BackgroundAnemia is a health problem among infants and children. It is often associated with a decrease in some trace elements (iron, zinc, copper) and an increase in heavy metals as lead. This study was done to determine the association of blood lead level > 10 μg/dl, with the increased risk to anemia, also, to investigate the relationship between anemia and changes in blood iron, zinc and copper levels, and measure lead level in drinking water.The study is a cross-sectional performed on 60 children. Venous blood samples were taken from the studied population for estimating hematological parameters as well as iron and ferritin levels. The concentrations of zinc, copper, and lead were measured. The studied population was divided into anemic and non-anemic (control) groups. The anemic group was further classified into mild, moderate and severe anemia. The study subjects were also categorized into low and high blood lead level groups.FindingsApproximately 63.33% of children had blood lead levels ≥ 10 μg/dl. At the blood lead level range of 10-20 μg/dl, a significant association was found for mild and severe anemia. The blood level of iron and ferritin was found to be significantly lower in high blood lead level and anemic groups than those of the low blood lead level and control groups. Lead level in drinking water was higher than the permissible limit.ConclusionLead level ≥ 10 μg/dl was significantly associated with anemia, decreased iron absorption and hematological parameters affection. High blood lead levels were associated with low serum iron and ferritin. Lead level in drinking water was found to be higher than the permissible limits.

The function of the Laccase domain-containing 1 (LACC1) gene is unknown, but genetic variation at this locus has been reported to consistently affect the risk of Crohn's disease (CD) and leprosy. Recently, a LACC1 missense mutation was found in patients suffering from monogenic forms of CD, but also systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. We tested the hypothesis that LACC1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in addition to CD, are associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA, non-systemic), and another major form of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis (UC). We selected 11 LACC1 tagging SNPs, and tested their effect on disease risk in 3855 Swedish individuals from three case-control cohorts of CD, UC and JIA. We detected false discovery rate corrected significant associations with individual markers in all three cohorts, thereby expanding previous results for CD also to UC and JIA. LACC1's link to several inflammatory diseases suggests a key role in the human immune system and justifies further characterization of its function(s).

ObjectiveJoint destruction is a hallmark of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Clinical evaluation and radiographic imaging are current methods to identify destruction. Biomarkers could aid an earlier and more sensitive diagnosis. Our aim was to investigate levels of bone and cartilage degradation biomarkers in JIA patients, compared to healthy children or juveniles with knee injuries. Methods Triple-paired synovial fluid, plasma and urine samples from 29 JIA patients were compared to 61 plasma samples from healthy children and synovial fluid from 41 knee-injured juveniles. Cartilage biomarkers ARGS neoepitope of aggrecan (ARGS), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), type II collagen epitope (C2C), bone biomarkers N-terminal type Icollagen cross-linked telopeptide (NTX-I) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP5b) were analysed by immunoassays. Results Plasma levels of ARGS, C2C, COMP and TRAP5bwere increased in JIA compared to healthy children. Compared to knee-injured juveniles, synovial fluid C2C and TRAP5b were increased in JIA, while ARGS and COMP were decreased. For JIA patients, local (synovial fluid) and systemic (plasma/urine) levels of bone biomarkers correlated positively; age correlated negatively to plasma levels of C2C and TRAP5b; no correlation was found between biomarkers and gender, affected joint count, disease duration or medication. Conclusion Elevated levels of destruction biomarkers in JIA compared to healthy children indicate a potential to serve as clinicaltools for destructive joint disease. High levels of TRAP5b, NTX-I and collagen II in JIA in contrast to more pronounced aggrecan and COMP degradation in juvenile knee injuries, suggests that JIA patients have a unique biomarker pattern, different from healthy and knee-injured children.