throughout the production stages in some food plants. Observation of the sanitary measures of the studied plants revealed that only 3 out of the 7 plants (42.9%) have acceptable sanitation that complies with the sanitary requirements specified by WHO. Personal hygiene and storage conditions were the most critical problems found in the studied plants. Laboratory examination of nasal and throat swabs and stool samples of workers was carried out to uncover the chronic carriers. Among the food handlers examined 46.3% were positive for intestinal parasites. Bacteriological examination of stool specimens revealed that 4.3% of carriers of Salmonella paratyphi and none were carriers of Vibreo species. Nasal swabs were also positive for Staph. aureus in 29.8% of all the examined swabs. Analysis of the main products of the studied plants revealed generally that the bacterial load of the products of plants having acceptable sanitary conditions was lower than that of the products of the other plants. The frozen vegetable products had a total aerobic mesophilic plate count ranging from 8.1 x 10(4) cfu/g in okra and 3.7 x 10(5) cfu/g in mixed vegetables. The total aerobic plate count of the ice cream (1 x 10(3) cfu/g) complies with specified Egyptian standards. However, the coliform count (9 x 10(1) MPN) was higher than the recommended limit. Lead and cadmium levels were also investigated in all products. The maximum detected level of lead was that of cream wafer (0.94 ppm) followed by banana wafer (0.82 ppm). The two detected levels were higher than Egyptian standards. The lead level in ice cream (0.19 ppm) was also higher than the specified standards. The relatively high levels of lead in cream wafer and ice cream may be attributed to more than one factor; the added color and the old machinery used in some production steps are the most accursed factors. On the other hand, the observed level of cadmium ranged between 0.046 ppm in raw mil and 0.3 ppm in soft cheese.

Colony Count, Microbial↗
PubMed1997

Overlooked inhaled foreign bodies: late sequelae and the likelihood of recovery.

The present paper describes eight patients (two teenagers and six adults) who had chronic symptoms (haemoptysis, cough, recurrent pneumonia) caused by foreign body (FB) inhalation which went undetected for 3 months to 25 yr. None of the patients had the usual predisposing conditions like mental retardation, seizures or brain tumour. The diagnosis of FB was made by radiography in one patient only. Computerized tomography visualized one FB (a beef bone), and bronchoscopy identified FB in another two patients. The remaining four cases were diagnosed at thoracotomy. Removal of FB was curative in three of five cases who required surgical resection for irreversible bronchiectatic changes. The severity of pulmonary changes correlated with duration of symptoms. It is concluded that chronic, unexplained respiratory symptoms should warrant further investigation to exclude FB despite negative history and normal chest radiography. Finding of granulation tissue or cicatricial stenosis of the bronchus could be the only clue to the presence of a FB. Early diagnosis would avoid irreversible parenchymal changes which necessitate lung resection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Pneumonectomy for tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: Surgery for tuberculosis has been of major concern because of its associated morbidity and mortality, particularly with respect to pneumonectomy. METHODS: Over a period of 11 years, between January 1985 and December 1995, pneumonectomy was performed for 20 patients with documented history of mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). There were 12 male and eight female patients with an average age of 28.7 years. All patients had productive cough for an average duration of 12.8 years, while ten (50%) had an additional hemoptysis for an average duration of 3.9 years. Four patients (20%) were still with positive acid-fast bacilli due to drug resistance and four (20%) had aspergilloma complex. Preoperatively, all patients showed radiological evidence of unilateral destroyed lung with no perfusion. RESULTS: Among the 20 patients with post-tuberculosis lung destruction, 16 had left lung destruction and four had the right lung destroyed. In this series, there was no mortality and morbidity accounted for 15% (n = 3). Two patients required re-exploration for bleeding, while one patient developed post-pneumonectomy empyema without bronchopleural fistula, for which drainage with rib resection was performed. All patients were found to be symptom free during the follow up period which averaged 93.7 +/- 23.9 months (range between 12 and 124 months). CONCLUSIONS: In this series of 20 patients, pneumonectomy for TB and post-tuberculosis lung destruction was performed with no mortality and acceptable morbidity. Meticulous surgical technique is mandatory to avoid operative complications. Persistent positive sputum for acid-fast bacilli should not be considered as contraindication in symptomatic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Multivariate determinants of the need for postoperative ventilation in myasthenia gravis.

