Incidence of type 1 diabetes in children (0-14 years) in Benghazi Libya (1991-2000).
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BACKGROUND: Incidence of Type 1 diabetes in 0-14 year olds in Benghazi (Libya) during the period 1981-1990 was 7.0/10 5. The aim of this study is to report the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in 0-14 year olds in Benghazi Libya during the period 1991-2000. METHODS: Incidence data are based on prospective registration of Type 1 diabetes new cases for the period 1991-2000 in Type 1 register. RESULTS: A total of 276 (males 117, females 159) Type 1 diabetes new cases 0-14 years of age were identified during the period 1.01.1991-31.12.2000. Completeness of ascertainment was 100%. The average annual incidence per year was 7.8/100,000 population (95% CI 6.91-8.78). The standardized incidence rate (World standard) was 8.3/100,000 (95% CI 7.36-9.35). There was excess risk for females (9.1 95% CI 7.77-10.65) versus males (6.6 95% CI 5.45-7.89) (p<0.001). No significant temporal trend was observed, yet there was an increase in incidence rate over that reported for the period 1981-1990 (7.8 vs 7.0). Seasonal variation in incidence was significant. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Benghazi is in the middle of the worldwide range close to the incidence in Mediterranean countries. (+info)
Clinical manifestations in Israeli cystinuria patients and molecular assessment of carrier rates in Libyan Jewish controls.
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BACKGROUND: Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive disease that is manifested by the development of kidney stones. Mutations in SLC3A1 cause type I disease, while mutations in SLC7A9 are associated with non-type I disease. In Israel, cystinuria is especially common among Libyan Jews who suffer from non-type I disease. OBJECTIVES: To compare clinical manifestations of patients with mutations in SLC3A1 to those with mutations in SLC7A9, and to assess the carrier rate among unaffected Libyan Jewish controls. METHODS: Clinical manifestations were evaluated in patients with mutations in SLC3A1 and in patients with mutations in SLC7A9. Carrier rates for two SLC7A9 mutations were assessed in 287 unaffected Libyan Jewish controls. RESULTS: Twelve patients with mutations in SLC3A1 were compared to 15 patients with mutations in SLC7A9. No differences were detected between the patients with mutations in SLC3A1 and those with mutations in SLC7A9 in relation to the age of disease onset, the estimated number of stones, the number of invasive procedures, the number of patients receiving drug therapy, or the patients' urinary pH. Eleven of the unaffected Libyan Jewish controls were found to be heterozygotes for the V170M mutation, establishing a carrier rate of 1:25. The 1584 + 3 del AAGT mutation was not found in any of the Libyan Jewish controls. CONCLUSION: Mutations in SLC3A1 and SLC7A9 cystinuria patients result in indistinguishable disease manifestations. The high carrier rate among Libyan Jews is a result of a single missense mutation, V170M. (+info)
Mohmmar Qadaffi, open access, and retrovirology.
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Retrovirology has been publishing as an Open Access online journal for approximately six months. In this editorial, I review the reasons for and the advantages of Open Access publishing, update our progress to date, and summarize where we intend to go with this journal. (+info)
Spirometric reference values in Tunisian children.
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BACKGROUND: In Tunisia, there are no normal values of pulmonary function for healthy Tunisian children. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to set reference values for spirometric lung function in Tunisian children and to compare these results with other data sets. METHODS: Spirometric values were measured with a Minato portable spirometer in 1,114 asymptomatic, nonsmoking Tunisian children (581 boys and 533 girls) 6-16 years of age. Natural logarithmic values of lung function and standing height were used in the final regression model. RESULTS: Prediction equations for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)), FEV(1)/FVC x 100, maximum mid expiratory flow (MMEF 25-75%) and peak expiratory flow (PEF) for both sexes are presented with standing height as the dependent variable. Our data show a significant increase in lung function with standing height in both sexes. Comparing our results with recent data, values of FVC and FEV(1) in both sexes in the present study are close to those in European, white US and Asian children, whereas our values are higher than the Libyan ones. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy Tunisian children showed similar spirometric reference values compared to European, white US and Asian children. Thus, these standards of lung function could also be used in Tunisia. (+info)
Analysis of genomic downsizing on the basis of region-of-difference polymorphism profiling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis patient isolates reveals geographic partitioning.
