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The aim of this work was to explore the expression of miR-320a level in fibromyalgia patients in comparison to healthy controls, and to clarify its impact on the severity of symptoms and the cerebral processing of pain assessed by middle latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). Case-control study. Rheumatology and Neurology outpatient clinics. Seventy-four fibromyalgia patients and seventy-four normal healthy controls. The included patients were subjected to detailed history taking, assessment of severity of fibromyalgia symptoms using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Revised (FIQR), assessment of pain intensity using the Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI), measurement of the serum level of miR-320a in addition to of measurement peak latencies and amplitudes of middle latency SSEPs. Fibromyalgia patients had significantly higher micro-RNA-320a levels (0.907 ± 0.022) in comparison to controls (0.874 ± 0.015) (P-value < .001). The mean values of micro-RNA-320a levels were significantly higher in fibromyalgia patients with insomnia, chronic fatigue syndrome, persistent depressive disorder, and primary headache disorder than those without (P-value = .024, <.001, .006, .036 respectively). There were statistically significant positive correlations between micro-RNA-320a levels, and disease duration, FIQR, and NPSI total scores (P-value <0.001, 0.003, 0.002 respectively). There were no statistically significant correlations between micro-RNA-320a levels and middle latency SSEPs. Micro-RNA-320a level is significantly upregulated in fibromyalgia patient. It has a crucial impact on the severity of symptoms but not related to the cerebral processing of pain.

Objectives: Leptin and adiponectin are adipose-derived immune modulators (adipokines) that may contribute to SLE pathology and symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of serum adiponectin and leptin with clinical manifestations and disease activity in SLE patients. Methods: This is a case control study, where 70 SLE patients and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled from the Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department of Beni-Suef University Hospital from June 2020 till April 2022. The SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and Systemic Lupus International Collaborative clinics/America Collage of Rheumatology damage index were used to assess disease severity. Laboratory parameters including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and serum concentrations of antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-double stranded DNA, complement 3 and 4, lipids, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured and compared between SLE and control groups. Serum adiponectin and leptin were also measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Results: Compared to healthy controls, SLE patients exhibited significantly greater serum leptin (21.1 vs 3.9 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and adiponectin (18.1 vs 4.8 ng/mL, p < 0.001), and both values were positively correlated with SLEDAI scores (p = 0.048 and 0.042). Higher serum leptin was significantly associated with lupus nephritis (LN) (p = 0.048) as well as greater body mass index (p = 0.010), ESR (p = 0.002), serum CRP (p = 0.003), total cholesterol (p = 0.013), and uric acid (p = 0.002), while higher adiponectin was significantly associated with LN (p = 0.046). Conclusion: Serum leptin and adiponectin levels are associated with the clinical and pathological manifestations of SLE, suggesting direct involvement in disease progression and utility as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Objectives Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently experience dysphagia but limited studies analyzed it. This study aimed to assess swallowing in RA patients by Fiber optic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). Methods It was a cross-sectional study that included 30 patients diagnosed with RA and complaining of dysphagia. All patients were subjected to patient interviews and bedside swallowing screening and examined by FEES using different food consistencies: thin fluids, 5 mL and 10 mL, semisolids, and solids. The Mansoura Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing Residue Rating Scale (MFRRS) and the 8-point penetration-aspiration scales were used to interpret FEES findings and assess swallowing efficiency and swallowing safety. Results The most reported symptoms were foreign body sensation (90.0%), xerostomia (80.0%), chewing problems (76.7%), teeth problems (70.0%), and self-feeding difficulty (53.3%). Most of these patients reported changing eating habits like using fluids with solids (73.3%) and increasing their meal time (60%). All patients had negative bedside swallowing screening. FEES revealed that the anatomy and the physiology of swallowing were normal, the larynx was normal, and MFRRS revealed that most of the patients had no residue for different food consistencies. No penetration or aspiration was detected in the thirty patients. Conclusion Data obtained from the study not only provided compelling evidence regarding the high prevalence of current swallowing disorders among individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis but also confirmed the importance of direct assessment and the need of more concern regarding dysphagia related to RA.

Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a common childhood disease which causes significant impairment in quality of life. The aim of the study is to assess the health-related quality of life and its relation to functional disability in JIA patients. Child health assessment questionnaire (CHAQ) and pediatrics quality of life 4 generic core questionnaire (PedsQL) were used to evaluate functional disability and health-related quality of life. Results CHAQ (VAS) of JIA patients ranged from 0 to 9 with a mean of 3.64 ± 2.9 (SD), and of controls ranged from 0 to 4 with a mean of 1.32 ± 1.3 (SD) with a statistically significant difference and a p value of 0.001. CHAQ-disability index (DI) of the cases ranged from 0 to 3 with a mean of 1.06 ± 0.9 (SD) and of controls was consistent = 0. Pediatric quality of life (PedsQL) among cases ranged from 26.08 to 91.3 with a mean of 67.95 ± 19.2 (SD) and among controls ranged from 78.27 to 100 with a mean of 90.73 ± 7.7 (SD) showing statistically significant difference with a p value < 0.001. Childhood health assessment questionnaire (CHAQ) scores were significantly higher among studied females with JIA as compared with males. The mean CHAQ-DI scores were 4.56 ± 2.7 vs. 1.29 ± 2.6 in females and males respectively with a significant p value of 0.002. The mean CHAQ-(VAS) scores were 1.38 ± 0.8 vs. 0.23 ± 0.3 in females and males respectively with a significant p value of 0.016. Pediatric quality of life (PedsQL) scores were significantly higher among studied males with JIA as compared with studied females. The childhood health assessment questionnaire (CHAQ) was negatively correlated with all (physical, emotional, social, and school) items of the pediatric quality of life (PedsQL) ( p < 0.001). Conclusion We found a significant impairment in the functional ability and health-related quality of life in patients with JIA compared to healthy children, with more impairment in females than males. CHAQ was negatively correlated with all items of PedsQL.

The present case control study was conducted to assess the association of LTA 252 A>G, TNF-α 308 G>A, and TNF-α 1031 T>C gene polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and their involvement in disease activity and severity. A total of 70 Egyptians, including 35 RA patients and 35 healthy control individuals, were included in the study. The RA patients comprised 34 females and one male. Cases with RA were diagnosed by a rheumatologist and fulfilled the 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria. Modified disease activity score (DAS28) was used to assess disease activity. Van Der Heijde-modified Sharp score (vdHSS) was used to assess radiological changes for assessment of disease severity. PCR-RFLP was used to detect the association of LTA 252 A>G, TNF-α 308 G>A, and TNF-α 1031 T>C gene polymorphisms with RA. TNF-α 308 G allele and TNF-α 308 GG genotype were significantly higher in RA patients compared to healthy control subjects (p = 0.04 and p = 0.001, respectively). TNF-α 308 G allele and GG genotype were significantly higher in the RA non-remission group compared to the remission group (p = 0.008, p < 0.001). Patients with the TNF-α 308 AG genotype had higher mean of Sharp score compared to the patients with the GG and AA genotypes (p = 0.007). There was no significant association between LTA 252 A>G and TNF-α 1031 T>C gene polymorphisms and RA. Our results suggest that TNF-α 308 G/A gene polymorphism is genetically associated with RA and involved in disease activity and severity in Egyptian patients.

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease which is mainly attributed to autoantibodies, cytokines, and immune complex deposition. Studies have demonstrated that cytokines and autoantibodies were strongly associated with renal diseases and can be used for the prediction of patients with lupus nephritis (LN). However, antibodies to dsDNA and the reduction of complements were also detected in non-LN patients as well as clinically non-active SLE patients. The current study was performed to detect the role of serum DKK-1 as a biomarker for the identification of SLE patients and patients with LN and its relation to disease activity and severity. The study was conducted on fifty clinically diagnosed SLE patients who were diagnosed according to Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) classification criteria for SLE, in addition to thirty healthy control volunteers matched for age and sex. Assessment of SLE disease activity was done using Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). Assessment of SLE disease severity was done using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborative Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) damage index. Serum levels of DKK-1 were measured for all participants by ELISA using commercially available kits. Results DKK-1 serum levels were significantly higher among active lupus nephritis cases as compared with SLE cases with no LN and with healthy controls (9197.60 μg/uL ± 2939.2 μg/uL vs. 6405.15 μg/uL ± 2018.91 μg/uL vs. 2790.33 μg/uL ± 833.49 μg/uL) respectively ( p -values < 0.001). DKK-1 concentration was significantly higher among SLE patients with positive as compared with negative anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies ( p -value < 0.001). According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, serum DKK-1 level diagnosed the SLE at a statistically significant level with a 98% sensitivity and 70% specificity and serum DKK-1 level also diagnosed active lupus nephritis at a 90% sensitivity and 63% specificity. Conclusion DKK-1 could diagnose SLE and lupus nephritis with high sensitivity and specificity. Serum DKK-1 is a reliable biomarker for the identification of SLE and patients with LN and could be used as a key molecule for the diagnosis of SLE and as a prognostic indicator of LN.

