{"id":31339,"date":"2020-03-28T10:06:14","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T10:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/?p=31339"},"modified":"2020-04-22T12:44:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T12:44:00","slug":"estimation-of-fasting-serum-levels-of-glucose-zinc-copper-zinc-copper-ratio-and-their-relation-to-the-measured-lipid-profile-in-autistic-patients-and-non-autistic-controls-in-jordan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/vol13no1\/estimation-of-fasting-serum-levels-of-glucose-zinc-copper-zinc-copper-ratio-and-their-relation-to-the-measured-lipid-profile-in-autistic-patients-and-non-autistic-controls-in-jordan\/","title":{"rendered":"Estimation of Fasting Serum Levels of Glucose, Zinc, Copper, Zinc \/Copper Ratio and Their Relation to the Measured Lipid Profile in Autistic Patients and Non-Autistic Controls in Jordan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of systemic disorders (neuro-developmental disorder) with multiple etiology, including both genetic and environmental \/ lifestyle factors\u00a0 [1-3].<\/p>\n<p>According to the diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorder (DSM-5) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problem (ICD-10) ,autistic disorder is characterized by impairment in each of the three core areas of social interaction, communication (verbal and non-verbal) and restricted repetitive behaviors, stereotyped behavior, interests and activities [4,5].<\/p>\n<p>The number of diagnosed cases of autism has increased substantially in the last decades where the estimated prevalence of autistic disorder is 21\/10,000 [6] ( Garfinkle, 2013),\u00a0 but 1\/160 (WHO,2017). While, 1-2 % of population are affected by autism in developed countries [5].<\/p>\n<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America found that the autism rate among American children is 1 in 50, knowing that boys outnumber girls with autism by a ratio of 4 or 5 to 1 [7].<\/p>\n<p>There is no known cause for autism, but it is generally accepted that is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. The famous causes mentioned in the literature are; genetics [8,9], age of parents [10] , imbalance in neural systems [11] ,\u00a0 food Causes [12].<\/p>\n<p>Also<strong>, <\/strong>there are many other causes linked with autism for example neuroinflammation and immune dys-regulation [13] and metal metabolism disorders [14,15]\n<p>In this context, Kim et al. hypothesize that autism is associated with alterations in the plasma lipid profile and that some lipid fractions in autistic boys may be significantly different than those of healthy boys [16].<\/p>\n<p>The results of Matsuzaki revealed that\u00a0the serum levels of total cholesterol and triacylglycerol in the male infant subjects with high-functioning autism were significantly lower than those of normal male matched controls [17]. The same results were reached by Herguner\u00a0&amp; Herguner [18], Ansary and Al-Ayadh[19] .<\/p>\n<p>However, the mechanisms underlying elemental dysregulation and ASD risk are not well understood in spite of thorough researches. There are some contradictory findings regarding the relationship between serum trace elements like Zn and Cu with lipids and lipoproteins.\u00a0 So, the role of these elements needs further elucidation.. It is not known whether this elemental dysregulation is present in fetal and early postnatal life before first clinical symptoms manifest [5].<\/p>\n<p>Faber , Bjorklund and El-Baz\u00a0 showed that Zinc deficiency, excess Cu levels, but low Zn\/Cu ratio are common in children diagnosed with an ASD as compared with their matched controls\u00a0 [20-22].<\/p>\n<p>This study aims\u00a0 to highlight the potential importance of the concentration levels of zinc and copper, and it\u2019s correlation to the lipid profile parameters [total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglyceride (TG)]\u00a0 in addition to \u00a0fasting blood sugar\u00a0 (FBS) in serum of fasted autistic patients with their matched non-autistic controls by age, sex and body mass index (BMI)\u00a0 that might help in understanding in biochemical changes that may lead to autism also to open a way for medical management and treatment of autism. \u00a0No previous studies investigated this possible relation at the time of starting this study in Jordan and other areas of\u00a0 middle east and north Africa (MENA) in 2013.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Methodology<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Patients and Controls<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thirty five (31 male and 4 female) patients\u00a0 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) matched by age, sex and BMI with thirty five non-autistic controls (31 male and 4 female) participated in this study with age ranged from 4-12 years.<\/p>\n<p>No significant differences in age, sex and BMI between patients and controls.<\/p>\n<p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) individuals were referred by specialized clinician\u2019s in <em>Autism Academy of Jordan (AAJ)<\/em>. Diagnoses was confirmed for all ASD patients according to Diagnostic &amp; Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5) &amp; the International Classification of Disorders, tenth edition (ICD-10; WHO, 1994) as criteria, and clinical symptoms of autism; were assessed with the autism diagnostic interview-revised in 35 subjects with available parental informants<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study was proved by the Institutional review board (IRB) as\u00a0 the &#8220;Ethical Committee of Autism Academy of Jordan (AAJ)\u201d and\u00a0 \u201cThe Ethical committee\u201d of\u00a0 Al-Ahliyya Amman University at Nov-2013.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Study Design<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Blood samples were taken from twelve hours fasted (ASD) patients and their matched controls who stayed in rest position for about 15 minutes before taking the samples.\u00a0\u00a0 The blood samples were kept for 15 minutes in 4 C<sup>o<\/sup> in plane tube then centrifuged to get the serum to measure the levels of glucose, Zn, Cu, and lipid profiles (TC , LDL, HDL,TG &amp; VLDL) . Serum aliquots were transferred into cryostat tubes and stored at -20C<sup>o <\/sup>until day of analysis while the fasted serum sugar was measured immediately.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis of Samples<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All samples were analyzed in Smart Labs<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>, Amman\/Jordan using standard kits and according to the protocols of the laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>Statistical analysis of data will made by using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) (Data will be evaluated as mean and standard deviation by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test, adjusted for multiple comparisons. P-values of &lt;0.05 will be considered statistically significant. Correlations were determined by Pearson\u2019s test.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result and Discussion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The results of all parameters measured are resented in table (1).