Assessment of immune status in relation to vitamin D levels in children on regular hemodialysis.

The two most common causes of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are cardiovascular diseases and infections, and both have been linked to impaired vitamin D levels and dysregulated immune response. The aim of this work is to study the relation between vitamin D levels in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on regular hemodialysis (HD) and their immune status. This case-control study was conducted at the Nephrology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, the Zagazig University Hospital, from April 2010 to August 2010.

Role of T helper 17 cells in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ autoimmune disorder that occurs in genetically prone individuals. Autoimmunity could not be simply explained by Th1/Th2 cell paradigm. T helper 17(Th17) cells producing the cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) may explain the promotion and progression of autoimmune phenomena.

Interleukin-18 promoter polymorphisms in Egyptian patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of interleukin-18 (IL-18) promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at - 607 and - 137 regions with risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their association with activity and severity of the disease. The study included 80 RA patients and 80 age and sex matched healthy subjects. Forty RA patients and 40 control subjects were randomly chosen to measure their serum IL-18 levels.