Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory polyarithritic disease
associated with remission and exacerbation with different immunological
features.Rheumatoid factor(RF) screening test was used quantitatively and qualitatively
using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA), RF-isotypes (RF-IgG, RF-IgM, RF-IgA) ,
Interleukin-18 (IL-18) and Interleukin – 18 binding protein (IL-18BP) were detected
quantitatively usingenzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Results indicated a
51% positivity in RF among RA patients and a prevalence of the RF-isotype (RF-IgM)
with the highest level at (41.6±16.3 U/ml) (p < 0.05) among other RF-isotypes at a
percentage of 85.5% , results also indicatedan elevated serum level of IL-18 and IL-
18BP(225±24.8 pg/ml), ( 5.2 ± 2.1 ng/ml ) respectively compared to healthy control
(HC)group (65±8.4 pg/ml )(p<0.01) , ( 2.9 ± 1.3 ng/ml ) (p<0.05) respectively, and
ratio of IL-18/IL-18BP serum levels in RA patients were significantly higher than in HC
group (p<0.05) which increased the importance of IL-18BP in therapeutic strategy. In
conclusion RF-IgM may be an important complimentary detection method for RA
among the other isotypes ,IL-18 with its IL-18BP may play an important role in RA
which need to be further investigated.
Background: Apoptosis is a physiological type of cell death; it is active, well-controlled genetic program of cell death that does not produce inflammatory process. It is involved in cell turnover in healthy adult tissues and it is responsible for focal elimination of unwanted cells during normal embryonic development, organ homeostasis, immune regulation and defense without causing stress to the neighboring cells.
Method: This study was carried on 30 Grave's disease female patients with a mean age of (29.8 ± 8.3) years. The study parameters were considered as: before and after treatment; patient becomes clinically and biochemically euthyroid after 4-6 weeks of starting treatment with antithyroid drug&nb
Background: Insulin resistance is present in 50% or more of patients with primary hypothyroidism. Metformin can decrease TSH levels in these patients by a complex matter, this can be of great help in clinical practice.
Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of metformin in reducing TSH levels in patients with primary hypothyroidism.
Methods: Hundred patients with primary hypothyroidism, 82 females, 18 males were included in this study, everyone was followed up for two months after adding metformin 850 mg twice daily in addition to thyroxin.
Results: 36 patients (36%) have a normal baseline TSH and no change after 2 months, 64 pa
... Show MoreBackground: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common rheumatologic syndrome with multiple manifestations and associated with many diseases, it characterized by chronic wide
spread muscular pain and tenderness. Resistin is an adipokine discovered in 2001 and considered as a link between obesity and type 2 diabetes by antagonizing and resisting the
action of insulin as it name encompass ;resistin (resist insulin) . It is secreted mainly from adipose tissue in mice and from white blood cells besides the adipose tissue in humans.
Research reviled that resistin has a role in some inflammatory diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
Objective: The objective of this study is to measure Resistin concentration and
Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) formerly called non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes is a common disease. Rheumatoid factor is a well-established test used in the diagnosis and follows the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid factor is sometimes found in serum of patients with other diseases including diabetes mellitus (DM), due to the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF- α which play an important role in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the study is to investigate the associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in scope of rheumatoid factor (RF), hyperglycemia a
... Show MoreTo determine the role of Epstien barr virus (EBV) in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) , Reactive arthritis (ReA) and Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, sixty-two patients (52 patients with RA ,five patients with ReA and five patients with AS) have been investigated. The mean age (47.3, 47.7, 34.5) of RA, ReA , AS respectively and compared to 24 apparently healthy individuals with the mean age 28.3. All the study groups were carried out to measure antibodies of EBV (VCA) IgG and IgM by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The result showed that there was a highly significant elevation ( p< 0.01) in the concentration of EBV (VCA) IgG Ab compared to control group, while there was no significant different (
... Show MoreRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease. Inflammation leads to joint damage and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a measure of inflammation in many diseases. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of NLR to detect inflammation in RA, and its correlation to RA disease activity indices and some hematological parameters. A cross-sectional study involving 24 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are using MTX participated in this study. All patients were clinically evaluated using disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) and simplified disease activity index (SDAI), whereas functional disability was assessed by health assessment questionnaire di
... Show Moremucosal secretions as well as in secondary granules of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Anti-Elastase antibodies, anti-Lactoferrin antibodies,anti-Cathapsin G antibodies and anti-Lysozyme antibodies, which belong to Perinuclear Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies(pANCA) have been described in several immunomediated diseases, including Rheumatoid Arthritis .
Objectives: Investigate the prevalence of anti-Elastase antibodies, anti-Lactoferrin antibodies,anti-Cathapsin G antibodies , anti- Lysozyme antibodies and rheumatoid factor in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in comparison to healthy control.
Patients &Methods: The study involved 40 Rheumatoid Arthritis patients who were referred to Immunolog
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder of the joints that is characterized by extra-articular involvement in addition to inflammatory arthritis. Joint and periarticular tissue loss brought on by inflammation results in functional impairment. To lessen the significant daily challenges that patients confront and to ensure better outcomes, early detection and treatment are essential. The study's objective was to establish the use of human β-defensin-2 (HBD-2) as a RA diagnostic marker. A total of 60 RA patients and 30 healthy controls participated in the research. The ELISA technique was used to measure serum HBD-2. The following tests were performed: complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), renal func
... Show MoreRheumatoid arthritis is one of the common chronic disease, which lead to great disability and chronic pain, and has a main adverse economic and social effect upon patients. The reason for the addition of quality of life as a pointer for health outcome result is attributed to the affectability of this measure for the evaluation of patient's health status after taken treatment and its health outcome. The purpose of the current study was to assess quality of life among a sample of Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis and to determine the possible association between health’s related quality of life and some patient-certain factors. This study is a cross-sectional study carried out on 250 already diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis pat
... Show MoreInterleukin-38 (IL-38), an inflammatory cytokine discovered in recent years, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). IL-38 is encoded by the