Indices of the immune status of recurrent herpes patients being treated with a herpes polyvaccine

Patients with dermal and genital forms of recurring herpes were found to have decreased levels of leukocytes and changed balance of the peripheral blood lymphocyte populations. Treatment with herpes inactivated cultural polyvaccine produced a therapeutic effect in a significant number of patients which was accompanied by a correcting effect of the vaccine on their immune status.     

Cytokine profile and immune status of patients with chronic glomerulonephritis concomitant with chronic opisthorchiasis

Decrease in the absolute count of T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood (mainly CD4⁺ cells), activation of humoral immunity with accumulation of immune complexes, and suppression of the neutrophil metabolic activity were detected in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis in the presence of opisthorchis invasion. Imbalance in the serum concentrations of cytokines produced by T-helper subpopulations (predominance of Th products) was detected.Translated from Byulleten Eksperimentalnoi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 138, No. 12, pp. 649–651, December, 2004This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Mechanisms for the therapeutic effect of herpes polyvaccines in chronic ophthalmic herpes and genital herpes

Commercial inactivated culture polyvaccine against herpes simplex viruses (types 1 and 2) developed at D. I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology promoted cessation of viremia. During the first vaccination viremia coincided with appearance of a focal allergic test on the retina, which is proposed for the diagnosis of herpetic involvement of the posterior compartment of the eye. T-cellular immunity normalized after a course of vaccination. Experimental immunization of rats and vaccination of patients with chronic ophthalmic and genital herpes demonstrated the therapeutic activity of inactivated herpetic polyvaccine in suppositoria.     

Laboratory diagnosis of chronic forms of ophthalmic herpes

The duration and pattern of the course of herpes virus infection of the eye and the method used were shown to influence the effectiveness of the laboratory diagnosis. In the first two weeks of the disease conjunctival scrappings should be examined by immunofluorescence and virus isolation by intracerebral inoculation of mice, at later periods by immunofluorescence of conjunctival scrappings or infected cell cultures. Isolated herpes uveitis should be diagnosed by demonstration of viremia. In surgical treatment of herpetic eye diseases virus should be demasked from the cornea by cocultivation of its fragments with human embryo fibroblast culture.     

Modern aspects in the treatment of ophthalmic herpes

The author report about study results conducted in Russia during the recent 30 years and dedicated to the treatment of ocular pathologies caused by the virus of herpes simplex. Three high-efficiency directions took shape during the mentioned period: 1. Non-specific antiviral therapy based on the local and systemic administration of interferon inductors (poludan--complexes of poly A, poly U etc.) possessing an extensive spectrum of the antiviral and immune-modeling actions; 2. Antirecurrent therapy, including the application of herpetic vaccine against the virus of herpes simplex, types I and II, combined with immune-modeling agents. A focal allergic test with herpetic vaccine was offered, it made it possible, for the first time, a non-invasive diagnostics of intraocular herpes. 3. A system of sparing microsurgical methods adapted to the treatment of an active herpetic keratitis and its outcomes. A synergistic effect of interferon inductors and acyclovir was proven both experimentally and clinically; a method of local autocytokinotherapy (based on poludan), which turned out to be most effective in the treatment of severe lesions at the cornea and of intraocular herpes, was worked out. The authors believe that the methods and means offered for the treatment of ophthalmoherpes contribute, to a great extent, to handling with the ocular herpes viral infection.     

Cytokine profile in elderly patients with sepsis

Context:

Sepsis is a serious health problem in the elderly with a high degree of mortality. There is very limited data available in elderly subjects regarding the markers for sepsis. Development of good markers will help in overall management and prediction of sepsis.

Objectives:

Serial estimation of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-α) and their correlation with mortality in sepsis in elderly patients and to determine the influence of gender on cytokine production and mortality in elderly patients with sepsis.

Settings and Design:

The prospective study was conducted at our tertiary care center from April 2007 to September 2008. Elderly Patients satisfying the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria were included.

Methods and Material:

TNF-α and IL-6 were estimated in 30 elderly patients admitted to our intensive care unit with SIRS and sepsis. The estimations were done on day 1, 3 and 7 of admission.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Student and paired ‘t’ tests, and ANOVA, which were further followed up by post-hoc ‘t’ tests with Bonferroni correction using SPSS.

