Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis among Myositis Patients in Southwest of Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasem Saki ◽  
Karim Mowla ◽  
Reza Arjmand ◽  
Forough Kazemi ◽  
Somayeh Fallahizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Nested Pcr ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Acute Toxoplasmosis ◽  
Southwest Of Iran

Introduction: Parasitic myositis is caused by some parasites such as T. gondii and T. canis. So, the aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence T. gondii and T. canis in patients with myositis and healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 108 samples were randomly selected as the control (54 healthy individuals) and test (54 myositis patients) groups. IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii and IgG antibodies against T. canis were measured by the ELISA. The detection of chronic and acute toxoplasmosis was performed by the ELISA IgG avidity. The presence of T. gondii in blood was evaluated by the nested-PCR. Results: Of 108, 33 (30.6%) cases were detected positive for IgG against T. gondii that 19 (35.2%) and 14 (25.9%) were observed in myositis patients and healthy individuals, respectively (P=0.296). Of 19 positive cases, 12 (63.2%) and 7 (36.8%) cases were detected as chronic and acute toxoplasmosis, respectively, while, all positive cases in the control group had chronic toxoplasmosis (P=0.013). One (1.9%) sample was detected positive for anti- Toxoplasma gondii IgM and two (3.7%) samples were found positive for IgG against T. canis by the ELISA that these positive cases were observed only in myositis patients (P=1.000 P=0.495, respectively). B1 T. gondii gene was amplified in 12 (63.2%) and 1 (7.1%) in myositis patients and healthy subjects (P=0.001). Conclusions: Our findings showed that there was a relatively high prevalence of acute toxoplasmosis in myositis patients in comparison with the control subjects in southwest of Iran.

scholarly journals Vitamin K2 Supplementation Does Not Affect Vitamin K-Dependent Coagulation Factors Activity in Healthy Subjects: A Pilot Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1843-1843
Author(s):  
Jing Tan ◽  
Ruijun Ren ◽  
Dan Xu
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin K ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Coagulation Factors ◽  
Vitamin K2 ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Thrombin Time ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Healthy Control

Abstract Objectives Vitamin K is generally regarded as a procoagulant drug with physicians, concerns have been raised about its effects on hemostasis in the healthy population. We aimed to investigate whether vitamin K2 affects activities of individual vitamin K dependent coagulation factors in healthy individuals without anticoagulation treatment. Methods Forty healthy volunteers between 25 and 40 years old were recruited. They received 90 μg of vitamin K2 every day for 30 days. Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), international normalized ratio (INR), fibrinogen (FIB) levels and blood coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X activity levels (F II : C, FⅦ : C, FⅨ : C,FⅩ : C), protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), which is uncarboxylated prothrombin were measured at day 0, and day 30 after vitamin K2 administration. Plasma diluted 1:10 from vitamin K2 group and healthy control group were assayed for the activity of factors II, VII, IX, and X. Results PT, APTT, TT, and FIB did not show significant difference at day 30 when compared with baseline. The activities of coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X was not significantly different with baseline (97.28 ± 12.42% vs. 99.96 ± 10.24%, P = 0.24 for F II: C; 76.12 ± 15.82% vs. 76.40 ± 12.33%, P = 0.92 for FⅦ: C; 97.65 ± 13.98% vs. 99.65 ± 13.30%, P = 0.47 for FⅨ: C; 89.18 ± 10.76% vs. 92.01 ± 10.46%, P = 0.1 for FⅩ: C) . PIVKA-II levels were not changed with 30 days vitamin K2 supplementation (21.62 ± 3.21 vs. 23.87 ± 2.65 mAU/ml, P = 0.16). After 30 days vitamin K2 administration, factor II, Ⅶ, Ⅸ, and Ⅹ activity of plasma diluted up to 10 times were proportionally decreased, and did not show significant difference with the healthy control without vitamin K2 exposure (10.32 ± 1.24% vs. 10.97 ± 1.55%, P = 0.38 for F II: C; 9.52 ± 2.94% vs. 9.14 ± 1.79%, P = 0.68 for FⅦ: C; 11.78 ± 2.12% vs.11.65 ± 1.54%, P = 0.87 for FⅨ: C; 8.22 ± 1.28% vs. 8.92 ± 1.13%, P = 0.21 for FⅩ: C). Conclusions Vitamin K2 supplementation at recommended dosage does not affect vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors activity in healthy subjects. Uncarboxylated prothrombin (PIVKA-II) in healthy individuals is not decreased with vitamin K supplementation. Funding Sources None.

