Human cathelicidin LL-37 - Does it influence the homeostatic imbalance in mental disorders?

In addition to killing pathogens and influencing immunological processes, cathelicidin LL-37 is a multifunctional host defense peptide with a role in homeostasis. It has been suggested that imbalances in homeostatic signaling from inflammatory/ immune, endocrine and metabolic cascades and oxidative stress may partially contribute to the pathogenesis of mental disorders. The purpose of the study was to identify any differences in LL-37 levels between patients with schizophrenia, euthymic bipolar disorder, bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, and healthy controls. Thirty-five patients with chronic paranoid schizophrenia, 40 patients with chronic, euthymic bipolar disorder, 30 patients with bacterial pneumonia, 32 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, and 38 healthy volunteers were included in this study. The patients with schizophrenia demonstrated a significantly lower level of LL-37 than those with bipolar disorder (p=0.006) and those with pulmonary TB (p less than 0.001). Significant differences in LL-37 levels were found between patients with bipolar disorder, bacterial pneumonia (p less than 0.001) and pulmonary TB (p=0.004). Our findings suggest that changes observed in the serum level of LL-37 in psychiatric patients enrolled in this study could be a result of homeostatic imbalance.

Serum concentrations of antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin LL-37 in patients with bacterial lung infections.

Nowadays, data indicate that antimicrobial peptides play an important role in immunological defense. Human cathelicidin LL-37 possesses a broad spectrum of antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and is thereby an important component of defense mechanisms within the respiratory tract. In this study, we determined the LL-37 serum level in patients with pneumonia caused by different bacteria species in comparison with healthy subjects. Twenty-two patients with pneumonia caused by coccal Gram-positive bacteria (I), 16 patients with pneumonia caused by Haemophilus influenzae (II), 29 patients with pneumonia caused by members of the Enterobacteriaceae (III), 13 patients caused by non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria (IV), and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum LL-37 concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mean LL-37 concentration in pneumonia patients was significantly higher in group I (p = 0.0032), group II (p = 0.0022), and group III (p = 0.019), and significantly lower in group IV (p = 0.000004) as compared with healthy volunteers. Our data suggest that LL-37 plays an important role in defense mechanisms during pneumonia. The reduced level of this peptide in subjects with pneumonia caused by opportunistic bacteria may reflect weakened immune system reactivity in these patients.

Circulating cathelicidin LL-37 in adult patients with pulmonary infectious diseases.

PURPOSE: The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin LL-37 plays a role in the immune response in the course of lung infections; however, the exact role of LL-37 in defense mechanisms against bacteria within the respiratory tract is has not been precisely described. The aim of our study was to evaluate LL-37 concentrations in the serum of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients, patients with pneumonia caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and to compare them with those of healthy subjects. METHODS: Thirty TB patients, 30 patients with pneumonia caused by Gram-positive bacteria, 30 patients with pneumonia caused by Gram-negative bacteria, and 30 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum LL-37 concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The mean (± SEM) LL-37 concentration in patients with TB (13.94±5.13 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in patients with Gram-positive bacteria-induced pneumonia (7.87±4.58 ng/mL, P=0.00077), in patients with Gram-negative bacteria-induced pneumonia (10.27±3.60 ng/mL, P=0.00730), and in control healthy subjects (1.75±0.71 ng/mL, P=0.00004). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that cathelicidin LL-37 is an important element of host defense in the course of bacterial diseases within the respiratory tract, particularly when the infection is caused by an intracellular pathogen.

Evaluation of detection and drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients in the Lódzkie voivodship in 2009-2013.

STUDY AIM: Evaluation of detection and drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients from the Lódzkie Voivodship in the period 2009 - 2013. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The data presented in the study include information obtained while diagnosing patients from the Lódzkie Voivodship in order to detect infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the period 2009-2013. RESULTS: In 2009-2013 we analyzed clinical specimens for the purpose of detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tubercle bacilli were confirmed in 5621 specimens in 2196 patients; positive bacterioscopy results were observed in 1724 clinical specimens. In the study period 18 clinical specimens obtained from children contained tubercle bacilli. In the period 2009-2013 we noted multi-drug resistant (MDR) strain in 41 clinical specimens, which made up 1.8% of strains with known results of drug-sensitivity. In 5 clinical specimens we observed extensively-drug resistant (XDR) strain, which made up 0.2% of strains with known results of drug-sensitiveness. 12 clinical specimens appeared to contain pre-XDR strain, which constituted 0.6% of strains with known results of drug-sensitivity. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS: Despite advances in the diagnostics and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) this diseases still poses a serious medical problem. The detection level in the period 2009-2013 is relatively unchanged, with regards to both bacterioscopy and culture methods. Thus, the laboratory detection of tuberculosis bacilli is similar. It directly results from the enforcement of strict procedures regarding the quality of specimens collected for microbiological purposes and the control of the performed tests, which contributes to a greater number of confirmed cases of TB. In the study period the number of new cases of the infectious diseases is variable. Only in children this number remains stable over the years. Researchers observe that tubercle bacilli are resistant to basic first-line treatment drugs. They also note the occurrence of MDR, pre-XDR and XDR strains. Hence, it is important to regularly and carefully monitor the sensitivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antibiotics administered in a long-term anti-tuberculosis therapy.

[Strains of Klebsiella isolated from patients Lódz hospitals in 2006 year]. / Paleczki z rodzaju Klebsiella izolowane od pacjentów Lódzkich szpitali w 2006 roku.

The aim of this study was to determine a susceptibility of 223 clinical strains Klebsiella to 11 antimicrobial agents and occurrence ESBL-positive strains. These strains were isolated from clinical specimens during 2006 year. Susceptibility of these strains against antimicrobial agents was determined with disc diffusion method according to CLSI recommendation. None of the analysed strains was resistant to imipenem. The Klebsiella pneumonie strains were most frequently isolated from respiratory tract.