Levels of soluble CD[44] and IFN-gamma in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The aim of the present study was to estimate the levels of sCD[44] and IFN-gamma in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in order to evaluate any possible correlation between them and their clinical significance. The present study was carried out on 22 patients recently diagnosed as CLL and 10 healthy subjects as a control group. They were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, complete blood picture and bone marrow aspiration and immunophenotyping to confirm diagnosis. Estimation of the levels of sCD44 and IFN-gamma in serum and in cultured PBMCs supernatants was done by ELISA. The serum levels of sCD[44] and IFN-gamma were significantly increased in patients as compared to the controls [p < 0.001, p< 0.0001 respectively]. High levels of serum CD[44] and IFN-gamma were associated with advanced stages of disease. While in culture, whether with or without mitogen sCD[44] was lower and IFN-gamma higher than their serum levels. We concluded that the serum levels of sCD[44] and IFN-gamma are valuable and delicate tumor markers in patients with CLL. The study should be pursued after treatment of these patients in order to elucidate the potential role of these markers in monitoring disease status and response to therapy

Prodromal symptoms of bronchial asthma in Egyptian children

One hundred and seventy children with bronchial asthma presenting to the out-patient allergy clinics of Pediatrics Cairo University and Benha Faculty of Medicine Hospitals were investigated. In 104 patients the over attack of asthma was preceded by a variety of symptoms. Some of these prodromal symptoms were related to the respiratory system as cough, sneezing and rhinorrhea and others were not as loss of appetite, pallor, fever, behavioural changes [e.g. irritability apathy and anxiety], sleep disorder, dark circles around the eyes, itching and abdominal pain. The interval between the occurrence of prodromal symptoms and the attack of asthma ranged from 6 to 48 hours. Each child has his own one or more prodromal symptom. The awareness of these prodromal features may enable an early introduction of treatment of asthma, thus avoiding or abbreviating some of the acute attacks of asthma