Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 gene (MCP-1-2518 A/G) polymorphism and serological markers of hepatitis B virus infection in hemodialysis patients

Circulating and Hepatic BDCA1+, BDCA2+, and BDCA3+ Dendritic Cells Are Differentially Subverted in Patients With Chronic HBV Infection

Background and aims: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health burden potentially evolving toward cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV physiopathology is strongly related to the host immunity, yet the mechanisms of viral evasion from immune-surveillance are still misunderstood. The immune response elicited at early stages of viral infection is believed to be important for subsequent disease outcome. Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial immune sentinels which orchestrate antiviral immunity, which offer opportunity to pathogens to subvert them to escape immunity. Despite the pivotal role of DCs in orientating antiviral responses and determining the outcome of infection, their precise involvement in HBV pathogenesis is not fully explored.

Methods: One hundred thirty chronically HBV infected patients and 85 healthy donors were enrolled in the study for blood collection, together with 29 chronically HBV infected patients and 33 non-viral infected patients that were included for liver biopsy collection. In a pioneer way, we investigated the phenotypic and functional features of both circulating and intrahepatic BDCA1+ cDC2, BDCA2+ pDCs, and BDCA3+ cDC1 simultaneously in patients with chronic HBV infection by designing a unique multi-parametric flow cytometry approach.

Results: We showed modulations of the frequencies and basal activation status of blood and liver DCs associated with impaired expressions of specific immune checkpoints and TLR molecules on circulating DC subsets. Furthermore, we highlighted an impaired maturation of circulating and hepatic pDCs and cDCs following stimulation with specific TLR agonists in chronic HBV patients, associated with drastic dysfunctions in the capacity of circulating DC subsets to produce IL-12p70, TNFα, IFNα, IFNλ1, and IFNλ2 while intrahepatic DCs remained fully functional. Most of these modulations correlated with HBsAg and HBV DNA levels.

Conclusion: We highlight potent alterations in the distribution, phenotype and function of all DC subsets in blood together with modulations of intrahepatic DCs, revealing that HBV may hijack the immune system by subverting DCs. Our findings provide innovative insights into the immuno-pathogenesis of HBV and the mechanisms of virus escape from immune control. Such understanding is promising for developing new therapeutic strategies restoring an efficient immune control of the virus.

3D microfluidic liver cultures as a physiological preclinical tool for hepatitis B virus infection

With more than 240 million people infected, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health concern. The inability to mimic the complexity of the liver using cell lines and regular primary human hepatocyte (PHH) cultures pose significant limitations for studying host/pathogen interactions. Here, we describe a 3D microfluidic PHH system permissive to HBV infection, which can be maintained for at least 40 days. This system enables the recapitulation of all steps of the HBV life cycle, including the replication of patient-derived HBV and the maintenance of HBV cccDNA. We show that innate immune and cytokine responses following infection with HBV mimic those observed in HBV-infected patients, thus allowing the dissection of pathways important for immune evasion and validation of biomarkers. Additionally, we demonstrate that the co-culture of PHH with other non-parenchymal cells enables the identification of the cellular origin of immune effectors, thus providing a valuable preclinical platform for HBV research.

The association of genetic variants in chemokine genes with the risk of psoriasis vulgaris in Chinese population: A case-control study

This study aimed to investigate the influence of polymorphisms in chemokine genes, including MCP1, CCR2, and CCR5 with psoriasis vulgaris (PV) risk in a Chinese population.The genotyping of studied polymorphisms through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing was conducted in 142 PV patients and 147 healthy controls. The genotype distribution of the polymorphisms in the control group was checked to determine whether it conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The genotype and allele frequencies were compared between PV patients and the healthy controls using Chi-square test. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated to assess the relative risk of PV related to genetic variants.CCR2 rs1799864 polymorphism was associated with significantly elevated risk of PV (AA+AG vs GG: OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.02-2.59; A vs G: OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.02-2.16). In the meanwhile, CCR5 rs1800024 polymorphism also exhibited significant differences in genotype and allele distribution (P < .05), demonstrating its promoting effect on the risk of PV under heterozygous model (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.06-2.82), dominance model (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.14-2.94), and allele model (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.13-2.48).CCR2 rs1799864 and CCR5 rs1800024 polymorphisms may function as independent risk factors for PV in Chinese population.

New Markers of Inflammation and Tubular Damage in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

Introduction and Aims

Monocyte chemoattractant protein- (MCP-) 1, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF), and neopterin are connected with monocyte migration and transition into macrophages, leading to fibrosis and tubular damage in the course of CKD. The aim of the study was to analyze the applicability of urinary fractional excretion (FE) of MCP1, MCSF, and neopterin, as markers of inflammation and tubular damage, in children with CKD.

