2022 Impact Factor: 1.5
2023 CiteScore: 2.6
pISSN: 1735-1502
eISSN: 1735-5249
Chairman:
Mostafa Moin, M.D.
Editors-in-Chief:
Masoud Movahedi, M.D.
Vol 13, No 5 (2014)
Articles
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The immunopathology of sarcoidosis remains elusive despite years of research into this multiorgan disease.However, recent studies have provided new insights into the genetics and immune components involved in the clinical manifestation of the disease.
Granulomatous inflammation is due to the host immune response to a persistent poorly degradable unknown antigen.Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the major disease driver in many patients.
The immune mechanisms that cause this disease start with the antigenic stimulus, followed by T-cell, macrophage and dendritic cell activation via a classic MHC II–mediated pathway.
In addition, the profile of immune mediators reported in sarcoidosis indicates that the inflammasome pathway plays a critical role in disease pathogenesis. Increased understanding of the signal ransductions pathways involved in the induction of inflammatory processes in sarcoidosis could give rise to new therapeutic approaches in future. -
We have previously shown the adjuvant activity of propranolol (PRP) (a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist) using a vaccine model for Salmonella typhimurium. In this study PRP was used as an adjuvant in combination with Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) whole blood stage (PWBS) antigens.
BALB/c mice were immunized three times with a 2-week interval, either PWBS vaccine alone or in combination with the adjuvant alum or propranolol. The control group received phosphate buffered saline. Evaluation of the cellular and humoral immunity was performed by measurement of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, lymphocyte proliferation, total IgG and IgG2a in the control and immunized groups. Furthermore, Clinical evaluations were carried out by analyze survival rate and parasitemia of the mice.
Our results showed that the mice immunized with propranolol induced higher levels of antibody, IFN-γ and TNF-α as well as stronger lymphocyte proliferative responses compared with other groups. This resulted in improved protective immunity against Plasmodium berghei.
Administration of the PRP as an adjuvant in combination with the PWBS Antigen vaccine can shift the immune responses to a T helper1 pattern and enhance the protective immunity. -
Increased arginase activity in the airways decreases L-arginine and causes deficiency of bronchodilating and anti-inflammatory nitric oxide (NO) in asthma. As, it is suggested that L-arginine may have therapeutic potential in asthma treatment, we aimed to investigate the effects of inhaled L-arginine on oxygen saturation (SaO₂) and airway histology in a murine model of acute asthma. Twenty eight BALB/c mice were divided into four groups; I, II, III and IV (control). All groups except the control were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. After establishement of acute asthma attack by metacholine administration, the mice were treated with inhaled L-arginine (Group I), saline (Group II) and budesonide (Group III), respectively. SaO₂was measured by pulse oximeter just before and 5 min after methacholine. A third measurement of SaO₂was also obtained 15 min after drug administration in these study groups. Inflammation in the lung tissues of the sacrificed animals were scored to determine the effects of the study drugs. The number of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was determined. The results indicated that inflammatory scores significantly improved in groups receiving study drugs when compared with placebo and L-arginine was similar in decreasing scores when compared with budesonide. SaO₂had a tendency to increase after L-arginine administration after acute asthma attack and this increase was statistically significant (p=0.043). Eosinophilia in BAL significantly reduced in group receiving L-arginine when compared with placebo (p<0.05). Thus in this study we demonstrated that L-arginine improved SaO₂and inflammatory scores in an acute model of asthma.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Nigella sativa (NS) fixed oil in comparison to dexamethasone (Dex) on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), peripheral blood eosinophils (PBE), allergen specific serum IgG1 and interleukins and airway inflammation in a murine model of allergic asthma.
Thirty-one mice were divided into four groups. Group I (n = 6) served as the control group. Group II (n = 10) mice were sensitized intraperitoneally and challenged intratracheally with cone albumin with no treatment. Group III(n = 6) mice were sensitized, challenged, and treated with Dex for 17 days starting at 24 hours after the first challenge. Group IV (n = 9) mice were sensitized, challenged, and treated with NS fixed oil for 17 days as well. For all groups, the following procedures were carried out: immunohistochemical study of iNOS in lung tissues, detection of PBE percentage, and histopathological examination of lung tissues for inflammatory cells.
