ABSTRACT
       Background and objectives: Contamination of food products with mycotoxins is a public health problem. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified mycotoxins as hepatotoxic and carcinogenic agents to humans (Group 1). The Kurdistan Province is the ninth largest producer of wheat in Iran. We aimed to determine the level of contamination with total aflatoxin (TAF), aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in 66 wheat samples randomly selected from 11 wheat flour factories in spring and summer.
       Methods: The level of toxins was measured by microtiter plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a microtitre plate ELISA reader and total AF, AFB₁ and OTA commercial kits.
      Results: Overall, the level of TAF and AFB in 16.67% of the samples exceeded the maximum tolerable limit set by the Institute of Standard and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI). However, the level of OTA contamination did not exceed the maximum tolerable limit set by the ISIRI. In addition, the level of TAF, AFB₁ and OTA exceeded the maximum tolerable limit set by the EU in 68.18, 90.91 and 36.36% of the samples, respectively. The level of contamination with these mycotoxins differed significantly in spring and summer (P<0.05).
      Conclusion: The level of mycotoxin contamination in wheat samples produced in the Kurdistan Province is alarmingly high and appropriate measures should be taken to eliminate the causes of this issue.
         KEYWORDS: Aflatoxin, Aflatoxin B_1, Ochratoxin A, Wheat, ELISA.

ABSTRACT
            Background and Objectives: T helper (Th) lymphocytes play a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. As a new subset of lymphocytes, Th9 is thought to be involved in a wide range of disorders including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we evaluated frequency of Th9 and Th2 cells and its correlation with disease activity in patients with different stages of RA.
            Methods: The frequency of circulating interleukin 9- and/or interleukin 4-producing CD3⁺CD8^-T cells was determined among 41 patients with established RA, 14 patients with very early RA (VERA) and 23 healthy controls by flow cytometry analysis. Then, correlation of cell frequencies with disease activity score 28 (DAS-28) was assessed. Serum levels of interleukin 6 and anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
            Results: Frequency of Th9 cells was significantly higher in RA patients compared to healthy controls (P=0.009). Moreover, mean percentage of circulating Th9 cells in patients with inactive VERA was significantly higher than that in those with active disease (P=0.046). In addition, mean percentage of Th9 cells had a negative correlation with the DAS-28 (r=-0.568, P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between the mean serum level of interleukin 6 and percentage of Th2 and Th9 cells (P>0.05).
            Conclusion: Our results suggest that Th9 cells may have a potential role in RA initiation. Thus, targeting Th9 cells could be a promising strategy for advanced RA therapies.
            Keywords:  Rheumatoid arthritis, Th2 cells, Th9 cells.