IntroductionAltered neutrophil apoptosis might be responsible for recurrent bacterial infections encountered in hemodialysis (HD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. This work was designed to assess the neutrophil apoptotic activity and the impact of implementation of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), as a survival factor, on neutrophil apoptosis among these patients.Material and methodsTwenty-five patients on regular HD along with 34 CKD patients on conservative treatment, as well as 15 healthy controls, were investigated for apoptotic rate via assessment of neutrophil expression of Annexin-V by flow cytometry, before and after 20 h culture in absence and presence of GM-CSF. Neutrophil viability was determined using light microscopy. The preservation of neutrophil activation in these patients was analyzed by flow cytometric CD18 neutrophil expression. Chronic inflammatory state was evaluated by estimating C-reactive protein (CRP) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1). Obtained data were statistically analyzed.ResultsCompared to controls, both HD and CKD groups had a significant increase of Annexin-V and CD18 expression and significant decrease in neutrophil viability. Culture of their neutrophils with GM-CSF showed significant decrease of apoptosis accompanied by improvement of neutrophil viability compared to their cultured cells without GM-CSF. These patients also showed significant elevation of CRP and sICAM-1.ConclusionsGranulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor demonstrated an evident impact on improving in vitro neutrophil survival and viability in HD and CKD patients. Therefore, this may represent promising preventive and/or therapeutic strategies against infection frequently observed in these patients and causing morbidity and mortality.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a worldwide etiology of chronic hepatic insult particularly in Egypt. DNA‐repair systems are responsible for maintaining genomic integrity by countering threats posed by DNA lesions. Deficiency in the repair capacity due to genetic alterations in DNA‐repair genes can lead to genomic instability and increased risk of cancer development. The present work aimed at studying the possible association between XRCC1‐G28152A (rs25487), XRCC3‐C18067T (rs861539), and XRCC7‐G6721T (rs7003908) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Egyptian population. The study was conducted on 100 newly diagnosed HCC patients and 100 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. Laboratory workup revealed that all HCC patients have chronic hepatitis C viral infection. Genotyping of the studied SNPs was performed by real‐time PCR. The heteromutant genotype of XRCC1 (GA) conferred an almost two‐fold increased risk of HCC (OR ,  2.35; 95% CI, 1.33‐4.04). Regarding XRCC7, the heteromutant (TG) genotype conferred a two‐fold increased risk of HCC (OR ,  2.17; 95% CI, 1.23‐3.82). Coinheritance of the polymorphic genotypes of XRCC1 and 7 was significantly higher in HCC cases than controls and was associated with an 11‐fold increased risk of HCC (OR , 11.66; 95% CI,  2.77‐49.13). The frequency of XRCC3 polymorphic genotypes in HCC patients was close to that of the controls.

IntroductionWhey protein contains biologically active ingredients that can prevent and attenuate disease besides being nutritive. The aim of the study was to clarify the effects of oral administration of whey protein on viral load and host defence mechanisms, in particular, phagocytic function of neutrophils, selected immunomodulatory cytokines and serum inflammatory markers, in compensated chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients.Material and methodsTwenty-seven HCV patients (20 males and 7 females) recruited from the hepatology clinic of the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI) were given whey protein concentrate (WPC) twice daily for two months. In addition, 15 age and sex matched healthy participants were included in the study, as a control group. Neutrophil phagocytic activity, serum intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM), interleukin-2 (IL-2), nitric oxide (NO), as well as HCV-RNA levels and routine investigations were determined for patients, before and after WPC supplementation and once for the control group.ResultsThere was a significant decrease in viral load and markers of active inflammation, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), while serum albumin, total leucocyte counts and absolute neutrophil counts showed significant elevation accompanied by improvement of neutrophil phagocytic activity after WPC supplementation compared to pre-treated levels. The oral WPC supplementation was well tolerated without any serious adverse events.ConclusionsOral supplementation of WPC has promising results as a new therapeutic strategy against HCV and its sequelae by decreasing the viral load and active inflammation as well as improving the synthetic capacity of the liver and the phagocytic function of neutrophils, in these patients.

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Background: Polymorphonuclear leucocytes are the first line of defence against foreign invaders and