An epidemiological survey and evaluation of the anti-bacterial growth effect of the aqueous leaf extract of the traditional medicinal plant Rhazya stricta were undertaken for extended-spectrum β-lactamase’s producing bacteria isolates collected from the King Abdulaziz Hospital and Oncology Center. Results showed high rates of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) isolates (49.2%) compared to non-ESBL isolates (50.8%). The surgical intensive care unit was the hospital site showing the highest rate (15.1%) of infection, followed by the women's medical ward (11.2%). Urine samples were the highest source of infection (40%). Prevalence among Saudis was 66.67% as compared to non-Saudis (33.33%). Prevalence according to gender was 51.94% females and 48.06% males. Age groups 51-60 years, 21-30 years, and 61 years and over showed the highest rates (20.93%, 20.54% and 20.16%, respectively) compared with other age groups. E. coli resistance rates were 94.5% for ceftazidime, 98.18% for cefotaxime, 92.73% for cefepime and 93.75% for aztreonam. On the other hand, in cases of K. pneumoniae resistance, rates were 100% for ceftazidime, 100% for cefotaxime, 98.68% for cefepime and 97.29% for aztreonam. Genetic analysis showed 8 genotypes, 4 of them were for E. coli and 4 for K. pneumoniae. Analysis also showed genetic diversities between the ESBL and the non-ESBL types in their genomic DNA. There was no antimicrobial effect of the plant extract against all study isolates, although the antimicrobial growth had an effect upon some of the control strains.

The role of HLA-antigens in susceptibility to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still being debated. We analyzed HLA phenotype frequencies in two major ethnic groups, namely Egyptian and Saudi nationals. The Egyptian group included 110 patients of whom 55 were HCV positive and the other 55 were HCV negative (control group). The Saudi group included 146 HCV-positive patients and 122 HCV-negative individuals (control group). The results for the Egyptian population revealed increased frequencies of some HLA phenotypes and decreased frequencies of others but without any statistically significant difference. In contrast, in the Saudi population, the HLA-A19 phenotype was significantly increased in the HCVpositive patients when compared with the control group, while significantly decreased frequencies were found for HLA-B8, HLA-DRI and HLA-DR3. Our data suggest that there was no significant association between the HLA phenotypes and the susceptibility to HCV infection among the Egyptian population, while the overall data of the Saudi population seem to indicate that the expression of particular HLA-alleles could be associated with the susceptibility or resistance to the HCV infection. Further studies on larger numbers of patients are needed to support the role of the HLA system in HCV infection. A total of 108 HCV-positive patients underwent renal transplantation at the Jeddah Kidney Center, and the results were compared with 100 age-and sex-matched controls. Graft survival at 36 months was 82% and 86% for the HCV positive and control subjects, respectively, while the patient survival rate was, respectively, 90% and 91%. Our data suggest that the outcome, at least in the short-term, of renal transplantation in HCV-positive patients is very good. Abstract no.: 2 XENOTRANSPLANTATION: A VIEW TO THE PAST AND AN UNREALIZED PROMISE TO THE FUTURESince the early 20th Century when Emerich Ullman transplanted a pig kidney into the arm of a woman (1902), Princeteau implanted portions of a rabbit kidney into the kidney of a child who was dying of renal insufficiency (1905), Jaboulay transplanted two kidneys from a pig and a goat as donor sources (1906), and Unger implanted a monkey kidney into a human (1910), xenotransplantation has made some strides, mostly related to advanced surgical techniques, improved knowledge of immunological principles, and to steps associated with the development of the most effective immunosuppressive therapy. Innovative surgical techniques were introduced by Alexis Carrel in the first decade of the 1900s, so that vascular anastomoses could be realized without a considerable amount of thrombotic/embolic problems, long before heparin times. Inasmuch as these advances were soundly characterized, it became evident that the results were far from expected and that the time was not ripe for xenotransplantation. It took a further 50 years (1963) before Keith Reemtsma transplanted 13 kidneys from chimpanzees into patients with kidney failure. Remarkably, one patient survived for 9 months before dying from a...

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Infections with MDR A. baumannii have been reported in various spots of the world including Europe, America, Far East region, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Lebanon [4]. It has also been reported in Egypt [5,6]. Such a condition needs continuous monitoring and evaluation to allow better understanding and control. This study aimed to assess A. baumannii as a cause of HAIs in intensive care units (ICUs) of Zagazig University Hospitals and to demonstrate its antimicrobial resistance pattern.