Celiac-Related Autoantibodies and IL-17A in Bulgarian Patients with Dermatitis Herpetiformis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objectives: Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a blistering dermatosis, which shares common immunologic features with celiac disease (CD). The aim of the present study was to explore the performance of a panel of CD-related antibodies and IL-17A in Bulgarian patients with DH. Materials and Methods: Serum samples from 26 DH patients at mean age 53 ± 15 years and 20 healthy controls were assessed for anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG), anti-deamidated gliadin peptides (anti-DGP), anti-actin antibodies (AAA), and IL-17A by enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA), as well as anti-tTG, anti-gliadin (AGA), and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) using immunoblot. Results: The average serum levels of anti-tTG, anti-DGP, AGA, AAA, and the cytokine IL-17A were at significantly higher levels in patients with DH compared to the average levels in healthy persons which stayed below the cut-off value (p < 0.05). Anti-DGP and anti-tTG antibodies showed the highest diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, as well as acceptable positive and negative predictive value. None of the healthy individuals was found positive for the tested antibodies, as well as for ASCA within the DH group. All tests showed good to excellent correlations (r = 0.5 ÷ 0.9, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Although the diagnosis of DH relies on skin biopsy for histology and DIF, serologic testing of a panel of celiac-related antibodies could be employed with advantages in the diagnosing process of DH patients. Furthermore, DH patients who are positive for the investigated serologic parameters could have routine monitoring for gastrointestinal complications typical for the gluten-sensitive enteropathy

Relations between photosynthetic performance and polyphenolics productivity of Artemisia alba Turra in in vitro tissue cultures

Establishing optimal growth conditions for secondary metabolites production in vitro is vital for the biotechnological development of medicinal plants. In the present work we investigate the relations between the supplementation of plant growth regulators (benzyl adenine and indole-3-butyric acid) to in vitro shoot cultures of the medicinal plant Artemisia alba Turra, the productivity of antioxidant polyphenolic compounds and the structural and functional characteristics of the photosynthetic apparatus. We assayed the structural characteristics of isolated thylakoid membranes from the aerial parts by means of circular dichroism spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, and the photosynthetic performance by pulse amplitude fluorescence modulated imaging. Although a complex relationship between benzyl adenine and indole-3-butyric acid supplementation, the polyphenolic levels and the architecture and functionality of the photosynthetic thylakoid membranes was revealed, a clear correlation was established between the concentration of the produced polyphenolic compounds and the quantum yield of photosystem II. Our data demonstrate that there is an optimal combination of the applied plant growth regulators that triggers efficient photosynthesis and high phenolics production

Concentrations of Interleukin-1ß in Gingival Crevicular Fluid and Saliva – a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker of Periodontal Diseases

Introduction: Bacterial challenge in periodontal diseases activates both local and systemic immune responses of a macroorganism by increasing multiple proinflammatory factors that can be discovered in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and in saliva. We tested the hypothesis that IL-1β concentration in GCF and saliva correlates with periodontal health and diseases. Materials and methods: The study included 62 people (mean age 36±14 yrs), divided into three groups – patients with periodontitis (24 people), patients with gingivitis (19 people) and periodontally healthy people (19 people). Saliva and GCF samples were taken from all participants and the levels of IL-1β in all samples were determined by ELISA.Results: IL-1β concentrations in GCF of healthy individuals were significantly lower than the IL-1β concentration in GCF of patients with gingivitis (p=0.009) and with periodontitis (p<0.0001).The IL-1β concentrations in the saliva of healthy individuals were significantly lower than the IL-1β concentrations in the saliva of pa-tients with gingivitis (p=0.002) and patients with periodontitis (p=0.025).Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, IL-1β concentrations in GCF and saliva may be proposed as additional diagnostic criteria of inflammation in periodontal tissues, both at initial diagnosis and at diagnosis of recurrence of periodontitis, but further studies are needed to verify them as markers of periodontal diseases

Phenotypes Determined by Cluster Analysis in Moderate to Severe Bronchial Asthma

Background: Bronchial asthma is a heterogeneous disease that includes various subtypes. They may share similar clinical characteristics, but probably have different pathological mechanisms

Abstracts From The 3Rd International Severe Asthma Forum (Isaf)

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