Tumor necrosis factor-α-308 G/A polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis

Context: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common disorder throughout the world that can develop due to various factors, including genetics. Tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α) is the most frequently studied cytokine related to the risk of developing HCC, and an association between the 308 position of the TNF-α promoter (TNF- α -308) andHCCrisk has been confirmed in various reports. Evidence Acquisition: The PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched through July 12, 2015, for studies on associations between TNF-₋₃₀₈ and the risk of HCC. To determine this association, odds ratios (ORs) and 95 confidence intervals (95 CIs) were calculated. Results: A total of 23 case-control studies were investigated, involving 3,389 cases and 4,235 controls. The overall conclusion was that the A allele was more frequent in case groups compared to control groups (13.4 vs. 8.4). Thus, the A allele was significantly associated with increased HCC risk (OR = 1.77; 95 CI = 1.26-2.50; P value < 0.002). In addition to the allelic model, the dominant model (AA +AGvs. GG) was significantly associated withHCCrisk (OR = 1.80; CI = 1.29-2.51; P value< 0.001). In the sensitivity analysis for co-dominant (AA vs. GG) and recessive models (AA vs. AG + GG), no trustworthy associations with the risk of HCC development were observed. Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that the TNF- α -308 G/A polymorphism is significantly associated with increased susceptibility to HCC. However, to confirm this finding, more studies are needed on TNF- α -308 G/A polymorphisms associated with HCC. © 2016, Kowsar Corp

miR-455-5p downregulation promotes inflammation pathways in the relapse phase of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis disease

MicroRNA-455-5p (miR-455-5p) seems to have an anti-inflammatory role in the immune system since its expression is induced by IL-10 cytokine. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that is caused by an autoimmune inflammatory attack against the myelin insulation of neurons. The expression level of miR-455-5p and its role in MS pathogenesis has yet to be elucidated. We found that miR-455-5p expression was highly correlated with disease severity in MS patients. miR-455-5p expression inversely correlates with its inflammatory-predicted targets (MyD88 and REL) in relapse- and remitting-phase patients. Luciferase assays confirm that MyD88 and REL are direct targets of miR-455-5p. This study represents the first report of the miR-455-5p acts as an anti-inflammatory role in MS, at least partially through targeting MyD88 and REL. This study may provide important information for the use of miR-455-5p as a novel strategy to improve the severity of disease and control inflammation and attack in MS patients. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Interleukin 7 receptor polymorphisms and the risk of multiple sclerosis: A meta-analysis

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered as the most common chronic inflammatory neurologic disorder diagnosed in young adults. Both environmental and genetic factors may influence risk of MS development. Interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) is one of the most studied gene polymorphism on MS that may play a possible role in MS development. The most studied polymorphism of IL7R gene is "rs6897932" polymorphism on IL7Rα gene (IL7RA). Methods PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases were searched for all of related studies on the association of IL7RA polymorphism with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) ID of "rs6897932" and the risk of MS through August 07, 2015. After exclusion of irrelevant articles, 11 eligible studies were selected, which were analyzed to determine an association between the MS and IL7R T244I polymorphism (rs6897932). For identification of this association, odds ratios (ORs) and 95 confidence interval (95 CI) were calculated. Four models of allelic (T vs. C), co-dominant genotype (TT vs. CC), dominant (TT+CT vs. CC), and recessive genotypes (TT vs. CT+CC) were considered to check the possible role of rs6897932 polymorphism in MS. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to find the reliability of this study. Furthermore, funnel plots were used to evaluate publication bias. Results A total of 11 case-control studies were identified through this meta-analysis, which containing 6752 cases and 7349 controls. In overall, the frequency of the C allele was found to be higher in patients with MS compared to healthy controls (75.66 vs. 72.19). T allele was significantly associated with the decreased risk of MS in a random effect model (T vs. C: OR=0.84, 95 CI=0.77-0.92, P-value <0.001). In the co-dominant, dominant, and recessive genotypes models, a significant association between the IL7R T244I polymorphism and MS risk was demonstrated (TT vs. CC: OR=0.70, 95 CI=0.61-0.80, P-value <0.001; TT+CT vs. CC: OR=0.82, 95 CI=0.73-0.92, P-value <0.001; TT vs. CT+CC: OR=0.76, 95 CI=0.66-0.87, P-value <0.001). Sensitivity analysis revealed that this study is reliable. There was no evidence of publication bias. Conclusion It was demonstrated that the IL7R T244I polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to MS. However, more well-designed studies with large sample size are needed to validate this association between this single nucleotide polymorphism and MS. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The role of intravenous immunoglobulin in treatment of mucous membrane pemphigoid: A review of literature

