ABSTRACT
Systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] is a chronic autoimmune disease which can cause prominent central nervous system [CNS] involvement. Cognitive dysfunction is one of the major neuropsychiatric syndromes of SLE. To evaluate cognitive functions in SLE patients without evident neuropsychiatric manifestations and to find out if it is correlated with disease activity and with treatment. Thirty SLE patients without evident neuropsychiatric manifestations were evaluated. The evaluation included full clinical examination, assessment of SLE disease activity index-2k [SLEDAI-2k], routine laboratory investigations, autoantibodies assessment and cognitive function assessment using Montréal cognitive assessment [MoCA] scale and trail making test [TMT] [part A and part B]. Twenty apparently healthy individuals were taken as control. Cognitive dysfunction is present in all SLE patients included in our study. During assessment of cognitive functions, a highly statistically significant difference was observed between patients and control subjects, even with equal levels of education. While patients with higher educational levels were as impaired as those with lower levels of education. Cognitive dysfunction was not correlated with disease activity or with the doses of drugs used for treatment. But a statistically significant positive correlation was noted between deterioration of cognitive functions and the disease duration. Cognitive dysfunction is a prominent feature in SLE patients without symptoms of CNS involvement. Psychological evaluation should be performed for each SLE patient to detect cognitive dysfunctions. Psychological intervention is recommended to prevent further deterioration. Correlation with disease duration should pay attention to the chronicity of disease
Subject(s)
Female , Cognition/drug effects , Disease ProgressionABSTRACT
Long-term protection against hepatitis B virus [HBV] is dependent on persistence of anti-HBs antibodies and/or strong immunological memory. In this study we evaluated the persistence of anti-HBs antibodies in healthy children aged 4-12 years after primary vaccination and the response to a booster dose using recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. Totally, 182 children who had received primary course of hepatitis B vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age were included in this study. Anti-HBs levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] quantitative method to evaluate the immunogenecity of the vaccine. Children with anti-HBs levels < 10 m lU/ml were revaccinated with a pediatric dose of recombinant HB vaccine [0.5 ml: 10 microg] intramuscularly. After 4 weeks their anti-HBs levels were reevaluated to test the response. All children displayed an anamnestic antibody response when tested 4 weeks after the booster dose. The mean anti-HBs levels before and 4 weeks after injection were 2.8 and 108.7mlU/ml respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between age of the children and the prebooster antibody titre, while the age had no effect on the response of children to the booster vaccine. Other host related factors such as gender, BMI which could produce variability in immune response, showed no significant correlation with prebooster or anamnestic anti HBs response. In spite of declining levels of anti-HBs the subjects usually exhibit signs of well preserved B cell memory, they respond rapidly to a booster vaccination. Currently there is no reason to offer booster doses of hepatitis B vaccine within the first 12 years of age
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Hepatitis B Vaccines , Child , Immunization, Passive , Immunization, SecondaryABSTRACT
In this study, CYFRA 21-1 was measured in 60 patients with lung cancer and 30 patients presenting with nonmalignant diseases and compared it with tissue polypeptide antigen [TPA] and carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]. Sensitivities of CYFRA 21-1, TPA and CEA in bronchogenic carcinoma were 73.3%, 66.6% and 53.3'70, respectively. The sensitivity of CYFRA 21-1 was significantly higher in the detection of NSCLC than that of TPA and CEA, while the sensitivities of TPA and CEA were higher than that of CYFRA 21-1 in the detection of SCLC. Sensitivity of CYFRA 21-1 and TPA was significantly higher than that of CEA in the detection of small tumors