scholarly journals An investigation into the association between latent toxoplasmosis and suicide attempts among adolescents

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 1437-1442
Author(s):  
Hüsniye Yucel ◽  
S Burak Acikel ◽  
Saliha Senel
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Control Study

Introduction: There have been several studies investigating the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and psychiatric disorders although there is insufficient data on causality. Suicide, depression, and anxiety disorders have been especially investigated in this regard. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is any causal association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide attempts in adolescents. Methodology: This is a case-control study conducted between January and December 2019. A total of 27 adolescents who had attempted suicide and were aged between 12 and 18 years were included in the study. 26 age and sex ratio matched healthy volunteers were taken as the control group. A possible association between suicide attempts and Toxoplasma gondii serology (IgM and IgG) was investigated.. Results: The suicide attempt group consisted of 17 females and 10 males. The mean age was 15.9 ± 1.4 (13.5-17.9) years. Toxoplasma gondii IgG seropositivity was 3.7% (1/27) in the suicide attempt group and 3.8% (1/26) in the control group. There was no significant association between the suicide attempt group and the control group in terms of the presence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG antibodies (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study is one of the few studies examining the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and suicide attempts in adolescents yet we did not find any significant association. Further evidence is needed to clarify this controversial issue.

scholarly journals Hair Mercury Levels in Periodontal Patients in Comparison with Healthy Individuals

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soraya Khafri ◽  
Hamidreza Hasanjani Roushan ◽  
Hadi Parsian ◽  
Ramin Alijannia ◽  
Abbas Mosapour
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Periodontitis ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Periodontal Diseases ◽  
Mercury Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Hair Mercury ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
The Difference

ABSTRACT Introduction The clinical manifestation of periodontal diseases (such as gingivitis and chronic periodontitis) results from a complex interplay between the etiologic agents such as bacteria that present in the dental plaque, genetic factors, systemic diseases, smoking and exposure of some heavy metals, such as mercury. In this study, we aimed to evaluate hair mercury levels in healthy subjects in comparison with periodontal patients. Materials and methods One hundred twenty subjects were enrolled in this study. The included persons were divided into 3 groups: healthy subjects (n = 40), gingivitis (n = 40) and chronic periodontitis patients (n = 40). Hair samples were collected from occipital area of head. Total mercury levels were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results The difference between mercury levels in three groups were statistically significant (p-value < 0.001). Mercury level in periodontitis patients was greater than the gingivitis group (p-value < 0.001). In addition the differences between mercury levels in periodontitis patients vs healthy individuals was significant (p-value = 0.048). The gingivitis patients had lower levels of mercury than the control group, but the difference was not significant (p-value = 0.170). Conclusion The results showed that the levels of mercury are to some extent differed in periodontal diseases in comparison with the healthy individuals. A study with larger sample size is needed for clarification of this issue. How to cite this article Roushan HH, Parsian H, Alijannia R, Mosapour A, Khafri S. Hair Mercury Levels in Periodontal Patients in Comparison with Healthy Individuals. World J Dent 2014;5(3):166-169.

scholarly journals Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Blood to Distinguish Lung Cancer Patients from Healthy Subjects

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Xuming Zhu ◽  
Huizhu Song ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Feifei Han ◽  
Qiong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Platelet To Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Lung Cancer Patients ◽  
Lymphocyte Ratio ◽  
Cancer Group ◽  
Level Group

