Correlation of Rheumatoid Factor Serotypes and Computed Tomography Findings in Rheumatoid Arthritis Related Interstitial Lung Disease

@#The most common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is interstitial lung disease (ILD). RA related ILD (RA-ILD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The main objective of this study was to determine the correlation between the rheumatoid factor (RF) serotypes and the severity of RA-ILD based on computed tomography (CT) findings. We recruited a total of 100 RA patients who were tested for IgA RF, IgG RF and IgM RF and had high resolution CT chest performed. Seventy-two patients had ILD changes on HRCT of the chest and were included in this study. We found that the the CT scores for ground glass showed significant positive correlation with disease duration and IgA RF levels whereas the fibrosis scores had significant relationship with multiple clinical covariates i.e age, disease duration, IgA RF levels, IgG RF levels and anti-CCP levels. On multivariate analysis, only IgA levels remained significantly (p<0.05, standardized beta coefficient = 0.604) associated with the ground glass scores. Regarding the fibrosis scores, IgA RF levels and age were independent predictors based on multivariate analysis after adjusting for confounders, with p scores of <0.05 and 0.02, respectively. In conclusion, the IgA RF was the only serotype which was independently associated with the severity of RA-ILD.

HLA antigens among Iraqi muslims Arabs and Kurds

The HLA system is a relevant tool in population genetics analysis. From the genetic point of view, the HLA system is of general interest because of the extreme polymorphism of all known HLA loci. The aiiele and haplotype frequencies have a wide diversity among human population and differ in geographically and racially among populations. Iraq had a high percentage of Muslims people that distributed in two groups [Arab and Kurd], These groups are ancient populations and affected by many settlement in many centuries ago. These ancient settlements had left marks on the genetic structure of the modern Iraqi populations. The later immigrations to other countries were high in later years. The aim of study is to estimate the gene frequency of HLA class i [A, B, Cw] alleies in Iraqi Arab Muslims and Kurd Muslims and determine the genetic differences between them. A total of unrelated 1400 Iraqi Arab Muslims [AM] and 705 Kurd Muslims [KM] healthy volunteers and individuals referred to Immunology and Tissue Typing Center in Al-Karamah Teaching Hospital for organ transplantation and Forensic medicine, were examined for HLA polymorphism using complement dependent cytotoxicity test from June-2003 to April-2004. The phenotypes of HLA typing of Iraqi Arab Muslims [AM] and Kurd Muslims [KM] were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Regarding HLA class I [A and Cw loci], there was a significant differences between these groups. Lasly, there was no significant difference between them inHLA-B. This may be due to their inhabitants different area in Iraq, and also due to their different origin as Arab and Kurd races with mild differences due to outbreedmg and migration The effects of invaders and settlements from out side the country and intermixing with them may play an important role in these differences

Cytokines [interleukin-10 and interferon-gamma] associated with non hodgkin's lymphoma

Cytokines are small soluble peptides used by the immune system to communicate with and to influence the cellular function. This study was performed in a group of newly diagnosed non Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL] patients to detect the presence of serum interleukin 10 and interferon-Gamma secreted from T helper 2 [TH2], T helper 1 [TH1] respectively. Thirty-five newly diagnosed non Hodgkin's lymphoma patients were studied immunologically for the detection of serum interleukin-10 [IL-10] and interferon-Gamma [IFN-Gamma] by enzyme immunoassay, the data of whom were compared with 20 healthy donors as a control group. Serum interleukin-10 was detected in 48.5% of non Hodgkin's lymphoma patients compared to none among the healthy controls. While serum interferon-Gamma was detected in only 8.57% of non Hodgkin's lymphoma patients compared to none among the healthy controls. Interleukin-10 in the sera of patients with newly diagnosed non Hodgkin's lymphoma, but id did not precisely reflect disease dissemination or stages. While-interferon-Gamma was detected in a smaller percentage and may be a good prognostic sign. None of the patients had both cytokines at diagnosis

