S100 Protein Family in Rheumatological Diseases

Inflammation in joint tissues is one of the causes of early mortality in rheumatological diseases. In fact, inflammation process is followed by cell infiltration, synovial tissue proliferation, cartilage and bone destruction. Therefore, various studies have been done to understand the pathogenesis and biochemical mechanisms of inflammation. Specifically, relationship between S100 protein family and inflammation in some type of rheumatologic diseases constitute the basis of this review. Scientific evidences emphasis a crucial role for S100 proteins in acute and chronic inflammatory diseases and also have been proposed as useful biomarkers of certain types of rheumatological diseases

Chitotriosidase and YKL-40 in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies

Objective: To compare macrophage activation in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies by determining YKL-40 concentration and chitotriosidase activity in maternal and cord serum. Methods: In this prospective case-control study samples of maternal peripheral blood and umbilical venous blood were collected from 28 pre-eclamptic and 24 normotensive pregnant women and their newborns. YKL-40 concentration and chitotriosidase activity were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay and fluorometry, respectively. Results: Chitotriosidase activity in maternal and cord serum and YKL-40 concentration in cord serum were significantly higher in pre-eclamptic pregnancies (P 0.001), but there was no significant difference in maternal serum levels of YKL-40 between the case and control groups (P>0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between diastolic blood pressure and (1) chitotriosidase activity in both maternal and cord serum and (2) cord serum concentration of YKL-40 (r=0.61, r=0.84, and r=0.58, respectively). Conclusion: This study may be the first to demonstrate maternal and fetal macrophage activation in pre-eclampsia. (c) 2007 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Serum level of vitamin D in obstructive sleep apnea patients with fibromyalgia syndrome

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the serum concentration of vitamin D in patients with obstructivesleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) alone and with coexisting fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to assess the relationshipto pain.Methods: A total of 60 patients diagnosed with OSAS and 40 healthy individuals whose age and sex were analogousto the patient group were included in this study. The OSAS patients were examined for FMS according to the AmericanCollege of Rheumatology criteria, and 27 cases were identified. Group 1 consisted of patients with OSAS alone (n=33)and Group 2 comprised patients with FMS+OSAS (n=27). Serum samples were analyzed using an ultra-performanceliquid chromatography analyzer (Thermo Dionex Ultimate 3000; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Waltham, MA, USA).Results: A comparison of the OSAS and FMS+OSAS groups with the healthy individuals revealed that the vitamin Dlevel was significantly lower in the patient groups (Group 1: p=0.001, Group 2: p=0.038). No statistically significant difference was found in the vitamin D level between the subgroups of OSAS and FMS+OSAS. A weak negative correlationwas determined between the number of the tender points (r=-0.428) and the vitamin D level in the subjects with FMS(p=0.013). In addition, the oxygen desaturation values of the FMS+OSAS and OSAS patient groups were significantlydifferent (p=0.001).Conclusion: Patients with OSAS and FMS+OSAS had a low vitamin D level, which should be considered when planningtreatment strategie

The relationship between epileptic seizure and melatonin in children

Objective: Studies about the relationship between epileptic seizures (ESs) and melatonin are limited in children and have been performed in heterogeneous patient groups and with different methods. In this study, it was planned to investigate this relationship according to seizure and epilepsy characteristics

First-trimester maternal serum metastin, placental growth factor and chitotriosidase levels in pre-eclampsia

Objective: To investigate whether the serum levels of metastin and PIGF and chitotriosidase activity early in pregnancy differ in women who develop pre-eclampsia from those who remain normotensive