Increased IL-17A but decreased IL-27 serum levels in patients with multiple sclerosis

Effector CD4[+] T cell subsets play an important role in Multiple Sclerosis [MS]. Interleukin-27 [IL-27] suppresses Th [Th1, Th2 and Th17] cells and dampens autoimmunity and tissue inflammation by promoting the generation of Type 1 regulatory T cells [Tr1]. To identify the relative levels of IL-27 and IL-17A in MS disease. In a case-control study, venous blood was collected from forty MS patients and forty-three healthy subjects as control group. Serum levels of IL-27 and IL- 17A were measured by ELISA method. A significant difference between serum IL-17A concentration in patients [120.68 +/- 209.85 pg/ml] and control group [67.26 +/- 117.76 pg/ml, p=0.016] was found. Serum IL-27 levels of the MS patients [159.7 +/- 581.4 pg/ml] were significantly lower than control subjects [180.35 +/- 507.84 pg/ml, p=0.001]. Our findings show decreased levels of IL-27 against increasing IL-17A levels in patients group which may suggest the suppressive role of IL-27 on inflammatory process of MS

Detection of H.pylori infection and cagA strains seropositivity in adult dyspeptic patients in east Azerbaijan, northwest of Iran

Helicobacter pylori [H.pylori] bacteria colonize human stomach mucosa and may establish acute or chronic gastric inflammation. Cytotoxic-associated gene A [cag A] is associated with higher grades of gastric inflammation and carcinoma. in the present study we determine cag A seropositive strain in dyspeptic patients with H. pylori infection. Six hundred adult dyspeptic patients examined for anti H. Pylori and anti-cag A antibodies by enzyme-linked immunoassay [ELISA] method. All cases resided in east Azarbijan in northwest of Iran and were enrolled in a 5-year period [2003-2008]. A total of 85.5% of dyspeptic patients were positive for H. pylori infection. Anti-cag A antibody was detected in 35.6% of patients with H. pylori infection. Screening of H.pylori infection by ELISA method revealed that the vast majority of [85.5%] dyspeptic patients are seropositive for H. pylori. Determining of photogenic strains of H. pylori by anti-cag A antibody could be diagnostic in severe gastric infections