Ghrelin and leptin are two hormones that possess multiple functions, including appetite regulation, maintenance of the tissue homeostasis and regulation of proinflammatory cytokines. A few studies on serum ghrelin and leptin levels in autoimmune diseases have exhibited conflicting results. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the two energy balance hormones and autoimmune diseases. Serum ghrelin and leptin levels were assessed in 94 adult patients, 61 females and 33 males, with various autoimmune diseases (celiac disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis) as well as in 35 healthy people as controls, using commercially available ELISA kits. Statistically important distinctions (P < 0.05) were found between the patients and controls with regard to serum ghrelin and leptin levels. Moreover, females had higher mean serum ghrelin and leptin levels than males. On the other hand, serum ghrelin level was positively correlated with serum leptin levels (r = 0.399, P < 0.05) in the RA group. Whereas no significant correlation (P > 0.05) was found between serum ghrelin and leptin levels in both CD and T1DM groups. As well as the correlation of the diseases biomarkers (tissue transglutaminase antibodies, anti-tTG; glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, anti-GAD; and cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, anti-CCP) with ghrelin/leptin levels revealed that anti-CCP was the only marker that significantly (P < 0.05) associated with ghrelin and leptin in patients with RA. The current study indicates a linkage between the immune system and metabolic hormones depending on response to different autoimmune conditions. Additional studies are required to understand whether changes in ghrelin-leptin levels influence the emergence of autoimmune diseases or vice versa.
The aim of this study is to determine serum IL-33 levels and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) .Forty patients with moderate activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and forty healthy individuals as control group were enrolled in this study, age (25-45) years. Disease activity was assessed in patients by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),C-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid factor(RF) .Also lipid profile(cholesterol TC, triglyceride TG, low density lipoprotein LDL-C, very low density lipoprotein VLDL and high density lipoprotein HDL-C), AIP, and IL-33 were determined in all subjects. The results revealed a significant increase in ESR,CRP and RF , TG, VLDL,AIP and IL-33,while is a significant decrease in HDL concentration in patients gr
... Show MoreBackground Type two diabetes (T2DM) is characterized by insufficient insulin production and secretion. Additionally, the body develops insulin resistance which affects 90–95% of diabetics. Complex cytokines, receptors, genetic pathways, and the immune system are involved in T2DM. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is one of the inflammatory cytokines associated with Type 2 diabetes. Environmental and genetic variables, including genetic polymorphisms, can increase T2DM risk and its consequences. Single nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) are important risk factors for diabetes that can be used to find the disease early and treat it better. Objective This study aimed to determine the levels of IL-18 in the serum of Iraqi patients with Type 2 diabetes
... Show MoreLeft bundle branch block (LBBB) is a common finding in electrocardiography, there are many causes of LBBB.
The aim of this study is to discuss the true prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with LBBB and associated risk factors in the form of hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Patients with LBBB were admitted to the Iraqi heart center for cardiac disea
Diabetic Nephropathy(DN) is a complex disease manifested by persistence microalbuminuria occurring due to the interaction between hemodynamic and metabolic pathway that activates the local renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system resulting in a decline in renal functions.
This study aimed to quantify the associations between serum aldosterone concentration and fetuin- A as a marker of calcification in type 2 diabetic patients with and without microalbuminuria from one side, and study the possible relationship between aldosterone and fetuin-A with glycemic indices, serum electrolyte, renal function and microalbuminuria and body mass index from the other side.
A case-control study involved eighty-six adult subjects
... Show MoreT-cell activation and alteration of cytokine levels are involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, the profile of circulating T-lymphocyte subsets and related cytokines during asthmatic attacks is still unclear. We compared the serum concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines Interleukine-18( IL-18) and Interleukine-12(IL-12), T-helper 2 (Th2) cytokine Interleukine-13(IL-13 ) and Immunoglobuline-E ( IgE) in 27 asthmatic children and 21 sex and age matched healthy control subjects. Serum cytokines and IgE concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum IL-13 , IL-18 and IgE concentrations were significantly higher in asthmatic patients than normal control subjects ( IL-13: median 9.73 versus 4.43 pg/ml, P&l
... Show MoreIn order to investigate the levels of reduced glutathione GSH and α1-antitrypsine in the sera of 20 type 2 diabetic patients and 10 healthy subjects, were enrolled in this study. A significant reduction in GSH level was found in the patient group compared with control. On the other hand a significant elevation in α1-antitrypsine in patient compared with control was observed. Correlation between α1-antitrypsine and reduced glutathion was found to be positive (+Ve) for diabetes mellitus type2 patients and negative (-Ve) for healthy control with r values 0.257 and – 0.339 respectively. In conclusion the depletion of GSH as antioxidant defense insured higher free radical generation in diabetic patients
... Show MoreCytokines play a prominent role in etiology and pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and one of these cytokines is interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The association between IL1B gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP: rs16944) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a sample of Iraqi patients was investigated. Fifty-one RA patients (21 males and 30 females) were enrolled and their age range was 20 - 63 years (44.9 ± 1.5 years). In addition to patients, 45 apparently healthy control subjects were also enrolled in the study. They matched patients for ethnicity (Iraqis), gender (14 males and 31 females) and age (41.3 ± 1.3 years). Analysis of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in RA patients and controls revealed that the IL1B ge
... Show MoreChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a permanent loss of kidney function which is diagnosed when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is under 60 ml\min\1.73m2 for more than three months. The present study was conducted at Kidney Transplant and Dialysis Center in the Medical City in Baghdad from October 2018 to April 2019. Sixty CKD patients with an age ranged of 40 to 65 years and 25 healthy subjects were involved in this study. Blood samples were collected to evaluate the levels of kidney function parameters and thyroid hormones. The levels of urea, creatinine and uric acid showed highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) increases in CKD patient in comparison with the control group, while the values of GFR and creatinine clearance showed highly
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