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis, has lost many coding and noncoding regions in its genome during the course of evolution. We performed region-of-difference (RD) analysis using PCR-based genotyping of 131 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates obtained from four different countries, namely, India, Peru, Libya, and Angola. Our studies revealed that RD patterns are often distinct for strains circulating in specific geographical regions and can be used to trace the descent and spread of an isolate from its original reservoir. We describe our findings, which show that no single isolate from the four countries (n = 131) had all the 15 RDs either deleted or retained. Tuberculosis-specific deletion 1 (TbD1) was found to be conserved in 23% of the Indian isolates, indicating their possible ancient origin. RD9 was the most conserved region, RD11 was predominantly deleted, and RD6 was the most variable among the isolates in our collection irrespective of their geographic region. In contrast to earlier reports, our results demonstrate that the deletion of RD1 does not correlate with a decrease in the virulence potential of M. tuberculosis, as Indian isolates (n = 30) examined by us were from diseased individuals and yet had lost the RD1 region. Our results further illustrated that the intactness of the RD5 region may be associated with increased virulence of the organism. This study highlights that the RDs in M. tuberculosis genomes are geographically distributed and specific and may possibly be associated with virulence spectrum. (+info)
PCR detection of toxic shock syndrome toxin of Staphylococcus aureus from Tripoli, Libya.
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Sixty-three Staphylococcus aureus strains (40 from clinical sources and 23 from food sources) were examined for toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) using PCR, phage typed using the international phage set (IPS) and tested for their susceptibility to antibiotics. Only three strains (all from clinical sources) were positive for the TSST-1 gene (tst). The majority of S. aureus strains that were typeable by IPS belonged to group II. Resistance to one or more antibiotics was detected in 47.5 and 73.9 % of clinical and food strains, respectively. This is the first time that PCR detection of tst in S. aureus has been reported from Libya, and further studies are needed on the occurrence of toxic shock syndrome in the community and the role of TSST-1-producing S. aureus in this disease in Libya. (+info)
Anthracothere dental anatomy reveals a late Miocene Chado-Libyan bioprovince.
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Recent discovery of an abundant and diverse late Miocene fauna at Toros-Menalla (Chad, central Africa) by the Mission Paleoanthropologique Franco-Tchadienne provides a unique opportunity to examine African faunal and hominid evolution relative to the early phases of the Saharan arid belt. This study presents evidence from an African Miocene anthracotheriid Libycosaurus, particularly well documented at Toros-Menalla. Its remains reveal a large semiaquatic mammal that evolved an autapomorphic upper fifth premolar (extremely rare in Cenozoic mammals). The extra tooth appeared approximately 12 million years ago, probably in a small northern African population isolated by climate-driven fragmentation and alteration of the environments inhabited by these anthracotheriids [Flower, B. P. & Kennett, J. P. (1994) Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 108, 537-555 and Zachos, J., Pagani, M., Sloan, L., Thomas, E. & Billups, K. (2001) Science 292, 686-693]. The semiaquatic niche of Libycosaurus, combined with the distribution and relationships of its late Miocene species, indicates that by the end of the Miocene, wet environments connected the Lake Chad Basin to the Libyan Sirt Basin, across what is now the Sahara desert. (+info)
Kidney transplantation in Libya: a North African and Middle Eastern perspective.
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OBJECTIVES: In August 2004, a national organ transplant program utilizing the latest policies, procedures, and protocols was begun in Libya. During the first year of the program, 50 kidney transplantations from living donors were performed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine patients (aged 7 to 65 years) received kidneys from living-related donors (aged 19 to 54 years), and 1 husband received a kidney from his wife. Donor selection was based on human leukocyte antigen compatibility. Renal failure was due to chronic glomerulonephritis in most patients, diabetes in 5 adults, systemic lupus erythematosus in 2 adults, and congenital anomalies in 2 children. Sixteen patients matched the human leukocyte antigens of their donors, 28 matched 1 haplotype, and 6 did not match any haplotype. Immunosuppression was accomplished with methylprednisolone and basiliximab. Maintenance therapy was with mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine, and prednisone. The latter was completely discontinued 1 month after transplantation. In patients with resistant hypertension, unilateral native nephrectomy was carried out during transplantation. Donor nephrectomy was performed through an open mini-incision using a Thompson retractor. RESULTS: At the time of this writing, 49 patients are alive and well, and 48 of them have had functioning kidneys for 10 to 22 months. Three patients had acute rejections that were successfully treated with methylprednisolone (n=1) or methylprednisolone and antithymocyte globulin (n=2). At the time of this writing, all 46 adults and 2 pediatric recipients have excellent renal function and are living normal lives. CONCLUSIONS: In terms of patient survival and quality of life, transplantation is superior to dialysis. Also, transplantation is less expensive than dialysis. In Libya, establishing an active and successful transplant program with early steroid withdrawal has brought many benefits to patients and their families and great financial savings to the government. Our program hopefully will provide a model for similar programs in Asia and Africa and encourage local governments to legalize organ procurement from cadaveric donors. (+info)