Study of anti nuclear and anti smooth muscle antibodies in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Autoimmunity is a disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells and tissues. Sometimes the whole body is attacked, and sometimes only one organ. The aim of this study was to evaluate antinuclear and anti smooth muscle antibodies, two common markers of autoimmunity, in COPD and their relation with different components of the disease and disease severity. The study included 50 clinically stable COPD patients classified into two groups mild to moderate [group A] and severe to very severe [group B] according to GOLD [2009] [13] criteria plus 30 healthy control subjects [15 smokers and 15 non smokers]. Blood levels of ANA and ASMA [measured by ELISA] were recorded. Levels of both ANA and ASMA were significantly higher in patients than in controls as a whole group but smoker controls showed significantly higher levels of both antibodies than mild to moderate COPD group [group A] indicating that not only smoking is responsible for COPD but other factors also play a role. Also high levels of these antibodies in smoker controls than in non smokers indicate a role of smoking in their development which is augmented by the direct relation with smoking index both in patients and controls. Both ANA and ASMA levels are elevated in COPD patients compared to controls [smokers and non smokers] and levels elevated in healthy smokers compared to group A COPD patients. Autoimmunity plays a role in the pathogenesis of COPD

Study of sputum level of interleukin-8 in COPD patients

The present study was conducted to assess the characteristics of airway inflammation in patients with COPD by measuring the sputum level of IL-8. Eighty subjects were included in this study. 40 patients with COPD, 30 patients with bronchial asthma and 10 healthy control. All of studied groups were subjected to full history, ventilatory pulmonary function tests and measurement of IL-8 in sputum supernant by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. The study elucidated significant higher level of IL-8 in COPD patients than in bronchial asthma patients or in the control subjects. There was significant negative correlation between sputum level of IL-8 and pulmonary function parameters. Also it was found that EFV1% was the only parameter of pulmonary function test which could significantly predict the sputum level of IL-8. It is concluded that IL-8 may serve as a marker in evaluation of the severity of airway inflammation and its sputum level was closely related to the severity of airway obstruction in COPD patients

Serum sialic acid concentration in children and adolescence with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM]

It is well established that total serum sialic acid [TSA], a potent cardiovascular risk factor, is elevated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] compared to non diabetics. However, it is not clear whether TSA is elevated in type I diabetic patients [IDDM]. The study included 32 children and adolescence with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM], 19 males and 13 females, their ages were 14.8 +/- 2.7 years [8-19 years] with a diabetes duration of 7.3 +/- 2.9 years [3-12 years]. A group of 15 age and sex matched controls were studied, 9 males and 6 females, their ages were 14.5 +/- 2.5 years [9-18 years]. Fasting blood samples were taken for assessment of fasting blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin [HBAIc], serum cholesterol, serum creatinine and serum sialic acid, as was a first morning urine sample for assessment of microalbuminuria. Fasting blood glucose and serum sialic acid were estimated in the control group. Serum sialic acid was significantly elevated in diabetic patients compared to controls [91.8 +/- 27.6 mg/dl v.s 70.3-7 mg dl, P < 0.001]. 9 out of 32 diabetic patients had microalbuminuria, their serum sialic acid was significantly elevated compared to normoalbumi nuric diabetics [193.1 +/- 37.1 mg/dl v.s 81 +/- 11.9 mg/dl, P = 0.002]. Serum sialic acid correlated significantly with HBA1c [r = 0.49, P = 0.004] and serum cholesterol [r = 0.50, P = 0.003]. A weak correlation existed be tween serum sialic acid and fasting blood glucose [r = 0.36, P = 0.039], serum creatinine [r = 0.42, P = 0.016] and age [r = 0.44, P = 0.010]. In a multiple regression analysis including fasting blood glucose, HBAIc, creatinirte, cholesterol, age, diabetes duration, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and microalbuminuria, it was found that microalbuminuria was the only variable which affected the levels of sialic acid. It is concluded that serum sialic acid is elevated in IDDM patients and is further increased in diabetic patients with microalbuminuria. Whether serum sialic acid is predictive for early nephropathy and cardiovascular disease in IDDM has to be shown in the future