RESUMEN
Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a rare, yet serious autoimmune disorder primarily affecting the skin and mucous membranes. While the dermatological and mucosal aspects of PV are well-documented, the potential for systemic involvement, particularly cardiac complications, remains under-explored. This study aimed to investigate the serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level in patients with PV versus healthy controls. The relationship between serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels and various demograpgics, clinical and laboratory characteristics in patients with PV was also dealt with. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 59 patients with pemphigus vulgaris and 59 age- and sex- matched healthy controls, visited at a tertiary care hospital from August 2021 to May 2023. After thorough history taking and physical examination, troponin level was measured by the ECL (Electrochemiluminescence) method. The correlation between serum cTnI level and various variables was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The mean serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level in patient group was 0.104 ± 0.05 ng/mL, with a range of 0.01 to 0.25 ng/mL. Despite mean cTnI level in patients was greater than controls, this difference was not reach to the significance level (P value: 0.058). The analysis revealed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.52, p = 0.005310), suggesting that higher PDAI scores were associated with elevated cTnI level. The correlation between serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level and PDAI score, even without any clinical sign or risk factor for cardiovascular disease suggests a potential link between the severity of PV and subtle cardiac involvement, highlighting the importance of cardiac monitoring in these patients.
Asunto(s)
Pénfigo , Troponina I , Humanos , Troponina I/sangre , Masculino , Femenino , Pénfigo/sangre , Pénfigo/diagnóstico , Estudios Transversales , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Biomarcadores/sangre , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , AncianoRESUMEN
Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is a common opportunistic, mucosal fungal infection, predominantly caused by the fungus Candida albicans. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is an acute-phase protein that plays a key role in the innate immunity defence against infectious disease. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the MBL serum level and the relative expression of MBL mRNA in RVVC using real-time PCR for the first time. The case-control study included 40 female participants suffering from RVVC and 40 healthy individuals. The MBL serum level was measured using a commercial ELISA kit. The relative mRNA expression of the MBL gene was quantified using real-time PCR. Data analysis was carried out by spss software. The MBL concentration was significantly higher in the participants suffering from RVVC compared to the control group (0.330 ng/mL vs 0.253 ng/mL). The prognostic value (P < .001) for RVVC diagnosis has been calculated. Quantitative RT-PCR results from 35 samples showed a low to significant values for mRNA levels corresponding to MBL gene expression (1-352 folds) (P < .001). The results of this study suggest that MBL plays a main role in the innate immunity and it is also affected by environmental factors and other genetic variations. Therefore, the MBL gene expression profile does not reflect precise phenotypic levels in the serum.
Asunto(s)
Candidiasis Vulvovaginal/diagnóstico , Lectina de Unión a Manosa/sangre , Suero/química , Adulto , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , ARN Mensajero/análisis , ARN Mensajero/genética , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , RecurrenciaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: "Persian Weaning Tool" (PWT) is the only specific, national protocol designed to assess patients' readiness for weaning from mechanical ventilation in Iran. This study was developed to determine the validity and reliability of this protocol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a psychometric study conducted on 31 patients connected to mechanical ventilation were ready from weaning according to anesthesiologist's diagnosis and was selected through convenient sampling. The patients selected from Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan. The sheet data collection includes demographic data, PWT; Burn's Wean Assessment Program (BWAP), and Morganroth's scale. To determine the inter-rater reliability between researcher and his partner, Pearson correlation and paired t-test were used. To assess the criterion validity of the PWT in relation to Burn's and Morganroth's weaning scales (as criteria), Pearson correlation and McNemar tests were used. To specify a minimum acceptable score of the PWT for weaning from mechanical ventilation, receiver operating characteristic curve was used. RESULTS: The results showed that there was statistically significant correlation between score of PWT and BWAP (r = 0.370 with P < 0.05) and there were no statistically significant differences between these tools in terms of identification of patients' readiness for weaning (P = 0.453). There was statistically significant correlation between PWT score obtained by researcher and his colleague (r = 0.928), and the reliability of this tool was approved. The PWTs cut of point was calculated as 57 (sensitivity = 0.679, specificity = 1). CONCLUSIONS: The reliability and validity of the PWT were confirmed for this study's sample size. Consequently, the findings of this study can be used to measure the PWTs effectiveness and applicability in ICUs.