Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of perineural platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection for pain and numbness alleviation in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Study Design A randomized prospective clinical trial. Setting Pain clinic and Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Departments, Assiut University Hospital. Methods Sixty adult patients with type II DM accompanied by DPN of at least six months’ duration were assessed by modified Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Score (mTCNS) and randomly allocated into two groups. Group I underwent ultrasound-guided perineural PRP injection and medical treatment, and Group II received medical treatment only. Patients were followed up at months 1, 3, and 6 with regard to pain and numbness visual analog scale (VAS) and mTCNS scores. Results Significant improvement was recorded in pain and numbness VAS scale scores in group I vs group II (P ≤ 0.001 during the whole study period for both parameters); at the same time, mTCNS improved in group I in comparison with group II with P = 0.01, 0.001, and <0.001 at months 1, 3, and 6, respectively. Conclusions Perineural PRP injection is an effective therapy for alleviation of diabetic neuropathy pain and numbness and enhancement of peripheral nerve function.

Background Vitiligo is a chronic depigmentary skin disorder, characterised clinically by the development of white macules and or patches caused by loss of epidermal melanocytes. S100B is a dual function protein released from epidermal melanocytes in response to injury. It considered a possible marker of disease activity in both malignant melanoma and vitiligo. Aim of the study To estimate the serum level of S100B level in vitiligo patients and correlate its level with disease activity and various disease parameters. Patients and methods Sixty vitiligo patients and 60 healthy volunteers as controls were included in the study. Vitiligo Area Severity Index (VASI) and Vitiligo Disease Activity (VIDA) scores were estimated for each patient. Quantitative assessment of S100B level using ELISA technique was done for all participants. Results S100B level was significantly correlated with the presence of vitiligo (P = 0.01), while it showed no correlation with the disease activity using VASI or VIDA scores. As regards the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of S100B for diagnosis and discrimination of vitiligo, serum S100B showed area under the curve (AUC) of 0.781 with 73.3% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Conclusion The serum level of S100B was related to the presence of vitiligo, but its level did not show any relation to the disease activity using either VASI and VIDA scores or various disease parameters.

Background: Prognostic markers play an essential role in the proper management of community-acquired pneumonia. This research work aimed to evaluate the association of RDW and /or MPV with mortality and morbidity in patients with CAP to improve the yield of already used prognostic scores. Results: The current study enrolled 153 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Out of them, 101 (64%) patients improved while 52 (36%) died. It was noticed that each of delta MPV and RDW (P < 0.001) had positive significant correlation with PSI and CURB-65. Delta MPV and RDW was significantly higher in patients who died (2.61 ± 1.01 vs. 1.78 ± 0.76; P = 0.01 for delta MPV and 16.50 ± 3.54 vs. 15.50 ± 2.81; P = 0.02 for RDW). Conclusion: Initial RDW and rising MPV during hospitalization for CAP is associated with more severe clinical characteristics and high mortality. Moreover, the use of RDW and delta MPV in patients admitted with CAP can improve the performance of prognostic scales.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is our time's major global health crisis and the greatest health challenge. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is the gold standard technique for diagnosis of symptomatic cases and asymptomatic carriers. By 2020, antigen rapid tests have been approved for use in Covid-19 testing by regulatory bodies all over the world owing to their benefits as they are rapid and cost effective. This work aimed to determine the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of the SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to RT-PCR data. The study included 111 symptomatic COVID-19 patients and 20 control subjects. Of the 111 study patients, 91 patients (81.98%) were positive by RT-PCR and 20 patients negative. The BIOZEK antigen COVID-19 Ag rapid test device was evaluated using sera from the 111 symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Of the 91 RT-PCR positive patients, 81 (90.1%) were positive by the antigen rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT). The control subjects were negative by both tests. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of the Ag-RDT were 91.11%, 100%, 100%, 68.9%, and 91.8%, respectively and these increased as the level of viremia increased. In conclusion, the used Ag-RDT showed high sensitivity and accuracy for detecting of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially when the viral load was high. However, the test lacks sensitivity particularly in those with low viral load.

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