Serum level of soluble interleukin-2 receptors during acute asthma exacerbation, and its relation to severity and response to bronchodilator therapy

Lymphocytes are prominent among the inflammatory cells infiltrating the asthmatic airways and T-cell activation appears to be a characteristic feature of acute asthma. In patients with acute asthma who respond well to bronchodilator therapy, the main mechanism of airflow obstruction is smooth muscle contraction, while in patients with poor response the main mechanism is airway inflammation. This study was conducted on 60 children with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma. They were divided into three groups [mild, moderate and severe] according to the severity of the acute attack, utilizing a clinical scoring system and through measuring Peak Expiratory Flow Rate [PEFR], and oxygen saturation. Serum level of sIL-2R was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay both in the studied cases and in 20 healthy controls. The mean serum level of sIL-2R in the studied cases [5207.5 +/- 2084.9 pg/ml] was significantly higher than its mean level in controls [1742.5 +/- 801.9 pg/ml] [t=9.37, P=0.000]. Its mean level in severe exacerbation [8090.8 +/- 1222.6 pg/ml] was significantly higher than its mean level in moderate exacerbation [5255.0 +/- 1112.8 pg/ml], that was significantly higher than its mean level in mild exacerbation [3164.6 +/- 990.8 pg/ml] [F= 77.36, P=0.000]. There was a significant negative correlation between the levels of sIL-2R and both the baseline PEFR [r = -0.710, P=0.000] and oxygen saturation [r = -0.521, P=0.000]. After receiving bronchodilator therapy, the mean level of sIL-2R in cases with no or partial response [6486.8 +/- 1900.4 pg/ml] was significantly higher than its mean level in cases with complete response [4088.1 +/- 1534.9 pg/ml] [t=5.406, P=0.000]. A higher level of sIL-2R at acute asthma exacerbation was associated not only with more severe exacerbation but also with a lower degree of bronchodilator responsiveness

Acute phase reactants versus creatine phosphokinase in rheumatic carditis: a follow-up study

This work has been carried out to study the changes in the creatine phosphokinase MB isoenzyme [CPK- MB] percentage and activity in active rheumatic carditis before and during treatment and to correlate these changes with changes in the acute phase reactants and the rheumatic activity. The study was conducted on twenty children aged from 5 to 15 years suffering from active rheumatic carditis. Ten normal healthy children aged from 6 to 14 years were selected to serve as the control group. Every child was subjected to proper history taking, through clinical examination and laboratory estimation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate [EST]. C-reactive protein [CRP]. Antistreptolysin O titer [ASOT] and enzymatic study of serum CPK and CPK-MB isoenzyme. The laboratory studies were done on admission [before treatment] and repeated two weeks and four weeks after start of treatment. The results of the present study showed that: on admission, all the parameters including the ESR, CRP, ASOT, CPK and CPL-MB were significantly higher than the control group. At the end of the second week, the ASOT came down to normal value while the other parameters were still significantly higher than the control. AT The end of the fourth week, all the parameters came down to normal value except CPK-MB activity and percentage where they remained significantly higher than the control group denoting the persistence of the rheumatic process