Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and learning disabilities are neurodevelopmental disabilities characterized by dramatically increasing incidence rates, yet the exact etiology for these disabilities is not identified. Impairment in tryptophan metabolism has been suggested to participate in the pathogenesis of ASD, however, further validation of its involvement is required. Additionally, its role in learning disabilities is still uninvestigated. Our objective was to evaluate some aspects of tryptophan metabolism in ASD children (N = 45) compared to children with learning disabilities (N = 44) and healthy controls (N = 40) by measuring the expression levels of the MAOA, HAAO and AADAT genes using real-time RT-qPCR. We also aimed to correlate the expression patterns of these genes with parental ages at the time of childbirth, levels of serum iron, and vitamin D3 and zinc/copper ratio, as possible risk factors for ASD. Results demonstrated a significant decrease in the expression of the selected genes within ASD children (p < 0.001) relative to children with learning disabilities and healthy controls, which significantly associated with the levels of our targeted risk factors (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated to ASD scoring (p < 0.001). In conclusion, this study suggests that the expression of the MAOA, HAAO and AADAT genes may underpin the pathophysiology of ASD.

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) ranges from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)leading to fibrosis and potentially cirrhosis, and it is one of the most common causes of liver disease worldwide.NAFLD is associated with other medical conditions suchas metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Visfatin is an adipocytokine hormone, which exerts an insulin-like effect by binding to the insulin receptor-1, we aim to investigate the correlation between serum Visfatin and both glucose, lipid metabolism and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Simple obese children. Methods: This prospective study included 62 children clinically evaluated as obese and 35 apparently healthy children, age and sex matched as controls. Patients were recruited from the emergency department, in-patient wards and out-patient clinics of thepediatric department of EL-Mina University, children's hospital.While controls were collected from healthy school children during day time between September, 2016 and October, 2017. Fasting Visfatin, glucose, hemoglobinA1cand lipid levels were assayed and abdominal ultrasonography was done for detection of NAFLD. Results There was a statistically significant correlation between serum Visfatin level and BMI (p<0.01), cholesterol levels (p< 0.01), triglycerides levels (p< 0.01), LDL levels (p< 0.01), HDL levels (p< 0.01) in both overweight and obese groups. Conclusions: Visfatin plays an important role in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, also in inflammation and insulin resistance, suggesting a role in pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Key words: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; metabolic syndrome; Visfatin

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