A comparison of the prevalence of anti-Liver/Kidney Microsome antibody type-1(LKM-1) in individuals with chronic hepatitis C and those with autoimmune hepatitis

Background: Autoantibodies are frequently found in patients with chronic hepatitis C, which suggests that HCV elicit an immune response in the host. ). The relationship of type-2 AIH to chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is an interesting and as yet unresolved problem. Importantly, antibodies to liver/kidney microsome type-1 (LKM1), the serologic marker of type 2-AIH, have been recognized in serum of some patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Anti-liver kidney microsome type 1 (LKM-1) autoantibodies were studied by indirect immuno florescence assay (IIF) and confirmed by immunoblot in the serum of 73 Iraqi patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in comparison with 50 patients control (HCV infection) and 50 healthy individuals. Results: anti-LKM 1 with high titers (≥1/160) present in serum of all patients with AIH-2, whereas they present in titer (≤1/80) in serum of 19 patients with chronic HCV, while all healthy control group are negative. Conclusion: AIH is easily distinguished from chronic viral hepatitis since patients with AIH are more commonly women than those with chronic viral hepatitis, and they have higher serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, gamma-globulin, IgG, alkaline phosphates, and higher frequency of multilobular necrosis on histologic examination than counters with chronic viral hepatitis

Validity of serum galectin-4(Gal-4) in diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma:

Background: Galectin-4 is one of a b-galactosides binding proteins family that recognize a variety of glycan -containing proteins at the cell surface and are overexpressed in various tumors, including gastric cancer. Galectin-4 overexpression as well as changes in their subcellular distribution has been associated with gastric cancer progression and poor prognosis. It may provide diagnostic molecular markers for gastric cancer as well as clues for developing therapeutic targets on individual basis. Objectives : The aims of the present study were to determine the levels of GAL-4in the sera of healthy people and patients with gastric cancer and also, to investigate the validity of using GAL-4 as a specific diagnostic marker of gastric cancer. Patients and methods: twenty five gastric cancer patients were included in this study. They were among patients who attending the Endoscopy Department in Baghdad Medical City Teaching Hospital, during the period from December 2011 to July 2012. In addition, fifteen apparently healthy person were chosen as a healthy control group. For these two groups, serum level of GAL-4 using sandwich ELISA technique was carried out. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in serum level of GAL-4 among gastric adenocarcinoma patients in comparison to healthy controls (p≤0.001), using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) area, serum GAL-4 has high area under the curve (0.924) with a cut off value equal to or above 0.42ng/ml which was associated with the highest sensitivity (100%). Conclusions: The current study showed that serum levels of GAL-4 were significantly higher in patients with malignant gastric adenocarcinoma which may confirm a possible role of this marker in the pathogenesis of the disease, furthermore the highest sensitivity and best accuracy obtained from serum GAL-4 was by using a cut off values equal to or above 0.42ng/ml; Therefore, GAL-4 may be promising new diagnostic tools especially at early stages and among patients at high risk

MicroRNAs (20a, 146a, 155, and 145) expressions in a sample of Iraqi patients with multiple sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis is a devastating central nervous system autoimmune disorder that is characterized by a series of inflammations, demyelinations, and neurodegenerations that affect the brain and spinal cord. The epigenetic studies specially micro Ribonucleic acid expression represent an important field of researches that probably uncover the obscurities behind the multiple sclerosis pathogenesis. Objectives: to study the expression of micro Ribonucleic acids (20a, 146a, 155, and 145) in multiple sclerosis patients by the use of real time polymerase chain reaction. Patients and Methods: A case-control study was performed using real time polymerase chain reaction technique to measure the relative expression of micro Ribonucleic acids (20a, 146a, 155, and 145) in peripheral blood leukocytes of 25 newly diagnosed untreated multiple sclerosis patients and comparing them with that of 25 clinically apparent healthy controls . Results: Studying of micro Ribonucleic acids expression in multiple sclerosis patients revealed a significant down-regulation in micro Ribonucleic acid-20a while up- regulation of micro Ribonucleic acid-155 expression in multiple sclerosis patients in comparison to controls. Micro Ribonucleic acids -146a and 145 were not associated with significant changes in its expression in multiple sclerosis patients in comparison to controls. Conclusion: multiple sclerosis is associated with significant changes in micro Ribonucleic acids expression including micro Ribonucleic acid-20a, and micro Ribonucleic acid-155 but not micro Ribonucleic acid 146a and-145 that can be measured by real time polymerase chain reaction technique

frequency and significance of antibodies to asialoglycoprotein receptor in patients with autoimmune hepatitis

Background: The asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R