Association of IL-13 rs20541 and rs1295686 variants with symptomatic asthma in a Saudi Arabian population.

OBJECTIVE: Interleukin 13 (IL-13) plays a critical pro-inflammatory role in asthma. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with asthma susceptibility in specific populations; however, further replicative studies in other ethnic groups are mandatory. METHODS: The association between IL-13 SNPs rs762534, rs20541, rs1295686, and rs1800925 (risk alleles A, A, T, and A, respectively) and asthma predisposition in a Saudi Arabian cohort was examined via a case-control cross-sectional study. RESULTS: The frequencies of alleles between asthmatics and control populations were significantly different for rs20541 and rs1295686 SNPs (p < 0.001), whereas the frequencies of genotypes between asthmatics and controls were significantly different only for rs20541. The association of the risk (minor) alleles with asthma was examined using the dominant genetic model. Individuals with at least one copy of the risk alleles A (for rs20541) and T (for rs1295686) had significantly greater odds of being asthmatic (OR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.39-3.26, p < 0.0001; OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.12-2.54, p = 0.008) relative to their most common homozygous genotypes. On the other hand, the minor A alleles for rs762534 and rs1800925 were not significantly associated with asthma risk. Regarding haplotype association analysis, individuals with at least one copy of the minor "risk" allele for both rs20541 and rs1295686 (CATG and CATA, respectively) had greater odds of being asthmatic relative to CGCG haplotype; however, this trend was not statistically significant (p > 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: IL-13 minor T and A alleles for rs1295686 and rs20541, respectively, were associated with significantly higher risk of asthma in the Saudi Arabian population.

Residual Cough and Asthma-like Symptoms Post-COVID-19 in Children.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide and is characterized by different presentations ranging from asymptomatic to severe pneumonia. COVID-19 affects all age groups, including pediatric patients. We observed numerous children complaining of a cough post-COVID-19, even if it was trivial. The most reported persistent symptoms after recovery from COVID-19 were insomnia, coughing, fatigue, dyspnea, loss of taste and/or smell, and headache. To date, residual cough post-COVID-19 has been reported in pediatrics and adolescents. METHOD: we conducted a retrospective study, with a self-administered questionnaire by the patient or caregiver, 12 months post-COVID-19-infection. RESULT: A total of 94.8% of patients were Saudi citizens and were mainly from the southern region of Saudi Arabia (50.0%). Mothers (64.4%) submitted most of the results. The ages were as follows: 6-14 years (51.0%), 3-5 years (32.3%), and younger than 2 years of age (only 16.7%). Females accounted for 41.7% of those studied. Nearly half of the patients (48.5%) had had a previous COVID-19 infection in 2022, with only 2.1% infected in 2019. Only 27/194 (13.9%) patients required hospital admission, and 7 of them (4.2%) required intensive care treatment. A total of 179 (92.2%) patients still reported persistent symptoms 4 weeks post-COVID-19-infection. A cough was reported in 69.8% of patients, followed by cough and wheezing in 12.3%. The cough was described as dry in 78.0% and nocturnal in 54.1%, while 42.5% did not notice any diurnal variation. For those reporting residual cough, 39.3% found that it affected school attendance and daily activities, 31.1% reported associated chest pain, 51.9% associated it with wheezing, and 27.1% associated it with shortness of breath. For 54.4%, the residual cough lasted less than one month, while 31.4% reported a 1-2 month duration. Only 1.0% had a duration of cough of more than 3 months. For cough relief, 28.2% used bronchodilators, 19.9% used cough syrup, 16.6% used a combination of bronchodilators and steroid inhalers, and 1.7% used antibiotics. Surprisingly, 33% attempted herbal remedies for cough relief. Sesame oil was used the most (40.0%), followed by a mixture of olive oil and sesame oil (25.0%), and 21.7% used male frankincense. The majority (78.4%) sought medical advice for their post-infection cough, either from general pediatricians (39.5%) or via specialist pediatric pulmonology consultations (30.9%). A total of 11.0% with a residual cough reported having pets at home, while 27.2% reported secondhand smoke exposure in the household. Before infection with COVID-19, only 32.6% were diagnosed with asthma, while 68.2% reported a diagnosis of atopic skin. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of residual cough post-COVID-19, extended for a minimum of two months, and the characteristics of the cough were very similar to those of asthmatic patients. There was still a high prevalence of using cough syrup and herbal remedies, especially olive oil, sesame oil, and male frankincense. A residual cough adversely affected school attendance in daily activities, and there was a high prevalence of other siblings in the family being affected. The study showed that a minority of patients were seen by the pulmonologist; luckily, long COVID was rare in our study, and so further studies are highly needed to confirm the association with asthma. More educational programs are highly needed regarding herbal remedies and cough syrup.

