الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Vitamin D is a group of fat soluble steroids that primarily maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus . The most important forms of vitamin D are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), produced in the human skin, and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), derived from plant . Vitamin D3 is a prohormone produced in skin through ultraviolet irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol. It is biologically inert and must be metabolized to 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the liver and then to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the kidney before being active . The active metabolite (1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) is essential in bone and mineral homeostasis and it is a mediator of cell proliferation, differentiation and immune regulation . Lupus Nephritis (LN) is a severe organ manifestation of SLE which follows a relapsing-remitting pattern in which the frequency of flares differs between individual patients . Sixty percent of adult subjects suffering from SLE have kidney disease due to deposits or in situ formation of IC in nephron segments. A wide range of abnormalities have been described in SLE, from asymptomatic proteinuria or microscopic hematuria with normal renal function, to severe nephrotic syndrome or acute renal failure . Eighty subjects were included in this study. They were divided into two groups as follows: Control group: consisted of twenty apparently healthy volunteers of comparable age and socioeconomic status to the patients group. Patients group: consisted of Sixty patients with SLE. They were subdivided into –Fourty patients with SLE complicated by lupus nephritis. -Twenty patients with SLE and no renal affection. They were selected from the Internal medicine department and rheumatology outpatient clinic of Beni Suef University Hospital. To all studied subjects, detailed history was taken with special emphasis on age and duration of disease. Thorough physical examination was performed with special stress on the measurement of arterial blood pressure. In the current study, we found a significant difference in genotype distribution between patients with SLE and healthy controls. The homozygous GG genotype and heterozygous AG mutants were overrepresented in patients with SLE compared with our controls. , . Moreover, we observed a significant negative association between the VDR allele A and susceptibility to SLE suggesting that allele A was in some fashion protective against SLE. Our data shows that the GG genotype constituted a risk factor for the development of lupus nephritis (OR: 4.8) and was associated with higher disease activity index score among studied patients with SLE In this study, Regarding CBC changes ,The prevalence of thrombocytopenia and lymphopenia was significantly higher among SLE patients compared to our controls, However the prevalence of lymphopenia and leucopenia was significantly higher among SLE patients with GG genotype compared to SLE patients with AG and AA mutants ,Regarding liver function tests, The mean serum Albumin level was significantly lower among SLE patients compared to controls . Kidney function tests, SLE patients had higher levels urea,Creatinine and 24h urinary protein compared to controls . Antinuclear antibody titre was significantly higher among SLE patients than controls,Also Anti Ds DNA is represented in SLE patients in ahigher titre than healthy controls,Furthermore, All SLE patients with GG genotypes had positive Anti Ds DNA( 100%) compared to SLE patients with AG( 0,0) and AA( 0,0) mutants. Recommendations 1. It is recommended to carry out further studies on FOKI gene polymorphisms in larger groups of patients and controls. 2. Further studies are needed on other VDR polymorphisms and their associations with SLE and its complications. 3. Further studies are needed to explore the possibility of the involvement of physiological and environmental factors on gene expression related to SLE disease.