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The main objective of this research is three fold; to analyze the status of CU since its founding as the flagship university of Egypt; to establish its standing in research and capacity building, and to identify its influence and impact on the development of the higher education sector in Egypt and beyond. The research methodology was a desk review of data from a wide range of relevant sources, verification of its integrity, and analysis and discussion of its implications. A secondary and noteworthy source of information was interviews and private communications with approximately 25 graduates of Cairo University (CU) whose professional careers have positioned them to comment insightfully and knowledgeably on higher education in Egypt and on CU’s role in particular.

Vascular calcification (VC) is a well-known complication in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Keeping in mind, the end goal to assess the genuine effect of mineral bone disease in the pathogenesis of blood vessel calcification during the pre-dialysis course of CKD, we assessed the prevalence and extent of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) in nondiabetic CKD patients recently starting hemodialysis (HD). Eighty-one patients with end-stage renal disease beginning HD over a one-month period were selected. They underwent a detailed clinical examination and laboratory evaluation, including serum calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, fibroblast growth factor (FGF-23), and alkaline phosphatase were measured, and spiral computed tomography was performed to evaluate AAC score. AAC was present in 64 patients (79%). There was a significant correlation between the AAC score and age (r = 0.609, P <0.001) and FGF-23 (r = 0.800, P <0.001). This study suggests that the prevalence and extent of AAC are critical in incident HD patients. Serum FGF-23 level is the sole statistically significant correlate of AAC in these patients.