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Zaki F Aref,1 Shamardan Ezzeldin Sayed Bazeed,2 Asmaa Nafady,3 Dalia Fahim Mohammed Fahim,4 Ali A Ghweil,5 Mennatallah Ali Abdelrhman Sayed,6 Heba Mohammad Qubaisy,7 Mahmoud Khalefa,8 Usama A Arafa,9 Badawy Shahat Badawy,10 Ahmed Shawkat Abdelmohsen,11 Mohammed H Hassan,12 Aida A Abdelmaksoud1 1Department of ENT, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 2Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 3Department of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 4Audiovestibular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt; 5Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 6King Salman International University, Faculty of Medicine, El Tor, Egypt; 7Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 8Department of ENT, Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt; 9Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt; 10Department of ENT, Faculty of Medicine, Luxor University, Luxor, Egypt; 11Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; 12Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, EgyptCorrespondence: Mohammed H Hassan, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt, Tel +20 1009097968, Email mohammedhosnyhassaan@yahoo.com; mohammedhosnyhassaan@med.svu.edu.egBackground: Helicobacter pylori is assumed to cause many gastric and extragastric diseases. We aimed to assess the possible association role of H. pylori in Otitis media with effusion (OME), nasal polyps and adenotonsillitis.Patients and Methods: A total of 186 patients with various ear, nose and throat diseases were included. The study comprised 78 children with chronic adenotonsillitis, 43 children with nasal polyps and 65 children with OME. OME patients were assigned to two subgroups: those who have and those who did not have adenoid hyperplasia. Among the patients with bilateral nasal polyps, 20Â individuals had recurrent nasal polyps and 23 had de novo nasal polyps. Patients who have chronic adenotonsillitis were divided into three groups: those with chronic tonsillitis and those who underwent tonsillitis, those with chronic adenoiditis and adenoidectomy was performed, and those with chronic adenotonsillitis and underwent adenotonsillectomy. In addition to examination of H. pylori antigen in stool samples of all included patients, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection of H. pylori in the effusion fluid was performed, additionally, Giemsa stain was used for detection of H. pylori organism within the tissue samples when available.Results: Frequency of H. pylori in effusion fluid was 28.6% in patients with OME and adenoid hyperplasia, while in those with OME it was only 17.4% with a p value of 0.2. Nasal polyp biopsies were positive in 13% patients of denovo, and 30% patients with recurrent nasal polyps, p=0.2. De novo nasal polyps were more prevalent in the positive stools than recurrent ones, p=0.7. All adenoid samples were negative for H. pylori, only two samples of tonsillar tissue (8.3%) were positive for H. pylori, and stool analysis was positive in 23 patients with chronic adenotonsillitis.Conclusion: Lack of association between Helicobacter pylori and occurrence of OME, nasal polyposis or recurrent adenotonsillitis.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, otitis media with effusion, nasal polyps, adenotonsillitis

COVID-19 is an emerging disease all over the world and spreading at an unpredicted rate, resulting in significant influences on global economies and public health. Clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics have been partially described in some observational studies. Not enough systematic reviews on predictors of critical illness and mortality in COVID 19 have been published to date. In this review, we had illustrated the prognostic predictors of COVID-19 by gathering published information on the risk factors related to the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Asmaa M El-Kady,1 Mostafa I EL-Amir,2 Mohammed H Hassan,3 Khaled S Allemailem,4 Ahmad Almatroudi,4 Alzahraa Abdelraouf Ahmad5 1Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 2Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 3Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 4Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudia Arabia; 5Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, EgyptCorrespondence: Asmaa M El-KadyDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, EgyptTel +201114229741Email Asmaa.elkady@med.svu.edu.egIntroduction: Schistosomiasis is an important neglected tropical disease (NTD) in several developing countries. Praziquantel is the principle and efficacious chemotherapeutic agent that has been used to treat schistosomiasis for decades. Unfortunately, emerging resistance to praziquantel with accompanying reduced efficacy is reported in some localities. Hence, genetic diversity among parasite populations is of significant interest in assessing the effects of selective pressure generated by praziquantel therapy that might result in encouraging the emergence of new genotypes that are either non-susceptible or drug-resistant. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium among human populations using the RAPD technique to help clarify disease epidemiology and transmission.Materials and Methods: S. haematobium eggs were isolated from 50 of 134 patients from four different localities in Qena Governorate, Upper Egypt. These patients complained of terminal hematuria and burning micturition. Samples were used for molecular analysis using RAPD-PCR primers (A02, A07, A09, A10).Results: Twenty S. haematobium isolates (40%) were amplified using the selected RAPD primers. Amplification patterns of these isolates showed distinct variation in the size and number of amplified fragments, indicating high genetic variation among these isolates.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the genetic diversity of S. haematobium in human populations in Upper Egypt. Future studies on a larger geographic scale involving many districts in Upper Egypt should be encouraged. Information from such a study would provide better insight into clonal lineages of S. haematobium in this endemic area. In turn, understanding transmission of the parasite may have a major role in establishing control strategies for urogenital schistosomiasis in Upper Egypt.Keywords: Schistosomiasis haematobium, RAPD, Upper Egypt, genetic diversity

