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Marine Desroches, Gauthier Louis, Aude Gleizes, Roman Krzysiek, Dominique Emilie
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 226-231, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0212
Abstract The use of TNF-α antagonists has substantially improved the care of many patients with inflam-matory and autoimmune diseases. However, approximately one third of such patients fail to respond well totreatment, regardless of the antagonist used or of the underlying disease. The mechanisms underlying these fail-ures are analyzed in this review, and proposals made concerning how best to adapt therapeutic decisions inthese instances. More >

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Swapnil Sinha¹, Tabish Qidwai¹, Kanika Kanchan¹, Ganga N. Jha¹, Prerna Anand², Sudhanshu S. Pati³, Sanjib Mohanty³, Saroj K. Mishra³, Prajesh K. Tyagi⁴, Surya K. Sharma⁴, Shally Awasthi², Vimala Venkatesh², Saman Habib¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 232-240, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0208
Abstract The immune effector response to Plasmodium falciparum infection involves a finely-tuned inter-play between different cell types and cytokines. However, the processes by which they mediate the development of clinical immunity, in areas of different endemicity, are poorly understood. We analyzed circulating levels of pro-inflammatory (TNF, IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-16) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) cytokines in control and patient groups drawn from a P. falciparum-endemic and a non-endemic region of India. The endemic region control population exhibited a lower pro- to anti-inflammatory cytokine ratio, indicating a shift towards a high basal Th2 response. Levels of IL-10 contributed most… More >

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Gonzalo Rodríguez-Berriguete¹, Angela Prieto¹, Benito Fraile¹, Yosra Bouraoui⁴, Fermín R. de Bethencourt³, Pilar Martínez-Onsurbe², Gabriel Olmedilla², Ricardo Paniagua¹, Mar Royuela¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 241-250, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0211
Abstract Background. There is growing evidence that inflammation is a causal factor in cancer, wherepro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1 or TNF-α could induce cellular proliferation by activation ofNF-κB. This study focuses on the IL-6/ERK transduction pathway, its relationship with NF-κB, and the conse-quences of dysregulation in the development of prostate pathologies such as benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH),prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and prostate cancer (PC). Methods. Immunohistochemical and Westernblot analyses for IL-6, gp-130, Raf-1, MEK-1, ERK-1, p-MEK, ERK-2, p-ERK, NF-κB/p-50 and NF-κB/p-65were carried out in 20 samples of normal prostate glands, 35 samples of BPH, 27… More >

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Susan Costantini¹, Francesca Capone¹, Eliana Guerriero¹, Patrizia Maio², Giovanni Colonna³, Giuseppe Castello¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 251-256, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0214
Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can present as an acute manifestation, and can lead to severecomplications such as chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It represents a globalhealth problem because there is no vaccine currently available. Cytokines play an important role in viralclearance, infection control, inflammation, regeneration and fibrosis, and also are implicated in the pathologicalprocesses occurring in the liver during viral infection. Immunological markers of chronic HCV hepatitis pro-gression as compared to cirrhosis and HCC would be extremely useful, particularly for distinguishing betweenthe molecules produced during HCV-induced chronic inflammation and those secreted during… More >

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Bartosz Hudzik¹, Janusz Szkodzinski¹, Aleksander Danikiewicz², Krzysztof Wilczek¹, Wojciech Romanowski², Andrzej Lekston¹, Lech Polonski¹, Barbara Zubelewicz-Szkodzinska²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 257-263, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0213
Abstract Background. Dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin plus clopidogrel) is recommended in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) decreases bleeding rate. Alarming reports have been made that PPIs may decrease the antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel. We sought to determine whether levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) might help distinguish individuals at risk for adverse events. Methods. Thirty-eight patients on aspirin and clopidogrel were enrolled and divided into two groups: group 1 [patients receiving omeprazole (n = 18)] and group 2 [patients not receiving omeprazole (n = 20)]. Patients… More >

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Paola Migliorini¹, Consuelo Anzilotti¹, Federico Pratesi¹, Paola Quattroni², Marco Bargagna², Charles A. Dinarello³, Diana Boraschi²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 264-271, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0210
Abstract Overproduction of inflammation-related cytokines plays an important role in systemic lupuserythematosus (SLE). A crucial cytokine is IL-18, a member of the IL-1 family involved in the regulation ofboth innate and acquired immune responses. The aim of this study was to evaluate free IL-18 levels in theserum and urine of SLE patients, in order to establish their relationship with other biomarkers of disease activ-ity. Serum and urine levels of IL-18 and IL-18BP were measured by ELISA in 50 SLE patients and in32 healthy subjects; free IL-18 was calculated using the law of mass action. Serum levels… More >

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İlhan Tarkun¹, Emre Dikmen², Berrin Çetinarslan¹, Zeynep Cantürk¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 272-277, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0217
Abstract Background. Adipose tissue synthesizes various adipokines such as resistin, adiponectin and visfa-tin, which have an effect on insulin resistance. This study was designed to show the effect of metformin, one of the most important drugs used to reduce insulin resistance in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), on these adipokines. Methods. The study group consisted of 24 women with PCOS and 25 healthy, age- and weight-matched, normally menstruating women. Hormone and lipid profiles, visfatin, adiponectin and resistin were measured in all cases, before and after metformin treatment. Results. Serum visfatin levels were found to be… More >

