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Objectives. To assess zinc (Zn) and vitamin D (Vit. D) status in chronic Hepatitis C virus- (HCV) infected patients and their relationship to interleukin- (IL-) 17 and disease severity and then investigate whether Zn and Vit. D3 modulate IL-17 expression in chronic HCV patients. Methods. Seventy patients and fifty healthy subjects were investigated. Serum levels of Zn, Vit. D, and IL-17 were assessed in the patients group and subgroups. Patients lymphocytes were activated in vitro in the presence or absence of Zn or Vit. D3 and then intracellular IL-17 production was assessed using flow cytometry. Results. Zn and Vit. D were significantly decreased in HCV patients. Increasing disease severity leads to more reduction in Zn level opposed by increasing IL-17 level. Zn potently reduced IL-17 production in a dose-related fashion; however it did not exert any toxic effects. Although Vit. D apparently increases IL17 expression, it is unclear whether it is due to its toxic effect on cell count or lack of definite association between Vit. D and both IL-17 and disease severity. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that Zn modulates IL-17 expression and provides a rationale for evaluating this compound as a supplementary agent in the treatment of chronic HCV.

Background:Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by skin thickening, fibrosis and vascular obliteration. The onset and course are heterogeneous. Prominent features include autoimmunity, inflammation and vascular damage.Aim of study:To measure the level of serum Anti-Annexin V antibodies in SSc patients and to study its significance in relation to vascular damage in these patients.Patients and methods:Twenty patients with SSc (12 with diffuse SSc and 8 with the limited form) and 10 healthy age and sex matched volunteers as controls were all subjected to routine laboratory testing and immunological profiling including antinuclear, anti-Scl-70, anticentomere, anticardiolipin antibodies and anti-annexin V antibodies titres. Vascular damage was assessed by clinical examination and assessment of the disease activity score, nailfold capillaroscopy and colour flow Doppler of the renal arteries; Doppler echocardiography was used for assessing pulmonary hypertension.Results:Anti-annexin V antibodies were detected in 75% of patients. Comparisons between anti-annexin V in diffuse and limited subgroups showed no significance; however a statistically significant positive correlation was found between Anti-annexin V titre and the degree of vascular damage in SSc patients. Anti-annexin V increased significantly in patients with severe vascular damage in comparison with those less affected (15.3 ± 6.6 vs. 11.25 ± 3.6, P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between Anti-annexin V titre and both the ACL titre (r = 0.79, P < 0.001) and the resistive index of the main renal artery (r = 0.42, P < 0.05).Conclusion:Anti-annexin V antibodies were significantly present in sera of patients with SSc. Patients with more severe forms of vascular damage had higher titres of these antibodies. Anti-annexin V antibodies are a sensitive predictor of vascular damage in SSc and could serve as a useful parameter in discriminating patients with a higher risk of vascular affection from those without.

Transmission of West Nile virus (WNV) from asymptomatic donors has been reported during blood transfusions and organ transplants in humans. In this work, we aimed to investigate the presence of WNV antibody and WNV RNA in blood donors to evaluate the sero-prevalence of WNV and risk for WNV transmission. One hundred and sixty blood donors were tested for the presence of anti-WNV IgG by ELISA and for WNVs 1 and 2 RNA by RT-PCR. About 55% of blood donors were seropositive for WNV IgG antibodies, with significantly higher percentage of positive donors coming from rural areas and Nile Delta region compared to other donors. Using RT-PCR all donors were negative for viral RNA of both WNV lineages 1 and 2. High sero-prevelance of WNV antibodies in asymptomatic blood donors denotes endemicity of the WNV in Egypt and points to the importance of routine screening of blood donors for WNV RNA. On the other hand the absence of WNV RNA by RT-PCR indicates apparent low risk of the blood products as regards WNV transmission. Further studies into significance of WNV seronegativity among Rh negative donors and into the use of WNV seropositive blood in prophylaxis or treatment of WNV neuroinvasive disease are recommended. J. Med. Virol. 89:1323-1329, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background: Adiponectin is a recently identified adipocyte-derived collagen-like protein. In humans, adiponectin levels were found to be decreased in obese, compared to normal individuals, whereas high adiponectin levels are independently associated with increased insulin sensitivity. The specific role of adiponectin in these metabolic conditions is not clear: it may have a causative role, or it could be regulated by insulin and serve as a marker for insulin resistance. Adiponectin levels hold great promise for use in clinical applications as a potent indicator of underlying metabolic complications. Aim of the work: The present study was aimed to evaluate the link between adiponectin and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and the potential use of adiponectin as a biomarker for PCOS. Patients and methods: The study included 84 female patients presenting to the Reproductive and

There are increased levels of nitric oxide in the serum of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Nitric oxide correlates significantly with disease activity, inflammatory markers and radiological joint status.

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