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Matthew B. B. McCall^1,*, Bart Ferwerda^2,*, Joost Hopman¹, Ivo Ploemen¹, Boubacar Maiga³, Modibo Daou³, Amagana Dolo³, Cornelus C. Hermsen¹, Ogobara K. Doumbo³, George Bedu-Addo⁴, Jos W. van der Meer², Marita Troye-Blomberg⁵, André J. A. M. van der Ven², Ralf R. Schumann⁶, Robert W. Sauerwein¹, Frank P. Mockenhaupt⁷, Mihai G. Netea²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 77-83, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0187
Abstract Background. The full-length (L-) variant of caspase-12 is believed to predispose to sepsis. It has been replaced in the genome of most human populations by the (S-) variant, which leads to premature termination of translation. Strikingly, the L-allele is still widely prevalent in African populations, presumably due to a counterbalancing selective force specific to this continent, for which malaria is a prime candidate. Methods. We investigated associations between caspase-12 genotype and malarial parameters in three West-African populations, in studies encompassing immunological, clinical and obstetric data. Results. The caspase-12 L-allele was found at frequencies of 11-34%. Plasmodium… More >

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Maria Angeles Jimenez-Sousa¹, Raquel Almansa², Concha de la Fuente¹, Agustín Caro-Paton³, Lourdes Ruiz⁴, Gloria Sanchez-Antolín³, Jose Manuel Gonzalez⁴, Rocio Aller⁴, Noelia Alcaide³, Pilar Largo¹, Salvador Resino⁵, Raul Ortiz de Lejarazu⁶, Jesus F. Bermejo-Martin²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 84-91, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0191
Abstract Hepatitis C virus causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The infection induces upregulation of cytokine and chemokines commonly linked to the development of cellular and pro-inflammatory antiviral responses. The current standard in hepatitis C treatment consists of combination regimens of pegylated interferon-alpha plus ribavirin. The impact of combined treatment in the host immune response is still poorly understood. In the present study, we profiled 27 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors involved in the innate and adaptive responses to the virus in the serum of 27 hepatitis C virus-infected patients, before and after 12 weeks of… More >

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Gordana Pavlisa¹, Goran Pavlisa², Vesna Kusec³, Slobodanka Ostojic Kolonic⁴, Asja Stipic Markovic⁵, Branimir Jaksic⁴
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 92-98, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0193
Abstract Hypoxia frequently complicates the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are the two most potent angiogenic factors and may play a role in adaptation to hypoxia. The aims of the study were to assess the serum levels of VEGF and bFGF and to evaluate their mutual relationship in hypoxic patients with exacerbated COPD. The study group consisted of 50 hypoxic (PaO₂ 53 mmHg) patients with exacerbated COPD. Control groups were 30 stable COPD patients with PaO₂ 70 mmHg, and 30 healthy blood donors. The… More >

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Francesca Capone¹, Susan Costantini¹, Eliana Guerriero¹, Rosa Calemma², Maria Napolitano², Stefania Scala², Francesco Izzo², Giuseppe Castello^1,2
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 99-104, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0192
Abstract The role played by the microenvironment in cancer induction, promotion and progression is crucial. Emerging evidence suggests that cytokines, chemokines and growth factors are major players in carci-nogenesis. Therefore, a detailed understanding of factors and mechanisms associated with the processes leading from inflammation to cancer could improve the therapeutic strategies against this disease. We have used hepatocarcinoma as our model in this study. We evaluated the serum levels of 50 different cytokines, chemo-kines and growth factors in patients affected by HCC with chronic HCV-related hepatitis and liver cirrhosis using multiplex biometric ELISA-based immunoassay. Our data More >

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Ursula Azizi-Semrad^1,*, Dagmar Krenbek^2,*, Günther Hofbauer¹, Georgios Karanikas³, Eduardo Maldonado-Gonzalez¹, Peter Pietschmann¹, Martin Willheim^1,4
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 105-115, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0190
Abstract The number of functional subsets of CD4+ T lymphocytes distinguished by their cytokine produc-tion has been extended in the last decade. The in vitro generation of a T cell subset characterized by IL-6production has resurrected the question of cytokine co-expression patterns in T cells. In order to delineatethese cells as a specific functional subpopulation in vivo, we profiled the cytokine production pattern of humanperipheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes across established subsets. We provide evidence for a new T cell subsetTh6, with an IL-6 signature. Freshly isolated PBMC were analyzed using intracellular cytokine detection(IDC). Cytokine co-expression… More >

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Ahmet Arman¹, Nihal Isık², Ajda Coker³, Fatma Candan², Kezban Serap Becit⁴, Edward O. List⁵
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 116-121, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0186
Abstract The pathogenesis of Parkinson Disease (PD) remains poorly understood; however, inflammation is thought to play an important role in disease progression. Recent reports suggest that IL-1, a major proinflam-matory cytokine, might play a role in PD progression. The purpose of this study was to determine the relation-ship between IL-1 gene family polymorphisms [IL-1α (-889), IL-1Ra (VNTR) and IL-1β (-511, +3953)] and PD in the Turkish population. In this study, we examined the genotypes of IL-1 gene family polymorphisms in 365 individuals, of which 199 were healthy control subjects and 166 were PD patients. No significant… More >

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Alex Rabinovich^1,3,*, Liat Medina^2,3,*, Benjamin Piura^1,3, Mahmoud Huleihel^2,3
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 122-128, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0188
Abstract IL-10 is an 18-kd polypeptide that has been shown to be secreted by multiple cell types, includingT and B cells, monocytes and some human tumors. However, which cell population is responsible for theelevated IL-10 levels in the serum and ascites of ovarian cancer patients, whether ovarian carcinoma cellsproduce IL-10, and how IL-10 influences the development and progression of ovarian carcinoma are issuesthat remain unclear. The aim of our study was to examine IL-10 production and secretion by ovarian carci-noma tissues and cells, and to determine its possible role in the cell and tumor micro-environment. The… More >

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Bartosz Hudzik¹, Janusz Szkodzinski¹, Aleksander Danikiewicz², Wojciech Romanowski², Andrzej Lekston¹, Lech Polonski¹, Barbara Zubelewicz-Szkodzinska²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 129-135, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0189
Abstract Background. Contrast media are being widely applied for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This has resulted in increasing incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Methods. We aimed to investigate the value of baseline serum IL-6 concentrations in predicting CIN before the rise of serum creatinine (SCr) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Seventy four Caucasian patients were enrolled. CIN was defined as an increase in SCr concentration of more than 44 μmol/L, or a 25% increase above baseline within 48 hours after contrast administration. Results. CIN developed in 16 out of 74 patients (21.6%). The median… More >

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Sonia Ben-Hadj-Khalifa¹, Lakhdar Ghazouani¹, Nesrine Abboud¹, Ali Ben-Khalfallah², Fatma Annabi², Faouzi Addad³, Wassim Y. Almawi⁴, Touhami Mahjoub¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.2, pp. 136-141, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0194
Abstract Objectives. The contribution of interleukin (IL)-10 promoter variants -1082G/A, -819C/T, and -592C/A to the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) was investigated in 291 CAD patients and 291 age- and gender-matched control subjects. Methods and results. IL-10 genotyping was performed using PCR-allele-specific amplification (PCR-ASA). Regression analysis was employed in assessing the contribution of the IL-10 variants to the overall CAD risk. A higher frequency of the -592A allele (p = 0.004), but not the -1082A (p = 0.828) or -819T (p = 0.952) alleles, was seen in CAD patients. A higher frequency of -592C/A (p… More >

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