ABSTRACT
Apoptosis, programmed cell death, is a regulating mechanism enabling the removal of superabundantly produced and unnecessary cells. Disturbances of the apoptosis regulation contribute to the pathogenesis of many diseases, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis [HT]
Objective: to assess levels of antiapopototic proteins; soluble Fas [sFas] and soluble Bcl-2 [sBcl-2] in sera from patients with HT, evaluate their relationship to antithyroperoxidase antibodies [TPO Ab] and their significance as markers of disease activity
Subjects and Methods: sera concentrations of sFas and sBcl-2 were assayed by Enzyme Linked immunosorbent Assay [ELISA] in 32 patients with HT [19 with untreated HT, 13 with euthyroid HT] and 15 age-matched healthy adults as a control group
Results: sFas levels were significantly higher in both untreated HT patients [6960+/-1542 pg/ml] and euthyroid HT patients [6160+/-13 97 pg/ml] compared to controls [5280+/-938 pg/ml], with p values were < 0.01 and < 0.05, respectively. On the other hand, although sBcl-2 levels were higher in all HT patients [either those with untreated HT or those with euthyroid HT], its levels were only significantly higher in euthyroid HT [26.35+/-6.92 ng/ml] compared to controls [p < 0.05]. There was positive correlation between sFas and TPO Ab in HT patients [r = 0.33, p<0.05] and negative correlation between sBcl-2 and TPO Ab [r=-0.245, p=0.036]
Conclusion: increased levels of antiapopototic proteins [sFas and sBcl-2], suggested a propensity toward minimizing apoptosis in HT patients. In addition, serum levels of sFas were positively correlated with TPOAb, suggesting that the increase of sFas levels is associated with activation of immune response. Serum level of sFas can serve as an appropriate marker of disease activity, and assist in initiation of the proper treatment that probably leads to the reduction of the autoimmune process intensity and decrease in thyroid tissue damage in HT
ABSTRACT
In spite of the availability of effective antimicrobial therapy, Otitis media with effusion [OME] is still an important infection leading to serious health problems in both children and adults. [Streptococcus pneumonia] S. pneumoniae is one of the most frequently isolated bacteria from middle ear effusion [MEE] samples of OME patients. Since it is fastidious bacteria, various problems may arise in the rapid diagnosis of OME settings. Knowing which bacterium is involved is essential for the prognosis and treatment of otitis media with effusion, as the high frequency of its presentation may be linked to the etiology and/or course of the process in many patients
Objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the use of nested polymerase chain reaction [PCR] assay for S.pneumonia as a diagnostic tool in patient with OME, and to detect the relation of the organism to other factors contributed to pathogenesis of OME
Subjects and Methods: middle ear fluid samples were aspirated from 34 patients presented with OME. Each sample was subjected to cultivation on selective media, and nested PCR test using specific primers directed to selected pneumolysin gene fragment of S.pneumonia
Results: S.pneumonia was recovered by culture in 4/34 [11.87%] of middle ear fluid samples; 3/4 [75%] from children and ¼ [25%] from Adults. Nested PCR detected S.pneumonia in 11/134 [32.4%] of the samples; 8/11 [72. 7%] were children and 3/11 [27.3%] were adults. All culture positive samples were PCR positive, but 7 [63.6%] of the PCR positive samples were culture negative. There were strong effects of the age, pervious history of acute otitis media, sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. The recovery rate of the organism was [72.7%, 54.5 %, 36.4% and 27.3%] respectively
Conclusion S.pneumonia was detected in high rates in MEE samples. This suggests that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of otitis media with effusion. In addition, PCR was more sensitive compared to culture for detection of S. pneumoniae in MEE samples