Meteorin-like (Metrnl) is a newly discovered adipokine with favorable effect on insulin sensitivity. Previous studies have reported lower levels of Metrnl in obese patients. However, there is conflicting data regarding its circulating levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and there is no data in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Metrnl serum level in patients with T2DM and CAD, and also to evaluate the serum levels of Metrnl with serum levels of adiponectin, IL-6 and TNF-α in patients. This study was conducted on 66 patients with CAD, 63 T2DM patients and 41 controls. The serum levels of Metrnl, adiponectin, IL-6 and TNF-α were measured using ELISA techniques. The serum levels of Metrnl were found to be lower in CAD (75.18 ± 28.48 pg/mL) and T2DM patients (73.89 ± 33.60 pg/mL) compared to the control group (95.33 ± 32.56 pg/mL) (p < 0.005 and p<0.003, respectively). Additionally, adiponectin decreased in CAD and T2DM patients as compared to the control group, while IL-6 and TNF-α were higher in CAD and T2DM patients. Metrnl showed independent association with the risk of CAD and T2DM presence. Furthermore, Metrnl illustrated a negative correlation with IL-6 and TNF-α in both CAD patients and also with BMI, insulin resistance, IL-6 and TNF-α in T2DM patients. Metrnl showed an association with CAD and T2DM presence and with components of their pathogenesis such as inflammation and insulin resistance. These results suggested a possible interaction between Metrnl and the pathogenesis of CAD and T2DM, however more studies are needed to prove this concept.

Hypersensitivity and autoimmunity are the main features of immune system-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), multiple sclerosis (MS), and asthma. It has been established that chemokines play key roles in the activation and regulation of immune cell migration which is important in the pathogenesis of the diseases mentioned. CC chemokines receptor 5 or CCR5 is a receptor for RANTES, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β and is expressed by several immune cells including NK cells, T lymphocytes, and macrophages. It plays key roles in the regulation of migration and activation of the immune cells during immune responses against microbe and self-antigens during autoimmunity and hypersensitivity disorders. Therefore, any alteration in the sequence of CCR5 gene or in its expression could be associated with immune system-related diseases. Previous studies revealed that a 32-base pair deletion (Δ 32) in exon 1 of the CCR5 gene led to downregulation of the gene. Previous studies demonstrated that not only CCR5 expression was altered in autoimmune and hypersensitivity disorders, but also that the mutation is associated with the diseases. This review addresses the recent information regarding the association of the CCR5 Δ 32 mutation in immune-related diseases including T2D with and without nephropathy, MS, and asthma. Based on the collected data, it seems that the CCR5 Δ 32 mutation can be considered as a risk factor for MS, but not asthma and T2D with and without nephropathy.

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Background and aims AIM2 is a component of inflammasomes which can activate caspase-1 via an adaptor protein (ASC) after pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) or danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) recognition. Activation of caspase-1 is a trigger for the induction of IL-1 and IL-18 which are important pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, IL-1β, which can regulate inflammatory responses, has also been associated with depression. Previous studies revealed that patients suffering from depression may also have altered immune responses, but the mechanisms underlying this correlation are unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the mRNA levels of AIM2 and ASC in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from Iranian medical students suffering from depression. Materials and methods The participants used for the study included 38 Iranian medical students diagnosed with depression and 43 non-depressed students as a control group. The mRNA levels of AIM2 and ASC were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using β-actin as a housekeeping gene for the normalization of expression. Results The results showed that mRNA levels of AIM2 were similar in both groups. However, ASC levels were significantly increased in PBMCs isolated from individuals with elevated depressive symptoms when compared to non-depressed participants. Conclusions Based on the current results, it appears that ASC transcript expression may be a surrogate marker for depression and may represent a link between depression and the altered immune responses observed in these categories of individuals with elevated depressive symptoms.

Cytokines are the main factors involved in the normal functions of the placenta and delivery process. The aim of this project was to compare serum levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8), IL-6, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in term and prolonged-pregnancy mothers and their neonates. This study was performed on 240 participants including 60 term and prolonged-pregnancy neonates and their corresponding mothers. Serum levels of IL-8, IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-β were evaluated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The results revealed that IL-8 serum levels were significantly lower in the prolonged-pregnancy mothers and their neonates when compared with term mothers and their neonates. Data analysis also revealed a negative correlation between TGF-β and age of prolonged-pregnancy mothers. A poor positive correlation between IL-6 and head circumference of term neonates was also observed. IL-8 may play crucial roles in the process of on-time delivery and age may significantly affect TGF-β production in prolonged-pregnancy mothers. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, can also be considered as main factors involved in fetal growth.

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Colon cancer is one the most common diagnosed cancers in America and Europe. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in colon cancer is associated with proliferation of the tumor cells and suppression of immune responses. STAT3 activation upregulates the transcription of many suppressor genes, including programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1). This study was aimed to investigate the effect of STAT3 inhibition in a colon cancer cell line, HCT‐15, and particularly in presence of samples obtained from the patients suffering from colon cancer. In this project, the expression of PD‐L1 and apoptosis‐related proteins were assessed following STAT3 inhibition, using FLLL32, in HCT‐15 cells. To evaluate the effects of STAT3 inhibition on immune response, lymphocytes from 20 men with Stage III colon cancer and 20 healthy donors were cocultured with HCT‐15 cells in presence or absence of STAT3 inhibitor. Then, T regulatory (T‐reg) cell evaluation and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) were performed using flowcytometry to assess the T‐reg and T helper (Th) subset cytokines following STAT3 inhibition. STAT3 inhibition suppressed PD‐L1 expression and induced apoptosis in HCT‐15 cells. The population of T‐reg cells in patients with colon cancer significantly decreased after treatment with STAT3 inhibitor. ICS revealed that STAT3 inhibition promotes Th1 protective immune responses. These findings suggest that STAT3 inhibition through either induction of apoptosis in the colon cancer cells and/or activation of efficient immune responses can lead to overcome cancer‐induced immune tolerance.

Previous investigations demonstrated that immune responses play critical roles in the defense against visceral leishmaniasis (VL). A key regulator of immune responses is the cytokine, IL-10 and polymorphisms within its promoter which could alter its expression. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the correlation between polymorphism at the -819 position of the IL-10 gene and VL in a selected Iranian population. This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 patients with clinical presentation of VL and seropositive for the leishmania (group 1), 62 patients without clinical presentation but seropositive (group 2), and 128 healthy controls (group 3). The IL-10 -819 polymorphism was evaluated using the PCR-RFLP technique. The anti-leishmania antibody titration was assessed using an immunofluorescence assay. Our results showed that the polymorphism at IL-10 -819 (C/T) position was significantly associated with VL, and C/T genotype was significantly higher in VL patients when compared to groups 2 and 3 (p < 0.001). However, the results demonstrated that the C and T alleles were not associated with VL (p = 0.855). The data presented here confirm the results of previous reports that polymorphisms at the -819 position of the IL-10 gene can influence susceptibility to VL suggesting that the C/T genotype may be considered as a risk factor for the disease.