Results:

Reducing levels of IL-6 levels from day 1 to 7 was found in the survivor group. TNF-α level was significantly low on day 1 in the nonsurvivor female group.

Conclusions:

Serial estimation of cytokines in elderly patients with sepsis will help in prediction of mortality. Female gender was an independent predictor of increased morality in critically ill patients with sepsis.     

Cytokine flow cytometry differentiates the clinical status of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

In this study we have examined intracellular cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of MS patients by flow cytometry (cytokine flow cytometry). MS progressive patients showed an increased number of cells producing interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) after activation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, compared with patients with clinically inactive forms (P < 0001) and with healthy controls (P = 0001). These cells belonged to the CD4+ and CD8+ subsets in similar proportions. Clinically inactive patients showed a lower level of cells producing IL-2 than controls (P = 0.03) and active MS patients (P = 0.03). Most IL-2-producing cells were CD4+ lymphocytes, although a small part of the IL-2 was also produced by CD8+ cells. The percentage of cells producing simultaneously IL-2 and IFN-gamma was increased in active MS and they were mainly CD4+ lymphocytes. No differences in the production of IL-4 were observed between groups. However, we found an increased IL-10 production in clinically active MS patients (P = 0.03). Treatment with IFN-beta of active MS patients showed lower levels of cytokines when compared with untreated MS patients. This methodological approach could help in the follow up and therapeutic monitoring of MS patients.     

Antiherpetic activity of Soviet-made phosphonic acid derivatives and their combinations with interferon inducers in a model of ophthalmic herpes

A comparative analysis of the effectiveness of national phosphonic acid derivatives (FUK and FMK) and acyclic nucleoside, acycloguanosine (Acg), as well as interferon (INF) inducers, lafarin and ridostin, was carried out on the model of herpetic conjunctivitis in rabbits and guinea pigs. Upon therapeutic-prophylactic administration, lafarin reduced the intensity of eye symptoms 2-fold as compared with the controls (infected but untreated guinea-pigs). In rabbits with herpetic conjunctivitis, the therapeutic schedule of the use of FMK (FUK) and Acg shortened the duration of the disease by 7 and 11 days, respectively, as compared with the control. The combined use of chemical drugs and INF inducers, lafarin or ridostin, reduced the intensity of the disease manifestations 3-fold and shortened the duration of the disease by 8-11 days. The survival rate was 80%-100%. Use of the combination of the two chemical drugs gave an additive effect. The synergistic effect was observed with FMK used in combination with lafarin.     

Cytokine gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia

Chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) is a disorder of the haematopoietic stem cell that results in malignant expansion of myeloid cells with a cytogenetic abnormality, and translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, known as the Philadelphia chromosome. It has been hypothesized that genetic factors other than histocompatibility disparity may play a role in predisposition to developing CML. In this regard, T helper types 1 and 2 (Th1 and Th2) cytokines and their gene polymorphism seem to be important. Overall expression and secretion of cytokines are dependent, at least in part, on genetic polymorphism (nucleotide variations) within the promoter region or other regulatory sequences of cytokine genes. The majority of polymorphisms described are single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). The objective of this study was to analyse the genetic profile of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in 30 Iranian patients with CML and 40 healthy subjects. In the patients and control subjects, the allelic and genotype frequencies were determined for the cytokine genes. All typing were performed with a polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) assay. Allele and genotype frequencies were calculated and compared with those of normal controls. The results showed that the most frequent genotypes in our patients were transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta TG/TG, interferon (IFN)-gamma AT, interleukin (IL)-4 CC at position -590, TT at position -33, and IL-10 ACC/ACC and ATA/ATA. In contrast, the genotypes TGF-beta CG/CG, IL-2 TT at position -330, IL-4 CT at position -590, CT at position -33, and IL-10 GCC/ACC were seen at much lower frequencies. The results suggest that production of TGF-beta in CML patients is higher and production of IL-4 and IL-10 is lower than in normal subjects.     

