RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Natural killer (NK) cells serve as primary immune surveillance and are partially regulated by combinations of killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and their human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) ligands. Alterations in NK cell activity have been associated with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT). The aim of this study was to determine whether certain KIR/HLA-C genotype combinations play a role in HT pathogenesis. METHODS: The present study enrolled 107 unrelated HT patients and 108 random healthy individuals in a case-control study. Blood was collected for DNA extraction; typing of KIR genes and HLA-C alleles was performed by polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP), followed by electrophoresis on agarose gels. RESULTS: Among a panel of KIR2D/HLA-C genotype combinations, the frequency of KIR2DS2/HLA-C1 was significantly increased in HT patients compared to controls (33.64% vs. 12.96%, P<.001). To further analyze the precise genotype, we investigated inhibitory or activating KIR/HLA-C gene pairs when their corresponding activating or inhibitory KIR genes were absent in the 2 groups. Only the frequency of KIR2DS2(-)2DL2/3(+)HLA-C1(+) was significantly decreased in HT patients compared to controls (48.60% vs. 70.37%, P = .001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that KIR2DS2/HLA-C1 may correlate with HT pathogenesis. On the contrary, the predominance of KIR2DL2/3/HLA-C1 in the absence of KIR2DS2 suggests a potential inhibitory role in HT pathogenesis. In conclusion, our findings may further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of HT and other autoimmune diseases. ABBREVIATIONS: HLA-C = human leukocyte antigen-C HT = Hashimoto thyroiditis KIR = killer immunoglobulin-like receptor NK = natural killer PCR = polymerase chain reaction.
Asunto(s)
Antígenos HLA-C/genética , Enfermedad de Hashimoto/genética , Receptores KIR/genética , Adulto , Pueblo Asiatico/genética , Estudios de Casos y Controles , China , Femenino , Frecuencia de los Genes , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Enfermedad de Hashimoto/inmunología , Humanos , Ligandos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic value of anticitrullinated protein antibodies, second generation (ACPA2), by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) and anti-Sa by ELISA in a large cohort of Chinese patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: One hundred ninety-eight patients with early RA (< 1 yr duration), 112 with other rheumatic diseases, and 60 healthy individuals were studied. RESULTS: The combination of anti-Sa and ACPA2 positivity had the highest specificity (99.42%), but it had a rather low sensitivity (50.0%). The combination of anti-rheumatoid factor (RF) and ACPA2 showed the highest sensitivity (80.30%), with specificity of 95.93%. The mean titer of ACPA2 and RF was significantly higher in the anti-Sa-positive group compared to the negative group (ACPA2, p <0.001; RF, p = 0.007). The 28-joint Disease Activity Scores of the anti-Sa-positive patients were significantly higher than those of the negative group (p = 0.01). The anti-Sa had no significant correlation with age, sex, antinuclear antibody, SSA, SSB, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG, IgM, C3, and C4. CONCLUSION: Our results come from a newly developed ECLIA for detection of ACPA2 and the anti-Sa-antibody-based ELISA system. The combined application of ACPA2 and anti-Sa tests can improve the laboratory diagnosis of early RA.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antinucleares/inmunología , Artritis Reumatoide/diagnóstico , Péptidos Cíclicos/inmunología , Adulto , Anciano , Anticuerpos Antinucleares/sangre , Artritis Reumatoide/sangre , Artritis Reumatoide/inmunología , Proteína C-Reactiva , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Péptidos Cíclicos/sangre , Factor Reumatoide/sangre , Sensibilidad y EspecificidadRESUMEN
It has been demonstrated that nonylphenol (NP) exerts estrogenic activity. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to study the VTG-I , VTG-II , CHG-H and CHG-L genes expression in the liver of juvenile medaka exposed to NP at 1, 10, 50, 100 microg/I. for 60 days. The results show that the VTG-I , VTG-II, CHG-H and CHG-L genes expression in the liver of juvenile medaka are induced even at 1 microg/L, significantly. It should be noted that the lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOECs) based on the hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) induction is about 1 microg/L, suggesting that quantitative real-time RT-PCR can detect the estrogenic activity of NP at relatively low concentration, and there is a potential application in evaluating the estrogenic activity of NP in aquatic environment.