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Background Post-stroke depression (PSD) has worse functional outcomes and quality of life. Despite the extensive literature on this topic, there is no agreement on the frequency or risk factors for post-stroke depression. Objectives To establish the frequency and risk factors of post-stroke depression and its impact on quality of life. Patients and methods One hundred three stroke patients were recruited from the out-patient clinic of Qena University Hospital who satisfied the WHO definition for stroke, together with a control group of 50 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. A complete history, neurological examination, and CT brain were obtained for each patient. DSM-IV TR criteria were used for diagnosis of depressive disorders which was scored with the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D); Barthel Index (BI), and quality of life were also measured. Results Thirty-eight (36.9%) stroke patients had PSD which was significantly higher than in the normal population (control group 12%). Statistically significant risk factors for PSD included low educational level, low socioeconomic status, smoking, and post-stroke functional impairment. Post-stroke depression has an impact on quality of life. Conclusion Post-stroke depression is a relatively common complication of stroke and can affect the quality of life. Low educational level and socioeconomic status, as well as smoking and functional impairments, were considered as risk factors for the occurrence of post-stroke depression. Early detection of predictors of post-stroke depression may improve the outcome of stroke and prevent the psychiatric consequences.

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BackgroundThe exact pathogenesis of autism is still unknown. Both thyroid hormones and 25(OH)D are important for brain development, in addition to CD5; all have immunomodulatory actions by which their dysregulation may have a potential role in autism pathogenesis.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to assess the thyroid profile, serum 25(OH)D levels and CD5 expression levels among autistic patients and to find out the correlations between the measured biomarkers with each other on one side and with the disease severity on the other side.Patients and methodsThis cross-sectional case–control study has been conducted on 60 children with autism and 40 controls, recruited from Qena Governorate, Upper Egypt. Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score was used to assess the included patients. Biochemical assays of thyroid function in the form of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free tetraiodothyronine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and 25(OH)D were done using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, while CD5 expression levels were measured using flow cytometry (FCM) analysis for all the included patients and controls.ResultsThe overall measurement results show significant higher mean serum TSH levels, mean CD5 expression levels with significant lower mean serum 25(OH)D levels among autistic children when compared with the control group (p<0.05 for all). Significant negative correlations between CD5 with FT3, FT4 and 25(OH)D were observed. CARS score showed significant negative correlations with both FT3 and 25(OH)D, while it was positively correlated with CD5 in a significant manner (p<0.05 for all).ConclusionElevated CD5 expression and decreased 25(OH)D stores could play a potential role in the pathogenesis of autism via their immune-modulator actions. High TSH serum levels among autistic children, although within the physiological range, reflect the presence of thyroid dysfunction among such children, which needs further assessment.

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Objective: The current study aimed to assess the profiles of plasma amino acids, serum ammonia and oxidative stress status among autistic children in terms of electroencephalogram findings and clinical severity among the cohort of autistic Egyptian children. Patients and methods: The present study included 118 Egyptian children categorized into 54 children with autism who were comparable with 64 healthy controls. Clinical assessments of cases were performed using CARS in addition to EEG records. Plasma amino acids were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), while, serum ammonia and oxidative stress markers were measured using colorimetric methods for all included children. Results: The overall results revealed that 37.04% of cases had abnormal EEG findings. Amino acid profile in autistic children showed statistically significant lower levels of aspartic acid, glycine, β-alanine, tryptophan, lysine and proline amino acids with significantly higher asparagine amino acid derivative levels among autistic patients versus the control group (p˂0.05). There were significantly higher serum ammonia levels with significantly higher total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) values among the included autistic children vs controls (p˂0.05). There were significantly negative correlations between CARS with aspartic acid (r=−0.269, P=0.049), arginine (r=-0.286, p= 0.036), and TAS (r= −0.341, p= 0.012), and significantly positive correlations between CARS with TOS (r=0.360, p= 0.007) and OSI (r= 0.338, p= 0.013). Conclusion: Dysregulated amino acid metabolism, high ammonia and oxidative stress were prevalent among autistic children and should be considered in autism management. Still EEG records were inconclusive among autistic children, although may be helpful in assessment autism severity.

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