BackgroundPruritus is a common symptom in end-stage renal failure. Many patients suffer from this severe distressing symptom. Although several factors have been postulated to explain uremic pruritus, there is not any conclusive evidence for one of these factors.ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate serum levels of brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), serum calcium, phosphors and parathyroid hormone in uremic patients with pruritus and without pruritus compared to control subjects.MethodsOne hundred twenty patients suffering from renal failure and 60 healthy subjects were included in the study. Serum BDNF and NT4 levels were determined by ELISA. The serum calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone and hemoglobin were also evaluated.ResultsSerum BDNF was significantly higher in uremic patients with pruritus (P=0.0026) and uremic patients without pruritus (P=0.0294) than control subjects. In addition, NT-4 levels were significantly elevated in uremic patients with pruritus (P<0.0001) and uremic patients without pruritus than control subjects (P=0.0016). There was no significant difference of serum level of BDNF between uremic patients with pruritus and uremic patients without pruritus (P=0.1215). However, serum NT-4 was higher in uremic patients with pruritus vs nonpruritic uremic patients with a significant difference (P=0.0026). There was a positive significant correlation between serum level of NT-4 and severity of pruritus (P=0.024).ConclusionThe present study shows that NT-4 level is increased in the serum of uremic patients with pruritus and there was a significant correlation between NT-4 and severity of pruritus suggesting that NT-4 may have a role in uremic pruritus.

Background Alopecia areata (AA) is considered an autoimmune disorder caused by altered T-cell-mediated immunity. MicroRNAs (miR) are important translational regulators of genes in various tissues and biological processes involved in autoimmune responses and have been identified in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and type I diabetes mellitus. However, little is known about their role in pathogenesis of AA. Objective To assess serum levels of miR-155 and miR-146a in patients with AA and to correlate them with different clinical variables. Patients and methods MiR-155 and miR-146a serum levels were identified by real-time PCR in 50 patients with AA and 50 healthy age-matched and sex-matched patients as controls. Disease severity in the patients was assessed by Severity of Alopecia Tool score. Results There was a statistically significant increase in serum miR-155 and miR-146a levels in patients with AA than in controls. A significant increase in serum levels of miR-155 was found in patients with active disease and recurrent lesions of AA, whereas significant increase in serum level of miR-146a was found in patients with recurrent disease only. Significant positive correlations were found between serum miR-155 and miR-146a levels and disease severity. Conclusion Serum levels of miR-155 and miR-146a seem to have an essential role in the etiopathogenesis of AA and could be markers for severity and early detection of recurrent AA. In addition, serum miR-155 could be a marker of activity in AA, whereas serum miR-146a could be a marker of multiplicity. Further understanding of the function and regulation of miR-155 and miR-146a could be of great value for the introduction of new therapeutic approaches for AA.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Noninvasive indicators for the diagnosis and follow-up of individuals with liver disorders may be found in circulating microRNAs. One such miRNA is miR-34a, which has been linked to the development of HCC. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a highly vascular tumor in which angiogenesis plays a critical role in its development. The best-known angiogenic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has been proven to have a pivotal role in the development of HCC. Objectives: To evaluate the expression profile of miRNA-34a and the serum levels of VEGF both in patients and control group and to find their association with disease progression in HCV patients and evaluate their significance as novel markers for HCV induced HCC. Subjects and Method: Including 32 CHC, 23 CHC with liver cirrhosis (LC), 20 CHC with HCC patients, and 15 healthy controls, a total of 90 people participated in the study. Real-time PCR was used to examine the miR-34a expression profile. ELISA was used to assess VEGF concentrations in serum. Results: Serum miR-34a down-regulation was observed in patients' groups compared to control group, with lower expression in HCV infection with HCC and HCV infection with LC groups than the HCV infected group. Also VEGF level increased significantly in groups HCV infection with LC and with HCC compared to the control group, in groups HCV infection with LC and with HCC groups compared to the HCV infected group and in group HCV infection with HCC compared to HCV infection with LC group. Conclusion: Expression profile of miRNA-34a and serum levels of VEGF can be used as novel markers for HCV inducing HCC with prediction of disease progression in CHC patients.

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