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Table 1: Serum glucose, Zn, Cu, Zn\/Cu ratio, and lipid profile of the autistic patients and matched controls with results of statistics.<\/strong><\/p>\n<table width=\"90%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"65\"><strong>Fasting Serum level<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\"><strong>Glucose<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>mg\/dl<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\"><strong>Zn<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>(\u00b5g\/dl)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\"><strong>Cu<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>(\u00b5g\/dl)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\"><strong>Zn\/Cu<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>ratio<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\"><strong>TG<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>mg\/dl<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"72\"><strong>TC<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>mg\/dl<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\"><strong>LDL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>mg\/dl<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\"><strong>HDL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>mg\/dl<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\"><strong>VLDL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>mg\/dl<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"65\"><strong>Autistic patients<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">83.29 \u00b1 11.09<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">84.34 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>18.28 *<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">113.82 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>18.74<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\">0.74 1 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>0.22 *<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\">74.23 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>26.46<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"72\">137.14\u00b1<\/p>\n<p>22.91 *<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\">72.02 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>17.56<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">43.6 3 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>6.45 *<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">14.61\u00b1 5.45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"65\"><strong>Controls<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">90.06 \u00b1 7.075<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">95.89 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>10.91<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">112.49 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>18.98<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\">0.857 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>0.165<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\">83.74 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>27.47<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"72\">152.08 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>22.84<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"60\">82.96 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>18.47<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">53.11 \u00b1<\/p>\n<p>10.11<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\" width=\"66\">16.75\u00b1 5.55<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>*Significant on 5% CI using t-test.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Difference in Serum Zn between Patients and Control<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Figure 1 shows the statistical differences between serum Zn level between the patients and controls. The serum level was significantly decreased in patients with autism using t-test and\u00a0 5% CI to compare mean serum levels of the two groups.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31345\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig1-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 1: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of Zn in autistic patients as compared with their controls matched by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig1-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig1.jpg 468w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 1:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of Zn in autistic patients as\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">compared\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to View Figure<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Zn is an essential trace element, an important antioxidant in spite of not being a free radical scavenger, and a metalloenzyme required for the catalytic activity of at least 300 enzymes [23]. It plays a role in immune system functioning, protein synthesis, DNA synthesis, cell division and many other functions [24]. Prolonged Zn deficiency may therefore cause growth impairment, changes in the intestinal flora and function which are\u00a0 are common in autistic\u00a0 patients [25].It is therefore conceivable that malabsorption due to pathological changes in the intestinal mucosa may play an important role as one of the causes of Zn deficiency in autism. An important clinical point to note is that, because Zn is primarily an intracellular nutrient, serum Zn levels can be normal in states of mild deficiency[26]. So, deficiency of zinc level which is significantly lower in our autistic patient than their matched controls, may play an important roles in the etiology of autism through one or more of the above mentioned causes that help in the development of autism. The changes of zinc levels through progress of age may be influenced by environment which indicates that epigenetics (alteration of gene expression by environmental influences) could be a factor in the pathophysiology of autism [27].<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Difference in Serum Cu between Patients and Control<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Figure 2 shows the statistical differences between serum Cu level in \u00b5g\/dl between the patients and controls. The mean serum levels of both groups were statistically similar using t-test , 5% CI.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31346\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig2-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 2: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of copper in autistic patients as compared with their controls matched by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig2-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig2.jpg 494w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 2:<\/strong><strong> The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of copper in autistic patients as compared<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to View Figure<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cu<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Is a cofactor required for the activity of the enzyme dopamine-\u03b2-hydroxylase that converts dopamine to norepinephrine [28]. Increased norepinephrine levels have been found in autistic individuals[29] .