مجلة تريبوليتانا الطبية

Factors Affecting Vitamin C Absorption Using Rat Everted Gut Sac Model

Khaled Benelhaj، Marwa Almajry، Suhera Aburawi — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), is water-soluble vitamin that is naturally present. Humans and guinea pig are unable to
synthesize ascorbic acid endogenously, due to series of inactivating mutations of the gene encoding gulonolactone
oxidase (GULO); this enzyme is responsible for vitamin C synthesis. Ascorbic acid is a potent reducing agent, it has
two major functions as an antioxidant and as an enzyme cofactor.
The study aimed to study different physiological factors as pH and temperature that may affect the absorption of
ascorbic acid in rat ileum; also the effect of nicotine on ascorbic acid absorption was studied. Everted gut sac model
was adopted throughout all the work. Each treated group is repeated for five times.
It is concluded that, ascorbic acid ideal absorption is at pH 7 (normal physiological condition). At acidic and alkaline
media ascorbic acid absorption is decreased. The highest absorption level of ascorbic acid was at 37o
C (normal
physiological condition); while the absorption is decreased when the temperature increase (39o
C) or decrease (35o
C).
Nicotine reduces the absorption of ascorbic acid significantly (P ≤0.05).

Evaluating Efficacy of Treatment and the Endpoint of Viral Eradication during Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Therapy

Mohamed Algumati — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Hepatitis B is a viral disease with a high incidence and prevalence worldwide. Hepatitis B can cause acute and
chronic liver disease. The clinical presentation ranges from subclinical hepatitis to symptomatic hepatitis and, in
rare instances, fulminant hepatitis. Long-term complications of hepatitis B include cirrhosis and hepatocellular
carcinoma(HCC). Perinatal or childhood infection is associated with few or no symptoms, but it has a high risk of
becoming chronic. A limited number of medications can be used to effectively treat chronic hepatitis B; a safe and
effective vaccine is available to prevent hepatitis B infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is a doublestranded DNA virus of the Hepadnaviridae family. HBV is a hepatotropic virus that replicates in the liver and causes
hepatic dysfunction. HBV is transmitted by percutaneous or permucosal exposure to infectious body fluids, by sexual
contact with an infected person, and by perinatal transmission from an infected mother to her infant.
Persons with chronic HBV infection are predisposed to chronic liver disease and have a greater then 200-fold
increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Fulminant hepatic failure occurs in approximately 0.1-0.5% of patients
and is believed to be caused by massive immune-mediated lysis of infected hepatocytes. A variety of extrahepatic
manifestations, including urticarial rashes, arthralgia, and arthritis, are associated with acute clinical and subclinical
HBV infection, as well as multiple immune-complex disorders such as Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (papular
acrodermatitis), necrotizing vasculitis, and hypocomplementemic glomerulonephritis. HBV is associated with 20%
of the cases of membranous nephropathy in children. Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia, pulmonary hemorrhage
related to vasculitis, acute pericarditis, polyserositis, and Henoch-Schönlein purpura have been reported in association
with HBV infection. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its sequelae remain a major cause of chronic liver disease
worldwide, with nearly 400 million persons infected. Although the majority of individuals with HBV infection
will likely remain in an inactive phase associated with low viral replication and histologic remission, a significant
proportion will develop chronic hepatitis B.
In conclusion; given the low rate of spontaneous remission as well as the increased risk for progression to cirrhosis
and/or the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, there is a continued need for effective therapeutic intervention
in chronic hepatitis B

The Clinical Impact of Urinary Tract Infections on Graft Function among Kidney Transplant Recipients

