Evaluation anti-inflammatory and anti - oxidant activity of simvastatin in asthma

A novel mechanism of action, which is unrelated to statin-mediated inhibition of HMG- CoA reductase has been postulated to contribute to the anti-inflammatory potential of statins. Study the anti inflammatory and antioxidant activity of simvastatin in asthma. A total of 20 asthmatic patients were included in the study, and their age range was from 17 to 52 years. After a course of treatment the serum malondialdehyde [MDA] was significantly lower [4.35 micro mol/1] than that before initiation of treatment [7.2 micro mol/1]. Total antioxidant capacity increased significantly following treatment [892 micro mol/1] as compared to that before initiation of treatment [612 micro mol/1]. In addition, the oxidation index after treatment reduced from 11.76 before treatment to 4.87 after treatment. Serum eosinophil cationic protein [ECP] was reduced significantly after treatment [21.17 micro g/l] as compared to the value before treatment [36.6 micro g/l]. Furthermore, C - reactive protein [CRP] was reduced significantly from 248 mg/1 before treatment to 94 mg /1 after treatment with simvastatin. In addition, simvastatin treatment lead to significant reduction in serum iron from 987 micro g/ml before treatment to 813 micro g/ml after treatment. Simvastatin demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity in asthmatic patients, which lead to restoration of the investigated inflammatory and oxidative stress related parameters. These findings warrant an evaluation of these effects in a large scale clinical trial

Expired breath condensate hydrogen peroxide concentration and pH for screeing cough variant asthma among chronic cough

The reported studies suggest a role for eosinophils in the pathogenesis of cough variant asthma. In the present study, the expired breath condensate level of hydrogen peroxide and pH were determined in patients with cough variant asthma and compared to subjects with classical asthma, with chronic cough nonasthmatic and healthy control. Twenty-seven patients with cough variant asthma, 43 patients with classical asthma, 32 patients with chronic cough and 27 healthy subjects were studied in a cross-sectional study. Hydrogen peroxide concentration was significantly higher in cough variant asthma as compared to chronic cough nonasthmatic patients and healthy control subjects, while pH level was significantly lower in cough variant asthma as compared to chronic cough nonasthmatic patients and healthy control subjects. However, there was no significant difference in expired breath condensate hydrogen peroxide and pH between cough variant asthma and classical asthma. In conclusion, hydrogen peroxide concentration and pH of expired breath condensate may be used as noninvasive markers to differentiate cough variant asthma from chronic cough

Adenosine deaminase inorganic effectors in normal and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid

Adenosine deaminase [ADA] is one of the key enzymes in purine nucleotide degradation. This enzyme exists in most of the human tissues, its activity is high in lymphatic tissues, especially in T lymphocytes. To determine the effect of divalent elements on ADA activity in normal and abnormal cerebrospinal fluid. ADA activity in C.S.F was estimated by Galanti and Guisti coloremetric method, read at 628 nm. and the effect of divalent elements on ADA activity in normal and abnormal C.S.F was studied, by using 0.015 M of each solution of [Mg[2+], Co[2+], Cu[2+], Zn[2+], Mn[2+], Fe[2+], Ca[2+]]. All elements, except Mg[2+], have an inhibitory effects ranging from slight inhibition caused by Ca[2+], which gave 95.24% activity after inhibition, till the strong inhibition caused by Cu[2+] which gave 32.31% activity. Although Mg[2+] was found to have an activating effect. In addition, the activity percentage of ADA after inhibition was decreased simultaneously with the increasing of Cu[2+] concentration.The inhibitory effect of Cu[2+] on ADA activity in abnormal C.S.F was higher than that in normal C.S.F. The same resuls was shown in the effect of Co[2+]. ADA activity in normal C.S.F was inhibited by the effect of several divalent elements, the inhibitary effect of Co[2+] and Cu[2+] on ADA activity in abnormal C.S.F was than in normal