<\/p>\n<p>The variation of the mean of copper in patient group and control group due to\u00a0 genetic or nutritional factors\u00a0 can affects the metabolism of copper [23] . The differences between our result (35 patients) and the studies of Russo and DeVito results may be related to sample size of the study. Zinc deficiency, excess Cu levels, and low Zn\/Cu ratio are common in children diagnosed with an ASD [21].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zn \/ Cu Ratio<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Figure\u00a03 shows the significant difference in Zn\/Cu ratio between normal and autistic patients. This significance is related to the change in Zn level.<\/p>\n<p>Rossu et al. suggest that low zinc and high copper may modulate GABA receptors, ultimately changing transmitter concentration [23]. High copper may also be associated with high norepinephrine found in autistic children, and high epinephrine may, in turn, manifest as excitability and hyperactivity associated autistic symptoms.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31347\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig3-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 3: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of Zn\/Cu ratio in autistic patients as compared with their controls matched by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig3-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig3.jpg 509w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 3:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of Zn\/Cu ratio in autistic patients\u00a0<\/strong><strong style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">as compared\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig3.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to View Figure<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lipid Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Total Cholesterol<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Figure\u00a04 below shows the significant lower level of TC in autistic patients. The results of this study agree with studies of\u00a0 Matsuzaki\u00a0 and Moses. It is likely that in some forms of ASD, the symptoms may be due to interaction of components that are sterol dependent .It is tempting to speculate that dyslipidemia is linked to the pathogenesis of autism because there is some indirect support for such an etiological association [17,30]. Adequate cholesterol levels are crucial for serotonin metabolism and myelination of the brain, both of which have been reported to be abnormal in autism [31,32].<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31348\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig4-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 4: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of TC in autistic patients as compared with their controls matched by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig4-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig4-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig4.jpg 486w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 4:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of TC in autistic patients as<\/strong><strong>\u00a0compared<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig4.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Click here to View Figure<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>HDL, LDL and VLDL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Figures 5,\u00a06 and\u00a07 show that patient with autism have significant lower level of both HDL ( 43.63\u00b16.45 mg\/dl compared to 53.11\u00b110.11 mg\/dl of control group)\u00a0 and LDL (72.03\u00b1 17.56 mg\/dl compared with 82.96 \u00b1 18.47 mg\/dl of control group) while insignificant change in VLDL level (14.61\u00b1 17.56 mg\/dl compared with 16.75\u00b1 5.55 mg\/dl of control group) was observed.<\/p>\n<p>These results agree with some studies that found that deficiency in HDL of ASD children is due to some kind of lipid metabolism disorder associated with autism [16,33], and it is plausible that low blood levels of HDL and omega-3 fatty acids observed in autistic children at an early age may be an indicator of impaired fatty acid metabolism [33]. Low levels of HDL can be attributed to a number of causes ranging from poor diet, lack of exercise, genetics and vitamin deficiency. Low blood levels of HDL and omega-3 fatty acids observed in autistic children at an early age may be an indicator of impaired fatty acid metabolism. HDL may reduce atherosclerosis through several different mechanisms [34] which include, increasing reverse cholesterol transport, inhibiting physical and chemical modifications of LDL and thus reducing foam cell formation, protecting against endothelial dysfunction, inhibiting chronic inflammation by suppressing adhesion molecules and macrophage chemotactic proteins, and reducing arterial lipoprotein retention.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31349\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig5-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 5: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in autistic patients as compared with their matched controls by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig5-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig5-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig5.jpg 578w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 5:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in autistic <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig5.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Click here to View Figure<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31350\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig6-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 6: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of low density lipoprotein LDL in autistic patients as compared with their matched controls by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig6-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig6-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig6.jpg 566w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 6:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of low density lipoprotein LDL in autistic <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig6.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Click here to View Figure<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31351\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig7-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 7: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) in autistic patients as compared with their matched controls by age, gender and BMI L: Triglyceride\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig7-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig7-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig7.jpg 642w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 7:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Click here to View Figure<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>TG<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study demonstrate insignificant (p = 0.147) lower mean serum \u00b1 SD TG level (74.23\u00b1 26.46\u00a0 mg\/dl)\u00a0 in autistic patients compared with the mean serum \u00b1 SD TG, (83.74 \u00b1 27.79 mg\/dl) of controls matched for age, sex, and BMI, although both of these mean levels within the normal reference ranges as shown in figure 8.