There was a high incidence of induction deaths related to infection and high percentages of very early/early relapses, with high mortalities and low 5-year overall survival rates. These findings suggest the urgent need for modification of chemotherapy regimens to be suitable for the local conditions, including implementation of supportive care and infection control policies. There is also a requirement for antimicrobial prophylaxis during induction period combined with the necessary increase in government healthcare spending to improve the survival of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Egyptian children.

The prevalence of HCV and HBV infections are very high among Egyptian β-thalassemic patients, which calls for a critical look into the prevailing transfusion practices and adoption of stricter donor selection criteria to decrease the incidence rate of both HCV and HBV infections effectively. Furthermore, there is a compressing need for the use of more specific and sensitive methods for HCV testing in Mansoura university hospitals.

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Apoptosis is the primary mechanism through which most chemotherapeutic agents induce tumor cell death. The balance in the expression of pro (Fas/CD95) and anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) may control the response of leukemic cells to chemotherapy and subsequently affect the patient's prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of Bcl-2 and Fas expression on blast cells from patients with acute leukemia and to correlate the degree of expression to the clinical and laboratory prognostic factors and the patient's outcome. Forty newly diagnosed patients with acute leukemia (16 ALL, 24 AML) were included in the study. Ten normal subjects of matched age and sex were studied as a reference control group. The degree of Bcl-2 and Fas expression on acute leukemia blast cells were assessed before the start of therapy and on mononuclear cells after 1 year of follow up, using flow cytometry. The degree of Bcl-2 and Fas expression were significantly higher in AML (P<0.01,<0.05, respectively) and ALL (P<0.01, <0.05, respectively) as compared to controls. The expression of Fas and Bcl-2 was related to FAB type with the highest Bcl-2 and lowest Fas expression in M5 and T-ALL (P<0.01, for all). In ALL, patients responding to induction chemotherapy revealed lower Bcl-2 and higher Fas expression when compared to non-responders (P<0.05). In contrast, in AML the difference between responders and non-responders to induction chemotherapy regarding Bcl-2 and Fas expressions was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Bcl-2 and Fas expression were significantly elevated in the relapsed acute leukemia group (in both AML and ALL) when compared to those in remission (P<0.01, <0.05, respectively). Bcl-2 and Fas expression at diagnosis was not significantly different when those surviving were compared to the group who had died, either in the ALL or AML groups (P>0.05). Bcl-2 expression was significantly correlated to bone marrow blast cell counts (R=0.6, P<0.01), blast cell distribution ratio (R=0.4, P<0.05) and lymphadenopathy (R=0.33, P<0.05). Whereas Fas expression was significantly correlated to bone marrow blast cell counts (R=0.52, P<0.01). In conclusion, assessment of Bcl-2 and Fas expression at diagnosis in acute leukemia (1) could predict responsiveness to induction chemotherapy in ALL but not in AML group but (2) could not predict patients out come both in ALL and AML groups.

Thalassemic patients are vulnerable to emotional and behavioral problems. Each patient age group exhibits problems unique to that stage of development, and although up to 80 % of thalassemic patients are likely to have psychological disorders, e.g., anxiety and depression, predictors of these disorders remain poorly understood. The present study was designed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression in a sample of Egyptian thalassemic patients and to identify predictors of these psychiatric disorders. A case-control study was conducted in 218 thalassemic patients, with 244 healthy subjects as a control. All patients and control subjects were subjected to thorough evaluation of medical history and clinical examination, and examined by a psychiatrist using the clinician version of the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID-CV), hospital anxiety and depression scale and Coopersmith self-esteem inventory. Abnormal and borderline anxieties were reported by 36.7 and 20.6 % of thalassemic patients, respectively, while abnormal and borderline depressions were reported by 32.1 and 16.1 % of patients, respectively. Hospitalization, low self-esteem, diabetes mellitus and heart failure were independent predictors of anxiety. The independent predictors of depression were heart failure, hospitalization, diabetes mellitus, short stature and delayed puberty. Thalassemic patients were more vulnerable to anxiety and depression, indicating that screening and management for such psychiatric disorders should be considered in treating all such patients.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) doped with fluorescent perylene dye was prepared by both radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate and solvent casting from polymer solutions. The samples were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electrical conductivity, and dielectric properties. Both conductivity and dielectric properties were measured in the temperature range 303-433 K and the frequency range 10 3 to 5 ϫ 10 6 Hz. The results show that the directcurrent electrical conductivity increased by increasing dye content in solvent-cast samples, whereas it decreased radically polymerized samples. The results of alternating-current conductivity suggest electron hopping between filled and empty localized states. The study of dielectric properties showed two relaxation peaks corresponding to the dipole segmental and dipole group losses. Explanations based on the polymer free volume and acid-base interactions were proposed to examine the influence of the sample preparation and perylene dye concentration on the glass-transition temperature and dielectric relaxation of the samples. The obtained results recommend the thermal and molecular stability of luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) matrices prepared by radical polymerization over those prepared by solvent casting.

The optical absorption of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), doped with perylene dye, prepared by both thermal polymerization and casting methods, has been measured before and after exposure to filtered or unfiltered light using xenon arc lamp or day light. The optical band gap of thermally polymerized PMMA was reduced by doping with perylene dye or exposure to UV radiation. Study of DSC and FTIR measurements confirmed that the samples prepared by thermal polymerization are more stable than solvent‐cast samples.© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry

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