Objective: To evaluate neopterin plasma concentrations in patients with active juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and correlate them with disease activity.
Methods: Sixty patients diagnosed as active JIA, as well as another 60 apparently healthy age- and gender-matched children as controls, were recruited from the Pediatrics Allergy and Immunology Clinic, Ain Shams University. Disease activity was assessed by the Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 27 (JADAS-27). Laboratory investigations were performed for all patients, including determination of hemoglobin concentration (Hgb), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein. Serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and neopterin were measured.
Results: Significant differences were found between JIA patients and controls with regard to the mean levels of Hgb, ESR, TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1 (p<0.05). A statistically significant higher mean level serum neopterin concentration (p<0.05) was found in JIA patients (20.43±8.73 nmol/L) than in controls (6.88±2.87 nmol/L) (p<0.05). Positive significant correlations were detected between serum neopterin and ESR, TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, and JADAS-27 (p<0.05). No correlation was found between serum neopterin and CRP (p>0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that JADAS- 27 and ESR were the main variables associated with serum neopterin in JIA patients (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The elevation of plasma neopterin concentrations in early JIA patients may indicate stimulation of immune response. Serum neopterin can be used as a sensitive marker for assaying background inflammation and disease activity score in JIA patients.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2014.09.007 | DOI Listing |
Curr Top Med Chem
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER), Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
Background: Several chemical studies described the physiological efficacy of 1,4- dihydropyridines (DHPs). DHPs bind to specific sites on the α1 subunit of L-type calcium channels, where they demonstrate a more pronounced inhibition of Ca2+ influx in vascular smooth muscle compared to myocardial tissue. This selective inhibition is the basis for their preferential vasodilatory action on peripheral and coronary arteries, a characteristic that underlies their therapeutic utility in managing hypertension and angina.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Rheumatol Rev
January 2025
University of Toronto, Psoriatic Arthritis Program, University Health Network, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a heterogeneous inflammatory disease with various joint and skin manifestations and multiple associated comorbidities. The management of PsA is important not only in controlling disease activity and preventing subsequent damage but also in improving the quality of life and reducing mortality. Over the years, numerous drugs have been introduced into the therapeutic armamentarium of the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Vasc Pharmacol
January 2025
Department of Cardiology, Ippokrateio University Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Introduction/objective: Emotional, mental, or psychological distress, defined as increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress, is common in patients with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD).
Methods: Literature was reviewed regarding data from studies and meta-analyses examining the impact of emotional stress on the occurrence and outcome of several CVDs (coronary disease, heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmias, stroke). These influences' pathophysiology and clinical spectrum are detailed, tabulated, and pictorially illustrated.
Curr Med Chem
January 2025
Transplant Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the main causes of chronic liver disorders following liver transplantation. The prorenin receptor (PRR) plays a role in glucose and lipid metabolism, and the hepatic dysregulation of PRR is associated with the upregulation of several molecular pathways, such as the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) that promotes hepatic lipogenesis and leads to lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by upregulation of lipogenic genes. PRR inhibition leads to a reduction in the hepatic expression of sortilin-1 and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) levels and down-regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and reduces fatty acids synthesis in hepatocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Pharm Biotechnol
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy & Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS Deemed to-be University, Shirpur - 425405, India.
The world's one of the major causes of death are cancer. Cancer is still a complex disease over the years that needs to be cured. Traditional cytotoxic approaches, although they have been implemented for years for treating neoplastic diseases, yet are limited due to the intricacy and low efficiency of cancer cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!