Estimation of Serum Procalcitonin (ProCT/PCT) Levels in Periodontally Healthy Individuals and Chronic Periodontitis Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus - An Original Research.

Aim: The present study aimed to estimate the serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in periodontally healthy individuals and chronic periodontitis patients with Type II diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and Methods: Forty-five male subjects aged 25-60 years were enrolled in the study and grouped as Group I (healthy), Group II (chronic periodontitis), and Group III (chronic periodontitis with Type II DM). Clinical parameters (dental plaque scores, bleeding scores, probing pocket depth, and loss of attachment) and glycemic parameters (random blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin levels) were recorded. Serum procalcitonin levels were analyzed using Raybio® Human Procalcitonin Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay kit using the sandwich technique. All the data obtained were tabulated and analyzed using SYSTAT 12 statistical software. Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare the mean scores between the three study groups, and Spearman's ρ correlation coefficient was used to find out the association. Results: Serum procalcitonin levels were markedly increased in periodontitis group when compared to the healthy group. The mean serum levels of procalcitonin in Group I, Group II, and Group III were 22.52 pg/ml, 64.23 pg/ml, and 185.86 pg/ml, respectively. The variation in the procalcitonin levels was statistically significant at P < 0.001. Conclusion: The expression of procalcitonin in serum was increased to eightfold in the periodontitis group with diabetes in comparison to the healthy group, which shows that periodontal disease can cause the release of procalcitonin.

Envelope specific T cell responses & cytokine profiles in chikungunya patients hospitalized with different clinical presentations.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Since the 2006 massive outbreaks, chikungunya (CHIK) is a major public health concern in India. The aim of this study was to assess envelope specific immune responses in patients with chikungunya infection. METHODS: This study included 46 hospitalized patients with chikungunya virus infection (encephalitis, n=22, other systemic involvement, OSI, n=12, classical, n=12) and six controls from Ahmedabad city, Gujarat, India. T cell responses and the levels of Th1, pro/ anti-inflammatory cytokines against the CHIK virus envelope antigens were assessed by lymphocyte proliferation assay and by cytometric bead array in flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: Lymphoproliferative response was uniform among the patients. Comparisons of cytokines revealed significantly higher levels of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 in encephalitis, OSI and classical patients versus controls. The levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α were higher in classical patients categories compared to the controls. Interferon (IFN)-γ levels were lower in encephalitis patients versus control. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed recognition of T cell epitopes on the envelope region of chikungunya virus by all patient categories. Lower level of IFN-γ may be associated with the severity of disease in these patients.

Cytokine levels in Chandipura virus associated encephalopathy in children.

An association of Chandipura (CHP) virus with an explosive outbreak of encephalitis in children from India affecting 349 children with 55% mortality was recently reported. To understand the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of CHP infection, 14 paediatric encephalitis cases admitted to a tertiary care hospital and 5 age-matched apparently healthy control children were studied. At the time of sampling, post onset of disease was < or =2 d (Group A, n = 4) and >2 d (Group B, n = 10). Concentrations of IL-2, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in mitogen stimulated PBMC supernatants of patients and controls were assessed by ELISA. IL-2 levels in Group A and B were significantly higher compared with controls (28.4+/-21.9 vs <7.8, p=0.01, 269.4+/-311.0.vs <7.8, p = 0.01). IFN-gamma levels were significantly elevated in both the groups compared with controls (394.4+/-107.7 vs 13.9+/-20.9, p = 0.01, 339.5+/-244.9 vs 13.9+/-20.9, p = 0.01). TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in Group B compared with controls (573.1+/-472.5 vs 113.4.+/-148.3, p = 0.01, 486.2+/-145.7 vs 113.8+/-82.4, p = 0.003). Cytokine levels were not significantly different in Groups A and B.