Indices of lymphocyte functional activity in patients with recurrent cutaneous-genital herpes during treatment with a herpes vaccine

The functional activity of lymphocytes of patients with severe forms of recurrent cutaneous-genital herpes was studied in the course of treatment with inactivated polyvalent herpes vaccine on the basis of lymphocyte blast-transformation response to polyclonal mitogens and herpes simplex virus antigen. In the group of patients who showed a marked therapeutic effect as a result of the treatment the initially high values of the antigen-dependent lymphocyte blast-transformation test declined and became normal. Thus, in some cases the herpes vaccine exerts an immunomodulating effect normalizing the functions of different lymphocyte subpopulations.     

Cytokine gene polymorphisms in Colombian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients exhibit alterations in cytokine production that may be relevant to SLE pathogenesis. There is evidence that cytokine gene polymorphisms control cytokine production; thus, these polymorphisms may be associated with SLE or its clinical manifestations. To establish the association of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor (TGF) beta1, interleukin (IL)-10, and IL-6 gene polymorphisms in Colombian SLE patients and their clinical manifestations, 120 SLE patients and 102 healthy controls were studied. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were studied by sequence-specific primers polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) at: TNFalpha-308 (G/A), TGFbeta1 codon 10 (C/T) and codon 25 (G/C), IL-10 -1082 (G/A), -819 (C/T) and -592 (C/A), and IL-6 + 174 (G/C). Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRbeta1 was typed by SSP-PCR. SLE patients had increased frequency of allele C at TGFbeta1 codon 25 (P = 0.0001, odds ratio (OR): 4.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.17-8.35) and allele A at TNFalpha-308 (P = 0.0004 OR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.65-5.80) compared with healthy controls. There was higher frequency of GC genotype at TGFbeta1 codon 25 in SLE patients (P < 0.0001). Extended genotypic analysis showed that SLE patients have decreased frequency of TNFalphaLow/TGFbeta1High (0.50) compared with healthy controls (0.80) (P < 0.0001). No association was found between these polymorphisms and SLE clinical manifestations except for Sm and Ro autoantibodies that were associated with TNFalpha allele A. There is an association between TNFalpha-308A/TGFbeta1 codon 25C with SLE susceptibility in Colombian population. This association may result in a highly inflammatory response with a decrease regulatory function mediated by TNFalpha and TGFbeta1, respectively. The TNFalpha-308A/TGFbeta1 25C genotype may be one component of genetic susceptibility to SLE in Colombian population.     

Relationship between iron status and recrudescent herpes labialis

A prospective study was undertaken to assess the relationship between recrudescent herpes labialis and host iron status. Forty-one patients with recrudescent herpes labialis, proven by herpes simplex virus isolation, were studied along with an equal number of age-and-sex matched control subjects. The iron status of patients and controls were assessed by haematine assay of ferritin. The iron (ferritin) level in patients with recrudescent herpes labialis was significantly (p<0.01) lower than in the control group. Only one patient was anaemic. Sideropenia appears to be a common finding in patients with recrudescent herpes labialis. The relationship between sideropenia and recrudescent herpes labialis requires further study as it may have implications for the management of the disease.     

Cytokine levels in patients with brucellosis and their relations with the treatment

PURPOSE: To determine the serum levels of proinflammatory and some of the Th1/Th2 cytokines in brucellosis and their alterations with treatment and outcome. METHODS: Twenty-eight acute and seven subacute brucellosis patients diagnosed clinically were included in the study. Twenty healthy volunteers were also included. Brucella standard tube agglutination tests and blood culture were conducted on all subjects. Cytokine levels of pre- and post-treatment period serum samples were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The mean serum levels of IL-6, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha were significantly higher in brucellosis patients compared to the control group ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between patient and control groups in terms of IL-1beta , TGF-beta 1, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-8 levels. There was a positive correlation between IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels with CRP levels. IL-6, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha levels measured after treatment were statistically significantly lower than pre-treatment values ( P < 0.001). No differences were found in the levels of these cytokines between acute and subacute patients' sera. IL-6, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha levels were higher in acute or subacute brucellosis patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although the levels of the cytokines were decreased significantly with effective and adequate treatment these alterations did not correlate with the extent or activity of the disease.     

Cytokine production by blood cells in herpes, hepatitis C, and other diseases

A new method for simultaneous evaluation of interferon and cytokine production by human blood cells is developed. Study of interferon and cytokine status helps evaluate the possibility of correction of the detected disorders by immunomodulating agents.