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Background: The initial inflammatory reaction starts following occlusion in ischemic stroke (IS). Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine with a crucial role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders.Objective: To investigate the levels of IL-1β and vitamin D (VitD) in patients with IS compared with controls and their correlation.Methods: The serum level of 25-OH VitD and IL-1β was assessed in 102 IS patients (0-24 h after stroke) and 102 controls with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.Results: We found a significant increase in IL-1β (80.14±6.8 vs. 60.32±4.1 pg/ml, p

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterized by infiltration of inflammatory leukocytes to the CNS followed by oligodendrocyte cell death, myelin sheath destruction, and axonal injury. A logical incidence occurring after demyelination is remyelination. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) activate internal signal transduction cascades through binding to different ligands. This family of receptors are targeted by more than 40% of currently marketed drugs. GPCRs can be successfully targeted for induction of remyelination. GPCRs highly enriched in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells compared to oligodendrocytes are proposed to hamper oligodendrocyte differentiation and therefore their inhibition might induce remyelination. This study aimed to investigate the expression of GPCRs in silico and in vitro. Methods: We performed gene expression analysis using DAVID and Panther websites on a RNA-seq dataset (GSE52564 accession number). Primary embryonic neural stem/progenitor cell isolation and culture were performed and subsequently NSPCs were characterized by Immunocytochemistry with Anti-Nestin antibody. Expression of GPR37L1, EDNRB, PDGFRα, CNPase and GFAP were assessed using real-time PCR. All the experiments were conducted at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran, in the year 2018. Results: The 14 most highly expressed GPCRs in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) compared to Oligodendrocytes were presented in our study. Conclusion: The investigation of the most highly expressed GPCRs in OPCs compared to oligodendrocyte in silico and in vitro presents the significant role of GPCRs in remyelination induction. Among the 14 GPCRs mentioned in this study, GPR37L1 is a potential remyelinating drug target and is suggested for further studies.

Objective: In recent years, an overwhelming association between Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and autoimmune diseases has been largely reported. The current study was designed to determine a possible association between autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), celiac disease (CD) - associated autoantibodies, and Parvovirus B19 infection among pediatric T1DM cases in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia., Patients and Methods: Blood samples from age groups 1-18 years attending the Diabetic Clinic were collected over a period of 12 months. Serum anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO), anti-thyroglobulin (TG), anti-tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A (TG-IgA), endomysial IgA (EMA-IgA), Parvovirus B19-IgG and IgM antibodies were detected by standard methods., Results: The results showed the prevalence of autoantibodies against thyroid and CD among pediatric T1DM patients to be 44 (25%) and 25 (14.4%), respectively. The prevalence of antibodies against B19 was 70 (40%). Further determination of the prevalence of Parvovirus B19-IgG antibodies and thyroid antibodies among T1DM pediatric patients revealed that there was a significant association between them with a p<0.0491., Conclusions: The prevalence of autoantibodies against the thyroid was higher among the seropositive Parvovirus B19 children with T1DM. A positive association between the prevalence of autoantibodies against thyroid disease and the increase in the duration of diabetes was also noted. Hence, periodic screening of T1DM patients for B19 antibodies and autoantibodies for thyroid is crucial.