Federico Aranda¹, Silvia Perés Wingeyer¹, Sebastián Andrés Muñoz², Alberto Allievi², Alberto Orden³, Rosana Trobo⁴, Analía Alvarez⁵, Alicia Eimon⁵, Juan Carlos Barreira⁶, Emilce Schneeberger⁷, Judith Sarano⁸, Julio Hofman⁹, Gabriela de Larrañaga¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 7-11, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0297

Abstract Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic, autoimmune disorder. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), a chemokine involved in the recruitment and migration of monocytes/macrophages, has been shown to be increased in the plasma of SLE patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the possible association of the polymorphism -2518 of the MCP-1 gene with the risk of developing SLE, manifesting lupus nephritis (LN) and with other clinical features of SLE in an Argentinean population. A group of 171 SLE patients and 120 control subjects were examined. Genotypic and allelic frequencies of theMCP-1 -2518 More >

Lujun Zhao^1,2, Luhua Wang¹, Wei Ji¹, Mingfang Lei¹, Weizhi Yang¹, Feng-Ming Kong^3,4

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 1-6, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0298

Abstract In order to evaluate the impact of blood sample handling processes on circulating TGF-β1 levels, blood specimens were obtained from 13 healthy volunteers using different handling processes (kept at room temperature (RT) or on ice before centrifugation, using different centrifugal forces). TGF-β1 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A paired-T test was used for statistical analysis. The TGF-β1 level in on-ice serum was significantly lower than that in room-temperature serum (P<0.001), and both were significantly higher than that found in on-ice plasma (P<0.001). Compared with on-ice plasma samples, the longer the samples were More >

Hüseyin Engin¹, Yücel Üstündağ², İshak Özel Tekin³, Ayla Gökmen⁴, Şehmuz Ertop⁴, Sevil Uygun İlikhan⁵

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 68-71, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0308

Abstract Background/Aim: despite the rapidly accumulating histopathological data reporting differences in the expression of members of the angiopoietin family on the surface of various normal and tumour cells, data for these growth factors in plasma from cancer patients, including colon cancer, are scarce. The aims of the present study were to measure the plasma concentrations of Ang-1, Ang-2 and Tie-2 in colon cancer patients, and to assess the correlation between the concentrations of these factors and the stage of the tumor. Patients and methods: the study cohort included 36 patients (18 male, 18 female) with colon… More >

Mahmoud Nateghi Rostami¹, Masoumeh Douraghi², Akram Miramin Mohammadi³, Bahram Nikmanesh⁴

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 64-67, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0307

Abstract There are reports showing that pro-inflammatory cytokines are dysregulated in patients with Down’s syndrome (DS). However, most of these reports concern adults. We analyzed cytokine levels in serum samples from children with DS, and compared them with samples from intellectually disabled (ID), and healthy, control children.Blood samples were collected from 24 DS, 24 age-/sex-matched ID, and 24 age-/sex-matched healthy, control children. Serum levels of the cytokines IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, IFN-γ, and TNF-α were measured using a sandwich ELISA method, .The age range of the children was 1-15 years, with a mean ± SD of 5.75… More >

Michel Drouet, Nancy Grenier, Francis Hérodin

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 56-63, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0306

Abstract We have re-evaluated the benefit of using erythropoietin (Epo) as a pleiotropic cytokine to counteract hematological and extra-hematological toxicity following lethal irradiation. B6D2F1 mice were exposed to a dose of 9 Gy gamma radiation resulting in 90% mortality at 30 days, and then injected with stem cell factor, FLT-3 ligand, thrombopoietin and interleukin-3 [i.e. SFT3] at two and 24 hours with or without Epo (1,000 IU/kg) at 2 hours and day 8. As controls, two groups of irradiated mice were given only Epo or Phosphate-buffered saline. Epo synergized with SFT3 to rescue lethally-irradiated mice from More >

Ioana Berindan-Neagoe^1,2, Roxana Chiorean³, Cornelia Braicu¹, Ioan Stefan Florian^2,4, Daniel Leucuta², Doinita Crisan², Adriana Cocis³, Ovidiu Balacescu¹, Alexandru Irimie^1,2

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 45-55, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0302

Abstract Glioblastoma multiforme is a very aggressive brain tumor. Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, is a process that plays an essential role in cancer development. The evolution of this process depends upon several proangiogenic factors as well as inhibitors of angiogenesis. Coagulation and inflammation also play an important role in tumorigenesis. Their expression is controlled by over- or under-expression of certain genes. The objective of our study was to evaluate the expression, in tissue samples, of a set of six genes involved in tumoral angiogenesis. The study concerned a group of… More >

Sylvie Ferrari-Lacraz¹, Mireille Sebbag^2,3,4, Rachel Chicheportiche¹, Céline Foulquier^3,4, Guy Serre^2,3,4,5, Jean-Michel Dayer⁶

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 36-44, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0303

Abstract Objective: The antigenic targets of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated autoantibodies to “citrullinated” proteins are generated following citrullination by a peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD). Of the five PAD isotypes, two – PAD2 and PAD4 – are expressed in RA synovial tissue. Within this tissue, the activation of macrophages and fibroblasts mediated by T-cell contact or driven by cytokines plays a prominent part in the pathogenesis. We wanted to determine whether cytokine stimulation and contact with T cells could play a role in PAD expression by peripheral blood monocytes and fibroblastic synoviocytes. Methods: Human monocytes and T lymphocytes… More >

Nilgün Köksal¹, Bülent Kayık², Merih Çetinkaya¹, Hilal Özkan¹, Ferah Budak³, Şebnem Kılıç⁴, Yakup Canıtez⁵, Barbaros Oral³

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 29-35, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0304

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the value of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in both blood and tracheal aspirate (TA) samples that were obtained within 24 h after birth for predicting bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) development in premature infants. Material and methods: Premature infants, who were born before 32 weeks of gestation, weighing less than 1,500 g, and admitted with respiratory distress between September 2009 and December 2010, were enrolled. Tracheal aspirate samples and serum were obtained from all infants on the first day of admittance for evaluation of pro- and anti-inflammatory… More >

Guadalupe Lima, Janette Furuzawa-Carballeda, Dolores Ramos-Bello, Juan Jakez-Ocampo, Virginia Pascual-Ramos, Carlos A. Núnez-Alvarez, Julio Granados, Luis Llorente

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 25-28, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0305

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of the CCR5 59029 A→G promoter point mutation polymorphism in determining the susceptibility to rheumatoid factor-positive and rheumatoid factornegative rheumatoid arthritis.This polymorphism was assessed in 85 seropositive and 39 seronegative rheumatoid arthritis patients and in 126 healthy individuals of the same geographic and ethnic origin. We found an increase in the genetic frequency of the A allele in the 59029 A→G promoter region of the CCR5 receptor in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared with healthy controls (p = 0.01; OR = 1.5, 95% CI… More >

Dalila Mezioug, Chafia Touil-Boukoffa

European Cytokine Network, Vol.23, No.3, pp. 112-119, 2012, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2012.0314

Abstract Hydatidosis is a parasitic disease caused by the development, in humans and other mammals, of the larval form of Taenia,Echinococcus granulosus. It is one of the world’s major zoonotic infections. This study aimed to examine interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) production in patients with cystic echinococcosis (CE), and the role of IL-17A in the modulation of the immune response against the extracellular parasite, E. granulosus. A relationship between IL-6, IL-17A production and C reactive Protein (CRP) levels was also assessed. IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-17A and CRP production were determined in serum from Algerian hydatid… More >