Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; blood ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; blood ; Interleukin-13 ; blood ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male

OBJECTIVEThis study examined the changes of serum levels of interleukin (IL)-16, IL-18 and immunoglobulins and the correlation of serum IL-16, IL-18 levels and immunoglobulins in children with asthma and aimed to explore the role of IL-16, IL-18 and immunoglobulins in the pathogenesis of asthma.

METHODSThirty-four children with asthma and 21 age and gender-matched healthy children were enrolled in this study. The levels of IL-16, IL-18 and immunoglobulin E (IgE) were determined using ELISA. Immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were detected by immunoturbidimetry.

RESULTSThe levels of IL-16, IL-18 and IgE in patients with asthma at both acute attack and convalescence stages were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. An increased IgG and a decreased IgA levels were found in asthmatic patients at the acute attack stage. There was a positive correlation between the IL-16 and IL-18 levels at both acute attack and convalescence stages of asthma (r=0.70, P < 0.01; r=0.70, P < 0.05). The IL-16 level correlated positively with the IgE level at acute attack stage of asthma (r=0.624, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSIL-16, IL-18 and IgE may be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The immunologic imbalance exists in children with asthma at both acute attack and convalescence stages. Anti-allergic therapy should be administered through the acute attack to the convalescence stages of asthma.

Adolescent ; Asthma ; etiology ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; blood ; Interleukin-16 ; blood ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male

OBJECTIVETo study the role of interleukin(IL)18 and interferon gamma (IFN-Gamma) in the pathogenesis of condyloma acuminatum(CA).

METHODSDouble antibody sandwich ELISA was used to measure the levels of IL-18 and IFN-Gamma in serum of 30 cases of CA.

RESULTThe serum levels of IL-18 and IFN-Gamma of the CA patients were significantly higher than those of normal controls IL-18 132.00 +/-52.92 microg/L compared with 50.79 +/- 23.48 microg/L, P<0.01 IFN-Gamma:80.83 +/-20.46 microg/L compared with 20.71 +/-11.18 microg/L P <0.01) and IL-18 levels were positively correlated with IFN-Gamma concentrations (r=0.754, t=6.081, P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONThese data suggest that during infection of human papilloma viruses, anti-infective immune responses are activated.

Adult ; Condylomata Acuminata ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

Adult ; Ascitic Fluid ; metabolism ; Endometriosis ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; analysis ; blood ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVEThe study examined the changes of serum caspase-3 and IL-8 levels following selective head cooling with mild hypothermia (SHC) treatment in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in order to explore the mechanism of neuroprotection of SHC against HIE.

METHODSThirty-three neonates with moderate or severe HIE were randomly assigned to two groups: SHC treatment (n=16) and conventional treatment (n=17). Serum levels of caspase-3 and IL-18 were measured using ELISA before treatment and 24 hrs, 48 hrs, 72 hrs and 5 days after treatment.

RESULTSSerum caspase-3 levels in the SHC group decreased 24 and 48 hrs after treatment (3.8±1.9 and 2.6±1.2 ng/mL, respectively) compared with 6.1±2.3 ng/mL at 24 hrs and 7.2±3.1 ng/mL at 48 hrs in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). Serum IL-18 levels in the SHC group decreased 24 hrs, 48 hrs and 72 hrs after treatment (119±30, 76±33 and 71±40 ng/mL, respectively) compared with those in the conventional treatment group (138±28 ng/mL at 24 hrs, 156±60 ng/mL at 48 hrs and 182±54 ng/mL at 72 hrs; P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSHC treatment can inhibit the release of caspase-3 and the expression of IL-18 in neonates with moderate or severe HIE. This may contribute to the neuroprotection of SHC against HIE.

Caspase 3 ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; blood ; therapy ; Infant, Newborn ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Endotoxins ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy of Huangqi Fuzheng Decoction (HQFZD) in treating recurrent genital herpes (RGH) and its influence on related cytokines in peripheral blood.

METHODSEighty-four patients with RGH were randomly assigned to 3 groups, the treated group treated with HQFZD (31 cases), the control group A (25 cases) treated with Aciclovir, and the control group B (28 cases) treated with Aciclovir plus interferon. The course of treatment was 3 weeks for all. The relapse rate was estimated at 6 months after treatment, and levels of IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and IL-18 in all patients were detected before and after treatment using double-sandwich ELISA.

RESULTSAll patients were cured after treatment. The relapse rate in the treated group and the control group B was lower than that in the control group A (P < 0.01) but insignificant difference was shown between the former two groups. Before treatment, patients' serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly higher while those of IL-12 and IL-18 were lower than the normal range (P < 0.01). The abnormal change aforementioned reversed after treatment in the treated group and the control group B (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), showing a superior effect to that in the control group A (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONHQFZD can reduce the relapse rate of RGH without obvious adverse reaction, and it could also enhance the immunity of the patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cytokines ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Herpes Genitalis ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-12 ; blood ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Recurrence ; Young Adult

Acetylcysteine ; pharmacology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; blood ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Biomarkers ; Concanavalin A ; toxicity ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; blood

OBJECTIVETo observe the relationship between variation of IL-2, IL-4, IL-18 and IP10 mRNA expressions in peripheral blood and the occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), and investigate whether some cytokines combined expression profiles could improve the diagnostic accuracy of aGVHD.

METHODSA total of 58 patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) were enrolled for the study. Peripheral blood samples were collected at different time points after transplantation. The mRNA expression levels of 4 kinds of cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-18, IP10) were measured by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR). The relationship between mRNA expression level and the occurrence of aGVHD was analyzed with clinical features.

RESULTSThe expression levels of IL-2 and IL-18 at the onset of aGVHD were much higher than those after engraftment, being 2.69-fold and 3.12-fold increase, respectively (P = 0.000 & P = 0.000). The expressions of IL-2 and IL-18 mRNAs were slightly increased in patients with infection, but not statistically significant (P = 0.208 & P = 0.123). There was a slight but not statistically significant decrease of IL-4 and IP10 mRNA expressions at the onset of aGVHD (P = 0.230 & P = 0.325). Either IL-2 or IL-18 expression level could diagnose aGVHD as an independent factor (P = 0.000 & P = 0.000). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the main factors related to aGVHD were IL-2, IL-18 and IL-4 (β = 1.13, P = 0.068 & β = 1.339, P = 0.047 & β = -0.600, P = 0.008 respectively). A composite panel of these three cytokines produced a better model for the diagnosis of aGVHD (AUC: 0.862, 95%CI: 0.768 - 0.957, P = 0.000), and the sensitivity and specificity were 75.0% & 83.3% respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe diagnosis of aGVHD can be optimized with a composite cytokines panel.

Cytokines ; blood ; Graft vs Host Disease ; diagnosis ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; RNA, Messenger