Pishgahi A, Abolhasan R, Danaii S, et al. - Since the involvement of immunological and oxidative stress factors in Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) pathogenesis has been shown in recent studies, therefore, researchers explored the oxidative as well as immunological factors in AS patients with or without metabolic syndrome (MetS) vs control group. Higher Th17 and lower Treg frequency were evident in AS patients with MetS. These patients also demonstrated increased levels of NF-kB and AP-1 mRNA expression. AS patients with MetS vs AS patients without MetS had significantly reduced miR-146a and miR-223 and increased miR-21. Overall, AS patients with MetS were found to have higher levels of oxidative stress and immunological inflammatory markers. This finding affords further evidence about the oxidative stress and immunological link in these patients.