Gawad, E. A. H. A., M. E. Madani, hanan mostafa, and R. M. A. halim, "Precision medicine as a predictive factor for risk of hospitalization of recurrent ischemic stroke patients treated with low dose aspirin. A pilot study", Egyptian Journal of Anaesthesia, vol. 39, issue 1, pp. 157-166, 2023.
Hinnawy, Y. E. H., A. S. Salem, H. H. Ahmed, R. A. M. Halim, and N. B. Ahmed, "Role of Transforming Growth Factor Beta in assessment of severity of hypersensitivity pneumonitis: a single center study", The Egyptian Journal of Bronchology, vol. 18, issue 33, 2024.
Salem, A., H. Sawires, A. Eskander, R. A. M. Halim, and E. Boshra, "Risk factors for developing hyperoxaluria in children with Crohn’s disease", Pediatric Nephrology, vol. 38, issue 781, pp. 789, 2023.
Maguib, S., L. A. Mansour, N. A. Soliman, H. E. M. Hanafy, Y. A. Fahmy, M. A. Elmonem, and R. A. M. Halim, "Expanding the genetic spectrum of AGXT gene variants in Egyptian patients with primary hyperoxaluria type I", Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, vol. 28, issue 4, 2024.
El‐Hinnawy, Y. H., N. E. Ghobashy, R. A. M. Halim, and G. A. S. Elwafa, "Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in hypersensitivity pneumonitis and connective tissue disease‐associated interstitial lung disease", The Egyptian Journal of Bronchology, vol. 18, issue 32, 2024.
Mones, A., M. Sherif, and R. Halim, Superiority of rectal snip over serology in detection of schistosomiasis eradication: A pilot study, , vol. 22, 2021/01/14. Abstract

Background and study aimsThe diagnosis of schistosomiasis is based on serological determination of anti-schistosoma antibody and schistosoma antigen in serum and urine but the gold standard test is the microscopic detection of schistosoma eggs in urine and stool. However, there is an urgent demand to reach the elimination goal with higher sensitivity and specificity tools. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of anti-schistosoma antibody and schistosoma antigen in comparaison with rectal snip in the detection and prediction of eradication of schistosomiasis in previously and/or incidentaly diagnosed patients.
Patients and methods
Sixty patients were divided into 48 patients with ultrasound evidence of periportal fibrosis and non-calcified Schistosoma eggs detected microscopically in rectal snip biopsy and 12 control subjects with ultrasound evidence of periportal fibrosis only.
Results
Rectal snip was more sensitive than standard serological tests in the investigation for detection and eradication of schistosomiasis infection with 100% sensitivity when compared to the sensitivity of Schistosoma antigen (45.8%) and that of Schistosoma antibody (31.2%).
Conclusion
Patients presenting to tropical medicine clinics with periportal fibrosis and/or abdominal symptoms with history of close proximity to fresh water bodies should be assessed by serology for schistosomiasis infection especially in highly endemic area. Rectal snip sampling should be done for negative or relapsed cases to exclude infection and confirm schistosomiasis clearance.

Halim, R., Circulating Maternal Total Cell-Free DNA, Cell-Free Fetal DNA and Soluble Endoglin Levels in Preeclampsia: Predictors of Adverse Fetal Outcome? A Cohort Study, , vol. 20, pp. 135 - 49, 2021/05/27. Abstract

AbstractBackground: The diagnosis of preeclampsia (PE) is based on the measurement of maternal blood pressure and proteinuria; however, these parameters are not used in the prediction of adverse fetal outcomes that may occur due to fetal stress. The plasma concentrations of total cell-free DNA (cf-DNA), cell-free fetal DNA (cff-DNA) and soluble endoglin (sEng) are higher in women with established PE than in normotensive controls, and the increase is particularly marked in those with severe PE. We aimed to evaluate the levels of cf-DNA, cff-DNA and sEng in pregnant Egyptian women with PE in order to assess the severity of the disease and to detect their potential utility in the future prediction of time of delivery and adverse fetal outcome.
Subjects and methods: The study included 107 pregnant females with established PE during their third trimester (51 with mild PE and 56 with severe PE), together with 93 normotensive pregnant women. Absolute quantitation of the hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB) and testis-specific protein, Y-linked 1 (TSPY1) genes for the measurement of cf-DNA and cff-DNA in maternal blood, respectively, was carried out using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) together with the measurement of serum sEng using ELISA.
Results: An almost twofold increase in cf-DNA and cff-DNA was detected in the severe PE group over the mild group, and both were significantly different from the control group. Significantly higher levels of cf-DNA, cff-DNA and sEng, with variable magnitudes, were detected in the preterm labor and unfavorable fetal outcome groups compared with the term and favorable outcome groups, respectively. The three markers were almost equivalent with regard to the area under the curve for predicting adverse fetal outcome in the severe PE group. The same was also true for cf-DNA and cff-DNA within the mild PE group.
Conclusions: Incorporation of cf-DNA, cff-DNA and sEng into the prenatal care service should be considered as a serious addition for the screening and detection of adverse pregnancy outcomes in view of their significant elevations in cases of preeclamptic women whose babies ultimately suffered a poor outcome.

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