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31352\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig8-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 8: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of TG in autistic patients as compared with their matched controls by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig8-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig8-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig8.jpg 492w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 8:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of TG in autistic patients as<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig8.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Click here to View Figure<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>A study by International Society for Autism Research in 2010 found that the serum levels of TG and VLDL in the infant subjects with high-functioning autism were significantly lower than those of normal control subjects. But our study showed same results except that the TG and VLDL were insignificant. Kim et al.(2010)mentioned that\u00a0 presence of dyslipidemia in boys with autism and suggest a possibility that dyslipidemia might be a marker of association between lipid metabolism and autism .Triglyceride provided fatty acids to the body when degraded. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins, which mean the body must have fat to absorb them. These vitamins are transported through the vessels by the chylomicrons Vitamins E, D, and K are also stored in the fat. If there is too little dietary fat, or if a medical problem exists that interferes with the body\u2019s ability to absorb fat, then vitamin deficiency occurs(a state observed in some autistic children) [35].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our study showed significant (p= 0.004) lower mean serum \u00b1 SD glucose (FBS) level (83.29 \u00b1 11.09 mg\/dl) in autistic patients as compared with the mean serum mean \u00b1 SD glucose (90.06 \u00b1 7.075 mg\/dl) of controls, although both of these mean levels within the normal reference range as shown in figure 9.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 70%;\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-31353\" src=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig9-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Figure 9: The mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of serum glucose in autistic patients as compared with their matched controls by age, gender and BMI\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig9-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig9-256x256.jpg 256w, https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig9.jpg 519w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/td>\n<td><strong>Figure 9:<\/strong><strong> The <\/strong><strong>mean serum \u00b1 SD levels of serum glucose in autistic patients<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Vol13No1_Est_Abd_Fig9.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;\">Click here to View Figure<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The results agreed with the result of Moses et al which revealed that ASD had significantly lower fasting serum glucose. There is growing evidence that nutritional therapy can really make a big difference to children with autism [30].<\/p>\n<p>Woeller mentioned that low blood glucose levels on blood tests are something to be seen from time to time in children on the Autism spectrum [36] Campbell-McBride \u00a0mentioned that abnormal absorption or digestion of the glucose or other toxins due to abnormal gut flora which may be seen in autistic patients this lead the child misses that window of opportunity of learning and starts developing autism depending on the mixture of toxins, depending on how severe the whole condition is, and how severely abnormal the gut flora is in the child [37].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Correlation of Zn, Cu and Zn\/Cu ratio with lipid profile and FBS in autistic patients<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Statistical treatment of data aimed also to examine the possible correlation between each parameter of lipid profile and FBS with Zn, Cu and Zn\/Cu ratio in autistic patients.<\/p>\n<p>Results showed that there was\u00a0 insignificant correlation between mean serum levels of Zn \u00a0and mean serum levels of lipid profile and fasting blood sugar in control and autistic groups except a significant positive (P= 0.018) correlation between Zn and HDL in autistic group . The current researcher did not find any study linked between Zn and HDL in autistic patients. Cellular Zn controls the gene that makes heart-protective HDL [38]. This may be the cause of a significant correlation between zinc and HDL in patients of current study.<\/p>\n<p>Results also show no significant correlation between mean serum levels \u00b1 SD of Cu and the mean serum levels \u00b1 SD of lipid profile and fasting blood sugar in controls group and autistic group.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding Zn\/Cu ratio, no significant correlation between mean serum levels \u00b1 SD of Zn\/Cu ratio and mean serum levels \u00b1 SD of lipid profile and fasting blood sugar in controls and autistic groups except a significant positive (p = 0.013)\u00a0 correlation between\u00a0 Zn\/Cu ratio and (HDL) in autistic group as shown also in table (1).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The study revealed that there is no statistically significant correlation of the variables (total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein , low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein, triglyceride and fasting blood sugar ) of patients to control subjects, but only statistically significant correlation between zinc and zinc\/copper ratio\u00a0 with high density lipoprotein (HDL) and TC\u00a0 in autistic patients.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Acknowledgment <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The researchers would like to thank Autism Academy of Jordan and SmartLabs<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> for their endless support and cooperation in this research.<\/p>\n<p><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Kidd Autism, An extreme challenge to integrative medicine. 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Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012 ;56(7):1097-105.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction Autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of systemic  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vol13no1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31339"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32049,"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31339\/revisions\/32049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biomedpharmajournal.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}