oxidative stress and platelet activation in patients infected with T. gondii

Toxoplasma gondiiis a highly frequent obligate intracellular protozoan parasite; it can cause serious problems to the public health especially pregnant females, however, the pathogenesis of this condition is not clear. Was to evaluate the status and the inter-relationship of the oxidative stress and platelet activation in patients infected with T.gondii. Thirty patients infected with T.gondii [10 acute and 20 chronic cases] and 10 healthy subjects [control group] were included in this study. Serum levels of malondialdehyde [MDA], total glutathione [t GSH], reduced glutathione [GSH], oxidized glutathione [GSSG], redox potential [RP] and soluble P-selectin [sP-selectin] were measured. EDITA blood samples were used for complete blood picture with special emphasis on platelet count and mean platelet volume [MPV]. The mean platelet volume [MPV] in patients was significantly higher than the control group, however, platelet count showed no significant difference. The serum mean values of MDA, GSSG, RP and sP-selectin in patients were significantly higher than the control subjects. On the other hand, the levels of IGSH and GSHin patients were significantly lower than in controls. MPV and platelet count showed significant positive correlations with sP-selectin concentration. Although toxoplasmosis is mostly asymptomatic, the findings of the present study strongly indicate that the occurrence of oxidative stress could be a potential mechanism of subclinical inflammatory pathology and tissue damage in these cases

Serum levels of angiopoietin-2 and C-reactive protein in chronic myeloid leukaemia patients: relation to different phases of the disease

Serum levels of Angiopoietin-2 [Ang-2] and C-reactive protein [CRP] were measured in 50 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia [CML] [30 patients in chronic phase [group A] and 20 patients in advanced phase [group B]] and 15 healthy age and sex matched subjects as a control group, to investigate their relation to different phases of the disease. Serum levels of both Ang-2 and CRP were significantly higher [p <0.05] in patients group compared to controls, and in advanced stage compared to chronic phase. Furthermore a significant positive correlation was detected between Ang-2 and CRP in the whole patients group which could support the hypothesis that CRP might play a role in modulating angiogenesis. The present data suggest that both Ang-2 and CRP could play a role in the leukemic process. Understanding their roles may help in follow-up care and in designing new therapeutic strategies for CML. Furthermore the role of CRP in modulating angiogenesis should not be underestimated