Tag Archives: magnesium

Osteopontin as a biomarker for diagnosing the severity of osteoarthritis

M. A. Taha, Z. M. A. A. Hamodat*

Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Mosul, Iraq;
*e-mail: zahraahamodat@uomosul.edu.iq

Received: 25 April 2024; Revised: 30 August 2024;
Accepted: 07 October 2024; Available on-line: 28 October 2024

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis. It is characterized by the loss of cartilage and pain ultimately leading to difficulty in movement. Glycoprotein osteopontin (OPN) is an essential regulator that plays a critical role in developing osteoarthritis. The study aims to determine the level of OPN in the serum of patients with OA and its correlation with the content of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg). The study was conducted on 92 male and female patients aged between 30 and 65, categorized into mild, moderate, and severe groups through clinical examination and X-rays. The control group consist of 58 healthy males and females 30-65-year old. OPN was measured using the ELISA technique, and minerals were estimated using spectrophotometry. It was shown that in OA patients, OPN level increased highly significant when compared with the control group (10.7 ± 3.4 ng/ml) and depended on OA severity. In patients with severe OA, it was higher (47.5 ± 8.1 ng/ml) than in groups with moderate (14.8 ± 4.5 ng/ml) and mild (12.1 ± 3.1 ng/ml) extent of the disease. We showed a significant positive relationship between OPN and phosphorus levels and a negative significant correlation between OPN and calcium, calcium/phosphorus ratio, and magnesium. These findings underscore the potential of OPN as a valuable biomarker for diagnosing the severity of osteoarthritis and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment.

Serum levels of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in COVID-19 patients

S. Z. Hussein1, M. A. Abdalla2*

1Clinical Biochemistry Unit, Salah Aldeen Health Directorate, Tikrit, Iraq;
2Department of Human Anatomy, Tikrit University College of Medicine, Tikrit, Iraq;
*e-mail: dr.mohammad68@tu.edu.iq

Received: 04 April 2021; Accepted: 12 November 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic occurred and quickly spread throughout the world. To improve the state of COVID-19 patients, it is important to identify the possible clinical differential diagnostic markers and their correlation with the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, the serum level of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in the serum of COVID-19 patients were analyzed. Blood samples were collected from 60 patients who attended Isolated Hospital in Tikrit City/Iraq from September to December 2020 and diagnosed by RT-PCR as COVID-19 positive and from 30 healthy individuals. It was shown that COVID-19 patients revealed high serum levels of α-MSH as compared with healthy individuals but low serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium which may be recommended as supplements for those patients to increase the innate immune response.