Mohammed El-Mowafy | Mansoura University (original) (raw)

Papers by Mohammed El-Mowafy

Virus genes, Feb 13, 2024

Clinical Epigenetics

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the global health concerns. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is o... more Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the global health concerns. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the major causes of HCC. Poor clinical outcome of HCC patients is attributed to a small population of cancer cells known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this work, we studied the effect of inhibiting the enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2), a histone methyltransferase known to be overexpressed in CSCs, using tazemetostat (Taz). The effect of Taz was assessed in the HCC cell line (HEPG2) and Hepatitis B virus-transfected HEPG2 (HBV/HEPG2) cells. MTT assay showed a significant decrease in HEPG2 cells viability after 48 h treatment with either 0.5, 1, 4 or 6 μM Taz. HEPG2 and HBV/HEPG2 cells were incubated with either 0.5 or 1 μM Taz for 48 h, and then, the cells and supernatants were collected for protein expression analysis of EZH2, CD13, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and β-catenin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Taz showed a significant dose-dependent ...

Biotechnology letters, 2018

We aimed to identify new high-yield dextranase strains and study the catalytic potential of dextr... more We aimed to identify new high-yield dextranase strains and study the catalytic potential of dextranase from the strain in industrial applications. Dextranase-producing strains were screened from soil samples, and a potential strain was identified as Chaetomium globosum according to its phenotype, biochemical characteristics, and rDNA analysis. Crude dextranase was purified to reach 10.97-fold specific activity and 18.7% recovery. The molecular weight of the enzyme was 53 kDa with an optimum temperature and pH of 60 °C and 5.5, respectively. Enzyme activity was stable at pH 4.0-7.0 and displayed sufficient thermal stability at temperatures < 50 °C. Mn (10 mM) enhanced dextranase activity by 134.44%. The enzyme was identified as an endodextranase. It displayed very high hydrolytic affinity toward high-molecular weight dextran T2000, reaching 97.9% hydrolysis within 15 min at 2 U/mL. Collectively, these results suggest that Chaetomium globosum shows higher production and specificity...

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2015

The virulence markers and the antimicrobial resistance profiles of 78 Escherichia coli isolates c... more The virulence markers and the antimicrobial resistance profiles of 78 Escherichia coli isolates causing obstetric infections accompanied by sepsis or not were studied. Adhesion-related virulence factors were the most prevalent markers. Low rates of resistance to the antimicrobial agents used as first-line therapy suggest their correct implementation in stewardship guidelines.

Gene Reports, Jun 1, 2023

I am very grateful to the Egyptian government and the DAAD for the financial support of my studie... more I am very grateful to the Egyptian government and the DAAD for the financial support of my studies. In addition, I thank the graduate school of HZI, Braunschweig for financing attendance at conferences and for organizing workshops, scientific courses, and retreats, which altogether improved not only my scientific experience, but also my research skills. To my parents, I say "You might think you were in Egypt far away from me, but I would say you were always in my mind. With your continuous support and prayers for me, I was always on the right track." Zu Deutschland wollte ich "Herzlichen Dank für die Gastfreundschaft" sagen.

Delta University Scientific Journal

Background: Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), generally associated with the hy... more Background: Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), generally associated with the hypermucoviscous phenotype has emerged as a clinically significant pathogen responsible for serious disseminated infections, such as pyogenic liver abscesses, osteomyelitis, and endophthalmitis, in a generally younger and healthier population. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular characterization of hypervirulent (hypermucoviscous) K. pneumoniae strains, which mainly emerged in EGYPT. Methods: Bacterial species were identified by standard methods with a VITEK 2 compact system. The serotyping, biotyping and the String test for phenotypic detection of mucoviscosity were used. Antimicrobial susceptibility to several commonly used antibiotics were determined by the Kirby-Bauer's disc diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2018). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify virulence-associated genes (rmpA, magA, entB, and iucA). Results: One-hundred isolates of each hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKP) and classical K. pneumoniae (cKP) were screened over a 2-year period. The serotyping showed that 76 isolates had K1-type while 19 had K2-type of capsule and 5 non-K1/K2 isolates of hvKP while for cKP, only 3% was K1, 1% K2 and 96% were non k1/K2. Among the hvKP isolates, the prevalence of virulence associated-genes as rmpA gene was 93% and for magA gene was 40% and for iucA 92%. Otherwards, the prevalence of these genes in cKP isolates was very low 11%, 7% and 0%, respectively. However, there was no significant difference for entB (89 % and 92 %). Conclusion: The hypervirulent isolates were infrequent among K. pneumoniae isolates causing bacteremia in our geographical area (El-Mansoura, Egypt). For good understanding the basic biology of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, this study summarized and focused on epidemiology, hypervirulence-associated factors, and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms of such hypervirulent strains. This epidemiological study give alarm about the dissemination of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains. Therefore, an immediate response to recognize these hypervirulent strains with resistance determinants is an urgent priority.

Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia (hvKP), typically linked with the hypermucoviscous phenotype, ... more Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumonia (hvKP), typically linked with the hypermucoviscous phenotype, has evolved as a clinically significant pathogen responsible for catastrophic disseminated infections including osteomyelitis, pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA), and endophthalmitis in an otherwise younger and healthier population. Methods: Mansoura University Hospitals, Egypt have utilised VITEK® 2 to identify clinical K. pneumoniae isolates. The Kirby Bauer's disc diffusion method was employed to asses sensitivity to antimicrobial. String test for detecting microvasculitis, Serotyping, and Bio-typing are among the phenotypic methods employed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify capsular serotype-specific genes (K1 and K2) as well as virulence-associated genes (rmpA and magA). Results: Over two-years, 100 hypermucoviscous phenotype K. pneumoniae and 100 classical K. pneumoniae strains were isolated and screened by string test. Hypermucoviscosity Serotyping revealed...

European Journal of Immunology

To obtain a better understanding of the biology behind life‐threatening fungal infections caused ... more To obtain a better understanding of the biology behind life‐threatening fungal infections caused by Candida albicans, we recently conducted an in silico screening for fungal and host protein interaction partners. We report here that the extracellular domain of human CD4 binds to the moonlighting protein enolase 1 (Eno1) of C. albicans as predicted bioinformatically. By using different anti‐CD4 monoclonal antibodies, we determined that C. albicans Eno1 (CaEno1) primarily binds to the extracellular domain 3 of CD4. Functionally, we observed that CaEno1 binding to CD4 activated lymphocyte‐specific protein tyrosine kinase (LCK), which was also the case for anti‐CD4 monoclonal antibodies tested in parallel. CaEno1 binding to naïve human CD4+ T cells skewed cytokine secretion toward a Th2 profile indicative of poor fungal control. Moreover, CaEno1 inhibited human memory CD4+ T‐cell recall responses. Therapeutically, CD4+ T cells transduced with a p41/Crf1‐specific T‐cell receptor develope...

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated protein... more CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated proteins) systems are considered as acquired immune mechanisms in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and also in archaea. They provide resistance/immunity to attacking bacteriophages or mobile genetic elements as integrative conjugative elements (ICE) as well as plasmid transformation. As an opportunistic pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been held responsible for serious infections especially in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. Three subtypes of type I CRISPR system (I-C, I-E, & I-F1) have been detected in P. aeruginosa genomes. In this work, P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from different clinical sources, and the three CRISPR/Cas subtypes (I-C, I-E, & I-F1) were detected via singleplex and multiplex PCR techniques using novel universal primers that were designed specifically in this study. CRISPR subtypes I-C, I-E, and I-F1 were detected in 10, 9, and 13 isolates, r...

Copyright © 2015 Shaymaa Hassan Abdel-Rhman et al. This is an open access article distributed und... more Copyright © 2015 Shaymaa Hassan Abdel-Rhman et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Mixed-species biofilms could create a protected environment that allows for survival to external antimicrobials and allows different bacterial-fungal interactions. Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Candida albicans coexistence is an example for suchmixed-species community. Numerous reports demonstrated how P. aeruginosa or its metabolites could influence the growth, morphogenesis, and virulence of C. albicans. In this study, we investigated how the C. albicans quorum sensing compounds, tyrosol and farnesol, might affect Egyptian clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa regarding growth, antibiotic sensitivity, and virulence. We could demonstrate that tyrosol possesses an antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (10

