Peripheral blood dendritic cells in alcoholic and autoimmune liver disorders.

Little is known about effects of alcohol consumption on dendritic cell (DC) function and resultant immune response. However, quantitative and qualitative disturbances of DCs are speculated to be involved in alcohol-related as well as in other liver pathology. The present study aimed to evaluate changes in circulating DC subsets in alcoholic liver disease (N = 43), autoimmune hepatitis (N = 26) and primary biliary cirrhosis (N = 20). DCs isolated from the peripheral blood of recruited participants were stained with monoclonal antibodies against blood dendritic cell antigens (BDCAs) and estimated using the flow cytometry. Myeloid DCs were defined as BDCA-1(+)/CD19(-) cells, and lymphoid DCs as BDCA-2(+)/CD123(+) cells. Total numbers of circulating DCs in subjects with some liver diseases were markedly lower than in the healthy participants (p = 0.03). There was a significantly lower percentage of circulating BDCA-2(+)/CD123(+) (p = 0.02), and a tendency for the percentage of circulating BDCA-1(+)/CD19(-) cells to decrease in patients with liver diseases compared to the controls (p = 0.09). These results may suggest that decreased numbers of DCs may be responsible for reduced adaptive immune responses and increased susceptibility to infections and cancer development observed in patients exposed to alcohol. Moreover, numerical abnormalities of DCs may contribute to the breakdown of self-tolerance, a feature of autoimmune diseases.

Studies on goiter occurrence and iodine deficiency in Lublin Upland (Lublin coordinating center).

Questionnaire, clinical, ultrasonographic and biochemical studies (determination of urinary iodine concentration) have been carried out in 1686 children of age between 7 and 13 years living in the Lublin Upland region. The presence of goiter was found in 368 children (21.8%). A gradual increase in the incidence of goiter with age of children was observed. Ultrasonographic examinations carried out in children with goiter and in those without goiter detectable by physical examination revealed considerable variation in the volume of the thyroid there was an increase in the thyroid volume with age both in rural and urban children. The values of urinary iodine concentration were lowered; mean value in children without goiter was 56.8 micrograms/l, and in children with goiter 52.6 micrograms/l. The query concerning the consumption of iodized salt revealed that only 22.6% of the families studied use iodized salt.