Objective. Inflammation-driven markers play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in blood are systemic inflammatory response markers. Some reports have showed that NLR and PLR are related to a poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer. However, little studies have reported whether NLR and PLR can be diagnostic markers for lung cancer. The aim of the current study is to investigate the roles of NLR and PLR in diagnosing lung cancer. Methods. This study analyzed data from lung cancer patients and healthy individuals in Wuxi People’s Hospital Affiliated with Nanjing Medical University. The Mann–Whitney U test was performed to compare differences between the lung cancer group and the control group. Based on white blood cell (WBC) counts, both lung cancer patients and healthy individuals were divided into the low-level group, moderate-level group, and high-level group. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare differences of NLR and PLR among those groups with different WBC counts. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess correlations. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to determine diagnostic accuracy. Results. 210 patients diagnosed with lung cancer and 261 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. Levels of NLR and PLR increased in the lung cancer group compared with the control group ( P < 0.001 ). For the lung cancer group, NLR levels could rise with the increasing of WBC levels ( P < 0.001 ) while PLR levels had no significant variation with the increasing of WBC levels ( P = 0.206 ). For the control group, NLR levels could rise with the increasing of WBC levels ( P < 0.001 ) while PLR levels would decline with the increasing of WBC levels ( P < 0.001 ). In the lung cancer group, both NLR and PLR had no significant correlations with aspartate transaminase, urea, and glucose. The area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of NLR and PLR to distinguish lung cancer patients from healthy subjects was, respectively, 0.684 (0.634-0.735) and 0.623 (0.571-0.674). When NLR and PLR were combined, AUC (95% CI) increased to 0.691 (0.642-0.740). Conclusions. NLR and PLR alone have moderate ability to distinguish lung cancer patients from healthy subjects. Furthermore, combination forms of NLR and PLR can improve diagnostic ability.

scholarly journals Interleukin-31 new biomarker of infectious skin diseases

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Infection ◽  
Blood Serum ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Opportunistic Infections ◽  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Herpesvirus Infection ◽  
Infectious Skin Diseases

Introduction. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy has significantly improved the long-term prognosis of AIDS patients, but opportunistic infections can still be life-threatening for this population. Among them, a large group constitutes of herpesvirus infections, which are frequent manifest forms of dermatological manifestations of HIV. The researching of IL-31, as a prospective diagnostic predictor of dermatological diseases, has been actively conducted in recent years. This is due to the interest in its biological action, which extends primarily to the skin. Тhe identification of molecular targets underlying inflammatory and infectious dermatoses is promisingly for the development of new, targeted treatments. Objective: to study the role of IL-31 in the immunopathogenesis of herpesvirus infections associated with HIV infection. Research objectives: 1) to compare the levels of IL-31 in the blood serum in patients with herpesvirus skin diseases associated with HIV infection and in healthy subjects; 2) to determine the presence of a relationship between the levels of IL-31 in the blood serum and the clinical stage of the disease. Materials and methods. The study included patients with herpesvirus infection caused by HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV-3, EBV and HHV-8 associated with HIV infection and healthy individuals. Serum IL-31 levels were measured by ELISA using commercial kits (Human IL-31 ELISA Kit, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA). Were collected the baseline clinical characteristics, assessment of the activity of the infectious process and the degree of immunosuppression. Results. Our study involved 39 patients with herpesvirus infection associated HIV and 31 patients of the control group. In patients with herpesvirus infection against the background of HIV infection, the average level of IL-31 in the blood serum was significantly higher than that of healthy subjects. Serum IL-31 levels in patients with herpesvirus infection did not differ significantly depending on the severity of the process and the degree of immunosuppression. Conclusion. The levels of IL-31 in the blood serum of patients with herpesvirus infection were differed by statistically significant validity in comparison with similar indicators of healthy individuals, which confirms its role in the pathogenesis of infectious skin diseases.

scholarly journals Association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and thyroid dysfunction: a case-control seroprevalence study

