Objective: This study aimed to compare serum levels of CD163, YKL-40, and VILIP-1 between children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and healthy controls, while also investigating their association with the severity of ASD and language development. Methods: The study included 40 ASD-diagnosed patients (aged 18−72 months) and 40 age-matched healthy controls.Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Preschool Language Scale-4, and Ankara Development Screening Inventory were administered to children in the ASD group. Serum CD163, YKL-40 and VILIP-1 levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: In the ASD group compared to the control group, serum VILIP-1 levels were significantly higher (p = 0.046).No significant differences were observed in mean serum CD163 and YKL-40 levels between patients and controls (p = 0.613, p = 0.769). Interestingly, a positive correlation was observed between CD163 and YKL-40 levels and ASD severity (p ＜ 0.001 for both). Additionally, CD163 and YKL-40 levels showed significant predictive value for ASD severity.While no significant associations were found between CD163 and YKL-40 levels and language development, a negative correlation was observed between VILIP-1 levels and language development (p ＜ 0.001). Conclusion Our findings highlight that the levels of CD163 and YKL-40 significantly predicted ASD severity, indicating a potential role of neuroinflammation in the development of ASD.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on neuronal development is known, but its relationship with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder, has not yet been fully elucidated. To our knowledge, this is the first human study investigating serum VEGF levels in ADHD patients. In this study, it has been aimed to compare serum VEGF levels between a healthy control group and in ADHD patients to help determine the association between serum VEGF levels and ADHD. METHODS: This study sample included forty-four patients diagnosed with ADHD and 43 healthy volunteer controls between 7 to 14 years old. Blood samples were taken from patients and the healthy control group to assess their serum VEGF levels. VEGF levels were calculated by subjecting the optical densities of the samples to concentrations of known standards as provided in the ELISA kit and then performing a regression correlation analysis. RESULTS: The mean VEGF level of the children was 333.6 ± 209.8 in the ADHD group and 341.3 ± 201.8 in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in serum VEGF levels between the ADHD and control groups (U = 926.000, z = −0.170, p = 0.865). CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in serum VEGF levels for untreated ADHD cases and a healthy control group. This is the first human study investigating serum VEGF levels in ADHD patients, so there is a need to replicate these findings.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; Neurons ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A