Speckle tracking echocardiography for the evaluation of left ventricular function in children with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Many studies in adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have demonstrated that myocardial dysfunction was significantly associated with enhanced disease activity. However, similar studies in paediatric patients with SLE are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to detect left ventricular dysfunction in children with active and inactive SLE.

Maternal serum endoglin as an early marker of pre-eclampsia in high-risk patients.

Background: Pre-eclampsia is a potentially serious condition that still accounts for significant morbidity and mortality for the affected mother and neonate. Although the pathogenesis is not fully understood, it is now widely accepted that vascular endothelial dysfunction is the most important and principal event in the pathophysiology of the disease. The aims of our study were to compare serum soluble endoglin levels at week 13 in normotensive pregnant women and in high-risk women, to determine whether the maternal plasma soluble endoglin concentration at 26 weeks is increased in pregnancies that subsequently develop pre-eclampsia, and to identify if soluble endoglin measurement improves the results of screening for pre-eclampsia.

Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor alpha in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Introduction: This study aimed at determination of circulating soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2 R) alpha in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and correlating the level of expression of these receptors with the SLE disease activity.

Materials And Methods: The study included 55 patients with SLE and 20 healthy volunteers as controls. The following investigations were done: serum complement component 3, complement 4, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, complete blood count, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, 24-hour urinary protein, urinalysis, and serum soluble IL-2R alpha level.