Assessment of PEFR and FEF25-75 in Female SLE Patients and their Relationship with Duration of the Diseas.

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder which affects multiple organs of human including lungs. Objectives: To assess PEFR and FEF25-75 in SLE patients and to correlate them with the duration of the disease. Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, BSMMU, Dhaka, from January 2010 to December 2010. A total number of 120 female subjects were selected, among which 30 were age and BMI matched apparently healthy subjects for comparison (control) and 90 were patients of SLE (study group). All the patients were matched for age, sex and BMI. Based on the duration of the disease, patients were subdivided into B1 (1-6 months), B2 (2-5 years) and B3 (6-10 years). Controls were selected from the community and the patients from the Out Patient Department (OPD) of SLE clinic, Department of Medicine, BSMMU, Dhaka. (PEFR) and FEF25-75 of all the subjects were measured by a Digital MicroDL spirometer. For statistical analysis Independent Sample ‘t’ test, One way ANOVA test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test were performed as applicable. Results: The mean percentage of predicted values of lung function parameters in healthy female subjects were within normal ranges. The mean percentage of predicted values of PEFR and FEF25-75 were significantly lower in all study groups when compared to control. Again, the mean percentage of predicted values of PEFR and FEF25-75 were significantly lower in the patients of Group B3 compared to Group B2. Moreover, these comparisons were significantly lower when compared to Group B1. The differences of the mean percentage of predicted value of PEFR, FEF25-75 were non-significantly lower in Group B2 when compare to Group B1. In addition, FEF25-75 were positively correlated with duration of SLE in group B2 but negatively correlated in B3. On the other hand PEFR was negatively correlated with duration of SLE in both B2 and B3. All these values were statistically non-significant. Conclusion: These pulmonary functions decrease in SLE female and the reduction is inconsistently associated with duration of the disease.

Immunophenotypic characterisation of peripheral T lymphocytes in pulmonary tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: The cellular immune response plays an important role in determining the outcome of infection and disease in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Many studies of these disease interactions yield contradictory results. AIM: This study aims at determining the changes that take place in the subpopulations of T lymphocytes in the blood of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was done at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to determine the absolute numbers and percentages of T CD3, T CD4, T CD8, T CD19 and natural killer (NK) T cells in 54 patients with active pulmonary TB before the commencement of treatment and in 25 healthy PPD negative volunteers. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 11.5) was used for analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the values of CD3, CD4 and NK T cells among the groups. The numbers of CD3 and CD4 cells were lower in subjects than in controls [1091.9 +/- 321.4 vs. 1364.6 +/- 251.2; P < 0.001 and 639.8 +/- 285 vs. 822 +/- 189.9; P < 0.004, respectively] while numbers of NK T cells were much higher in patients than in controls (410.7 +/- 286 vs. 182.3 +/- 140; P < 0.001). The numbers of CD8 cells were not significantly changed with disease (609 +/- 233.5 in subjects and 613.4 +/- 170.3 in controls P = 0.761). CONCLUSION: There are significant changes in the cellular immune response particularly affecting the CD3, CD4 and NK T cells with the development of pulmonary TB. Therefore, further studies of these changes may have important implications on the development of diagnostic tools, vaccines and treatment modalities.

Risk factors for febrile seizures: a matched case control study

A matched case control study was conducted over 6 months period from the 1[st] of November 1999 to 30[th] of April 2000 at the maternity and children hospital in Ramadi city with the aim of determining the risk factors that might lead to development of febrile seizures. One hundred patients with febrile seizures admitted to the causality department, aged 6-60 months were matched with another one hundred child having fever but without seizure with the same age range, attending the same hospital during the same period. The mean age and standard deviation for cases was 25.8 +/- 15.19 months and for control was 29.9 +/- 18.5 months .sixty four percent has febrile seizure for the first time and 36%had recurrent febrile seizures. The mean age and standard deviation for the first FSs was 23.54 +/- 12.8 months and for recurrent FSs was 29.83 +/- 12.5 months. This was statistically not significant. The majority of the cases were between 12 -24 months with a peak at the age of 18 -19 months. Respiratory infections were not found to be a risk factor for FSs when compared with control. Male sex, degree of temperature on admission, presence of family history or epilepsy, developmental delay, anemia and admission to neonatal care unite were found to a significant risk factor for occurrence of febrile seizures. Patients are susceptible to develop another attack of seizure at a lower temperature after their first attack