serum levels of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 2 in patients with systemic sclerosis with duration more than 2 years correlation with cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities血清水平的系统性硬化患者的金属蛋白酶2组织抑制剂与持续时间2年以上相关心脏和肺异常.pdf

Hindawi Publishing Corporation Mediators of Inflammation Volume 2006, Article ID 38458, Pages 1–6 DOI 10.1155/MI/2006/38458 Research Communication Serum Levels of Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinase 2 in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis With Duration More Than 2 Years: Correlation With Cardiac and Pulmonary Abnormalities Amira Shahin,1 Amani Elsawaf,1 Shahira Ramadan,2 Olfat Shaker,3 Mona Amin,4 and Mohamed Taha5 1 Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt 2 Dermatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt 3 Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt 4 Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt 5 Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Received 21 July 2006; Revised 15 October 2006; Accepted 15 October 2006 In this study, we measured the serum concentration of TIMP-2 in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and explored its possible correlation with cardiac and pulmonary lesions. We studied 42 patients with SSc, with duration equal to or more than 2 years. CT chest, ECG, echocardiography, and serum TIMP-2 concentration measurement using ELISA technique were performed in all patients and in 25 normal controls. The mean serum levels of TIMP-2 in patients was higher than in controls (P = .005). The mean CT score of dSSc patients with elevated TIMP-2 levels was significantly higher than dSSc patients with normal levels (P = .013). Four patients out of five with elevated TIMP-2 levels showed diastolic dysfunction (80%), compared to 2 out of 15 lSSc patients with normal levels (13.3%), with P = .014. Our research, though involving a small group of patients, points to the probable role o