Serum concentrations of the chemokine interferon-inducible protein-10 'IP-10/CXCL 10' in type 1 diabetes mellitus patients: its relation to the state of autoimmunity and duration of the disease

Introduction: Chemokines glycoproteins with potent leukocyte activation and/or chemotactic activity. Chemokines mediate their effects via interaction with specific chemokine receptors expressed on a wide range of cell types. The CXC subfamily of chemokines shares a common structure of a single amino acid separating the two amino terminal cysteine residues [C1, C2]. Chemokines have been implicated as inflammatory mediators in a wide range of pathologies on the basis of studies using clinical material and animal disease models. Most patients with type 1 diabetes are considered to have T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease. A clinically applicable method of measuring pancreatic beta-cell-specific T-cell function in cases of type 1 diabetes has yet to be established: Interferon-inducible protein-10 [IP-10] is a chemokine that promotes the migration of activated T cells [T helper 1 [Th1] lymphocytes], and a correlation has been reported between the level of this chemokine and disease activity in cases of chronic active hepatitis in humans

Aim of the work: To evaluate whether measurement of serum IP-10 concentration is useful in disease prediction and estimation of the immune mediated beta-cel/ destruction in cases of type 1 diabetes

Material and methods: 34 TYPE 1 DM patients 12 newly diagnosed and 22 with established disease as well as 15 controls were studied. Fasting blood glucose, serum c-peptide, autoantibodies IA-2, IP-10, and beta-interferon [IFN-beta] were measured after overnight fasting

Results: The serum concentration of IP-10 is significantly elevated in cases of autoimmune diabetes [Ab+ type 1]. A significantpositive linear correlation between serum IP-10 and IFN-beta levels was observed only in autoimmune diabetes subjects [Ab+ type 1] and not in Ab-ve patients or the controls. There was a significant negative correlation between serum IP-10 and both the duration of diabetes and age of the patients in Ab+ve TYPE 1 DM patients

Conclusion: Measurement of serum IP-10 concentration in patients with autoimmune-related type 1 diabetes is a useful marker in predicting the onset of insulitis

Comparative study for the detection of 563 C-T G6PD mutation using restriction enzyme assay and amplification and refractory mutation system [ARMS]

G6PD deficiency is the most common enzyme disorder in humans and is characterized by considerable biochemical and molecular heterogeneity. The prevalence of G6PD deficiency in the Middle East varies greatly, ranging from 1% among Egyptians to 11.5% among Iranians. G6PD Mediterranean [563 C-T] mutation is probably the most common G6PD variant in the world. The relative frequency of this mutation ranges from 70% among Egyptians to 97% for Kurdish Jews. This study was conducted on 30 Egyptian pediatric G6PD-deficient patients. Quantitation of G6PD enzyme was performed before molecular analyses, during, and one month after the hemolytic attack. The frequency of the mutation was investigated using two methods; the reference method; RFLPs and ARMS technique. The aim of this study was to compare both methods. Both methods gave identical results, yet ARMS method is easier and less time consuming