BackgroundSchizophrenia is a typical N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) hypofunction disorder. Decreased d-serine (d-Ser) levels in the periphery occur in schizophrenia and may reflect decreased availability of d-Ser to activate NMDA-R in the brain.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the role of d-Ser metabolism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia via biochemical assays and correlates, the serum level of d-Ser, d-serine racemase (SR) (responsible for its formation from l-serine [l-Ser]) and d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) (responsible for its catabolism), among different clinical types of schizophrenia patients.Patients and methodsThis cross-sectional case–control study was carried out on 100 patients and 50 controls. They were recruited from the outpatients’ psychiatric unit of the Neuropsychiatric Department of Assiut University Hospital, Upper Egypt. The type of schizophrenia was determined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), while the severity of schizophrenia was determined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Serum d-Ser levels were estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), while serum SR and DAAO were measured using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.ResultsThere were significantly lower mean serum levels of d-Ser and SR and significantly higher mean serum levels of DAAO (P-value <0.01 for each) among schizophrenia patients when compared with the control group. Paranoid schizophrenia had the highest frequency, with a significantly lower serum levels of d-Ser and SR in the residual type and significantly higher serum levels of DAAO in undifferentiated and catatonic types. Combined receiver-operating characteristic curve for serum d-Ser, SR and DAAO indicated that the best serum level cutoff points at which schizophrenia manifestations started to appear were ≤ 61.4 mg/L for d-Ser, ≤ 15.5 pg/mL for SR and >35.6 pg/mL for DAAO.ConclusionThe present study confirms that disturbed d-Ser metabolism could be implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
Background and Aim: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is the most common single cause of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is an 18-kD protein. The connection between diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the secreted form of CyPA (sCyPA) has been elucidated in this study that aims to investigate sCyPA correlation with renal dysfunction. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four male adult Wistar rats weighing 180-220 g were used. Animals were divided into a study group and a control group, 17 rats in each. Streptozotocin (STZ) and nicotine amide were used to damage some pancreatic cells for induction of type 2 DM. Comparison was made between the study and the control groups. Moreover, a comparison was made between the members of the study group before and after induction of DN. Results: The rat model that exhibited a higher concentration of urinary sCyPA was detected early in the eighth week. There was a significantly higher level of 24-h urinary CyPA in the study group compared to the control group (p-value=0.004) and there was a significant elevation in the 24-h urinary Cyp-A in the study group after injection of STZ compared to the values before injection (p-value <0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis of renal tissue revealed that the mean expression of CyPA was higher in the study group than in the control group. For the urinary 24-h CYP-A, using a cutoff of 1.15 ng/mL, the accuracy was 72.4%, sensitivity was (77.8%) and specificity was (67%). Conclusion: According to this animal study, we proved that CyPA is a valuable marker for DN. It is a more sensitive, noninvasive and rapid biomarker for early detection of any renal affection in human diabetic patients.
Background: Breast cancer is the first most common malignancy in Egyptian females. Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of all cancers, especially breast cancer. An inappropriately low rate of apoptosis can give rise to cancer. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to asses, compare and correlate the circulatory levels of some oxidants (malondialdehyde "MDA" and nitric oxide "NO"), total antioxidant capacity "TAO") and soluble form of Fas "sFas" in some Egyptian females having breast cancer. Methods: A cross sectional case/control study conducted on 50 Egyptian females recruited from outpatient clinics or inpatients department of the general surgery at Sohag university hospital, divided into 30 females with malignant breast lesion and 20 healthy females as a control group. Colorimetric assay of serum levels of NO, MDA and TAO, while, sFas was determined using ELISA method. Results: There were significant high levels of NO, MDA, TAO and sFas in malignant group than in control group with p-value < 0.0001, high positive correlation between NO, MDA, TAO and sFas in malignant group ( r= 0.958, 0.807, 0.748 respectively and P< 0.0001 for all). There was high positive correlation between NO and TAO in malignant group (r = 0.78, P < 0.0001).There was also, high positive correlation between MDA and TAO in malignant group (r = 0.81, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: These results support the oxidative stress hypothesis and resistance to apoptosis in development and progression of breast cancer.
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