HLA antigens of Arab Christians in Iraq

Iraq had more than twenty-four millions inhabitants of populations. This nation is one of the most populated countries in the world.it is difficult to define Iraqi populations genetically [HLA polymorphism] because they are structured of a mixture of many groups. [HLA phenotype frequencies that encoded by many closely. linked genes that are responsible for a variety of cell surface alloantigen proteins that are responsible for differences in different ethnic groups. .Arab Christians in Iraq. accounting for more than .three millions inhabitant mostly the northwest and other yurts of Iraq. This raised the need for a preliminary study of the HLA trend in this population. 1- Estimating the gene frequency of HLA class I [A. B. C w] and class 11 [DR and DQ] alleles in Iraqi Arab Christians. 2-Assessing the genetic relationship between Iraqi .Arab Christians and other Arabian, Asian and European populations. A total of underrated 568 Iraqi Arab Christians [AC] healthy volunteers and individuals referred to Immunology and. Tissue Typing Center in Al Karamah Teaching Hospital for organ transplantation and Forensic medicine were examined for HLA polymorphism using complement dependent cytotoxicity test from June-2003 to .April-2004 The phenotypes of all loci [AC]] were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium In case of. HLA-A locus. three variants dominate this locus A1 [0.123], A2 /[0.149] and .A3[0.134] which showed some similarities with Arabian .Asian and European people in the world. A3 had been found to be associated with Hereditary Hemochromatosis HHI but the risk increased when there is linkage disequilibrium between A3 B14. Fortunately B14 allele had a low frequency. In this group and common allele was B35 [0.154], and B5 [0.128] which had an association with Behcet's syndrome. So one can predict high incidence of this disease in this group of populntioin. Last locus was studied in class I was Cw4 that had a higher rate [0.173] in HLA Cw loci. In case of class II, it was done on small number of persons and the common allele was DR2 [53.84%] which is protective from insulin dependent diabetes mellitus disease while DQ1 is common allele in HLA-DQ loci. HLA typing of [AC] had some similarity with Arabian people because of their same ancestry and also had some similarly with Caucasoid Europeans because of outbreeding and intermixing with those populations due to migration

HLA typing and variant alleles in Iraqi Arab Muslims tribal origin compared with other HLA populations

The HLA region had been shown to be the most polymorphic genetic system in man. There is a variation in the frequencies of various HLA alleles between various populations. Estimating the gene frequency of HLA class I [A, B, Cw] and class II [DR and DQ] alleles in Iraqi Arab Muslims. Assessing the genetic relationship between Iraqi Arab Muslims and other Arabian, Asian and European populations. A total of 1400 unrelated Iraqi Arab Muslims [healthy volunteers and individuals referred to Immunology and Tissue Typing Center in Al-Karamah Teaching Hospital for organ transplantation and Forensic medicine] were examined for HLA polymorphism using complement dependent cytotoxicity test from June-2003 to April-2004. The distribution of HLA polymorphism [A, B, Cw, DR and DQ] was investigated in Iraqi Arab Muslims [AM]. It had been found that A2 was the most frequent allele in A Ioci [0.202], which is similar to other Arabian, Asian and European populations in the world. Other common allele was A1 [0.116]. The least frequent allele was A25 [0.003]. In case of B-locus, 851 was the most frequent allele [0.123]. This reflects the higher prevalence of Behcet's syndrome in Iraq and other Mediterranean countries. The other common allele was B35 [0.092] while rare alleles were B7, B8, B41, B44, B49, and B50. Those alleles showed shared comparable gene frequencies. Concerning HLA-Cw, the greater frequency was Cw4 and Cw7. Other class was class II, in this class; DR2 was the most frequent allele with a gene frequency was 0.153. It is a fortunately to have high level of this allele because it was a protective against insulin dependent diabetes mullets. The last locus was DQ; it had been found that DQ1 and DQ3 were the most frequent polymorphism [0.117 and 0.119, respectively]

Age distribution of nasopharyngeal cancer in Saudi Arabia

The age standardized rate of head and neck cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA] is 5.7% with nasopharyngeal cancer [NPC] accounting for >40% of all head and neck cancers. This study intends to compare age specific incidence of NPC in KSA and other countries. Data from the National Cancer Registry for KSA during the period 1994 through to 1996 was compared with data from the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer [ARC] in Singapore, China, Kuwait and Canada. There were 373 diagnosed Saudi patients with NPC with high incidence among the young population, with 42/373 [22 males/20 females] patients in the first 20 years of life, showing a sharp increase both in boys and girls until the ages of 12-14 years. From that point the incidence curve for both males and females separates. In females the incidence flattens without an identifiable zenith from the age of 12-14 years and above, compared with their male counterpart where they have another peak in the fifth decade. Our study indicates a definite early onset of this malignancy in KSA and a similar pattern to that of China and Singapore. Definite increased incidence, at a young age among both sexes, suggests a possible underlying genetic susceptibility in Saudis

Tea consumption as a possible risk factor in urolithiasis: a preliminary report

The relationship between tea consumption and increased risk of urolithiasis was studied in seven volunteers, four men and three women. All subjects were put on a tea-free diet for one week and different concentrastes of tea three weeks. Repeated biochemical analyses of know risk factors were performed on blood and urine. Urinary output increased significantly on the tea-rich diet, while calcium and urice acid excretion did increase in all subjects. Urinary oxalate excretion showed a significant increase with increasing intake of tea in two subjects. The results of this limited trial suggest that increased ingestion of tea may cause hyperoxaluria and hence may increase the risk of urolithiasis