Imbalances of Pro-inflammatory cytokines in myocardial infarction patients

To assess levels of Interleukin-1 Beta and CRP, in Diabetic and Non-diabetic Myocardial Infarction patients, prior to and post angioplasty. 200 patients were recruited in the study. MI patients between the age of 40 and 60 years.Patients came to NICVD with complaints of chest pain, positive Troponin T test and ECG was the confirmatory test for MI. They were divided into 2 groups 100 patients each. First group comprised of MI patients without DMT-II and second group comprised of MI patients with DMT-II. Serum triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL and HDL, FBS, by enzymatic kits, Insulin by RIA. HbA1C, Interleukin-1 Beta and CRP by ELIZA. Interleukin1Beta and CRP were significantly higher [P<0.001] in patients at the time of the infarction, prior to angioplasty as compared post angioplasty levels in both groups, which indicate their importance in development of ischemia and MI. FBS and Insulin were significantly higher [P<0.001], while HDL and HbA1C were significantly lower [P<0.001] in MI without DMT-II when compared to MI with DMT-II. BMI, SBP pressure were significantly higher [P<0.001] in MI patients with DMT-II when compared with MI patients without DMT-II. Interleukin1Beta and CRP were found to be significantly higher prior to angioplasty as compared to post angioplasty levels in both groups which confirms their role in development of ischemia and MI

Adiponectin and infarction size in subject with and without cerebrovascular disease

To investigate whether hypo-adiponectinemia is present in ischemic stroke patients. This comparative study was carried out in the Biochemistry Department, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan in 2008. In this study, plasma adiponectin concentration was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in subjects with and without ischemic cerebrovascular disease [CVD]. A total of 80 subjects were studied [40 patients with CVD, and 40 without CVD as controls]. The mean plasma level of adiponectin of the 40 patients with ischemic CVD was significantly lower than that of the 40 subjects without CVD [4.36 +/- 0.21 ug/mL versus 6.97 +/- 0.241 ug/mL; p=0.000]. Decreasing concentrations of adiponectin were negatively correlated with infarction size in ischemic CVD patients. These data show that there are significantly lower levels of plasma adiponectin in patients with ischemic CVD. Moreover, adiponectin is negatively correlated with infarction size in these patients suggesting the possible role of adiponectin in cerebrovascular disease

Why horoscopes are true? the effect of specificity on acceptance of astrological interpretation

Investigating the importance of specificity of information in determining degree of belief people would have in astrological interpretation, it was hypothesized that people will believe more in the astrological interpretation when they think that information is based on their specific birth information. A sample of 60 Karachi University male and female students was taken and t-test were calculated. Significant difference at.05 level was found between least-specific information and most-specific information conditions. No significant difference was found for neutral information condition when they were compared with either least-specific or most-specific conditions

Death anxiety and death personification as a function of nature of professions

The level of death anxiety and negative death imagery was compared for people dealing in neutral professions with doctors and pilots. It was hypothesized that the pilots and doctors will have: [i] less death anxiety than people dealing in neutral professions [ii] less negative death imagery than people dealing in neutral professions. A sample of 50 people dealing in neutral professions, 25 pilots and 25 doctors were taken. An independent t-test was calculated, supporting the first hypothesis for less death anxiety in pilots and doctors than people in neutral professions. Chi-square was then applied, to the data of death personification. Here also statistically significant difference was found in the expected direction