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Biomedical subjects

M F Abdel Wahab

Publications and source records attributed to M F Abdel Wahab.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparative study on different recent diagnostic and therapeutic regimens in acute typhoid fever.

Forty five positive blood culture acute typhoid cases were studied during a 2 years period (1997-1999) in Abbassia Fever hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Their ages ranged between 4-23 (12 +/- 2.5) years. Male: Female ratio was 1:1. Three of the 4 classical signs namely: toxic look (84%), bronchitic chest (47%), tumid tympanitic abdomen (84%) and just palpable receding spleen (69%) were found in almost all cases and offer a good bed side clinical diagnostic test. Blood picture revealed anaemia, within normal white blood count and thrombocytopenia. Liver function tests showed within normal total serum bilirubin, two or more folds increase of ALT and within normal serum alkaline phosphatase. Comparing the 3 tests, namely significant Widal titre (56%), modified Widal test (89%) and bright spleen (78%), it was found that modified Widal test is the most sensitive serological test. Ultrasonographic finding of bright spleen is an easy, safe, noninvasive and sensitive technique which is relatively cheap. Each of the 3 drugs in our study namely chloramphenicol, quinolones and ceftriaxone resulted in improvement of general condition, drop of fever, increase in haemoglobin, white blood count and platelet count. Also, there was a significant improvement of liver function tests by either of the 3 drugs. Ceftriaxone is the best drug from the clinical and laboratory points of view followed by quinolones in multidrug resistant (MDR) acute typhoid cases. Chloramphenicol is still the drug of choice in chloramphenicol sensitive salmonellae.

Acute Disease↗

Comparative study between paratyphoid A and typhoid fever cases.

Twenty eight positive blood culture paratyphoid A fever cases were studied. Forty two positive blood culture typhoid cases were taken as controls. Cases and controls were subjected to: 1) careful history, 2) thorough clinical examination, 3) two blood cultures for salmonella, 4) Widal agglutination test, 5) total and differential white blood count, 6) urine and stool cultures following therapy. There was no significant difference in the clinical picture between acute paratyphoid A fever and acute typhoid fever except the significant decrease of anorexia (57%), toxic look (54%), coated tongue (64%) in acute paratyphoid A cases when compared to acute typhoid cases. The prevalence of extraintestinal symptoms in paratyphoid A cases may mimic viral infections. Three of the 4 classical signs namely; toxic look (54%), bronchitic chest (50%), splenomegaly (72%) and tympanitis (64%) were good bed side suggestive clinical diagnostic aids in paratyphoid A cases. Blood culture was the cornerstone of diagnosis of paratyphoid A cases. In 6 (21%), only the second blood sample was positive stressing the value of multiple cultures. Significant Widal antibody titre was elicited in only about half (57%) of paratyphoid A cases which was significantly lower than typhoid cases (83%). Leucopenia was found in only 25% of paratyphoid A cases. Eosinopenia was constant and is considered as a diagnostic and prognostic aid. No correlation was elicited between either the height of antibody titre or the height of leucocytic count and the severity of illness. There was no significant difference in the response to therapy or the occurrence of complications between paratyphoid A cases and typhoid cases. Up to the current knowledge, this is the first report on comparative study between acute paratyphoid A fever and acute typhoid fever in Egypt from clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic points of view.

Acute Disease↗

Chloramphenicol drug failure in typhoid fever.

Two hundred positive blood culture typhoid patients admitted to Embaba Fever Hospital, Giza province, were subjected to: 1) Careful history and thorough clinical examination. 2) Complete blood picture. 3) Widal agglutination test. 4) Urine and stool cultures for Salmonellae. 5) To the isolates of the cultures, disk diffusion chloramphenicol susceptibility test, minimum inhibitory concentrations and chloramphenicol acetyl transferase test were performed. The dose of chloramphenicol was restricted to 50 mg per Kg body weight daily, whatever the route used; whether oral, rectal or intravenous. When fever did not drop up to 5 days or the patient presented with typhoid complications or the blood culture revealed resistant Salmonellae, quinolones or third generation, cephalosporins were administered. Measurement of the level of chloramphenicol in the blood was performed for every patient. Fifty (25%) patients were found to be resistant in vitro and in vivo to chloramphenicol. All their Salmonellae isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol, the mean zone size was 10 mm, the mean inhibitory concentration was 64 microgram per ml. and all were positive for chloramphenicol acetyl transferase. There was no significant difference in the serum level of chloramphenicol between susceptible and resistant groups to the drug. Results were interpreted and discussed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Parasitic infections presenting as prolonged fevers.

Over two successive years, out of 187 cases of fevers of undetermined origin (FUO) admitted to Abbassia and Embaba Fever Hospitals, 30 (16%) cases proved to be of parasitic origin. Ten within normal subjects were taken as controls. Complete blood picture, repeated stool examination, rectal snip by transparency technique, ELISA for specific IgM antibodies for S. mansoni, indirect haemagglutination test for S. mansoni, Fasciola, hydatid, amoebic liver abscess and toxoplasmosis, indirect fluorescent antibody test for toxoplasmosis and abdominal ultrasonography were performed whenever indicated. Cases comprised 8 (26%) acute S. mansoni, 7 (24%) acute fascioliasis, 3 (10%) hydatid cyst, 8 (26%) amoebic liver abscess, 2 (7%) toxoplasmoisis and 2 (7%) malaria cases. The clinical picture of acute S. mansoni and acute fascioliasis were similar in the form of prolonged fever, diarrhea, hepatomegaly and leucocytosis with high eosinophilia. Serology (ELISA and IHAT) was essential in differentiating them. Abdominal ultrasonography is an easy, sensitive, cheap, non-invasive technique aiding in the diagnosis of amoebic liver abscess, liver hydatid cysts and fascioliasis but again serology was essential in differenting them. Toxoplasmic lymphadenitis mimic the clinical picture of infectious mononucleosis. Serology (monospot test, IHAT, IFAT) clinched the diagnosis. Malaria cases presented atypically by gastrointestinal manifestations and hepatic affection. Diagnosis was by positive blood smears.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

The value of ultrasonography in assessment of portal hypertension in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis.

