CORRELATION BETWEEN C- REACTIVE PROTEIN AND LIPID ABNORMALITIES IN SUBJECTS WITH ISCHEMIC STROKE

Cerebrovascular accident, which has considerable mortality and morbidity,deservesattention towards its prevention. The first lines of defense in stroke prevention are detecting and adequately treating manageable risk factors, C-Reactive protein, an acute phase reactant is an indicator ofunderlying systemic inflammation and a novel marker for atherothrombotic disease. Present study is an attempt to study the levels of C-Reactive protein in acute thromboembolic stroke and to correlate between serum C Reactive protein levels and lipid profile in acute ischemic stroke.

Significance of Acute Phase Reactants as Prognostic Biomarkers for Pneumonia in Children

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major contributing cause for the increased rate of childhood mortalities and morbidities in the developing countries. Thus, we aimed in this study to appraise the significance of acute phase reactant proteins in correlation with the modified pneumonia prognostic score to assess the disease severity and outcome in children.This study included 40 children with pneumonia ( age between 6 months 2 years ) and other 40 healthy controls ( age and sex matched). They were enrolled in the study and a detailedhistory’s obtained, full clinical examination and assessment of AGP, CRP and ferritin in serum in addition to CBC.AGP, CRP and ferritin showed significant higher levels in children with pneumonia than healthy controls. Also, their values were significantly higher in nonsuvivors than survivors.The present investigation provides a distinct evidence for the prominence of acute phase reactants (ferritin, CRP and AGP) in comparison with the clinical scores in predicting early high risk prognosis of pneumonia in children.

A Review of Anti-C Reactive Protein Antibodies in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the prototype autoimmune disease, is characterized by the production of a plethora of autoantibodies with various roles in the development of disease-related tissue damage. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant with a pentameric structure. Under acidic or alkaline conditions, or when urea levels are high and/or calcium levels are low, the pentamer (pCRP) dissociates irreversibly into monomeric CRP (mCRP) and exposes new epitopes (neo-CRP). Importantly, anti-mCRP (but not anti-pCRP) antibodies have been described in patients with SLE, their prevalence varying from 4% to 78% in different cohorts. Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between autoantibodies directed against CRP (anti-CRP) and disease activity as well as their association with lupus nephritis (LN), frequently reporting discrepant findings. The main objective of the present review is to describe the role of anti-mCRP antibodies in SLE according to the currently available data.

Hepatic and Extrahepatic Sources and Manifestations in Endoplasmic Reticulum Storage Diseases

Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) and fibrinogen are secretory acute phase reactant proteins. Circulating AAT and fibrinogen are synthesized exclusively in the liver. Mutations in the encoding genes result in conformational abnormalities of the two molecules that aggregate within the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) instead of being regularly exported. That results in AAT-deficiency (AATD) and in hereditary hypofibrinogenemia with hepatic storage (HHHS). The association of plasma deficiency and liver storage identifies a new group of pathologies: endoplasmic reticulum storage disease (ERSD).

is hypoalbuminemia a new biomarker in severe pneumonia associated with coronavirus disease 2019?

Objective: In the present study, the importance of albumin level in severe pneumonia due to covid 19 was investigated. Design: This was a retrospective study. Setting:Emergency Department of Ankara City Hospital, between 1 september 2020 and 1 february May 2021. Subjects: Effective triage and early detection are very important for the control and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. For this purpose the relation between hypoalbuminemia and other acute phase reactants was compared in severe pneumonia due to Covid-19. Main outcome measures: The data of 122 patients diagnosed with pneumonia due to Covid 19 and 60 healthy control group were retrospectively analyzed in statistical terms in computer medium. The cases were divided into 3 groups as Healthy Control Group, Intubated Group, and Non-Intubated Group. The lung tomography of patients diagnosed with Covid 19 pneumonia was examined one-by-one. The RT-PCR (Real-Time Polymerized Chance Reaction) test results were recorded from the system. The albumin, WBC (White Blood Cell), N/L (Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio), CRP (C-Reactive Protein) levels, who are acute phase reactant levels, of the patients were compared with the Control Group. Also, the two groups who were intubated and not intubated were also compared. Results: When all the data were examined, it was found that the albumin levels were lower at statistically significant levels in all 3 study groups (p<0.01). The other acute phase reactants, N/L ratio and CRP levels were significantly higher (p<0.05). Hypoalbuminemia was found to be significantly lower as a result of the comparisons of the two groups that were intubated and not intubated (p=0.02), and no differences were detected in terms of other parameters (p>0.05). Conclusion: Serum albumin levels may be lower in severe Covid 19 pneumonia. Hypoalbuminemia can be a biomarker indicating the severity of the disease as an acute phase reactant.

Protracted Febrile Myalgia Associated with Fever of Unknown Origin

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is considered in children as fever >38.3°C (101°F) at least once a day for 8 days and more without any apparent diagnosis. There are lots of underlying factors for fever of unknown origin and the three most common etiologic categories in children are infectious diseases, connective tissue diseases, and neoplasms. In this article, we have presented a 15-year-old girl admitted with normal physical, and biochemical examination findings except fever and an elevated acute phase reactant. She was diagnosed with protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS) when severe myalgia was added to her complaints although she denied previously experienced periodic fever, abdominal pain, arthralgia or chest pain. We presented our case to emphasize that protracted febrile myalgia syndrome, one of the atypical clinical manifestations of Familial Mediterranean fever, may be the presenting symptom of Familial Mediterranean fever as well as an underlying cause of fever of unknown origin.