Lung tissue iNOS expression increased in sensitized, non-treated mice compared with controls, but this increase was not significant. NS fixed oil treatment significantly reduced PBE and lung inflammation but did not significantly reduce lung tissue iNOS expression compared with the control group. These effects were comparable to the effects of Dex.
These results suggest that Nigella sativa exhibits immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effect which may be useful for treatment of allergic asthma. -
Dietary fatty acids play a critical role in modulation of airway inflammation in asthma. This study was conducted to compare dietary intakes of essential fatty acids and serum levels of inflammatory factors in asthmatic and healthy adults, and to examine the potential relationship between inflammatory markers and dietary fatty acids. In this case-control study, 47 asthmatic patients (26 males and 21 females) were compared with 47 controls (24 males and 23 females). Blood samples were taken from case and control groups and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), leptin and adiponectin were determined. Dietary intakes were assessed by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Dietary intakes of omega-3 fatty acids were significantly lower in asthmatic patients compared to controls (p<0.05). Serum concentrations of TNF-α, hs-CRP and leptin were significantly higher in asthmatic patients. There was a significant negative relationship between adiponectin levels and saturated fatty acid intakes in both groups, but the relationship between adiponectin and mono-unsaturated fatty acid intakes was positive and significant only in asthmatic group. No significant correlation between other inflammatory factors and dietary intakes was found in this study. Higher intake of omega-3 and lower levels of inflammatory factors in the healthy control group compared to asthmatic group may explain the protective role of essential fatty acids in asthma. Further studies with larger sample size are needed in this regard.
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This study aimed to identify the relationship between fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) level and potential factors in non-asthmatic children from Shanghai, China. From March to April 2012, the school-aged children fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited. The FeNO levels of non-asthmatic children were detected by the Nano Coulomb nitric oxide analyzer. Questionnaires were recorded, including personal data, family illness history and daily habits. In addition, not only the number of leukocytes and eosinophils but also the level of hemoglobin in peripheral blood, were measured via the automated blood cell analyzer. All data were statistically analyzed with SPSS version 17.0 software and the correlation of these potential factors with FeNO level was calculated via Kendall's rank correlation. A total of 132 healthy children (aging 6-13 years) were enrolled in Minhang District, Shanghai, China. The mean value of FeNO level was 15.05 ppb. The correlation analyses revealed that age (R=0.190, p=0.029) and eosinophil number (R=0.575, p=0.000) were significantly and positively correlated with FeNO levels. The FeNO levels of individuals aged 10-13 years was significantly higher than those of the individuals aged 6-9 years (22.65 ± 18.82 ppb vs. 15.28 ± 9.78 ppb, p<0.05). However, other potential factors were not significantly correlated with FeNO level. The FeNO levels in healthy school-aged children may reflect airway eosinophilic inflammation levels, and was affected by eosinophil count and age significantly.
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Asthma and allergic diseases present a major health burden. Information on the prevalence of these diseases indicates that these diseases are increasing in various parts of the world. It was hoped that this study would be helpful to health system policy-makers in planning allergy prevention programs in the region.The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases and relation between the various risk factors involved were assessed among schoolchildren in the city of Bushehr, Iran. The ISAAC Phase I and III questionnaires were completed by parents of 1280 children aged 6-7 years and self-completed by 1115 students aged 13-14 years.The prevalence of atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis and asthma among 6-7 year-old students were 12.1%, 11.8% and 6.7%, respectively. While, the prevalence of these diseases among 13-14 year-old students were found to be 19%, 30% and 7.6%, respectively. There was an association between asthma and allergic rhinitis as well as eczema (p<0.05). Consumption of fast food as a risk factor was significantly associated with asthma (p=0.03).The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases was high among schoolchildren in the city of Bushehr, Iran. Also an association was observed between the fast food consumption and asthma.