Ali A Ghweil,1 Mohammed H Hassan,2 Ashraf Khodeary,3 Ahmed Okasha Mohamed,4 Haggagy Mansour Mohammed,5 Ahmed Alyan Abdelazez,1 Heba Ahmed Osman,1 Shamardan Ezzeldin S Bazeed1 1Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt; 2Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt; 3Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag 82519, Egypt; 4Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt; 5Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, EgyptCorrespondence: Mohammed H HassanMedical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, EgyptTel +201098473605Email Mohammedhosnyhassaan@yahoo.comBackground: The risk factors, disease characteristics, severity, and mortality of COVID-19 are unclear, particularly in Egypt.Objective: The objective was to analyze the patients’ characteristics, hematological, biochemical, and chest imaging findings among the cohort of patients with COVID-19 in Egypt and also to shed light on the predictors of COVID-19 severity.Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 66 patients with COVID-19 in Egypt. Medical history, imaging data (CT chest findings), and measured hematological and biochemical parameters at diagnosis were recorded in the form of complete blood counts and differential counts; CRP, ESR, serum ferritin, creatinine, and liver function tests . Results of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at diagnosis and during follow up of these patients were also recorded.Results: The study included 36 patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 and 30 patients with severe/critical infection. There was a significant older age among severe (62.6 years old ± 10.1SD) than mild to moderate infection (55.5 ± 10.1) (p˂0.05). Fever, dry cough, dyspnea, and sore throat malaise were highly frequent among COVID-19 patients, while headache and diarrhea were the least frequently occurring manifestations. All included cases (30 patients, 100%) with severe COVID-19 showed crazy-paving appearance (in the form of reticular and/or interlobular septal thickening) with or without GGO. There were significantly lower mean values of WBCs, lymphocytic count, total protein, and albumin among the severely infected than those who had mild to moderate COVID-19 infection, p˂0.05 for all. Additionally, there were significantly higher mean values of CRP, ESR, ferritin, ALT, and AST among patients with severe/critical COVID-19 when compared with those having mild to moderate COVID-19, p˂0.05 for all.Conclusion: Among the studied demographic, clinical, hematological, biochemical, and imaging data, dyspnea, diabetes mellitus, lymphopenia, raised CRP, ESR, ferritin, ALT, AST, low albumin, and presence of CT chest findings could be considered as predictors for COVID-19 severity using binary logistic regression analysis.Keywords: COVID-19, Egypt, clinical data, hematological parameters, SARS-CoV-2 RNA, biochemical markers, severity

Hassan AM, Osman HA, Mahmoud HS, et al. Infect DrugResist. 2018;11:895–901.On page 896, “Investigatory workup” section, first bulletpoint, second sentence should read from “Four millilitersof blood was taken in a plain glass tube, and after clotting,the tube was centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 5 min. Then, theserum was separated for use in estimating liver function(including liver enzymes, albumin, bilirubin-total anddirect, prothrombin time, prothrombin concentration, andINR), serum creatinine, protein:creatinine ratio, andRF . . . ” to “Two milliliters of blood was taken in citratedtubes and after centrifugation, the separated citratedplasma has been used for estimation of prothrombintime, prothrombin concentration, and INR, while theremaining two milliliters of blood was taken in a plainglass tube, and after clotting, the tube was centrifuged at3,000 rpm for 5 min. Then, the serum was separated foruse in estimating liver function (including liver enzymes,albumin, bilirubin-total and direct), serum creatinine, RFand in addition to urinary protein:creatinine ratio, all weremeasured . . . ”Following a review of our paper post-publication, wefound the incorrect information for these sentences.This correction of sentences has no impact to the findingsof the study. The authors apologize for this error.Read the original article