Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are agents of innate and adaptive immunity, involved in tumor activation. The expression and functionality of TLR on leukemic cells have seldom been investigated. The aims of the study were to throw some light on the quantitative expression of TLR-7 and TLR-9 on leukemic cells and to compare it with their expression on mononuclear cells of healthy volunteers.
Abstract:The most reliable determination of severity and prognosis in chronic viral hepatitis is the histological staging of the disease, which comprises an invasive procedure and is often not well accepted by patients. The search for alternative non-invasive methods is mandatory especially in follow-ups after initial assessment by biopsy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in patients under interferon alpha therapy whether responsive or non-responsive to therapy. Thirty chronic hepatitis C patients (CHC) under combined therapy of interferon-α with ribavirin, whether responsive or non-responsive, were included in the study as well as ten healthy controls. Serum VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 levels were calculated using commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Before the therapy, sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 levels were significantly higher among CHC patients (96.9 ± 39.74 and 679.4 ± 218.98 ng/mL, respectively) than in the control group (14.3 ± 4.32 and 108.9 ± 49.21 ng/mL, respectively), (p < 0.05 for both). They were higher among non-responsive than in responsive patients. Comparisons in soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) levels of responsive persons during treatment revealed a statistically significant increase at baseline (81.27 ± 25.797) versus its value after one month (52.33 ± 12.76), p < 0.05 and after three months (49.67 ± 14.42), p < 0.05. However, no statistically significant difference was detected between one and three-month sICAM-1 levels post-therapy commencement (p = 0.055). Also, no statistically significant difference was detected between sVCAM-1 levels at baseline (521.47 ± 137.29) versus three months after therapy initiation (517.53 ± 130.6), p = 0.854. The occurrence of a significant decrease in sICAM-1 level as early as one month after therapy in responsive patients only allows us to conclude that sICAM-1 could be used as an early marker in CHC patients under interferon therapy to predict prognosis and guide the treatment, whereas sVCAM-1 does not present any difference between the studied groups.
Background: Hepatitis C virus is a hepatotropic and lymphotropic virus that has been associated with various diseases and syndromes. Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic disease of unknown etiology, marked by the continuous inflammation of hepatocytes and necrosis and has a tendency to advance to cirrhosis. Objective: A comparative study between cases of chronic HCV infection and AIH cases regarding different parameters including their genetic association with HLA class II alleles: DRB1*01* -DRB1*15* Methodology:The study included Eighty subjects, Group I: 30 chronic HCV, Group II: 30 AIH, Group III: 20 healthy controls. HLA Typing was performed using a line probe assay. Results: HLA DRB1 * 07, DRB1 * 11 were highly associated with HCV clinical cases. DRB1*3 and DRB1*5 were the predominant alleles in AIH (representing 66.7% and 53.3% respectively). Conclusion: Certain HLA alleles of class II could be linked to hepatitis cases (either caused by HCV or autoimmune) and can predict clinical course and outcome of the disease.
A total of 45 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 45 healthy individuals were subjected to chest examination, radiography and ELISA tests for IgA and IgG antibodies. Sputum smear and culture were performed for all tuberculous patients. Evaluated against clinical and radiological diagnosis, ELISA’s specificity exceeded 90% in detecting specific IgA and IgG antibodies. The parallel application of ELISA and microscopic examination of sputum yielded 80% sensitivity compared with clinical and radiological examination and 100% sensitivity compared with culture. ELISA alone can be used in ruling out pulmonary tuberculosis but not in diagnosing the disease. However, coupled with microscopic examination, it can be used instead of culture to provide positive diagnosis within 24 hours
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.