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Evidences indicate that angiogenesis is an important process in the development of destructive synovial tissue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recently, it has been shown that the polymorphism of the integrin-αv subunit encoded by the ITGAV gene plays a role in angiogenesis and is considered as RA susceptibility loci. This study investigated association of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ITGAV with disease activity score (DAS28), serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide(anti-CCP) antibody in 419 RA patients and 398 healthy individuals. Four SNPs in ITGAV gene (rs3911238, rs3738919, rs10174098 and rs3768777) were analyzed. Serum concentrations of anti-CCP antibody and CRP were measured by ELISA. We used the EULAR activity criteria to calculate DAS28-CRP. Among these SNPs, the ITGAV-rs3911238-G/C polymorphism was associated with RA disease activity [remission-to-low and moderate-to-high in codominant model (CC vs.GG: OR=1.53, p=0.041 and allele (C vs. G: OR=1.18, p=0.042)] and presence of anti-CCP (codominant CC vs.GG: OR=2.77, p=0.001, allele C vs. G: OR=1.19,p=0.033). The carriers of CC genotype ITGAV- rs3911238 had higher serum levels of CRP and anti-CCP antibody titer and higher ESR and disease activity score than carriers of GG and CG genotypes. Furthermore, haplotypes analysis showed that ITGAV rs3733891C/rs3768777T/rs3911238C/rs10174098A and ITGAV rs3733891A/rs3768777T/rs3911238G/rs10174098A haplotypes increased severity and anti-CCP antibody in RA patients (OR=5.54, p=0.049 and OR=2.89; p=0.024, respectively) in comparison with ITGAV rs3733891C/rs3768777T/rs3911238G/rs10174098A haplotypes. Thus, the present study demonstrated that the link between systemic inflammatory markers and the ITGAV-rs3911238 polymorphism allele in Iranian RA patients.
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HLA-G is a non-classical HLA class Ib molecule with limited protein variability generated by alternative splicing. HLA-G displays immunotolerant properties and hence plays important roles in the maintenance of a successful pregnancy and maternal tolerance of the semiallogenic fetus. Polymorphism of the HLA-G gene may potentially affect the biological properties of the protein, and a 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in exon 8 of the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of the HLA-G gene is thought to influence HLA-G expression.
To study the association of the 14-bp insertion/deletion (INDEL) polymorphism with the risk of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), we used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, and genotyped 85 women in the case group (women who have had two or more unexplained RSA) and 85 women in the control group (women who have had at least one normal pregnancy). Our results showed that the frequencies of the−14 bp/−14 bp and +14 bp/+14 bp genotypes were reduced in women with RSA, while that of the +14 bp/−14 bp genotype was significantly increased in RSA compared with the control group of normal fertile women; no significant differences in the allele frequencies of the HLA-G 14-bp polymorphism were observed.
These results suggest a possible significance of the HLA-G 14-bp INDEL polymorphism in the outcome of pregnancy. However, further studies on other polymorphic sites in the 3 UTR and 5′ UTR regions, as well as monitoring the serum HLA-G concentration are necessary in order to determine the potential implications of this marker in our population. -
The aim of current study is to describe clinical similarities and differences between atopic and non-atopic asthma in children. In a cross-sectional study, 95 asthmatic children (75 allergics and 20 nonallergics) were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, and familial history were compared between two groups. There was no significant differences between variables like sex, age of onset (p=0.75), severity (p=0.70), and family history among the two groups (p=0.42). Patients with allergic asthma were significantly older than those with non- allergic asthma (11.28 ± 3.19 and 9.75 ± 2.35 years, respectively, p=0.02). The controversy lingers over the presence of a completely distinct phenotype of non-atopic asthma in children. Our study suggested that phenotypes of allergic and non-allergic asthma in children were not entirely distinct.
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Progesterone hypersensitivity (PH) is a rare clinical condition that displays hypersensitivity to endogenous or exogenous progesterone. It is characterized by cyclic dermatologic manifestations at the end of the luteal phase that disappear some days after menses. We present a case of 24-year-old woman showing severe angioedema attacks occurring from the first day of her menstruation and continuing for 4-5 days and having positive progesterone intradermal test (IDT). To our knowledge, there is no case in the literature which is coupled with PH isolated angioedema attacks. In this case report we will discuss diagnostic value of progesterone IDT.
