Serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with different clinical subtypes of oral lichen planus

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease with a poorly understood etiology. The role of angiogenesis in the development of different chronic inflammatory diseases is of great concern. Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] is an important regulator of angiogenesis. We aimed to evaluate the serum level of VEGF in patients with oral lichen planus compared with normal individuals and consider its clinical significance. In this case-control study, 36 serum samples from patients diagnosed with oral lichen planus admitted to the Oral Medicine Department of the School of Dentistry at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences [14 men, 22 women, mean [ +/- SD] age: 38.8 [ +/- 6.07] years] and 23 serum samples from healthy individuals [9 men, 14 women, mean [ +/- SD] age: 38.7 [ +/- 4.9] years] were collected. VEGF concentration was measured using the ELISA method. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. The serum VEGF level was significantly higher in patients with oral lichen planus compared with the healthy controls [112.97 [ +/- 63.2] vs. 66.21 [ +/- 56.2] ngr/ml, P < 0.001]. A similar difference was also observed between the two types of oral lichen planus, being more pronounced in the erosive form [P < 0.001]. Serum VEGF can be used as a useful and suitable marker to scrutinize the disease activity

Th1 and th2 cytokine profiles in malignant pleural effusion

The alteration of Thl and Th2 cytokine levels is the subject of controversy in pleural effusions caused by malignancy, a situation that favors a Th2 immune response. To examine the different levels of IL-4 and IL-10 [Th2 cytokines], and IL-2 and interferon-y [IFN-gamma] [Thl cytokines] in malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions. The cytokine levels in pleural fluid of 62 patients with malignant pleural effusion [44 with lung cancer and 18 with extrathoracic tumors], 8 with tuberculous and 8 with congestive heart failure pleural effusion were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. IL-2 was below the detectable concentration of the assay. A significant decrease in IFN-gamma level was observed in malignant but not in congestive heart failure cases compared to tuberculous cases. IL-10 levels were higher in malignant and tuberculous pleural effusions than in congestive heart failure pleural effusions, however, this difference did not reach the significant level. IL-4 levels were also increased non-significantly in lung cancer pleural effusions compared to the other groups. Our results show a wide variation in IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-gamma levels in malignant pleural effusions, a pattern which was not convincing enough to differentiate the cause of effusion

Serum HER2 level in epithelial ovarian cancer

The proto-oncogene HER2 plays a key role in the control of cellular proliferation. Its overexpression has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis in cancer, particularly in breast cancer. In the present study, serum HER2 levels were investigated in patients diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. Serum HER2 levels were detected by an ELISA commercial kit in 51 patients and 33 healthy individuals. The mean serum HER2 level was found to be significantly higher in patients than healthy controls [P=0.005]. In 29% of patients, serum HER2 levels were higher than the cut-off value. HER2 serum level was not associated with tumor stage at diagnosis. Elevation of HER2 in a high proportion of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer further strengthens the importance of this molecule in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer

High concentration of serum soluble fas in patients with head and neck carcinoma: a comparative study before and after surgical removal of tumor

Alternative splicing of the Fas transcript can produce a natural secreted isoform of this molecule. Some cancer cells can also produce soluble Fas [sFas] which may have suppressive effects on the immune system's anti-tumor response. Elevated concentrations of sFas have been detected in the sera of patients with different malignancies. The concentrations of sFas in sera of patients with head and neck carcinoma [HNC, n=98] and healthy individuals [n=30] were measured by Sandwich ELISA and compared to values obtained six months after surgical removal of the tumor [n=48]. Data were correlated with different clinical findings of the patients. sFas concentrations in the sera of HNC patients were found to be significantly higher in patients with different tumor stages. sFas concentration did not correlate with age or tumor invasiveness, however a higher concentration of sFas was found in the sera of patients who had higher tumor grades. Surgical removal of tumors in patients resulted in a substantial decrease in sFas concentration. The initial rise in sFas concentration in the sera of HNC patients and its consequent decrease could be regarded as a sign of tumor suppressive mechanisms. Additional studies are needed to fully elucidate this mechanism however these findings might show the prospective use of such biomarkers to determine disease prognosis and even immunotherapeutic applications

Lack of association between ctla-4 A49G polymorphism and vitiligo

Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder that selectively destroys melanocytes in epidermis with an unknown etiology. To investigate the exon 1 A49G polymorphism of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 [ctla-4] gene in vitiligo patients. The A49G polymorphism was detected by Po-lymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism [PCR-RFLP] method in 101 patients and 208 normal healthy age/ethnicity matched individuals. The frequencies of heterozygote genotypes in patients and controls were found to be 42 [41.6%] of 101 and 85 [40.9%] of 208, respectively. The frequencies of homozygote A and G genotypes were 49 [48.5%] and 10 [9.9%] in 101 patients, whereas, these frequencies in 208 control individuals were 103 [49.5%] and 20 [9.6%], respectively. There was no significant difference between the genotype [P = 0.98] and allele [P = 0.86] frequencies of A49G polymorphism in patients and normal healthy individuals. Our results indicate that in contrast to several immune mediated disorders, there is no asso-ciation between ctla-4 A49G gene polymorphism and vitiligo