The Effect of Various Types of Basic Therapy on Laboratory and Immunological Parameters in Ankylosing Spondylitis

In this work examined the effect of various types of basic therapy on laboratory, including immunological parameters in ankylosing spondylitis. The influence of basic treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis with sulfasalazine, methotrexate and rituximab on laboratory indicators of the disease such as ESR, CRP, fibrinogen and immunological indicators such as IgM, IgG and IgA was evaluated. It has been established that all three basic drugs (sulfasalazine, methotrexate and rituximab) in ankylosing spondylitis have a positive effect on the dynamics of laboratory and immunological parameters. But at the same time, rituximab has a more pronounced and earlier effect.

Effect of Adhatoda vasica (Acanthaceae) on Antioxidant and Immunological Profile in Sheep

Background: A study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and immunological profile of methanolic extract of Adhatoda vasica leaves (AVE) in naturally infected sheep with gastrointestinal nematodes and compared with commonly used anthelmintic albendazole in sheep. Methods: Fifty four sheep found positive for gastrointestinal nematodes were divided into 3 equal groups, GI (infected-untreated: control), GII (infected- AVE treated) and GIII (infected- albendazole treated). Blood samples were drawn on 5th and 14th day after treatment for analysis of oxidative stress markers such as TBARS, TAC, SOD and catalase and immunological parameters such as total immunoglobulin, IgG and IL-10. Result: Helminthiasis in sheep cause a considerable oxidative stress. The anthelmintic activity of Adhatoda vasica surpassed the conventional synthetic drug albendazole in sheep in terms of oxidative and immunological changes in blood.

Heterogeneous Response of Airway Eosinophilia to Anti-IL-5 Biologics in Severe Asthma Patients

Many questions concerning responders (R) and nonresponders (NR) in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) after blocking the IL-5 (interleukin 5) pathway are still not clear, especially regarding the early parameters of response to biologics in personalized treatment strategies. We evaluated 17 SEA patients treated with anti-IL-5 biologics (16 patients mepolizumab, one patient benralizumab) before the introduction of biologics, and at a week 16 follow-up. Clinical, cellular and immunological parameters in peripheral blood were measured in R and NR. Sputum induction with the measurement of cellular and immunological parameters was performed at 16 weeks only. There were 12 R and 5 NR to biologics. After 16 weeks, there was a significant improvement in percentages of FEV1 (p = 0.001), and asthma control test (ACT) (p = 0.001) in the R group, but not in NR. After 16 weeks, the eosinophils in induced sputum were 27.0% in NR and 4.5% in R (p = 0.05), with no difference in IL-5 concentrations (p = 0.743). Peripheral eosinophilia decreased significantly in NR (p = 0.032) and R (p = 0.002). In patients with SEA on anti-IL-5 therapy, there was a marked difference in airway eosinophilic inflammation between R and NR already at 16 weeks, after anti-IL-5 introduction.

Changes in Immunological Parameters by Aging in Rural Healthy Indian Adults and their Associations with Sex and Lifestyle

Several factors including sex and lifestyle have been reported to contribute to age-related alteration of immune functions. The study was undertaken to determine age-related differences in the proportion of peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes in the Indian population using blood samples from 67 healthy adults (33 females and 34 males) aged between 20 and 80 years old. In the linear regression analysis to estimate the relationship with age categories, there was a significant increase in the frequency of natural killer cells with aging, while their cytolytic activity significantly declined. The frequency of CD4+ T cells increased with age whereas that of CD8+ T cells decreased, resulting in age-associated increase of CD4/CD8 ratio. The subsets of B cells did not show any significant relationship with age. Although there were variations between the male and female subgroups in effect size of aging, the trends were in the same direction in all the parameters. Reduced fat intake was associated with the lower frequency of CD4+ T cells, and higher serum cotinine level was associated with higher CD4/CD8 ratio. The results indicate that cellular immunity in the Indian population is affected with aging, while the humoral immunity is less susceptible to aging.

Disease characteristics and serological responses in patients with differing severity of COVID-19 infection: A longitudinal cohort study in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 ranges from asymptomatic to severe disease and can cause fatal and devastating outcome in many cases. In this study, we have compared the clinical, biochemical and immunological parameters across the different disease spectrum of COVID-19 in Bangladeshi patients. Methodology/Principal findings This longitudinal study was conducted in two COVID-19 hospitals and also around the community in Dhaka city in Bangladesh between November 2020 to March 2021. A total of 100 patients with COVID-19 infection were enrolled and classified into asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe cases (n = 25/group). In addition, thirty age and sex matched healthy participants were enrolled and 21 were analyzed as controls based on exclusion criteria. After enrollment (study day1), follow-up visits were conducted on day 7, 14 and 28 for the cases. Older age, male gender and co-morbid conditions were the risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease. Those with moderate and severe cases of infection had low lymphocyte counts, high neutrophil counts along with a higher neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at enrollment; this decreased to normal range within 42 days after the onset of symptom. At enrollment, D-dimer, CRP and ferritin levels were elevated among moderate and severe cases. The mild, moderate, and severe cases were seropositive for IgG antibody by day 14 after enrollment. Moderate and severe cases showed significantly higher IgM and IgG levels of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 compared to mild and asymptomatic cases. Conclusion/Significance We report on the clinical, biochemical, and hematological parameters associated with the different severity of COVID-19 infection. We also show different profile of antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 in relation to disease severity, especially in those with moderate and severe disease manifestations compared to the mild and asymptomatic infection.