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cosme Alvarado-Esquivel ◽  
Agar Ramos-Nevarez ◽  
Carlos Alberto Guido-Arreola ◽  
Sandra Margarita Cerrillo-Soto ◽  
Alma Rosa Pérez-Álamos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Thyroid Dysfunction ◽  
Matched Control ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Matched Control Group ◽  
And Gender

Abstract Background The association between Toxoplasma gondii infection and thyroid disease has been poorly studied. Therefore, we sought to determine the association between T. gondii seropositivity and thyroid dysfunction. Methods We performed an age- and gender-matched case-control study of 176 patients suffering from hypothyroidism (n = 161) or hyperthyroidism (n = 15) and 528 control subjects without these diseases in a public hospital in Durango City, Mexico. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies were determined in sera from cases and controls using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 11 (6.3%) of 176 patients suffering from thyroid dysfunction and in 48 (9.1%) of 528 control subjects (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.33–1.31; P = 0.23). Stratification by two groups of age (50 years and younger, and 51 year and older) showed that the youngest group of patients with thyroid dysfunction had a significantly lower seroprevalence of T. gondii infection than its age- and gender-matched control group (1/83: 1.2% vs 23/257: 8.6%; OR = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.01–0.93; P = 0.01). This stratification also showed that the youngest group of patients with hypothyroidism had a significantly lower seroprevalence of T. gondii infection than its age- and gender matched control group (0/75: 0% vs 21/233: 9.0%; P = 0.003). Conclusions Our results suggest that thyroid dysfunction is not associated with seropositivity to T. gondii in general; however, in young (50 years or less) patients, a negative association between infection and thyroid dysfunction and hypothyroidism was found. Further research to confirm this negative association is needed.

scholarly journals ToxocaraSeroprevalence in Patients with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease: Chance Association or Coincidence?

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuncay Çelik ◽  
Yüksel Kaplan ◽  
Eser Ataş ◽  
Derya Öztuna ◽  
Said Berilgen
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Causal Relation ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Specific Igg ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Specific Igg Antibodies

Most cases of idiopathic Parkinson disease (IPD) are believed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between toxocariasis and Parkinson disease (PD). Patients were selected from people who were admitted to the Movement Disorders Branch, Neurology Department of Elazığ University Faculty of Medicine Elazığ, Turkey. We studied specific IgG antibodies againstToxocara canis(T. canis) in 50 patients with idiopathic Parkinson and 50 healthy volunteers. We investigated the clinical history of three patients infected withT. canis. We also studied specific IgG antibodies againstToxoplasma gondiiin these groups. Antibodies anti-Toxocara caniswere found in 3 idiopathic PD (6%) (P=0.121) and antibody titer was not found in control. A patient had history of the presence of dog in current dog ownership. We did not detect any statistically significant association betweenT. canisand IPD. But, we believe that further comprehensive studies are required for understanding whether there is a causal relation between toxocariasis and PD. We didn’t find possible association betweenToxoplasma gondiiand IPD (P=0.617).

scholarly journals Screening of Zoonotic Parasites in Playground Sandboxes of Public Parks from Subtropical Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Gonzalo A. Pacheco-Ortega ◽  
José I. Chan-Pérez ◽  
Antonio Ortega-Pacheco ◽  
Eugenia Guzmán-Marín ◽  
Melissa Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Ancylostoma Caninum ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Sag1 Gene ◽  
Zoonotic Parasites ◽  
The City ◽  
Southeastern Region

The pathological agents Toxoplasma gondii, Ancylostoma caninum, and Toxocara canis are widely distributed zoonotic parasites with high prevalence in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of DNA from these parasites in sand samples from the sand playgrounds in the southeastern region of Mexico. Samples of sand were collected from 68 playgrounds in public parks in the city of Merida, Yucatan, which is the main urban area in the southeast of Mexico. The samples were examined using nested PCR to detect the SAG1 gene from Toxoplasma gondii, and endpoint PCR for the amplification of ITS-2 and rRNA-ITS2 genes from Toxocara canis and Ancylostoma caninum, respectively. The presence of T. gondii DNA was detected in 11.8% (8/68) samples, DNA from A. caninum and T. canis was not detected. Results indicate that playgrounds from the studied sandboxes are contaminated with T. gondii oocysts and may represent a risk of infection for people in contact with the sand, especially for preschoolers.

