Foamy histiocytes in a child with acute myeloid leukemia

Here, we have reported foamy histiocytes noticed in the bone marrow aspiration (BMA) smears of a 14-year-old girl with the diagnosis of AML after she received 2 weeks of chemotherapy. We suggest that after the intensive chemotherapy, degradation products of blasts phagocytosed by the histiocytes may have been the cause in the increase in such histiocytes before regeneration of the bone marrow. After the remission was achieved, foamy histiocytes disappeared from BMA smears. These foamy histiocytes may be an idiosyncratic response to the chemotherapy in rare cases. Further studies about the accumulation of foamy histiocytes in bone marrow of leukemic patients received intensive chemotherapy may clarify this subject.     

Analysis of vitamin d receptor gene polymorphisms in vitiligo

Background: Vitiligo is a progressive depigmenting disorder characterized by the loss of functional melanocytes from the epidermis. The etiopathogenesis of vitiligo is still unclear. Vitamin D has both stimulatory and protective effects on melanocytes and acts through its nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) on target cells. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to vitiligo. Methods: 98 patients with vitiligo and 216 age- and sex-matched controls recruited from dermatology outpatients attending the same department were included in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes using a DNA isolation kit. The VDR polymorphisms of BsmI, ApaI, TaqI, FokI and Cdx2 were investigated by rapid capillary PCR with melting curve analysis. Differences in genotype distributions and allele frequencies in vitiligo cases versus controls were compared for statistical significance using χ(2) test. Results: Subjects with TaqI polymorphism had a 2.23-fold increased risk of developing vitiligo. Furthermore, a haplotype analysis showed that BsmI/ApaI/TaqI/FokI/Cdx2 GCCCG was significantly overrepresented in the vitiligo patients in comparison with controls (p = 0.031). Conclusion: This study showed that VDR TaqI gene polymorphism and the haplotype BsmI/ApaI/ TaqI/FokI/Cdx2 GCCCG may be considered as novel risk factors in vitiligo.     

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and oxidant status are essential participating factors in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortions.

BACKGROUND: Many factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA). The current study was conducted to determine the possible role of antioxidant status and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in URSA. METHODS: Reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GSH-R), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and TNF-alpha were assayed in women suffering unexplained first-trimester abortions. Two groups were included, the first represented by 24 women with URSA (number of abortions 3-5) and the second included 16 women with URSA (number of abortions >5). The control group included 20 women within their first trimester of pregnancy and 20 non-pregnant healthy females within their follicular phase. RESULTS: We observed that the antioxidant levels measured were significantly lower in URSA groups than in the control group (p<0.05 for each comparison). Higher TNF-alpha, MDA and NO production were detected in URSA groups compared to controls (p<0.05 for each comparison). URSA 3-5 was associated with significantly higher levels of antioxidants and lower levels of TNF-alpha compared to levels in URSA >5. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired antioxidant defense and an increase in oxidative reactive species may be responsible for recurrent abortion due to possible damage produced by their generation. In addition, the level of TNF-alpha apparently contributes to the pathogenesis of URSA.     

Association of sister chromatid exchange frequencies in patients with ankylosing spondylitis with and without HLA-B27

BACKGROUND: The analysis of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) is a cytogenetic technique used to show DNA damage due to an exchange of DNA fragments between sister chromatids. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether HLA-B27 positive patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were associated with higher SCE frequencies than patients without B27. METHODS: Lymphocytes from 38 patients with AS (15 women, 23 men) and 34 control subjects were examined. Peripheral lymphocytes were cultured in darkness for 72 hours in BrdU added culture. Metaphase chromosomes were stained with a fluorescence and a Giemsa stain after a standard harvest procedure. RESULTS: The frequency of SCE was significantly increased in patients with AS compared with controls (p<0.001). Furthermore, the SCE frequencies in patients with positive HLA-B27 was much higher than in patients with negative HLA-B27 (p<0.001). The difference between SCE frequencies in the control groups with and without HLA-B27 was not significant. CONCLUSION: There is a strong association between HLA-B27 and the frequencies of SCE in patients with AS.     

Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio,monocyte/lymphocyte ratio,and mean platelet volume as systemic inflammatory markers in different states of bipolar disorder

Abstract

Background: Currently, increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that alterations in the immune-inflammatory system are critical for the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and mean platelet volume (MPV) have recently been investigated as inexpensive and simple inflammatory markers.

Aims: The aim of this study is to compare NLR, PLR, MLR, and MPV in depressive, manic, and euthymic patients with BD and healthy controls, and to evaluate whether values of NLR, PLR, MLR, and MPV are possible state or trait biomarkers in BD.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with 341 patients with BD (100 patients in a depressive state, 141 patients in a manic state, and 100 patients in a euthymic state) and 114 healthy controls.

Results: We found that patients with BD in manic states had higher levels of MPV, NLR, and MLR, and patients with BD in depressive states had higher levels of MPV than the controls. Moreover, MPV predicted all states of BD, while NLR and MLR predicted the manic state of BD.

Conclusions: NLR, MLR, and MPV obtained from simple and inexpensive blood tests were significantly higher in patients with BD than in healthy controls, which each imply low-grade inflammation. MPV may serve as a possible trait biomarker of BD, while NLR and MLR may both serve as possible state biomarkers of the manic state.     

Is polycystic ovarian syndrome a risk factor for urolithiasis?

Urinary stone disease is a complex multifactorial disorder influenced by both intrinsic and environmental factors. It is generally known that age and sex are risk factors for urinary stone disease. Also men have higher mean urinary oxalate concentrations than women. In addition, in animal and human studies, testosterone has been shown to increase the formation of urinary stones. This suggests that sex hormones are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of stone disease. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most frequent endocrine disorders of women in the reproductive age, affecting 5–10 % of women in this life span. It is characterized with chronic anovulation\oligo-ovulation, clinical or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound examination. Hyperandrogenism, the main feature of PCOS, may trigger the urinary stone formation besides hirsutism, alopecia and acne. Therefore, we hypothesize that PCOS accompanied by hyperandrogenism may be a risk factor in the formation of urinary stone disease.