Gene expression of inflammatory immune factors and clinical parameters in diabetes and nondiabetes patients with periodontal disease

Objective: This study evaluated clinical, glucose, and immunological parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) compared to those without systemic alterations (NDM), both with generalized chronic periodontitis. Methodology: Twenty-one patients were selected with indications of tooth loss. Surgeries were performed using the Widman flap modified to obtain a gingival collar at 1 mm from the gingival margin. Before the surgical procedure, the following clinical parameters were evaluated: pocket probing depth (PPD), gingival recession (GR), clinical attachment level (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP). Fasting glucose levels (FGL) and glycosylated hemoglobin Hba1c (HbA1c) were also assessed. During the surgery, gingival tissue samples were collected and frozen for later laboratorial analysis. The samples were processed to obtain mRNA, cDNA and determine the gene expression of the immune parameters IL-1-β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10 and NF-kB by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were analyzed statistically considering p<0.05. Results: The clinical and glucose parameters BOP, FGL, and HbA1c were statistically higher in the DM group. RNAm levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and NF-kB were higher in the DM group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The presence of diabetes and hyperglycemic status increase the levels of pro-inflammatory immune factors and severity of the periodontal disease.

Some Clinical and Inflammatory Aspects of Trichomonas vaginalis Infection among Women with Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases

Infection with Trichomonas vaginalis and its relation to some diseases have lately had much attention. The objective of this study was to assess the infection rate of T. vaginalis and its relation to pelvic inflammatory diseases, infertility, and vaginosis. The study also assessed some demographic, clinical, and immunological parameters in women infected with T. vaginalis. The study included 160 non-pregnant married women who attended some private clinics and public hospitals in Baghdad from October 2020 to February 2021. All participants had symptoms of vaginal discharge only or vaginal discharge with lower abdominal pain. The participants were divided into an infertility group (n = 61) and fertility group (n = 99). The participants were also divided into Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) group (n=41) and non-PID group (n=119). All participants underwent vaginal examination. Vaginal swabs were taken from all participants for T. vaginalis, bacteria, yeast, clue cell, pH, and vaginal leukocyte examinations. Sera were also taken to measure both IL-1α and IL-8 using sandwich ELISA technique to compare them with apparently healthy control subjects who had no vaginal discharge. The study revealed that the total infection rate of T. vaginalis was 14.37%. The results showed no significant relations between T. vaginalis positive status and each of age, infertility, vaginosis, contraceptive use, and high BMI. While a significant relation (P=0.03) was noticed between T. vaginalis positive status and PID. Women with PID exhibited a higher infection rate with T. vaginalis (24.39%) versus non PID women (10.92%). High clue cells number was not significantly related to T. vaginalis positive status, only if both PID and vaginosis were considered in the statistical analysis. In addition, high leukocytes count was not related to T. vaginalis positive status. While abnormal vaginal pH was significantly (P=0.01) related to T. vaginalis positive status. Finally, the levels of both IL-1α and IL-8 were noticed to be declined in women who had T. vaginalis infection, although they were not declined significantly. This study gives an insight about some clinical aspects of T. vaginalis infection among PID women. T. vaginalis is highly predictable in women with PID. Consequently, attention and more investigation would be needed on this topic in Iraq.

Vulnerability to Meningococcal Disease in Immunodeficiency Due to a Novel Pathogenic Missense Variant in NFKB1

NF-κB1 deficiency is suggested to be the most common cause of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). NFKB1 encodes for the p105 precursor protein of NF-κB1, which is converted into the active transcriptional subunit p50 through proteasomal processing of its C-terminal half upon stimulation and is implicated in the canonical NF-kB pathway. Rare monoallelic NFKB1 variants have been shown to cause (haplo) insufficiency. Our report describes a novel NFKB1 missense variant (c.691C&gt;T, p.R230C; allele frequency 0.00004953) in a family vulnerable to meningitis, sepsis, and late-onset hypogammaglobulinemia. We investigated the pathogenic relevance of this variant by lymphocyte stimulation, immunophenotyping, overexpression study and immunoblotting. The ectopic expression of p50 for c.691 C&gt;T restricted transcriptionally active p50 in the cytoplasm, and immunoblotting revealed reduced p105/50 expression. This study shows that the deleterious missense variant in NFKB1 adversely affects the transcriptional and translational activity of NFκB1, impairing its function. Patients immunological parameters show a progressive course of hypogammaglobulinemia, which may partially account for the incomplete disease penetrance and suggest the need for closer immunological monitoring of those mutation carriers.