ABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephrophathy considered to be an inflammatory process in which immune cells involved in its development and progression apart from traditional metabolic and hemodynamic risk factors. This study was designed to determine the balance between T helper 17 and regulatory T cells in Type 2 diabetic patients having diabetic nephropathy in relation to type 2 diabetic patients without renal involvement and healthy individuals. This study included 3 groups; diabetic2 nephrophathy patients [on basis of proteinuria and reduced GFR], diabetic patients [ADA, 2015] and healthy controls of the same age and sex Detection of T regs and Th 17 cell were evaluated; T regs expressing CD4 and CD 25 while Th 17 cells expressing CD4 and CD161 was done by standard 2-color flow cytometry and Th17/Treg cells ratio was calculated. The results revealed that there was higher mean Th17 and Th17/Treg cells ratio among type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients compared to other two groups. There was lower mean Treg cells among type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients compared to other two groups with very high statistically significant differences. Also, there was higher mean Th17 and Th17/Treg cells ratio among type 2 diabetic patients compared to healthy individuals with very statistically significant differences that there was a strong positive correlation between BUN, serum creatinine, proteinuria and the grade of nephrropathic affection by the ultrasound from one side and Th17 and Th17/T reg cells ratio on the other side. But this correlation was strongly negative with T reg cells
ABSTRACT
Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] is becoming recognized as a component of the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. There has been recent interest in the association between epicardial fat and atherosclerotic disease with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity
Aim of the work: In this study we investigated the relationship between the metabolic syndrome with liver involvement and epicardial fat
Patients and methods: 85 patients who had the criteria of metabolic syndrome are subjected to thorough clinical evaluation. Abdominal circumference, body mass indexand waist/hip ratio were recorded for all patients. Laboratory investigations including urine, complete blood picture, fasting and postprandial blood glucose, uric acid, blood urea and creatinine,C-reactive protein [CRP], lipid profile, liver enzymes and bilirubin were done to all patients. Ultrasonography was used to grade fatty liver and measure the thickness of epicardial fat. Results: Patients with high ALT levels have significantly higher [p<0.01] AST, fasting blood glucose [FBG], uric acid, triglyceride [TG] level, more epicardial fat and waist circumference [p<0.05] compared to those with normal levels. Patients with high grade of fatty liver have significantly higher total cholesterol, TG, FBG, AST, ALT, uric acid levels, more epicardial fat and waist circumference [p<0.01] compared to those with mild and moderate. ALT, FBG and TG are significantly higher in patients with detectable epicardial fat than those without [p<0.01]. There were significant direct correlations between epicardial fat thickness with FBG [r= 0.324; p<0.01], TG [r= 0.217; p<0.05], AST [r= 0.493; p<0.01], ALT [r= 0.561; p<0.01], and grade of fatty liver [r= 0.479; p<0.01]. Also there were significant direct correlations between FBG with waist circumference [r= 0.422; p = 0.01], TG level [r = 0.370; p<0.01], HDL-C [r = 0.284; p<0.05] and grade of fatty liver [r = 0.533; p = 0.01]. There were significant direct correlations between grade of fatty liver with waist circumference [r= 0.264; p<0.05], TG [r= 0.407; p<0.01], uric acid [r= 0.288; p<0.05], and AST levels [r= 0.642 p<0.01]. CRP was found correlated only with liver enzymes [r = 0.481;p<0.05]. Simple logistic regression analysis revealed that epicardial fat thickness [mm] showed a trend in patients with NAFLD and metabolic syndrome
Conclusion: Echocardiographic assessment of epicardial adipose tissue, abdominal ultrasound assessment of NAFLD and transaminase level might serve as a reliable marker of visceral adiposity and more severe degree of metabolic syndrome
Subject(s)
Humans , Adult , Middle Aged , Adipose Tissue , Pericardium , Metabolic SyndromeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To test Candonocypris novaezelandiae (Baird) (C. novaezelandiae), sub-class Ostracoda, obtained from the Nile, Egypt for its predatory activity on snail, Biomphalaria alexandrina (B. alexandrina), intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) and on the free-living larval stages of this parasite (miracidia and cercariae).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The predatory activity of C. novaezelandiae was determined on B. alexandrina snail (several densities of eggs, newly hatched and juveniles). This activity was also determined on S. mansoni miracidia and cercariae using different volumes of water and different numbers of larvae. C. novaezelandiae was also tested for its effect on infection of snails and on the cercarial production.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>C. novaezelandiae was found to feed on the eggs, newly hatched and juvenile snails, but with significant reduction in the consumption in the presence of other diet like the blue green algae (Nostoc muscorum). This ostracod also showed considerable predatory activity on the free-living larval stages of S. mansoni which was affected by certain environmental factors such as volume of water, density of C. novaezelandiae and number of larvae of the parasite.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The presence of this ostracod in the aquatic habitat led to significant reduction of snail population, infection rate of snails with schistosme miracidia as well as of cercarial production from the infected snails. This may suggest that introducing C. novaezelandiae into the habitat at schistosome risky sites could suppress the transmission of the disease.</p>