scholarly journals SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF PROTEIN REGULATORS OSTEOBLASTOGENESIS AND OSTEOCLASTOGENESIS IN PATIENTS WITH ENDOGENOUS HYPERCORTICISM

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Zh E Belaya ◽  
L Ya Rozhinskaya ◽  
N V Dragunova ◽  
A G Solodovnikov ◽  
A V Ilyin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Type I Collagen ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Type I ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Absolute Level ◽  
Promising Therapeutic Approach ◽  
Free Cortisol ◽  
Healthy Control

Purpose. Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (CS), usually affecting young and otherwise healthy patients, is a good model to validate the effects of supraphysiological levels of glucocorticoids in humans. This study evaluates circulating levels of extracellular antagonists of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway (sclerostin, Dickkopf1 (Dkkl), secretedfrizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1)) along with osteoprotegerin (OPG) and soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-beta ligand (RANKL) in patients with CS as compared to healthy individuals. Materials and methods. Forty patients with clinically and biochemically evident CS and 40 sex, age and body-mass index matched healthy individuals provided fasting serum samples (8:00-10:00AM) for measurement of sclerostin, SFRP1 and Dkkl, RANKL., OPG along with bone turnover markers. Serum samples on RANKL., OPG., Dkkl, SFRP1, sclerostin were frozen and then concurrently measured by an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) using commercially available reagents. Serum samples on osteocalcin (OC), carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTx), cortisol in serum and saliva were assayed by electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA) Cobas e601 Roche. Urinary free cortisol (24hUFC) was measured by an immunochemiluminescence assay (extraction with diethyl ether) on a Vitros ECi. All participants were questioned regarding any recent low traumatic fractures. Patients with CS underwent standard spinal radiographs in anterior-posterior and lateral positions of the vertebrae Th4-L4 (Axiom Icons R200 "Siemens"). Results. Patents with CS (30 (26-40) years old with 24hUFC 2575 (1184-4228) nmol/l (Me (Q25-Q75)) had suppressed OC and normal CTx levels as compared to healthy subjects. A significant correlation, which we observed between OC and CTx (po=0.724 (p<0.001)) among the healthy volunteers, weakened to a non-significant level (po - 0.285 (p=0.083)) when analyzing patients with CS only. 24hUFC correlated with OC po = - 0.464 p=0.003, but not with CTx po= 0.245 (p=0.132) in patients with CS. Patients with CS had higher sclerostin levels versus healthy control subjects (p=0.032). Differences in sclerostin were due to the lack of lower sclerostin values rather than an increase in protein levels above the upper-limits of the healthy control individuals. Sclerostin levels higher than 662 pg/ml were four times more frequent in patients with CS as compared to healthy subjects (OR=4,19, 95% CI 1,44-12,22), p=0,006. Dkk1, SFRP1 did not differ from the control group. Patients with CS had a significantly lower level of RANKL (0.083 (0.075 0.093) pmol/L) as compared to healthy subjects (0.106 (0.089 0.131) pmol/L) p<0.001. Conversely, no difference was found between the OPG level in patients with CS (6.65 (4.92-7.66) pmol/L) and healthy individuals (5.77 (5.00-6.40) pmol/L), p=0.14. RANKL was lower (p=0.02) and OPG was higher (p=0.04) in patients with CS and low traumatic fractures (n=19) versus patients without fractures (n=21). Conclusions. Patients with CS have higher sclerostin level as compared to healthy subjects. Hypercotisolism prevents the normal physiological suppression of sclerostin rather than raising its absolute level. Of all the tested proteins (sclerostin, Dkk1, SFRP1, RANKL., OPG) only sclerostin seems to be a promising therapeutic approach to treating osteoporosis in patients with endogenous CS.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document