Anti lactoferrin antibody and serum ferritin in juvenile rheumatoid artheritis

Lactoferrin [LF] is a cationic iron -binding protein residing in the specific granules of poly-morph-nuclear neutrophil leucocytes [PMNL] .It is released upon neutrophil activation. Anti-LF antibodies .belong to anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies [ANCA] It has been described in several autoimmune diseases as classical Rheumatoid arthritis [RA] and Systemic Lupus Erthymatosis [SLE] and has a role in vasculitic changes associated with these diseases. The aim of this study was to assess anti LF antibodies and serum ferritin in different types of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis [JRA] and its relation to disease activity. Serum samples were collected from forty four patients with JRA diagnosed according to Cassidy, et al[11] criteria, 16 of them were pauciarticular type, [mean age 7.2 +/- 2.4 years],16 polyarticular [mean age 6.8 +/- 2.3 years], and 12 systemic onset type [mean age 7 +/- 3 years], in addition to 12 healthy subjects as control group. Clinical assessment of patients and controls was done with stress on fever, skin rash, joint swelling and tenderness and subcutaneous nodules. Laboratory measurement of anti- LF antibodies, serum ferritin, TIBC, ESR, RF, CRP and ANA. was done The results of our study showed high serum levels of both anti-LF antibodies and serum ferritin in all types of JRA patients' in comparison to control group. Anti- LF antibodies showed significant' positive correlation with clinical and laboratory variables of disease activity, including fever, joint swelling, SCN ,ESR, and CRP. Serum feriritin showed statistically significant high level in systemic onset type, and positive correlation with anti-LF antibodies. TIBC showed significant negative correlation with both Anti-LF antibodies and serum ferrtin. Anti-antibodies LF can be used as a marker of activity. Serum ferrtin is Considered as inflammatory marker and has a significant diagnostic value in systemic onset type of JRA.

Coagulation and fibrnolytic variables in subjects with metabolic syndrome

It has been noticed that the metabolic cardiovascular risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome do not sufficiently explain excess cardiovascular risk attributed to this syndrome. It was suggested that abnormalities in haemostatic system might contribute to this excess risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the levels of some of the haemostatic variables in subjects having metabolic syndrome and to correlate these values with the anthropometric and metabolic variables associated with this syndrome. The study included 46 obese non diabetic subjects of whom 28 subjects [group1] fulfilled the ATP III criteria of the metabolic syndrome and 18 subjects [group2] did not have metabolic syndrome as well as 14 lean subjects [group 3] of matched age and sex as a control group. Clinical and laboratory evaluation of the study groups stressed on anthropometric measurements [weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, and sagittal abdominal diameter],blood pressure , and laboratory measurements of fasting glucose, fasting insulin, lipids, tissue plasminogen activator [t-PA] antigen, antithrombin III activity [ATIII], protein C antigen and von Willebrand factor [vWf] antigen. The main results of this study included a significant increase in the concentrations of t-PA and vWf antigens in subjects having metabolic syndrome [group 1] in comparison to the other groups while there were non-significant changes in the levels of protein C antigen and AT III activity. Both t-PA and vWf showed significant correlation with HOMA-IR as a measure of insulin sensitivity. The t-PA showed also significant correlation with most of the variables of metabolic syndrome including waist circumference, BMI, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and HDL cholesterol . On the other hand, vWf showed significant correlations with fasting glucose, fasting insulin and sagittal abdominal diameter, with non-significant correlations with the other variables. It was concluded that the t-PA and vWf antigens concentrations were increased in subjects with metabolic syndrome and correlated with the HOMA-IR measure of insulin sensitivity. Taking into consideration that both t-PA and vWf are mainly released from vascular endothelium, these findings could be an indicator of endothelial dysfunction in those group of subjects