Background: Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is considered an autoimmune blistering disease that predominantly affects mucous membranes. Various treatments are available for controlling the diseases, but not all of them may respond. Materials and Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for all the associated studies until 2015, using the keywords such as �cicatricial pemphigoid� or �ocular pemphigoid� or �mucous membrane pemphigoid� or �MMP� and �intravenous immunoglobulin� or �IVIg� to find all the relevant studies. The last search update was for September 2, 2015. Among the searched items, only English studies were included in the review. Results: After excluding nonrelevant studies, 13 studies with a total number of seventy patients with MMP who were under treatment with IVIg were analyzed. The 65 patients responded completely, one did not respond, two had partially responded, and the remaining two patients stopped IVIg therapy, which resulted in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid progression. Majority of the studies reported mild adverse effects while two of them did not report any unwanted side effect. The most common side effect was headache, followed by nausea. Most of the patients who had a cessation of IVIg therapy before achieving clinical remission experienced the disease progression. Conclusion: Overall, it can be concluded that IVIg therapy was very helpful in treatment of MMP patients who did not respond to conventional therapy or stopped using them for various side effects. Adverse effects associated with IVIg therapy were considerably lower than conventional therapy that can lead toward treatment with this agent in patients who suffer from severe side effects. © 2016 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences

The dual nature of retinoic acid in pemphigus and its therapeutic potential: Special focus on all-trans Retinoic Acid

The efficient treatment of pemphigus with no certain side effect remained a controversial issue. Although there are various options for controlling disease severity, the majority of them may cause serious side effects. Retinoic acid (RA), an active metabolite converted from vitamin A, plays an active role in immune functions. Effects of RA, especially all-trans-Retinoic Acid (ATRA) on different types of cells involved in immune responses were analyzed in vitro and in vivo. RAs could affect the differentiation of T helper (Th) cells, B cells responses, stabilization of both natural regulatory T cells (nTregs) and regulatory B cells (Bregs) populations, and regulating the expression of critical genes in immune responses. The role of RA, based on major immune cells involved in pemphigus has not been addressed so far. In this study, we sought to determine the possible effects of RA, with a special focus on ATRA in pemphigus. All the evidences of ATRA effects on the immune system were collected and their association with the pemphigus was analyzed. According to the previous results, ATRA causes a decline in Th17 populations; increase in CD4 + induced regulatory T cells (iTregs), stabilization of nTregs, and promotion of suppressive B cells, which are critical in the improvement of pemphigus. Nevertheless, it also causes shifting of the Th1:Th2 balance toward Th2 cells, which is not favorable for pemphigus patients. In conclusion, ATRA acts via different ways in pemphigus. Due to increase in the suppressive function via iTregs, nTregs, and Bregs, it is suggested that patients with pemphigus may benefit from systemic ATRA therapy. To clarify this issue, further studies, such as clinical trials are needed. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Corrigendum to �The possible role of interleukin-35 and its therapeutic potential in pemphigus� Int. Immunol. 42 (2017) 11�17 (S1567576916304465) (10.1016/j.intimp.2016.11.005))

The authors regret to change in the affiliation �d� to �Pars Advanced and Minimally Invasive Medical Manners Research Center, Pars Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran�. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. © 2017 Elsevier B.V