This study concluded that vitamin D may play a potential role in pathogenesis of acne vulgaris or acne vulgaris may have a negative effect on vitamin D synthesis. Further studies are needed to confirm these potential relations.

Patients with AD have lower serum vitamin D levels than normal. Vitamin D deficiency might be related to the severity of AD.

BackgroundIron plays an important role in body defense and essential for normal immune system development where its deficiency may result in an inadequate immune response. We aimed to assess the lymphocyte subsets in childhood iron deficiency anemia (IDA) with their laboratory correlations.MethodsFifty IDA (< 18 years) and 25 age and sex-matched healthy children were enrolled and a complete history was obtained and clinical examination was performed. Complete blood count, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferritin, were performed. Flow cytometric determination of peripheral blood CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T-lymphocytes and CD19+ B-lymphocytes and CD4/CD8 ratio were done.ResultsPatients had significantly lower hemoglobin, Serum iron, ferritin levels and higher lymphocytic count in patients compared with controls (p = 0.001, 0.03, 0.001, 0.001 respectively). CD3 count and percentage were significantly lower in IDA patients compared to controls (p = 0.007 and 0.005 respectively).There was a Significant reduction in the CD4 count, percentage and CD4/CD8 ratio in patients compared with controls (p = 0.001, 0.001 and 0.005 respectively) while there was no significant difference regarding CD8 count and percentage. No significant difference between the two studied groups regarding either CD19 count or percentage (p = 0.28 and 0.18 respectively) were found.ConclusionsIDA is associated with impaired cell-mediated immune response specifically T-cell mediated immunity.

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Background: Immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a primary autoimmune disease. It is characterized by a diminished peripheral platelet count (< 100 × 10 9 /L) caused by platelet destruction with an increased risk of mucocutaneous bleeding. The diagnosis of ITP depends on clinical characteristics and the laboratory examinations conducted, as well as the ability to exclude other diseases associated with thrombocytopenia. Antiplatelet autoantibodies are responsible for platelet destruction and probably for inhibition of megakaryopoiesis. B lymphocytes participate in immune responses through production of antibodies, antigen presentation to T cells, and cytokine secretion. The aims of this study were to investigate the levels of Bregs and memory B lymphocytes in newly diagnosed pediatric ITP patients and to correlate their levels with the course of the disease.

Platelets are known to undergo shape change, activation, release reaction and apoptosis/necrosis during processing and storage. Apheresis may have a deleterious impact on platelet achievability and functional integrity. Platelet concentrates from 50 male volunteers obtained by COBE spectra were screened for platelet activation (CD62 and CD154) and apoptosis (phosphatidylserine detected by Annexin V). Donor samples before separation, during apheresis and at the third day of storage were used as baseline donor samples. Platelet aggregation to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen was performed. There was a statistically significant increase in the expression of activation markers in two different samples (during separation samples and third day samples). Although the increase in Annexin V expression was not so observable, it showed a significant increase also. There was marked decline in the platelet aggregation. The correlations between the values of CD62, CD154 and Annexin V were detected in baseline samples and increased during separation and at the third day of platelets storage. Correlation between values of platelet aggregation to collagen and Annexin V was relevant only in the baseline samples. No other correlations were encountered between platelet aggregation and markers of activation and apoptosis during apheresis and storage. Initial platelet activation induced by apheresis may have an impact on phosphatidylserine expression with no impact on aggregation function of platelets during storage.

Background:Resistance to chemotherapy is a major obstacle to curing acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and several antigens are claimed to play primary roles in this resistance.Purpose:The aim of this study was to evaluate the roles of CD56, CD11b and Smac/DIABLO gene expression levels as prognostic markers of the clinical outcome, response to chemotherapy and survival of AML patients.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 60 naïve-AML patients who received induction therapy with mitoxantrone and cytarabine combined with a high dose of cytarabine. The CD56,CD11b and Smac/DIABLO expression levels were assessed using flow cytometry at diagnosis and were analysed for correlation with the possible associated risk factors, response to chemotherapy, and median duration of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).Results:The overall results revealed that AML patients who exhibited positive expression for CD56 and CD11b had short median durations of DFS and OS.(P = 0.019, 0.006, 0.029 and 0.024, respectively). Additionally, low Smac/DIABLO expression had a negative impact on treatment outcome in terms of CR rate (p=0.012) and reduced DFS (p=0.000) and OS(p=0.000) values.Conclusions:CD56 and CD11b positivity and low Smac/DIABLO expression are important predictive factors for the occurrence of chemoresistance, in addition to other risk factors, among AML patients.