Validating candidate biomarkers for different stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic condition caused by the accumulation of fat in the liver. NAFLD may range from simple steatosis to advanced cirrhosis, and affects more than 1 billion people around the world. To date, there has been no effective treatment for NAFLD. In this study, we evaluated the expression of 4 candidate NAFLD biomarkers to assess their possible applicability in the classification and treatment of the disease.Twenty-six obese subjects, who underwent bariatric surgery, were recruited and their liver biopsies obtained. Expression of 4 candidate biomarker genes, PNPLA3, COL1A1, PPP1R3B, and KLF6 were evaluated at gene and protein levels by RT-qPCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.A significant increase in the levels of COL1A1 protein (P = .03) and PNPLA3 protein (P = .03) were observed in patients with fibrosis-stage NAFLD compared to that in patients with steatosis-stage NAFLD. However, no significant differences were found in abundance of PPP1R3B and KLF6 proteins or at the gene level for any of the candidate.This is the first study, to our knowledge, to report on the expression levels of candidate biomarker genes for NAFLD in the Saudi population. Although PNPLA3 and PPP1R3B had been previously suggested as biomarkers for steatosis and KLF6 as a possible marker for the fibrosis stage of NAFLD, our results did not support these findings. However, other studies that had linked PNPLA3 to fibrosis in advanced NAFLD supported our current finding of high PNPLA3 protein in patients with fibrosis. Additionally, our results support COL1A1 protein as a potential biomarker for the fibrosis stage of NAFLD, and indicate its use in the screening of patients with NAFLD. Further studies are required to validate the use of COL1A1 as a biomarker for advanced NAFLD in a larger cohort.

The implication of tissue Doppler echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise in early detection of cardiac dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can present limitations to exercise capacity and quality of life (QoL) because of various clinical conditions, such as pulmonary disease or heart disease. Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) offers the promise of an objective measurement to quantify regional and global ventricular function through the assessment of myocardial velocity data. This study aimed to assess the intensity of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction in SLE patients by means of TDE and cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) testing to determine their impact on QoL. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Overall, 56 SLE patients within two tertiary healthcare centers as well as 50 healthy controls were examined with TDE after the exclusion of cardiovascular risk factors. TDE was performed for maximal systolic (S), early diastolic (E'), and late diastolic (A') velocities of the mitral and tricuspid annulus. Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler of mitral and tricuspid valve inflow was performed in addition to the estimation of the left ventricle ejection fraction and assessment of right ventricle systolic function by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE). Disease activity was assessed by the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM), and the damage index was assessed by the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Damage Index (SDI). CPX tests according to the modified Bruce protocol were performed. RESULTS: SLE patients in both subgroups had more or less similar laboratory data and statistically higher values of ESR, CRP, and anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies compared to the control group. LV function showed statistically insignificant EF compared to the control group, being lower in the patient group. Tissue Doppler image revealed that E' and A' of the mitral annulus were lower in the patient group than in the control group. Concerning RV, TAPSE in the patient group was statistically lower than in the control group, and there was a statistical difference between SLE groups Ia and Ib; also, S wave was lower in group Ib than in group Ia. RV diastolic dysfunction in the form of lower E' and A' values was observed for the SLE group compared to the control group, especially in the medial annulus of the tricuspid valve. A higher A wave velocity with PWD of mitral and tricuspid inflows was observed in the patient group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: SLE patients have an increased prevalence of subclinical systolic and diastolic LV and RV dysfunction. This result advocates for regular follow-up and early screening of SLE patients. Accordingly, treatment focused on improving diastolic heart function may have a role in enhancing QoL and improving the prognosis of SLE patients.