Nature has been considered an interesting source of secondary bioactive compounds. Plants and their associated endophytes are common sources for these active constituents. Our study demonstrates the metabolomics profiling of the ethyl acetate extracts of three endophytic fungi associated with rosemary roots ( Cladosporium spp., Alternaria spp. and Talaromyces spp.) in addition to the in vitro evaluation of the antitrypanosomal potential. The results revealed the presence of 47 metabolites from different chemical classes such as terpenes, phenolics, alkaloids, polyketides, macrolides, and others. Furthermore, the extracts of Cladosporium , Alternaria and Talaromyces exhibited potential inhibitory effects against T. brucei with IC 50 values of 1.3, 3.2 and 3.5 µg/mL, respectively. Supporting the study, the identified compounds were docked against two proteins: Rhodesain in complex with a macrolactam inhibitor and ornithine decarboxylase in complex with a c-terminal fragment of antizyme. The docking simulations showed that most of the identified compounds have moderate to comparable docking score (S = − 3.82 to − 6.10 kcal/mol) within rhodesain active site. In addition, they showed weak to moderate docking scores (− 2.33 to − 5.9 kcal/mol) with a differential docking profile within ornithine decarboxylase active site. According to these findings, fungal endophytes associated with rosemary roots can be considered as a promising source of antitrypanosomal bioactive metabolites.

Background Adrenomedullin (AM) is a peptide which was suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis through its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effect. AM was found to be elevated in some inflammatory rheumatic diseases as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. The current study was performed to measure serum Adrenomodullin (AM) concentrations in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to assess association with severity of the disease. The study was performed on 50 patients with primary KOA diagnosed according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Revised Criteria for Early Diagnosis of Knee Osteoarthritis and 20 age- and sex-matched controls with no clinical features of KOA. The Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) classification was used to evaluate the disease severity of knee OA. Disease activity was assessed by The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC). Blood samples had been collected from patients with OA and controls for assessing Adrenomodullin in patients’ sera by ELISA. Results There were a significant increase in serum Adrenomedullin concentrations in KOA patients compared to controls (10.64 ±19.2 ng/ml vs. 1.39 ±1.6 ng/ml in cases and controls respectively) ( p value = 0.036). There was positive significant correlation of serum Adrenomedullin levels with KL grades ( r =0.608, p value <0.001). OA patients with VAS score >6 have significantly higher serum Adrenomedullin levels than OA patients with VAS Score <6. No detected significant correlation between any of (patients’ age, BMI, disease duration, tenderness score, and WOMAC score) with serum Adrenomedullin levels among studied OA cases ( p values >0.05). Conclusion This study concluded that serum Adrenomedullin (AM) level is elevated in patients with KOA and is positively correlated with the severity of disease.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant pathogen associated with healthcare-related infections that are often challenging to treat. Conditions such as, skin and soft tissue infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia highlight the critical need for effective therapeutic strategies. Careful use of antibiotics under medical supervision is essential to prevent the further emergence of MRSA. Recent studies have documented the antibacterial efficacy of certain endophytic fungi extracts against MRSA, suggesting their potential as a source of novel treatments. This study investigates the metabolomic profiling of the endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. SH1 using liquid chromatography-high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-HR-ESI-MS) and evaluates the anti-MRSA potential of the fungal extract. The metabolomic analysis identified 27 compounds ( 1–27 ) with diverse chemical natures, including polyketides, alkaloids, cyclic tripeptides, polypropionate derivatives, and sesquiterpenes. The fungal extract exhibited potent anti-MRSA activity, with an IC 50 value of 9.8 µg/mL, compared to ciprofloxacin (IC 50  = 25.7 µg/mL). To support these findings, in silico studies were performed to model the binding interactions of the identified compounds with key MRSA-related targets, including Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), von Willebrand factor (VWF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a). Compounds 2, 9, 15, 16, 20, 22, and 25 demonstrated enhanced binding affinities, suggesting their potential as lead molecules for developing new antibacterial agents targeting MRSA. In conclusion, this study highlights the promising anti-MRSA potential of Aspergillus sp. SH1 extract, providing a foundation for further exploration of its bioactive compounds in combating resistant bacterial infections.

Objective The aim of this work was to study the correlation between health-related quality of life and performance-related measures in Egyptian patients with primary knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients and methods One hundred patients with primary knee OA who were attending the outpatient clinic of the hospital were included in the study. All patients had bilateral medial tibiofemoral knee OA. Radiological severity of the disease was evaluated with the Kellgren–Lawrence scale. All patients completed Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS); that is a knee-related disorderspecific questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life. The Timed Up and Go test was used for the evaluation of performance-based functional status. Results Eighty-eight (88%) patients were female. The mean age was 57.30±6.37 (50–75) years, and the mean BMI was 36.83±5.37% kg/m2. The mean symptom duration was 8.76±4.71 years. The mean radiological stage was 2.88±0.82. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between all of the KOOS domains and Timed Up and Go (P≤0.01). Conclusion KOOS is not only a good indicator of physical performance in patients with knee OA but also provides information about the impact of knee-related disability on the quality of life and recreational activities.