Assessment of IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, and CCL 5 levels in newly diagnosed Saudi patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder which mainly affects small joints, occurs most commonly in middle-aged adults, and can be fatal in severe cases. The exact etiology of RA remains unknown. However, uncontrolled expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines can contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. AIM: In the current study, we assessed the potential of serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-8, and C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL)5 as early predictive markers for RA. METHODS: In addition to clinical examination, blood samples were collected from 100 Saudi patients recently diagnosed with early RA for basic and serological tests, including rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Sera of 32 healthy individuals were used as controls. Specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify the serum IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8, and CCL5 levels in the samples. RESULTS: Our results indicated that RF, CRP, and ESR levels were higher in RA patients compared to controls. Furthermore, serum levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and CCL5, but not TNF-α, significantly increased in RA patients compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings suggested that IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, and CCL5 can be used as biomarkers in the early diagnosis of RA.

Therapeutic potential of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor from natural sources for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the major signalling molecules in the mammalian body playing critical role in regulation of blood pressure, cardiovascular disease including stroke, immune activation, neuronal and cell communication. Moreover, hyper production of NO by the activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) involved in neuropathic pain, neurodegenerative disorders and stroke. Hence, the search on small molecules from the natural sources for the inhibition of NOS is desirable in therapeutic point of view. The elevated level of NO caused by NOS enzyme become a novel target in finding new inhibitors from natural sources as antistroke agents. The present study focuses on the molecular docking of quercetin and its analogues against NOS. The active site of the enzyme was docked with the ligand and pharmacological properties were analysed. From this result, we suggest the therapeutic property of quercetin and its analogues against NOS.

Clinical characteristics and predictors of mortality among COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused more than 1.8 million deaths, with a fatality rate of 2.5% in more than 200 countries as of January 4, 2021. Analysis of COVID-19 clinical features can help predict disease severity and risk of mortality, early identification of high-risk patients, and provide knowledge to inform clinical interventions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and possible predictors associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 admitted to King Fahad (KFH), Ohood, and Miqat hospitals in Madina, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This retrospective observational study to investigate the clinical characteristic and possible predictors associated with mortality for those 119 mild, moderate, or critically ill patients confirmed by laboratory results to have COVID-19 who were admitted to three hospitals in Madina, Saudi Arabia, from March 25, 2020, to July 30, 2020. Data were collected from December 1, 2020, to December 14, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 119 patients included in the study, the mean age was 54.2 (±15.7) years, with 78.2% survivors and 21.8% non-survivors. The demographic analysis indicated that the likelihood of mortality for patients in the older age group (i.e., ≥65 years) was five times higher than those in the younger age group (OR = 5.34, 95% CI 1.71-16.68, p = 0.004). The results also indicated those patients who admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) was approximately seven times higher odds of mortality compare with those who were not admitted (OR = 6.48, 95% CI 2.52-16.63, p < 0.001). In addition, six laboratory parameters were positively associated with the odds of mortality: white blood cell count (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.21, p = 0.018), neutrophil (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.22, p = 0.020), creatine kinase myocardial band (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, p = 0.030), C-reactive protein (OR = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.01, p = 0.002), urea (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.11, p = 0.026), and lactate dehydrogenase (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 1.00-1.01, p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, COVID-19 patients within the older age group (≥65 years) admitted to the ICU with increased C-reactive protein levels in particular, were associated with increased odds of mortality. Further clinical observations are warranted to support these findings and enhance the mapping and control of this pandemic.

The prevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections and nucleic acid testing among blood donors in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Few studies discussed the prevalence of TTIs in Saudi donor blood samples. Thus, this study investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), syphilis and malaria in such samples to determine the efficacy of conducting serological and NATs on blood donors at King Khalid General Hospital in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A total of 3028 donated blood units were collected from August 2015 to March 2017. Serum samples were screened for hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAgs), HBsAbs, total anti-core antibodies (HBcAbs), HCV antigens and HIV Ab/Ag combinations. Additionally, plasma was screened for syphilis (TPHA) and HTLV. Samples were also tested for malaria with rapid malaria antigen tests. Finally, NATs were performed for the simultaneous direct detection of HBV, HCV and HIV in each sample. RESULTS: Out of the 3028 blood samples, 10 (0.33%) reacted to HBsAgs; 12 (0.40%) reacted to HCV antigens; 4 (0.13%) reacted to HIV Ab/Ag combinations; 6 (0.20%) reacted to HTLV antibodies; 297 (9.81%) reacted to HBcAbs and 236 (7.80%) reacted to HBsAbs. Additionally, NATs showed that 14 (0.46%) reacted to NAT-HBV; 20 (0.66%) samples were reacted to NAT-HCV and 2 (0.07%) samples reacted to NAT-HIV. Finally, 16 (0.53%) were positive for syphilis. No samples were positive for malaria. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that NATs are more effective than serology tests for detecting TTIs. Moreover, correlations between standard serology tests and NATs indicated that using NATs could improve test sensitivities and decrease residual risks of TTIs and ensure safe blood transfusions.