PURPOSE: Following transsternal thymectomy, up to 50% of patients may require postoperative ventilation. The aim of this study was to identify the variables most useful in predicting the myasthenic patient who needs postoperative mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We applied multivariate discriminant analysis to preoperative physical, historical, laboratory and intraoperative data of 51 myasthenic patients who underwent transcervical-transsternal thymectomy to select those variables most useful in predicting the postoperative need for mechanical ventilation. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was also used to describe the discrimination abilities and to explore the trade-offs between sensitivity and specificity of the model. RESULTS: Discriminant analysis identified seven risk factors that correlated with the need for postoperative ventilation: FVC, FEF25-75%, MEF50% and their percentages of the predicted values, as well as, sex. The model correctly predicted the actual ventilatory outcome in 88.2% of patients. The area under the ROC curve verified that our model correctly predicted the actual ventilatory outcome with a probability of 88.2%. CONCLUSIONS: This model can be used for predicting the need for postoperative mechanical ventilation in myasthenia gravis patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Hemodynamic alterations in bronchiectasis: a base for a new subclassification of the disease.

On the basis of the morphologic and hemodynamic features in 17 patients with bilateral bronchiectasis, a new subclassification is proposed. Accordingly, two types of bronchiectasis were recognized: perfused and nonperfused. Whereas perfused bronchiectasis has intact pulmonary artery flow and cylindrical bronchiectatic changes, the nonperfused type involves an absent pulmonary artery flow, retrograde filling of the pulmonary artery through the systemic circulation, and cystic bronchiectatic changes. A policy of unilateral resection of nonperfused bronchiectasis and preservation of the perfused type was adopted in 17 patients with bilateral bronchiectasis during an 8-year period. There were 9 women and 8 men with an average age of 28.6 +/- 7 years (range 18 to 48 years). Fifteen patients had mixed bronchiectasis (perfused type on one side and nonperfused on the other side) and two had localized bilateral nonperfused type. The average duration of follow-up was 38.3 +/- 24.9 months (range 13 to 111 months). In the 15 patients with mixed bronchiectasis, excellent (N = 8) or good (N = 7) results were achieved in all cases. On the other hand, the two patients with bilateral nonperfused bronchiectasis did not benefit from unilateral resection. This outcome implies that with perfused bronchiectasis the deranged function is likely to resolve with time. In the face of the general criticism of the traditional morphologic classification system, the proposed functional classification not only reflects the degree of severity of the disease process, but also predicts whether the involved lung will have a measure of respiratory function with regard to gas exchange. Thus the question of which side to resect and which to preserve is defined more precisely.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Surgery for unilateral bronchiectasis: results and prognostic factors.

SETTING: King Khalid University Hospital referral centre for thoracic surgery, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. OBJECTIVE: To assess the results of surgery and factors influencing its outcome in patients with unilateral bronchiectasis. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of 40 patients with unilateral bronchiectasis who were operated upon consecutively at King Khalid Hospital, between July 1987 and May 1993. RESULTS: Left-sided disease was seen in 60% (n = 24) and right-sided in 40% (n = 16) of the patients. The entire lung was involved in 30% of cases (n = 12). Of these, the left lung was totally involved in 22.5% (n = 9) and the right in 7.5% (n = 3). A lobectomy was performed on 21 patients, basal segmentectomy with preservation of apical segment on 7, and pneumonectomy on 12. There was no operative mortality in this series. Six patients (15%) developed postoperative complications, bleeding (n = 4) and prolonged air leak (n = 2). During an average follow-up period of 30.7 months (+/- 15.4 months), 29 patients (72.5%) were cured and the remaining 11 (27.5%) improved. No patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection (n = 3) or obstructive airway disease (n = 5) were cured (P = 0.02 and P = 0.002 respectively). CONCLUSION: Curative resection for selected patients with unilateral bronchiectasis can be performed safely with good results and low morbidity. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and obstructive airway disease have an adverse effect on postoperative cure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The anatomy of left bronchus syndrome.

This explanation of the previously described left bronchus syndrome (Ashour et al., 1990, Thorax, 45:210-212) is based on a prospective study of 17 additional cases with unilateral lung destruction. It is likely that the anatomic peculiarities of the left main bronchus predispose the left lung to more frequent bronchial obstruction and hemodynamic changes than the right. Broncho-pulmonary shunt formation and retrograde filling of the pulmonary artery most likely lead to increased oxygen tension and impaired lymph flow in the entire lung, thus spreading tuberculosis in the lung and ultimately leading to left lung destruction.

Adolescent↗