Attiya Alatery، Zaineb Elmahjoub، Hamza Benisa، Najat Al-megrahi — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is considered as one of the important bacterial infections seen among renal transplant
recipients (RTR). In this study, 117 RTRs (73 males and 44 females) were examined for the bacterial UTIs from
January to June 2014. UTIs were diagnosed in 33 patients [12 males (5 asymptomatic bacteriuria and 7 symptomatic
UTI) and 21 females (7 asymptomatic bacteriuria and 14 symptomatic UTI). 42 bacterial strains belonging to 16
different species were isolated from urine samples and identified by conventional tests and analytical profile index
(API) then confirmed by automated Phoenix system. The isolated bacteria were 76% (32/42) gram negatives and
24% (10/42) gram positives where gram negatives include K. pneumonia (43.8%), E. coli (18.8%), E. cloacae
(12.5%), K. oxytoca (6.3%), E. hermanni (3.1%), S. fonticola (3.1%), B. cepacia (3.1%), P. aerogenes (3.1%), Y.
pseudotuberculosis (3.1%), and E. aerogenes (3.1%) while gram positives include S. aureus (30%), S. saprophyticus
(20%), and S. porcinus (20%), S. kloosii (10%), S. agalactiae (10%), and E. faecalis (10%). Notably, infection with S.
aureus caused significant increase in serum creatinine and urea, whereas infection with K. pneumonia and S. fonticola
cause significant decrease in blood hemoglobin. Patients should be evaluated for UTIs during routine outpatient
follow-up, particularly female patients, considering the higher incidence of UTI in females

Diabetic Nephropathy Screening for Microalbuminuria at the Paediatric Endocrine Department -Tripoli Medical Center, Libya

Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Diabetic nephropathy is a clinical syndrome characterized by an increased urinary albumin excretion rate of 30-300 mg/
day (20-200ug/min). The risk of nephropathy increases with increased duration of diabetes and poor glycemic control.
There are five histopathology stages in the development of diabetic nephropathy from early renal hyperfilitration to endstage renal disease (ESRD). This study was conducted at the Paediatric Endocrine department, Tripoli Medical Center.
1209 patients with type I diabetes mellitus (DM) were screened by 24-hour urine collections to detect microalbumne
in 2 successive occasions 6 months apart. It was considered positive, if it is more than 30 mg/day.
374 patients (31%) were positive for microalbuminuria; 194 (52%) females and 180(48%) males. Microalbuminuria
was seen maximally after 8 years of the onset of diabetes. Their mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) over the last 3
years prior to microalbuminuria development was 10%. All patients with microalbuminuria were put on angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) drugs even in the absence of hypertension and all being followed up by annual
icroalbuminuria assessment after diagnosis. 52 patients with overt proteinuria were put on a combination of ACEI
and ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) drugs to slow the progress to ESRD. Diabetic nephropathy is also a sign
of worsening blood vessel throughout the body. Good glycemic control can prevent the development and slow the
progress of diabetic nephropathy as well as other diabetic complications.

Antibacterial Activity of Four Different Libyan Origin Honey Against Salmonella Species

Nouha Elmarbet، Mahmoud Ben Shaban، Mohamed Elemam، Basma Doro — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Different studies have shown the antimicrobial activity of honey from different countries in the world. The objectives
of this study were to conduct such studies and to compare the antimicrobial activity of four types of Libyan honey, ALsader honey, spring honey, thyme honey and hanone honey against Salmonella poona, and Salmonella typhimurium.
Screening the potential antibacterial activity of honey against Salmonella poona, and Salmonella typhimurium by in
vitro methods was conducted in the experimental laboratories at the Microbiology Research Laboratory, University
of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya from January to May 2015. The microbiological tests such as disk diffusion method, cup
cut agar method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and growth curve patterns were used for the determination
of the microbial loads. There were non-significant differences between the four honey types against both bacteria
species. For the activity of 100% pure Spring honey, the zones observed were against S. poona (2.2± 0.1mm) and
S. typhimurium (2.1± 0.2mm), 100% pure Al-Sader honey S. poona (2.4± 1mm) and S. typhimurium (2.1± 0.15
mm), thyme honey S. poona (2.2 ± 0.08mm) and S. typhimurium (2.06± 0.08 mm), Hanon honey, S. poona (2.6±
0.1mm) and S. typhimurium (1.9± 0.15 mm). This study of Libyan honey shows that the highest activity was against
S. typhimurium and S. poons. The Al-Sader honey, and Hanone honey had exceptionally high activity against S.
typhimurium and S. poons

The Incidence of Uterine Leiomyoma and Leiomyosarcoma at Tripoli Medical Center, Libya

Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Uterine fibroids are common benign smooth muscle tumor arise from muscular part of the uterus and considered one
of the major causes of abnormal uterine bleeding in women of reproductive age group and the main reason still not
known exactly. On the other hand, the leiomyosarcoma which is rapidly growing are malignant tumor arise in postmenopausal women and often detected as an incidental finding in hysterectomy specimens.
In this study, the incidence of uterine smooth muscle tumors (leiomyosarcoma and leiomyoma) in the Libyan woman
and their distribution among the different age groups (from 11 to 80 years old), their type, location and the way of
therapy was investigated. The study was conducted at Diagnostic Histopathology Laboratory at the Tripoli Medical
Center Hospital (TMC) involving 1952 cases covering the period of twelve years from January 2002 to December
2013.
The obtained results indicated that the leiomyoma cases were much higher than leiomyosarcoma cases which
represent 99.28% compared to 0.71%. Moreover, the prevalence of leiomyoma cases reached the top value on the
year 2008 with 24.6%. Additionally, sharp increase in the incidence of leiomyoma cases was observed in the age
group between 30 to 50 years with more than 40%. Similarly, the highest number of leiomyosarcomas cases was
detected in the median ages of women (from 30 to 50’s) compared to the other age groups. The obtained differences
in the incidence trend of the analyzed cases and their different age and year distribution are highly expected to
reveal possible differences in their risk factors. Accordingly, additional investigations for the reasons behind such
differences are required and recommended. This large variation in the incidence of occurrence of both types of
uterine tumors and their sharp increase at a particular age group is not fully clear, however further investigation will
be carried out based on this survey.

Cytomegalovirus Seroprevalenceat Blood Bank of Zliten Teaching Hospital in Zliten, Libya

Mahamoud Jwan، Nuha Boukari، Asma Ali، Taha Elsheredi — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a ubiquitous β-herpesvirus, also known as Human Herpes Virus 5 (HHV5). It
is the largest of the human herpesviruses with a 230 kb genome encoding 165 genes. CMV is widely recognized as
an opportunistic pathogen, and has a high profile as an agent of disease in immunocompromised patients; much of
the recent research literature addresses infection in those undergoing solid organ and bone marrow transplantation.
The virus is known to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality following blood transfusion in children and
immunocompromised adults. CMV is found throughout the world among all socio-economic groups and infects
between 50% and 85% of adults by the age of 40 years. CMV infection is more widespread in developing countries
and in areas of low socio-economic conditions up to 100%. The propose of this study was to estimate CMV seroprevalence among voluntary blood donors at blood bank of Zliten teaching hospital in the city of Zliten, Libya. A
serological study was conducted on 150 blood samples from individuals (males and females). According to analyses,
94% and 4% of the specimens were found to be positive for anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. This
study showed that there were no statistically significant associations between the presence of antibodies and the socioeconomic factor and medical history of all participants. The findings of the study indicated that the prevalence of
cytomegalovirus among blood donors in Zliten, Libya was very high, which reflecting an alarming picture of infection especially in high risk groups and the detection of this virus it could be very helpful to reduce hazard of the vir

Sleep Study of Patients with Snoring, Tripoli, Libya

Ali Tuat، Najla Shtwi، Njia Barg Elil، Saja Auzi، Hager Abourema — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Snoring is a respiratory sound occurs during sleep and is caused by vibration of soft tissue of pharynx, soft plate
and sometimes even uvula. The aim of this study is to look for how common is sleep apnea in patients with snoring.
Among patients presented with snoring and sent for sleep study, the primary snoring with normal apnea hypoapnea
index (AHI) was 17.5% of cases, while patients with Sleep Apnea was 82.5% of all cases. Sleep disordered breathing
in patients with sleep apnea mainly due to obstructive sleep apnea was 78% of patients, while obesity hypoventilation
syndrome was 12%, and Cheyne Stokes respiration /central sleep apnea, 10% of patients. Female patients with
obstructive sleep apnea, 65%, while males, 35%, with female to male ratio of 1.9 : 1.0. Female mean age is 66 years
and male mean age is 56 years.
In patients with obstructive Sleep Apnea and co-morbidities, obesity was present in 82%, hypertension in 62%,
diabetes mellitus in 47%, while both DM and hypertension were present in 39%, and asthma or COPD i.e. overlap
syndrome present in about 14% of the patients.
It is highly recommended that sleep disorders breathing especially obstructive sleep apnea preferred to be one of
topics should be included in the Faculty of Medicine Curriculum.