Association of TNF-alpha-308 polymorphism with the outcome of hepatitis B virus infection in Turkey

WOS: 000252940900003PubMed ID: 17974504Background and aim: Cytokines play important roles in the regulation of immune response. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of the cytokine gene polymorphisms with persistence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and the development of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) due to HBV infection. Methods: The study involved 27 patients with end-stage liver disease due to HBV infection, 23 HBV carriers and 60 healthy controls. All genotyping (TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, IL-10, IFN-gamma) experiments were performed using sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) by using commercial kit according to manufacturers' instructions. Results: The frequencies of TNF-alpha -308 G/G and TGF-beta 1 codon 10-25 T/C-G/G polymorphisms were significantly higher in HBV-infected individuals (patients + carriers) when compared with those of healthy controls (p: 0.02 and p: 0.004, respectively). The frequency of TNF-alpha -308 G/G polymorphism was significantly higher in the patients than those of the healthy controls (p: 0.02), whereas the frequency of TGF-beta 1 codon 10-25 T/T-G/G polymorphism was lower (p: 0.028). On the other hand, TNF-alpha -308 G/G and TGF-beta codon 10-25 T/C-G/G polymorphisms were significantly more common in HBV carriers than the control group (p: 0.017 andp: 0.018, respectively). In addition, TNF-alpha -308 G allele frequency was significantly more common in HBV-infected individuals (patients + carriers) than those of healthy controls (p: 0.0007). TNF-alpha -308 G allele frequency was also found to be higher in patients or carriers when compared with those of healthy controls (p: 0.01 and p: 0.01, respectively). Statistically significant differences were still kept after Bonferroni correction of the p-values for only TNF-alpha -308 G allele frequency in patients or carriers (Pc). Conclusion: Our study suggests that TNF-alpha gene polymorphism in patients infected with HBV would result in relatively inefficient inhibition of HBV and development of ESLD, and therefore, may be valuable predictor determinants for the development of ESLD in patients with chronic HBV infection. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Cardiac dimensions during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Contains fulltext : 48407.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Our aim was to analyze left ventricular fractional shortening during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation under the influence of changing volume loading conditions induced by a ductal left-to-right shunt. In all patients, the fractional shortening was observed using echocardiography before, during, and after bypass, irrespective of the presence or absence of the ductal left-to-right shunt. During membrane oxygenation, there was a significant decrease in fractional shortening (p less than 0.001), with no difference before and after membrane oxygenation. A greater decrease in fractional shortening was observed in the group with a ductal left-to-right shunt when compared to patients lacking the ductal shunt (p less than 0.006). The diastolic diameter of the left ventricle also increased significantly during the membrane oxygenation in those patients with left-to-right ductal shunting. Moreover, the patients with left-to-right shunting showed a very severe decreased fractional shortening, lower than 10 per cent, with significantly greater frequency (p less than 0.05) during the course of membrane oxygenation. Conclusion: An important decrease in left ventricular fractional shortening is observed during veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Left-to-right shunting during bypass, as seen in the patients with patency of the arterial duct, increases the loading conditions on the left ventricle, and produces a significant increase in left ventricular diastolic dimensions. Despite the effects of volume loading produced by the ductal shunt during bypass, the decrease in fractional shortening is significantly more pronounced for these patients. Therefore, during membrane oxygenation the volume loading produced by the ductal shunt is unable to prevent a decrease in left ventricular fractional shortening

Evidence of vascular endothelial damage in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Background: Endothelial infection has an important role in the pathogenesis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). In this study, we investigated the causes of vascular endothelial damage in patients with CCHF

Aerobic exercise improves oxidant-antioxidant balance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

{[}Purpose] Although oxidative stress is known to be present in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the effects of exercise on oxidative parameters are unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute aerobic exercise on serum oxidant and antioxidant levels in patients with RA. {[}Subjects and Methods] Sixteen patients with RA and 10 age-matched healthy volunteers participated in this study. All participants wore polar telemeters and walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a speed eliciting 60-75\% of maximal heart rates. Blood samples were obtained before, immediately and 24 hours after exercise and malondialdehyde (MDA) and total sulfhydrile group (RSH) levels were measured. {[}Results] Both groups had similar heart rates during the test but the treadmill speed of the RA patients was significantly lower than that of the healthy volunteers. Serum MDA levels were lower than in both groups immediately after exercise, with greater decrements in the RA patients than controls. MDA levels returned to baseline 24 hours after the exercise only in the controls; they remained low in the RA patients. There was a slight increase in serum RSH levels after exercise compared to baseline in both groups. {[}Conclusion] Moderate intensity treadmill exercise did not have any adverse effect on the oxidant-antioxidant balance. The results suggest that such an exercise may be safely added to the rehabilitation program of RA for additional antioxidant effects. Morever, this antioxidant environment is maintained longer in RA patients

Cytokine expression profiles in children and adolescents with tic disorders

Abstract The etiology of tic disorders (TDs) is not precisely known, although several lines of evidence suggest involvement of the immune system in pathogenesis. Here, we aimed to determine the expression levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in children with TD and compare them with those of healthy controls. Furthermore, we also evaluated their association with clinical variables in the TD group. Within the study period, 88 children with tic disorders and 111 healthy control children were enrolled. Most children with tic disorders were diagnosed with Tourette’s disorder (n = 47, 53.4%) or persistent motor tic disorder (n = 39, 44.3%), while the remainder (n = 2, 2.3%) were diagnosed with persistent vocal tic disorder. We found that children with tic disorders had significantly elevated levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-4 expression, while we detected lower expression levels of IL-17 in children with tic disorders. Our findings provide a molecular landscape of cytokine expression in children with TD, which may suggest a proinflammatory state not affected by the presence of comorbidity and symptom severity. Delineating the contribution of alterations in the immune system to the pathogenesis of tic disorders may pave the way for better therapeutic interventions

Cytokine expression profiles in children and adolescents with tic disorders

The etiology of tic disorders (TDs) is not precisely known, although several lines of evidence suggest involvement of the immune system in pathogenesis. Here, we aimed to determine the expression levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in children with TD and compare them with those of healthy controls. Furthermore, we also evaluated their association with clinical variables in the TD group. Within the study period, 88 children with tic disorders and 111 healthy control children were enrolled. Most children with tic disorders were diagnosed with Tourette's disorder (n = 47, 53.4%) or persistent motor tic disorder (n = 39, 44.3%), while the remainder (n = 2, 2.3%) were diagnosed with persistent vocal tic disorder. We found that children with tic disorders had significantly elevated levels of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-4 expression, while we detected lower expression levels of IL-17 in children with tic disorders. Our findings provide a molecular landscape of cytokine expression in children with TD, which may suggest a proinflammatory state not affected by the presence of comorbidity and symptom severity. Delineating the contribution of alterations in the immune system to the pathogenesis of tic disorders may pave the way for better therapeutic interventions