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 2021

Muscles of candidates work at various grades of intensity during handball exercises according to ... more Muscles of candidates work at various grades of intensity during handball exercises according to the pace of exercise. The movement pattern involves large number of contractions, feints, dodges and numerous changes in movements, all of which are highly responsible for changes in trainer's organs, including the immune system. In this study, inflammatory mediators involving interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) in serum of 18 Egyptian male handball players, selected from Tanta club handball under 21 year's old team, were analyzed. The analysis was established on samples collected just before and immediately after intermediate reasonable exercise via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, white blood cells (WBCs) count and other hematological markers including hemoglobin %, hematocrit value, and platelet count were assessed. Our results demonstrated a significant decrease in the levels of IL-6 and TNF-a after exercise compared to those before exercise. This was coupled with an increase in WBCs and platelets count. It is also noteworthy that there was a significant positive correlation between serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-a in the study subjects coupled with a significant negative correlation between IL-6 and WBCs after the exercise. Therefore, it is concluded that intermediate reasonable exercises result in decreased levels of IL-6 and TNF-a, which result in decreasing of the inflammation and help in healing and rapid recovery of muscles of the candidates.

Life Sciences, 2021

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The monosaccharide mannose has gained recent interest for its beneficial effe... more BACKGROUND AND AIMS The monosaccharide mannose has gained recent interest for its beneficial effect against certain inflammatory disorders. Nevertheless, the influence of mannose on experimentally-induced liver fibrosis and the ensued inflammation is still not fully clear to date. MAIN METHODS The current study investigated the outcomes of treating rats with mannose (0.2 ml of 20% w/v, oral gavage) 30 min before the twice weekly intoxication with thioacetamide (TAA) (200 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) for a total period of 8 weeks. KEY FINDINGS The data indicated that mannose markedly dampened TAA-induced liver fibrosis, as indicated by lowering the fibrotic bridges shown by Masson's trichrome staining. This effect was consistent with reducing TAA-induced hepatocellular injury, as evidenced biochemically (serum ALT and AST activities) and pathologically (necroinflammation score). These hepatoprotective effects mediated by mannose were attributed to i) reversing TAA-induced rise in malondialdehyde (MDA) and decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) expressions in the liver, ii) limiting TAA-induced release of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), iii) impairing TAA-induced activation of hepatic stellate cells by downregulating α-smooth muscle actin expression (α-SMA) and, and importantly, iv) dampening TAA-induced fibrogenesis driven by transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). SIGNIFICANCE Mannose may be an auspicious candidate for preventing oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrogenesis in the liver.

Virus Research, 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious health problem not only in Egypt, but also worldwi... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious health problem not only in Egypt, but also worldwide. We collected 57 serum samples from treatment-naïve chronic HBV-infected Egyptians. The DNA encoding hepatitis surface antigen (HBsAg) and reverse transcriptase (RT) domain was partially sequenced. All viral isolates belonged to genotype D with ayw2 as a predominant serotype (89%). Regarding HBsAg, 45 substitutions were detected in the collected isolates. Eleven substitutions were found in the major hydrophilic region, including two novel ones (M103 T, G130E) that were not correlated before with genotype D. Additionally, 11 occult samples (19%) were detected, in which the predominant mutations of HBsAg was S143 L (7 samples) followed by D144A and T125 M (4 samples each). Concerning the RT domain, 26 isolates (45%) harbored 19 natural mutations that were reported to be associated with antiviral resistance. Eleven different mutations were not correlated previously with genotype D. The most predominant mutation was Y124H (47 samples, 82%). Interestingly, such mutation was detected in 91% of the uploaded sequences of Egyptian HBV isolates to the GenBank (157 sequences). Furthermore, our data revealed the presence of viral quasispecies in HBsAg (10 samples, 17.5%) and RT domain (9 samples, 15.7%). In conclusion, we elucidated natural substitutions in HBsAg and RT domain of HBV isolates obtained from treatment-naïve chronic HBV-infected Egyptian patients. Additionally, we detected viral quasispecies and revealed Y124H as a characteristic substitution in the RT domain for Egyptian HBV isolates. Moreover, novel substitutions in HBsAg and RT domain were reported with genotype D.

Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, 2021

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is considered as one of the most serious public health problems... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is considered as one of the most serious public health problems worldwide including Egypt. Soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 (sFGL2) is a well-known immunomodulator that is produced by the T cells and has a strong inhibitory effect on the proliferation of T cells and maturation of dendritic cells (DC). In the current study, serum levels of sFGL2 were assessed utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique among 20 acute HBV-infected patients, 55 chronic HBV-infected patients and 15 healthy individuals. In addition, serum levels of soluble FAS ligand (sFASL), soluble FAS receptor (sFAS) as well as interferon-g (IFN-g) were assessed and correlated to the levels of sFGL2. According to our results, serum levels of sFGL2 were significantly higher in the acute HBV-infected patients than in the chronic HBV-infected patients and healthy individuals. On the other hand, the serum levels of sFASL, sFAS and IFN-g were significantly higher in the chronic than in acute HBV-infected patients. Also, serum sFGL2 levels were negatively correlated with the serum levels of sFASL, sFAS, IFN-g and albumin as well as hemoglobin concentration. Furthermore, serum sFGL2 levels were positively correlated with the activities of ALT and AST and total bilirubin levels in serum. Thus, the current work highlights the possibility of utilizing serum sFGL2 level as a novel biomarker for the differentiation between acute and chronic Egyptian HBVinfected patients.

Biology, 2021

The gut–liver-axis is a bidirectional coordination between the gut, including microbial residents... more The gut–liver-axis is a bidirectional coordination between the gut, including microbial residents, the gut microbiota, from one side and the liver on the other side. Any disturbance in this crosstalk may lead to a disease status that impacts the functionality of both the gut and the liver. A major cause of liver disorders is hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection that has been illustrated to be associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis at different stages of the disease progression. This dysbiosis may start a cycle of inflammation and metabolic disturbance that impacts the gut and liver health and contributes to the disease progression. This review discusses the latest literature addressing this interplay between the gut microbiota and the liver in HCV infection from both directions. Additionally, we highlight the contribution of gut microbiota to the metabolism of antivirals used in HCV treatment regimens and the impact of these medications on the microbiota composition. This review shed...

ACS Infectious Diseases, 2020

Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been linked to many heath disorders including hepatitis C virus (HCV... more Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been linked to many heath disorders including hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, profiles of the gut microbiota alterations in HCV are inconsistent in the literature and are affected by the treatment regimens. Using samples collected prior to treatment from newly diagnosed patients, we characterized the gut microbiota structure in HCV patients as compared to healthy controls. Treatment-naive HCV microbiota showed increased diversity, an increased abundance of Prevotella, Succinivibrio, Catenibacterium, Megasphaera, and Ruminococcaceae, and a lower abundance of Bacteroides, Dialister, Bilophila, Streptococcus, parabacteroides, Enterobacteriaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Alistipes. Predicted community metagenomic functions showed a depletion of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in HCV microbiota along with perturbations of amino acid metabolism. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis identified five disease-specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs) as potential biomarkers of HCV infections. Collectively, our findings reveal the alteration of gut microbiota in treatment naive HCV patients and suggest that gut microbiota may hold diagnostic promise in HCV infection.

PLOS ONE, 2020

doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by pee... more doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.

Journal of Medical Virology, 2020

BackgroundCoronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) has a deleterious effect on several systems, includ... more BackgroundCoronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) has a deleterious effect on several systems, including the cardiovascular system. We aim to systematically explore the association of COVID‐19 severity and mortality rate with the history of cardiovascular diseases and/or other comorbidities and cardiac injury laboratory markers.MethodsThe standardized mean difference (SMD) or odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to estimate pooled results from the 56 studies. The prognostic performance of cardiac markers for predicting adverse outcomes and to select the best cutoff threshold was estimated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Decision tree analysis by combining cardiac markers with demographic and clinical features was applied to predict mortality and severity in patients with COVID‐19.ResultsA meta‐analysis of 17 794 patients showed patients with high cardiac troponin I (OR = 5.22, 95% CI = 3.73‐7.31, P < .001) and aspartate aminotransferase...