Study of some angiogenic stimulators in rheumatoid arthritis: impact of therapy with gold and methotrexate

The angiogenic stimulators; basic fibroblast growth factor [b-FGF], intercellular adhesion molecule [ICAM-I], tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha], interleukin-1 beta [IL-1 beta], cathepsins B and L and hyaluronan [HYA] were investigated to evaluate indirectly the angiogenic process in rheumatoid arthritis [X4]. Forty-four patients with active seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and fifteen healthy age and sex matched subjects were enrolled in this study. Significantly higher mean levels of b-FGF, ICAM-I, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, cathepsins R and D and HYA were found in sera of the patients compared with controls. These indices showed significant correlations with each other and with the clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity. After 12 weeks of treatment with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs [DMARDs], gold or methotrexate, the mean levels of the studied angiogenic stimulators decreased significantly

Plasma leptin levels in glucocorticoid treated patients and in simple obesity

Plasma leptin in relation to other hormones [cortisol and insulin] was studied in 50 women [26 on corticosteroid therapy and 24 with simple obesity] in addition to 10 healthy lean age matched females served as controls. Plasma leptin levels were significantly higher in both corticosteroid treated patients and those with simple obesity compared with the controls. Plasma leptin levels were significantly correlated with body mass index [BMI], serum levels of cortisol and insulin. Patients treated with corticosteroids showed a higher mean value of plasma leptin levels than those with simple obesity in spite of the higher BMI in the latter group. Also, the group of patients who received prednisone therapy in a dose of >/20 mg/day showed significantly higher leptin levels than the group receiving lower doses of prednisone [<20 mg/day] in spite of the higher BMI in the latter group

Ras oncoprotein level and urinary enzymes activity as sensitive indicators of renal injury in acute and chronic renal failure

Sixty-one patients with renal failure and ten healthy controls were included in this study. Patients were subdivided into three groups; group I included 20 patients with acute renal failure [ARF], group II included 20 patients with chronic renal failure [CRF] and group III included 21 patients with renal impairment [RI]. Serum ras oncoprotein was significantly higher in patients with ARF, CRF and RI compared with the controls. Ras oncoprotein level, sialic acid level and urinary excretion of the studied enzymes were not changed significantly with increased degrees of albuminuria or with the presence of casts, RBCs or pus cells in urine. Neither kidney size sonographically nor degree of echogenicity has an effect on the studied bioindices. The study revealed statistically significant correlations between ras oncogene expression and urinary enzymes excreted during renal damage