Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms in rheumatoid arthritis and Felty's syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether promoter polymorphisms associated with variation in interleukin-10 (IL-10) production are relevant to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or Felty's syndrome (FS). METHODS: DNA was obtained from 44 FS patients, 117 RA patients and 295 controls. The promoter region between -533 and - 1120 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and polymorphisms detected by restriction enzyme digest or sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing. RESULTS: We found no significant difference in allele or haplotype frequencies between the groups. CONCLUSION: There is no association between FS or RA and these recently identified IL-10 promoter polymorphisms. Other genetic or environmental factors could explain the alterations in IL-10 levels seen in these conditions.      

Search for an optimal therapy of patients with atrial fibrillation (results of many years of comparison of three treatment strategies).

Patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation (n=465, mean age 59.4+/-3.8 years) received controlled therapy for 7.4+/-1.6 years. Group 1 comprised 306 patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation who after restoration of sinus rhythm received antiarrhythmic therapy aimed at prevention of recurrences and repetitive cardioversions. Group 2 consisted of 67 similar patients who did not receive continuous antiarrhythmic therapy. Therapy of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (group 3, n=92) included heart rate slowing drugs and anticoagulants. Group 1 was characterized by lowest rate of complications and all cause mortality, and best quality of life. There were more nonfatal strokes in group 2. All cause mortality in group 2 was 15% (p<0.05). Highest rate of nonfatal strokes, and deaths due to chronic heart failure was observed in group 3. All cause mortality in this group was 22.8% (p<0.001 vs group 1).     

Atherosclerosis of abdominal aorta and carotid arteries and its correlation with blood serum lipid levels in cholelithiasis

AIM: To elucidate relationship between cholelithiasis and presence and severity of atherosclerosis in abdominal aorta and carotid arteries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ultrasound investigation of vessels and abdominal organs, determination of blood serum total, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were carried out in 147 patients with and 167 without (controls) cholelithiasis (mean age 44.2+/-3.1 and 45+/-2.8 years, respectively). RESULTS: Among patients with cholelithiasis 73.2 and 67.6% had atherosclerosis of abdominal aorta and carotid arteries, respectively. This was significantly more than in controls. Compared with controls atherosclerosis of these vessels in all age groups was significantly more pronounced in patients with cholelithiasis. Moreover severity of atherosclerosis was directly related to duration and activity of cholelithiasis. Atherosclerosis of abdominal aorta and carotids was most pronounced in patients with cholelithiasis and concomitant hypertension, ischemic heart disease and obesity. Significant direct correlations were found between blood serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and thickness of abdominal aortic wall and carotid artery intima media complex. CONCLUSION: The results evidence for the existence of association between cholelithiasis and presence and severity of atherosclerosis of abdominal aorta and carotid arteries.     

MHV68 Latency Modulates the Host Immune Response to Influenza A Virus

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) is a natural rodent pathogen that has been used as a model to study the pathogenesis of human gammaherpesviruses. Like other herpesviruses, MHV68 causes acute infection and establishes life-long latency in the host. Recently, it has been shown that mice latently infected with MHV68 have resistance to unrelated pathogens in secondary infection models. We therefore hypothesized that latent MHV68 infection could modulate the host response to influenza A virus. To test this hypothesis, mice were infected intranasally with influenza virus following the establishment of MHV68 latency. Mice latently infected with MHV68 showed significantly higher survival to influenza A virus infection than did PBS mock-infected mice. Latent MHV68 infection led to lower influenza viral loads and decreased inflammatory pathology in the lungs. Alveolar macrophages of mice latently infected with MHV68 showed activated status, and adoptive transfer of those activated macrophages into mice followed the infection with influenza A virus had significantly greater survival rates than control mice, suggesting that activated alveolar macrophages are a key mechanistic component in protection from secondary infections.     

Pathology of the endometrium in women with chronic hepatitis C and HIV infection as a cause of unsuccessful in vitro fertilization attempts

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the study is to detect endometrial pathology in individuals with blood-borne infections (hepatitis C virus [HCV] and HIV) and to assess the impact of quality of the endometrium on the efficiency of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

Materials and methods of research: The study involved 56 women of reproductive age, 33 women with HCV, 22 with HIV infection (stages 3 and 4A) and 1 patient with co-infection of HCV and HIV, which was excluded from the further study. Ultrasound investigation of the small pelvic organs, hysteroscopy with biopsy of the mucosa of the uterine cavity, histological examination of the endometrium, determination of HCV RNA and HIV RNA in serum and endometrial tissue by PCR method were conducted.

Results: Ultrasound and histological studies of the endometrium revealed a high incidence of development of hyperplastic and inflammatory processes of the endometrium in women with HCV (86% and 100%) and HIV (51% and 99%). When molecular biological examination of endometrial tissue of these patients was performed with the use of a set of reagents “AmpliSens HCV/HBV/HIV-FL” produced by Federal Budgetary Institution of Science (FBUN) Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor of Russia, HCV was detected in 16.7% and HIV in 14.3% of cases. In 5% of patients with HCV infection and 7% with HIV, pathogens were detected in the endometrium under the non-detectable viral load in the blood plasma. Lower effectiveness of IVF in women with HIV and HCV is defined compared to the women without blood-borne infections.

Conclusion: Detected HIV and HCV replications in the endometrium is the likely cause of hyperplastic and inflammatory processes of the endometrium leading to reduced efficiency of the ART programs in patients with chronic hepatitis C and HIV.