Fibromyalgia in Rheumatoid Patients, Depression and Cognitive Dysfunction

Aim of the work: To correlate relation between depression, cognitive dysfunction and fibromyalgia (FM) in rheumatoid patients. Patients and methods: The study was done on 60 patients, in 2 groups, Group A: Active, and Group B inactive patients. 9 were FM and 51 patients without FM Depression was diagnosed based on PHQ 9 depression scale test Cognitive function was assessed by MOCA test. Results: Mean scale of depression in FM 16.78 ± 6.38 while in patients free of FM are 12.27 ± 5.39 with statistically significant p value. Mean scale of cognitive dysfunction in patient with FM was 23.33 ± 3.87 while in patients without are 22.9 ± 4.51 without statistically significant p value. Conclusions: There is statistically significant correlation between depression and fibromyalgia and no statistically significant correlation between cognitive function and fibromyalgia

Oxidative stress pattern in hepatitis C patients co-infected with schistosomiasis

This study was designed to investigate the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of the disease with the measurement of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-∝) and super oxide dismutase (SOD). Eighty patients from Hepatology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, were investigated. Thirty patients with bilharzial HCV and 30 patients with non-bilharzial HCV as compared to 20 healthy controls of the same age and sex ratio were investigated. The concentrations of liver enzymes [glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)], bilirubin (Bil), albumin (Alb) and total protein (TP) as well as TNF-α and Mn-SOD were determined. The mean level of the different liver function tests in the three groups in the study showed that the levels of GOT, GPT and ALP were significantly higher in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). While serum bilirubin, albumin and total protein were non-significantly decreased in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the mean level of TNF-α was significantly higher in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.001) and SOD was significantly decreased in the HCV groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There is a cause-effect relationship between increased levels of TNF-α and decreased levels of SOD, relative to progression of chronic HCV, especially with bilharzias co-infection. Supporting the view that oxidative damage plays a role in chronic HCV infection, also TNF-α establishes a positive auto regulatory loop that can amplify the inflammatory response and lead to chronic inflammation. More evidence indicates that HCV block apoptosis and prolong survival of the host cell in order to gain time for replication and increase viral progeny production.Key words: Hepatitis C virus, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, superoxide dismutase, oxidative stress, schistosomiasis

Amorphous SiO2 NP-Incorporated Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for High Flux Forward Osmosis Desalination

Novel amorphous silica nanoparticle-incorporated poly(vinylidine fluoride) electrospun nanofiber mats are introduced as effective membranes for forward osmosis desalination technology. The influence of the inorganic nanoparticle content on water flux and salt rejection was investigated by preparing electrospun membranes with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 wt % SiO2 nanoparticles. A laboratory-scale forward osmosis cell was utilized to validate the performance of the introduced membranes using fresh water as a feed and different brines as draw solution (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 M NaCl). The results indicated that the membrane embedding 0.5 wt % displays constant salt rejection of 99.7% and water flux of 83 L m-2 h-1 with 2 M NaCl draw solution. Moreover, this formulation displayed the lowest structural parameter (S = 29.7 μm), which represents approximately 69% reduction compared to the pristine membrane. Moreover, this study emphasizes the capability of the electrospinning process in synthesizing effective membranes as the observed water flux and average salt rejection of the pristine poly(vinylidine fluoride) membrane was 32 L m-2 h-1 (at 2 M NaCl draw solution) and 99%, respectively. On the other hand, increasing the inorganic nanoparticles to 5 wt % showed negative influence on the salt rejection as the observed salt flux was 1651 mol m-2 h-1. Besides the aforementioned distinct performance, studies of the mechanical properties, porosity, and wettability concluded that the introduced membranes are effective for forward osmosis desalination technology

Stable and effective super-hydrophilic polysulfone nanofiber mats for oil/water separation

Hydrophobicity of polysulfone is the main constraint facing wide application in the most important field; water treatment, although this polymer shows promising characteristics to be used in different separation technologies. In this study, super-hydrophilic polysulfone nanofiber mats are introduced using novel modifications. The introduced nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning of polysulfone/NaOH/DMF electrospun solution. The prepared electrospun nanofibers have been activated by deposition of a polyamide layer using interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction between m-phenylenediamine and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride. Three different heat treatment methodologies were investigated to enhance the characteristics of the activated nanofiber mats; normal drying at 70 °C, and soaking in boiled water followed by either normal drying at 70 °C or storing in the water. Investigation of the mechanical properties indicated that incorporation of NaOH improves the tensile stress by 40% compared to the pristine polysulfone nanofibers. Interestingly, treatment of the activated nanofiber mats in the boiled water followed by storing in water led to produce super-hydrophilic mats with water contact angle of 3° due to enhancing the IP reaction on the surface of the individual nanofibers. In oil/water separation process, the proposed heat treatment for the modified nanofiber mats resulted in increase the water flux from 8 to 12.21 m3/m2 day with oil rejection of 99.976%.1- National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOE) (No.2014R1A1A2058967). 2- Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding the work through the research group project No. RGP- 1435-001

