[Changes in serum levels of resistin and visfatin in pediatric patients with acute Kawasaki disease following intravenous immune globulin treatment].

OBJECTIVE: To determine serum levels of resistin and visfatin in the patients with acute Kawasaki disease before and after intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) treatment. METHODS: A total of 50 children with acute Kawasaki disease were treated with IVIG for 48 hours between January 2011 and January 2013. As controls, 30 healthy children and 30 children with acute infectious diseases were included. Serum levels of resistin and visfatin were measured by ELISA both before and after the treatment. RESULTS: The baseline serum levels of resistin and visfatin were significantly higher in patients with acute Kawasaki disease than in the two control groups of subjects (i.e., healthy children and patients with acute infectious diseases; P<0.05). In the 50 patients with Kawasaki disease, 38 were not responding and 12 were responding. Serum resistin levels before treatment were significantly higher in non-responders than those in responders (P<0.05). A significant decrease in serum levels of resistin after treatment was observed in IVIG responders (P<0.05). Serum visfatin levels were not significantly different between IVIG responders and non-responders (P>0.05). Additionally, serum resistin and visfatin levels were not significantly different between acute Kawasaki disease patients with and without coronary artery lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Resistin and visfatin may play important roles in the development of Kawasaki disease and serum resistin may be used as a novel outcome indicator of the IVIG treatment.

[B7-H4 expression of salivary gland and sera in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of B7-H4 in salivary gland and sera in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). METHODS: A total of 40 pSS patients were referred to our department from June 2009 to January 2011. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression of B7-H4 in salivary gland from pSS patients and disease controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect soluble B7-H4 of serum from pSS patients and healthy donors. RESULTS: Immunohistological staining revealed that B7-H4 antigen was restricted to tubular epithelium. The B7-H4 positive expression of tubules in salivary gland biopsies from pSS patients (18 ± 14)% were lower than that of controls (85 ± 13)% (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry revealed that the B7-H4 expression of cell suspensions from salivary gland from pSS patients (42 ± 21)% were lower than that of controls (48 ± 22)% (P < 0.01). And the serum level of soluble B7-H4 detected in pSS patients (49 ± 31)µg/L significantly decreased than that in healthy donors (71 ± 27) µg/L (P < 0.05) and positively correlated with saliva and tear flow rates (P < 0.01) respectively. CONCLUSION: The expression of B7-H4 molecule may play some roles in the progression of pSS. And a further understanding of its mechanism helps to elucidate the pathogenesis of pSS.