Relationship between IL-18 and sICAM-1 serum levels in patients affected by coeliac disease: preliminary considerations.

OBJECTIVES: Cytokine production from activated T cells play a pathogenetic role in mucosal lesions of coeliac disease (CD). Active interleukin (IL)-18 is expressed in the small intestinal mucosa in CD but not in healthy controls. IL-18 enhances intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression. We analyzed IL-18 serum levels in CD patients before and after gluten-free diet and the possible correlation with soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) serum levels. METHODS: The study comprises ten CD patients before and after gluten free diet and ten healthy controls. Serum IL-18 and sICAM-1 levels were assayed by immunoenzymatic methods. RESULTS: Serum IL-18 and sICAM-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with CD before diet with respect to healthy controls (P<0.05), with a highly significant correlation between the two parameters (Rho=0.800, P=0.0167). Gluten free diet significantly reduces IL-18 and sICAM-1. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that IL-18 serum concentrations correlated with the clinical status of CD patients suggesting a role for this cytokine in the pathophysiology of this disease.

The prevalence of various arrhythmias in normotensive and hypertensive elderly patients.

The prevalence of the most frequent arrhythmias was studied in a geriatric day hospital. Patients older than 65 years have been considered, of them 118 were normotensive and 56 hypertensive subjects. Comparison of the two groups revealed no statistically significant difference either in the frequency of occurrence or in the type of arrhythmias. Dividing the hypertensive patients in the Lown's classes, only those of class 3 or over displayed a considerably higher frequency of arrhythmias than the normotensive subjects. The results demonstrate the age-dependent increase of the prevalence of arrhythmias in general, and the increased occurrence of complex ventricular types in the hypertensive subjects.