Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Jul 2010
C-reactive protein predicts response to infliximab in patients with chronic sarcoidosis.
This study assessed the value of C-reactive protein as a predictor of disease severity and response to infliximab therapy in patients with chronic pulmonary sarcoidosis. ⋯ In chronic sarcoidosis patients, elevated CRP appears to identify a subset with more severe disease who may respond better to treatment with infliximab.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Jul 2010
TNF-alpha and TNF-beta gene polymorphisms in Polish patients with sarcoidosis. Connection with the susceptibility and prognosis.
Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown aetiology, in which genetic factors, especially the genes of the highly polymorphic MHC region, seem to play an important role in the disease predisposition and course. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of TNF genes polymorphism in sarcoidosis and to estimate possible association between these polymorphisms and susceptibility and prognosis of sarcoidosis. The analysis of -308G > A TNF-alpha gene (TNFA*1 and TNFA*2 alleles) and 252A > G TNF-beta gene polymorphisms (TNFB*1 and TNFB*2 alleles) were performed. ⋯ Two alleles TNFB*1 and TNFA*2 of TNF gene are overrepresented in polish patients with Löfgren syndrome. The TNFA*2 allele is related with mild course of sarcoidosis in patients without LS.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Jul 2010
A haplotype of cyclooxygenase-2 gene is associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Cyclooxygenase-2, a key regulatory enzyme in the synthesis of the antifibrotic agent prostaglandin E2, is downregulated in lung tissue from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. ⋯ The carriage of double homozygote (GG/CC) at the SNP loci of COX2.3050 and COX2.8473 polymorphisms may increase the susceptibility to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, by approximately 1.4 folds at age 30 and by a smaller fold greater than 1 up to age 66 years, but not the progression of the disease. These findings may help to improve our understanding of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathogenesis and may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Sarcoidosis Vasc Dif · Jul 2010
Angiotensin II receptor type 1 1166 A/C and angiotensin converting enzyme I/D gene polymorphisms in a Dutch sarcoidosis cohort.
The angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT2R1) is the receptor for angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor produced by ACE from angiotensin I. A recent study by Biller and colleagues revealed a gender-specific association between the AT2R1 1166 A/C gene polymorphism and disease susceptibility as well as a co-dependent association between AT2R1 1166 A/C and the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion polymorphism on ACE levels in a group of German sarcoidosis patients. ⋯ Our study could not confirm the findings by Biller and colleagues other than the influence of the ACE I/D polymorphism on serum ACE levels in both sarcoidosis patients and controls.