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Pavel Osmancik¹, Zdenek Peroutka¹, Petr Budera², Dalibor Herman¹, Petr Stros¹, Zbynek Straka²
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 278-284, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0216
Abstract Aims. Atrial fibrillation is associated with the activation of inflammatory processes [e.g. higher concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP)], as well as a pro-thrombotic state [e.g. increased concentration of serum pro-thrombotic markers P-selectin and CD40 ligand (CD40L)]. The aim of the present study was to establish, whether successful epicardial ablation of AF leads to decreased concentrations of traditional inflammatory and thrombotic markers. Methods. Twenty-five patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF were prospectively studied. All underwent epicardial isolation of pulmonary veins. The success of the ablation was assessed clinically and with three… More >

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Mouna Stayoussef¹, Jihen Benmansour¹, Fayza A. Al-Jenaidi^2,3, Mansoor H. Rajab², Hichem B. Said⁴, Mohamed Ourtani⁵, Chiheb B. Rayana¹, Touhami Mahjoub¹, Wassim Y. Almawi³
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 285-291, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0215
Abstract Aim. We investigated the association of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α gene polymorphism with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods. TNF-α -1031T/C, -863C/A, -857C/T, -376G/A, -308G/A, -238G/A, and +488G/A single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed in 198 T1DM patients and 180 age-and gender-matched, normoglycemic control subjects using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results. Higher frequencies of -863A (p = 8.0 × 10^-6 ), -857T (p = 1.4 × 10^-4 ), and -238A (p = 0.002) alleles were seen in T1D patients than in the control group. Significant differences were noted in the distribution of -863T/C, -857C/T, -376G/A, -308G/A,… More >

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Aliakbar Amirzargar^1,2, Farhad Shahram^3,4, Enayat Nikoopour¹, Nima Rezaei^1,2, Keyvan Saeedfar³, Naghmeh Ziaei³, Fereydoun Davatchi^3,4
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 292-296, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2009.0209
Abstract Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic, systemic disease, characterized by oral and genital lesions, andocular inflammation. There is evidence indicating altered levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with BD. This study involved 150 patients with BD and140 healthy controls, and investigated the role of proinflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms in the disease. Thefrequency of the TNF-α (-238) G/G genotype was significantly higher in the patient group, compared to the controls(p < 0.001), whilst the G/A genotype was significantly lower in the patients with BD (p < 0.001). More >

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Harmonie Perdreau^1,2, Erwan Mortier^1,2, Grégory Bouchaud^1,2, Véronique Solé^1,2, Yvan Boublik³, Ariane Plet^1,2,*, Yannick Jacques^1,2,*
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 297-307, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0207
Abstract Interleukin (IL)-15 is a cytokine critical for the homeostasis and the function of NK cells, NK-Tcells, and memory CD8+ T cells. IL-15 signals are delivered through the IL-15Rβ and the commonγ (γ_c) receptorchains. The third receptor chain, IL-15Rα, confers specificity and high affinity for the cytokine. While IL-15 canactivate with high affinity the trimeric receptor expressed by a target cell (cis-presentation), IL-15Rα is alsoknown to trans-present IL-15 with high affinity to target cells expressing the IL-15Rβ/γ_c complex. In order tocompare the IL-15 cis- and trans-presentation processes, and using a T cell line expressing both IL-15Rα/β/γ_c andIL-15Rβ/γ_c, we analyzed cell… More >

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Susana N. Diniz^1,2, Karen P. T. Pendeloski¹, Andrey Morgun^1,3, Iouri Chepelev⁴, Maria Gerbase-DeLima^1,*, Natalia Shulzhenko^1,3,*
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 308-318, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0218
Abstract The human IL-15RA gene encoding the alpha chain of the IL-15 receptor is expressed in a varietyof immune and non-immune cell types from different tissues, and generates multiple splicing events of func-tional importance. We aimed to evaluate expression of IL-15RA transcripts generated by alternative usage oftranscription start site (Var1 and Var2) and by deletion of exon 3 (Del3), exon 2 (Del2), or both (Del2,3) in dif-ferent human tissues. Since a CpG island was found near to the IL-15RA gene transcription start site, we alsoinvestigated the role of DNA methylation on the expression of IL-15RA full-length… More >

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Andrew M. Jackson^1,*, Lori A. Mulcahy^1,*, Joanne Porte², Hester A. Franks¹, Mohamed El Refaee¹, Qunwei Wang¹, Suharsh Shah¹, XingWu Zhu¹, Poulam M. Patel¹
European Cytokine Network, Vol.21, No.4, pp. 319-328, 2010, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2010.0219
Abstract Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) are targets for the immune-modulation of dendriticcells (DC). However, our knowledge of their role in the regulation of IL-12-family cytokines is limited. Thisstudy investigated the roles of p38, JNK, p44/42 and PI3K pathways in IL-12/23/27 production by human DC,and their impact on naïve TH-responses. We first identified TOP and UBC as robust DC housekeeping genes.Peak transcription of p35 and p40 occurred by 12h, p19 and p28 by 8h and EBI3 by 12-24h. Using selectiveantagonists, we showed that p38 was a positive regulator of IL-12, 23 and 27, JNK positively regulated IL-12and… More >

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