Background Impairment of social functioning skills is a key hallmark of autism. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is a blood-based biomarker of social functioning, and a candidate for individualized treatment of ASD. The effects of OXT on the social brain are mediated by the OXT receptor (OXTR). This study assessed the clinical utility of blood OXT serum levels and the OXT receptor (OXTR) genotype as biomarkers of autism and its severity in a pediatric population in Iraq. Methods Blood samples were collected from patients with a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 60) and corresponding age and gender matched healthy controls (n = 60). All clinical samples were processed at the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kufa in Iraq. Blood serum was assayed for OXT by sandwich ELISA. Receiver operator analysis (ROC) determined area under the curve (AUC), cutoff values, and sensitivity and specificity of OXT values for accuracy of diagnosis of ASD. Isolated genomic DNA was genotyped for the OXTR gene rs2268491(C/T) SNP using allele-specific PCR. The significance of genotype (CC, CT, and TT) and allele (C and T) distributions in different patient groups was assessed using odd ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and the Chi-square test. All statistical analysis was performed used SPSS software. Results Study characteristics in the ASD population revealed a high level of consanguinity (36.66%), and ASD recurrence rate (11.66%) and family history (28.33%). OXT levels in patients with ASD (157.58±28.81 pg/ml) were significantly higher (p = 0.003) compared to controls (75.03±6.38 pg/ml). Within stratified ASD severity groups—OXT levels were significantly different (P = 0.032). ROC analysis determined similar AUC values for overall ASD (0.807), and stratified mild (0.793), moderate (0.889), and severe categories (0.795). The best cutoff for diagnosis of ASD was 83.8 pg/ml OXT with a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 72.1% respectively. OXTR gene rs2268491(C/T) genotyping found that ASD patients have significantly lower (p = 0.021) genotype CC frequency and a significantly higher (p = 0.04) occurrence of the heterozygous CT genotype relative to controls. ASD subjects produced highest OXT levels with the TT genotype. T allele distribution was higher in ASD males. ASD males had significantly lower distribution of the CC genotype (48.89%) compared to females (80%) (Chi-square test: χ2 = 4.43, df = 1, p = 0.035). Whereas distribution of the CT genotype was significantly higher in autistic males (44.45%) compared to females (13.33%) (Chi-square test: χ2 = 4.68, df = 1, p = 0.03). Conclusion Peripheral OXT levels and OXTR genetic alterations are potential biomarkers of social functioning in the ASD patient setting. The stratification of patients with ASD into severity categories shows significant differences both in OXT levels and OXTR (rs2268491, C/T) genotype and allele distributions, that can be sex dependent. OXT based therapies will require personalized medicine tactics to correctly identify patients with ASD who require neuropeptide boosting in social settings.

Objective The study was assumed to determine the histopathological spectrum of lymphadenopathic specimens and showed the age and gender variation of these lesion. Methods It was a descriptive retrospective study wherein 130 cases of lymph node biopsy reports of specimens from patients 3 months to 81 years at Al Hussein Medical City between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016 were studied. Results A total of 130 lymph node biopsies were received of which female 58.46% (76 cases) and male 41.53% (54 cases), a male to female ratio of 1:1.4 and the P value 0.011 with significance difference. The age range was from 3 months to 81 years. Most cases were seen in the age group of 21-30 years (25 cases 19.23%). The non-neoplastic lesions were more common comprising 66.9% (87 cases) included 46.9% (61 cases) of chronic nonspecific lymphadenitis, tuberculosis lymphadenitis 18.46% (24 cases) and other lesions 1.5%, while the neoplastic lesions 33.07% (43 cases) included non-Hodgkin lymphoma 13.07% (17 cases), Hodgkin lymphoma 12.30% (16 cases) and secondary metastasis 7.69% (10 cases). The more common site was cervical 93.07% (121 cases), axillary 4.6% (6 cases), inguanal 1.5% (2 cases) and mesenteric 0.7% (1 case). Conclusions The most common pathological pattern seen was chronic nonspecific lymphadenopathy (46.6%) followed by tuberculosis lymphadenitis 18.46%, non-Hodgkin lymphoma 13.07%, Hodgkin lymphoma 12.30%, and secondary metastasis 7.69% and others 1.5%. It is more common in female than male, and the more common site is cervical lymphadenopathy 93.07%. The earlier diagnosis and management of tuberculosis and earlier diagnosis of malignancies before the onset of nodal metastases may explain the result.

Psoriasis is a multisystemic chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disorder presenting with multiple clinical manifestations and comorbidities. Studies suggested a significant association between the incidence of malignancy including Hodgkin’s lymphoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and malignancy-related deaths in patients with psoriasis owing to the disease itself, the chronic inflammation, and the immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory effect of drugs. This case report is discussing the condition of an 18-year-old female, who has developed Hodgkin’s lymphoma after receiving immunosuppressive therapy in the context of psoriasis vulgaris flare-up.