Saudi Med J
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To evaluate the relationship between the expression level and biologic role of YKL-40 in bipolar disorder (BD). ⋯ This case-control study was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale, Turkey in 2015. One hundred and four patients diagnosed as having bipolar disorder (DSM5 criteria), and 96 participants were included as healthy controls in this study. A human YKL-40 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to measure the serum YKL-40 levels. As independent variables, we collected data on C-reactive protein (CRP), demographic variables, and medications. Results: The mean YLK-40 levels for the BD was 2723.5±543.8 pg/ml and control groups was 2132.5±576.3 pg/ml (t=7.42, p less than 0.001). The mean CRP levels for the BD was 0.4±0.6 mg/dl and control groups was 0.4±0.7 mg/dl (t=0.02, p=0.985). The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of YKL-40 in the diagnosis of BD as 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.72-0.85) with a sensitivity of 82.7% and specificity of 68.1% at a cutoff level of 2307.1 pg/ml. The use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood modifiers, and the presence of any comorbidity was not related to the YKL-40 levels (p greater than 0.05). Conclusion: With acceptable sensitivity and specificity levels, the YKL-40 can be utilized as a marker in the diagnosis and follow-up of BD.
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[No Abstract Available].
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To study auditory temporal resolution skills using adaptive auditory tasks designed with a computer-based experimental program, and to provide normative valuesfor gap detection thresholds (GDTs) of young listeners in 3 listening conditions. Methods: The GDTs were established under 3 stimulus conditions: 1) broadband noise (BBN), 2) narrowband noise within-channel (NBN WC) using similar leading and trailing markers centered at 1.0 KHz, and 3) narrowband noise across-channel (NBN AC) with the leading marker centered at 2.0 KHz and the trailing marker centered at 1.0 KHz. In within-subjects design, the GDTs were obtained from 27 normal hearing young Saudi adults at Speech and Hearing Laboratories, Department of Rehabilitation Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between April 2017 and April 2018. Results: The mean GDTs for the BBN condition was 3.19 millisecsond (msec), NBN WC was 14.53 msec, and NBN AC was 29.71 msec. ⋯ Also, no correlations among the GDTs of the 3 stimulus conditions were found. Conclusion: The present study showed that experimental program is a reliable tool with clinical potential to estimate GDTs across different conditions. Also, the findings of no correlations in the GDTs across stimulus conditions suggest that different processes were involved in the perception of the temporal gap for different stimulus conditions.
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To figure out the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases in Iraq on the health system through measuring the incidence and trend of these diseases. Methods: This descriptive study that was conducted between January 2016 and 2017, involved treatment data of chronic non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, stroke, asthma and epilepsy). The data was collected from the registry of the Department of Health and Vital Statistics in the Ministry of Health, Babylon, Iraq, between 2000 and 2016. Results: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus had significantly increased from 19.58/1000 in the year 2000 to 42.27 in 2015 (p=0.0002). ⋯ The prevalence of cerebrovascular accidents showed a significant increase especially after 2008 (p=0.007), while ischemic heart diseases increased from 6.3/1000 in the year 2000 to 8.2/1000 in 2014 with no significant change. Conclusion: Non-communicable diseases in Iraq continue to show as a new developing burden after the 2003 war. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus demonstrate rapidly rising trends which may, in turn, enhance the occurrence of ischemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular accidents.
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To investigate the serum levels of nesfatin-1 and galanin in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS), and also to show their association with the parameters of the disease. Methods: We performed a case-control study with 84 participants (44 patients with MetS diagnosed according to the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and International Diabetes Federation criteria and 40 control group) were recruited from King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between October 2014 and June 2015. Anthropometric parameters, biochemical markers as well as nesfatin-1 and galanin were measured. Results: Nesfatin-1 levels were found to be significantly lower and galanin levels significantly higher in MetS group compared to the control group. A significant negative correlation between serum nesfatin-1 and weight, waist circumference, and body mass index were observed. A significant positive correlation between serum galanin and with fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance, and triglycerides. Conclusion: Our findings indicated a lower level of nesfatin-1 and a higher level of galanin in patients with MetS, suggesting a role of these neuropeptides in the pathogenesis of this disease.