Methods

The study group consisted of 61 children with CKD stages 1–5 and 23 age-matched controls. The serum and urine concentrations of MCP1, MCSF, and neopterin were assessed by ELISA and then the fractional excretion (FE) was calculated.

Results

FE MCSF and neopterin values exceeded 1% already in controls. FE MCSF rose significantly since CKD stages 1-2, FE neopterin since CKD stages 3–5. FE MCP1 was below 1% in healthy controls and in CKD stages 1-2, then increased significantly in CKD stages 3–5.

Conclusions

The FE MCP-1 values show that inflammation precedes the tubular dysfunction. FE MCSF and FE neopterin may be considered new markers of the renal parenchyma progressive damage. Fractional excretion may become a useful tool in the assessment of inflammation and tubular damage in children with CKD.

The MCP-1 Gene A-2518G Polymorphism Confers an Increased Risk of Vascular Complications in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to evaluate the correlation of the monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) A-2518G polymorphism with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and vascular complications in T2DM, to aid in understanding its role in pathogenesis.

METHODS

A total of 150 T2DM patients and 50 healthy controls (group A) were enrolled. The T2DM patients were divided into three groups based on the absence of complications (group B) presence of microvascular disease (group C) or macrovascular disease (group D). DNA of all enrolled subjects was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for the MCP-1 A-2518G polymorphism. Serum MCP-1 levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

Participants in group D had increased serum MCP-1 levels relative to group B, group C, and group A (all p<0.01). Compared with group A, the frequencies of the MCP-1 A-2518G G/G genotype and G allele were significantly higher in group C and group D (all p<0.05). In contrast to group B, group C had higher frequencies of the G/G genotype and G allele, while group D had higher G allele frequencies (all p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that lower body-mass index (BMI) and free cholesterol (FC), as well as higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels may be the protective factors for T2DM, while higher levels of triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and G/G genotype frequency were independent risk factors for T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicates a correlation between the MCP-1 A-2518G polymorphism with macrovascular complications in T2DM patients; lower BMI and FC, as well as higher HDL-C levels may be the protective factors for T2DM, while higher levels of TG, LDL-C, and G/G genotype frequency were independent risk factors for T2DM.

Prophylactic vaccinations in chronic kidney disease: Current status

In this review, recent data on results concerning prophylactic vaccinations against hepatitis B virus, influenza viruses, and pneumococci are presented. Effects of active immunization in chronic kidney disease depend on category of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The lower GFR category the better results of response to vaccination. Abnormalities in toll-like receptors and down-regulation of B-cell activating factor receptor in transitional B cells were recently included into uremia-associated deficits in immunocompetence. Development of novel, more potent vaccines containing toll-like receptor agonists as adjuvants may help to achieve more effective immunization against hepatitis B virus in immunocompromised patients. Experimental studies announce further vaccine adjuvants. A vaccine against hepatitis C virus is not available yet, but promising results were already obtained in the experimental and preliminary clinical studies. Prophylactic vaccinations against influenza viruses and pneumococci become increasingly popular in dialysis facilities due to their proved benefits.

T-cell cytokine gene polymorphisms and vitamin D pathway gene polymorphisms in end-stage renal disease due to type 2 diabetes mellitus nephropathy: comparisons with health status and other main causes of end-stage renal disease

BACKGROUND

T-cell cytokine gene polymorphisms and vitamin D pathway gene polymorphisms were evaluated as possibly associated with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) resulting from type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) nephropathy.

METHODS

Studies were conducted among hemodialysis (HD) patients with ESRD due to type 2 DM nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis, chronic infective tubulointerstitial nephritis, and hypertensive nephropathy as well as in healthy subjects. A frequency distribution of T-cell-related interleukin (IL) genes (IL18 rs360719, IL12A rs568408, IL12B rs3212227, IL4R rs1805015, IL13 rs20541, IL28B rs8099917, IL28B, and rs12979860) and vitamin D pathway genes (GC genes: rs2298849, rs7041, and rs1155563; VDR genes: rs2228570, rs1544410; and RXRA genes: rs10776909, rs10881578, and rs749759) was compared between groups.

RESULTS

No significant differences in a frequency distribution of tested polymorphisms were shown between type 2 DM nephropathy patients and controls. A difference was found in IL18 rs360719 polymorphic distribution between the former group and chronic infective tubulointerstitial nephritic patients (P trend = 0.033), which also differed in this polymorphism from controls (P trend = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

T-cell cytokine and vitamin D pathway gene polymorphisms are not associated with ESRD due to type 2 DM nephropathy in Polish HD patients. IL18 rs360719 is probably associated with the pathogenesis of chronic infective tubulointerstitial nephritis.