Ultrasonography can reveal most of the manifestations of portal hypertension complicating hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. However, direct demonstration of gastroesophageal varices by ultrasonography is still very difficult. An attempt was done to correlate sonographic features of portal hypertension with the degree of fibrosis to screen patients having varices and predicting their chance of bleeding. The results obtained were found to be consistent with the esophagogastric endoscopy and with history of hematemesis. Four parameters were used, size of spleen, degree of periportal fibrosis, presence of collaterals and portal vein diameter. A pilot field survey was also done adopting the same principle.

Adolescent↗

Fatal complications of acute enteric fevers.

Eighty eight patients presenting with fatal typhoid complications were studied in Abbassia and Embaba fever hospitals during a 4 years period (1987-1991). Criterion of inclusion in the study was either positive blood culture in 70 (80%) cases or postmortem gross appearance of typhoid fever in 18 (20%) cases. Positive blood culture cases included 54 (77%) S. typhi and 16 (23%) S. paratyphi A. Seven (10%) cases were resistant in vitro to chloramphenicol. Postmortem examination performed in 18 (20%) cases revealed typical typhoid ulcers in ileum, jejunum and large intestine. The main clinical picture of 31 toxic, 22 encephalitic or meningeal irritating, 15 gastroenteritic, 9 pneumonic, 8 perforated and 3 haemorrhagic enteric fever cases were discussed. The tetrad of fever, toxic look, bronchitic chest, tumid tympanitic abdomen and splenomegaly was a good sign for suggestion of typhoid diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

Rapid diagnosis of non-prolonged febrile illnesses necessitating fever hospital admission.

Two hundred and seventy patients were studied during a 2 years period in Abbassia and Embaba fever hospitals. The duration of illness before admission was less than 20 days. Suggestive clinical symptoms and/or signs of each disease were stressed. Rapid laboratory investigations include slide typhoid agglutination test (98%) in enteric fevers, slide malta agglutination test (86%) in brucellosis, urine culture (100%) in urinary tract infection, gram stain of C.S.F. in bacterial meningitis (80%), encephalitis (0%) and meningeal irritation (0%), high vaginal swab culture (100%) in puerperal fevers, echocardiogram (100%) in infective endocarditis, high E.S.R. (100%) and positive C.R.P. (71%) and/or high A.S.O. (86%) in rheumatic fever, counterimmunoelectrophoresis (86%) in amoebic liver abscess, chest X-ray in pneumonia (100%), pulmonary tuberculosis (100%) and pleural effusion (100%), ultrasound of lymph nodes (100%) in tuberculous lymphadenitis. Erysipelas and tetanus were diagnosed on clinical grounds only.

Adolescent↗

Hepatitis B vaccination in children infected with Schistosoma mansoni: correlation with ultrasonographic data.

Forty-one schoolchildren with positive stools for Schistosoma mansoni eggs and 39 age- and sex-matched children with negative stools were given 3 doses, 5 micrograms each, of a plasma derived hepatitis B vaccine. Their sera were examined 3 and 9 months after the third dose for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs). At 9 months after vaccination, both the number of responders and the mean of antibody titers were significantly higher in the control group than in the group infected with S. mansoni (97% vs. 56% and 334.8 +/- 192.9 vs. 67.7 +/- 74.4 mIU/ml). There was a negative correlation between anti-HBs titers and the long diameter of the spleen as well as between the titers and the long diameter of the spleen and the liver span in the mid-clavicular line (right lobe) taken together. There was also a positive correlation between anti-HBs titers and the diameters of the portal vein. There was no correlation between anti-HBs titers and any of the following 3 parameters: liver span in the mid-clavicular line (right lobe) alone, liver span in the middle line (left lobe) alone, and the degree of thickness of the periportal fibrosis. There was also no correlation between anti-HBs titers and egg counts in the stools. An interpretation of these findings was made in the light of the role of phagocytic activity of the liver and spleen as well as of porta-caval shunts in the immune mechanism.

Child↗

Distal splenorenal shunts (Warren's operation) B-mode and real time ultrasonographic assessment.

B mode and real time ultrasonography have been used in a trial to demonstrate the patency of distal splenorenal shunt done in Warren's operation. Thirty seven patients with portal hypertension, and bleeding oesophageal varices were the subject of this study. Using B-mode ultrasonography in 70% of cases (26 patients), the splenic, left renal vein and the site of anastomosis were demonstrated. In 8% (3 patients), both splenic and left renal veins were seen patent, but the site of anastomosis was not detected. In the remaining 22% (8 patients), neither the left renal vein nor the site of anastomosis could be demonstrated. Using the Real-time two dimensional ultrasound, 9 of the 37 patients were examined. The patency of both veins and the site of the shunt was demonstrated in 90% (8 patients).

Esophageal and Gastric Varices↗