Association of plasma protein C levels and coronary artery disease in men

Several studies have shown the risk factor causes of coronary heart disease. In this study we tested the hypothesis that plasma protein C level might be used as a biomarker for coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction. The study included 60 men that were classified into 3 groups according to clinical examination; group I set as healthy control group, group II set as patients with ischemic heart disease and group III set as patients suffering from myocardial infarction. Different parameters were measured including, coagulation factor prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen and protein C. The activity of the cardiac enzymes (creatine phosphokinase, creatine phosphokinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase) was also measured. Finally, lipids profile (total lipids, phospholipids, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterone (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) were measured. The results demonstrate significant decrease level of protein C and prothrombin concentration (%) in ischemic heart disease and in myocardial infarction (MI) groups, when compared to the control group. Meanwhile, MI group showed more significant decrease comparing to IHD. Plasma protein C might serve as a marker for coronary artery disease in men. Further studies are warranted to bolster the data and to identify pathogenesis links between innate immune system activation and atherosclerosis.Keywords: Ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, protein C, coagulation factor, lipids profile. Afr. J. Biotechnol Vol. 12 No. 5

Amorphous SiO₂ NP-Incorporated Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for High Flux Forward Osmosis Desalination

Novel amorphous silica nanoparticle-incorporated poly­(vinylidine fluoride) electrospun nanofiber mats are introduced as effective membranes for forward osmosis desalination technology. The influence of the inorganic nanoparticle content on water flux and salt rejection was investigated by preparing electrospun membranes with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 wt % SiO₂ nanoparticles. A laboratory-scale forward osmosis cell was utilized to validate the performance of the introduced membranes using fresh water as a feed and different brines as draw solution (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 M NaCl). The results indicated that the membrane embedding 0.5 wt % displays constant salt rejection of 99.7% and water flux of 83 L m^–2 h^–1 with 2 M NaCl draw solution. Moreover, this formulation displayed the lowest structural parameter (<i>S</i> = 29.7 μm), which represents approximately 69% reduction compared to the pristine membrane. Moreover, this study emphasizes the capability of the electrospinning process in synthesizing effective membranes as the observed water flux and average salt rejection of the pristine poly­(vinylidine fluoride) membrane was 32 L m^–2 h^–1 (at 2 M NaCl draw solution) and 99%, respectively. On the other hand, increasing the inorganic nanoparticles to 5 wt % showed negative influence on the salt rejection as the observed salt flux was 1651 mol m^–2 h^–1. Besides the aforementioned distinct performance, studies of the mechanical properties, porosity, and wettability concluded that the introduced membranes are effective for forward osmosis desalination technology

Circulating cell free DNA as a predictor of systemic lupus erythematosus severity and monitoring of therapy

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most heterogeneous chronic autoimmune disease; it is characterized by the presence of auto reactive B and T cells, responsible for the aberrant production of a broad and heterogeneous group of autoantibodies. Recent studies using various detection methods have demonstrated the elevations of circulating DNA in SLE patients. Aim of the study: The current study aimed to measure cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) in SLE patients as a potential tool to predict disease activity and treatment follow up. Subjects and methods: 52 of SLE patients with age ranging from 10 to 48 years were randomly selected and 25 healthy subjects with age and gender matched with the patients were included as a control group. Thorough clinical examination stressing on the central nervous system, vascular, renal, rash, musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous manifestations, and fever was done for patients. The following investigations were done: Complete blood count (CBC), kidney function tests, C-reactive protein (CRP), routine autoantibodies for autoimmune diseases, complements (C3 & C4), anti-nucleosome antibodies and cf-DNA by real time PCR (RT-PCR). Results: The levels of anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), anti-nucleosome Ab, and cf-DNA were significantly increased in SLE patients compared to controls. The cf-DNA level was correlated to markers of disease severity namely CRP and anti-nucleosome. A significant reduction in levels of cf-DNA, anti-nucleosome Ab and anti-dsDNA was noticed after therapy. Conclusion: Our findings support that the measurement of cf-DNA appears to be a useful marker in addition to laboratory tests used in SLE diagnosis. High correlation with markers of disease severity suggesting its role in disease pathogenesis and decreasing its level after therapy makes it to be a marker of treatment follow-up

Long Non-Coding RNA PVT1 and Its Target miRNA-146a as Potential Prognostic Biomarkers in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Objective: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their target microRNAs were documented in multiple studies to have a significant role in different joint disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). The current work aimed to determine the potential role of lnc-PVT1 and miR-146a as promising biomarkers to distinguish between RA, OA patients, and healthy individuals. Methods: The expression levels of lnc-PVT1 and its target miR-146a in the serum were measured for three different groups, including patients with RA (40), OA patients (40), and healthy controls (HCs) (40). Participating individuals were subjected to a full history investigation and clinical examination. Blood samples were tested for ESR, RF, CBC, as well as liver and renal functions. Serum was used to detect the relative expression levels of lnc-PVT1 and miR-146a and we correlated the levels with RA and OA activity and severity signs. Results: Lnc-PVT1 expression level was greater among patients with RA compared to that of OA patients, with a fold change median of 2.62 and 0.22, respectively (p = 0.001). The miR-146a fold change was significantly demonstrated between the RA, OA, and HCs groups. There was no correlation between both biomarkers with the disease activity scales (DAS28) of RA, the Knee injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), or any sign of detection of the disease severity of OA. Conclusions: lnc-PVT1 and miR-146a could be considered as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of RA and OA and may have an important role as therapeutic targets in the future