Plasma levels of transforming growth factor -B[1], connective tissue growth factor; soluble factor related apoptosis and urinary levels of desmosine in childhood interstitial lung diseases

This study aimed to evaluate fibrosis and elastin destruction in childhood interstitial lung disease [chILD] patients and to correlate findings with clinical characteristics. Fifty-six patients and apparently healthy twenty children were recruited in this study. Participants were subjected to thorough history taking and clinical examination. All participants provided midstream urine and venus blood samples. Plasma levels of transforming growth factor [TGF]-/ll, connective tissue growth factor [CCN2] and soluble factor related apoptosis [sFas] and urinary desmosome /urinary creatinine [UDes/UCr] were measured by ELISA kits. In patients, clinical findings were crepitation [1.00 %], tachypnea [67. 90%], cardiomegaly [46.40%], digital clubbing [44.60%], cough [33.90%], cyanosis [28.60%], hepatomegaly [28.60%] and wheezes [23.30%]. Fan chILD clinical score was mostly score 3 [n= 20, 35.70%] then score 5 [n= 16, 28.60%], score 2 [n = 9, 16.10%], score 1 [n =8, 14.30% and score [4] [n=3, 5.40%]. TGF-PI, CCN2, sFas and UDes/UCr levels were significantly higher in patients than controls [P =0.0001]. In patients, significant positive correlations were found between TGF-PI and CCN2, sFas and UDes/UCr; between CCN2 and both sFas and UDes/UCr; between UDes/UCr and both sFas and mortality rate. Morbidity and mortality rates were 48.20% and 10.70%.Conclusions: Markers of fibrosis [TGF-B sFas, CCN2] and elastin destruction [UDes/UCr] were increased in chILD. So blockage of their pathways signals may offer novel therapeutic targets

study of some HLA antigens in children in relation to paralytic poliomyelitis

Human lymphocyte antigen phenotypes were studied in 38 children with paralytic poliomyelitis, as well as 92 apparently healthy children as controls. The frequencies of HLA antigens A30, A30+A31, Bw4. Bw6, Cw4 and Cw6 were significantly higher among children with paralytic poliomyelitis than controls. This was true even after conviction of the p value [p<0.00001, and corrected p< 0.0005 for each]. Furthermore, the presence of these antigens were associated with increased relative risks which may indicate increased susceptibility to paralytic poliomyelitis. On the other hand HLA-A1 was significantly higher among the controls in comparison to children with paralytic poliomyelitis even after correction of the p value [p<0.00001, and corrected p<0.0005]. Such a finding may suggests a protective effect of this antigen. Children with bilateral limb paralysis showed significantly higher frequencies in the HLA antigens: A30, A30+A31, Cw6, Bw6 and Cw4 compared to controls [p<0.00001, p<0.00001, p<0.00001. p<0.001, p< 0.001 respectively and corrected p were p<0.0005, p<0.0005, p<0.0005, p<0.05 and p<0.05 respectively]. HLA Bw6 antigen showed the highest value among the studied cases as an etiologic factor [EF] in the development of bilateral poliomyelitis [EF=0.807]. This study suggests that children susceptibility to paralytic poliomyelitis may be related to genetic background. Some HLA antigens may increase susceptibility to paralytic poliomyelitis while the presence of other HLA antigens may have a protective effect