Behrouz Nikbin; Mandana Mohyeddin Bonab; Fatemeh Talebian
Volume 2, Issue 4 , December 2005, , Pages 232-240
Abstract
Tissue and cell transplantation are regarded as a popular procedure in clinical sciences, prospecting a new horizon for several incurable diseases. Along with its usefulness, many ethical concerns accompany this development. The ethical issue of organ transplant is unique to the source used which includes: ...
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Tissue and cell transplantation are regarded as a popular procedure in clinical sciences, prospecting a new horizon for several incurable diseases. Along with its usefulness, many ethical concerns accompany this development. The ethical issue of organ transplant is unique to the source used which includes: living related, living unrelated, cadaveric, and xenotransplant. Obtaining organs has a separate set of ethical concerns which are discussed under two headings, namely salvage and donation. Then there is the issue of organ marketing and the ethical, social, and economical issues it encompasses. All these are active areas of debate, and we have touched upon them by turn. This century has brought a new aspect of transplantation into the light, stem cell transplantation. Here we present some work done recently on mesenchymal stem cells and their outcome. These cells are now being employed in the therapy of some incurable ailments. It seems this kind of transplantation, although possessing its own range of issues, could prove to be the way of the future.
Mahboob Lessan-Pezeshki; Ali Akbar Amirzargar; Nooshin Golabi; Mohammadreza Khatami; Behzad Einollahi; Vahid Pourfarziani; Farideh Khosravi; Hassaneh Tajerzadeh; Behrouz Nikbin
Volume 2, Issue 2 , June 2005, , Pages 87-90
Abstract
Background: Monitoring of phenotypic characteristics of T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood is commonly performed to give the clinical parameters in the management of kidney transplant recipients. Objective: To predict rejection in renal transplantation by immune parameters. Methods: 16 non-diabetic ...
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Background: Monitoring of phenotypic characteristics of T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood is commonly performed to give the clinical parameters in the management of kidney transplant recipients. Objective: To predict rejection in renal transplantation by immune parameters. Methods: 16 non-diabetic kidney transplant candidates (4 females and 12 males, age = 20-65 yr, first time transplant) were selected. The transplanted patients were divided into two groups based on the rejection during 3 weeks post transplant: group I (n = 9) without rejection and group II (n = 7) with a rejection episode. Immune parameters including lymphocytes subpopulations (by flowcytometry) and immunoglobulin classes (IgM, IgG, IgA and IgE by nephlometric assay) before and 45 days after transplantation were determined. Results: The results of this investigation showed that the level of immunoglobulin IgG, IgM, IgA and IgE decreased post transplantation due to immunosuppressive drugs. CD3, CD4, CD8 T cells count, CD56 NK cells count and CD20 B cells count pre- and post-transplantation did not show any significant differences. The amount of IgE (220 vs. 462 IU/ml), CD3 (62% vs. 69.7%) and CD4 (35% vs. 41.3%) cells increased in group II during rejection episode pre-transplantation. In addition, IgA increased pretransplantation in group I those without rejection episode in comparison with group II with a rejection episode. Forty five days post transplantation IgA (209 vs. 152 mg/dl), IgG (1009 vs. 703 mg/dl) and CD20 (15% vs. 10%) increased in group I patients. Conclusion: It is suggestive that pre-transplantation increases IgE, CD3 and CD4 are predictive of acute rejection.
Morteza Bagheri; Ali Akbar Amirzargar; Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh; Kamran Alimoghadam; Farideh Khosravi; Bita Ansaripour; Batoul Moradi; Behrouz Nikbin
Volume 2, Issue 1 , March 2005, , Pages 43-49
Abstract
Background: β-thalassemia as a hereditary disease is defined as defective synthesis of β-globin chains, resulting in erythropoiesis abnormalities and severe anemia. Different studies have shown that cytokines and cytokine gene polymorphisms play a major role in the pathogenesis of ...
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Background: β-thalassemia as a hereditary disease is defined as defective synthesis of β-globin chains, resulting in erythropoiesis abnormalities and severe anemia. Different studies have shown that cytokines and cytokine gene polymorphisms play a major role in the pathogenesis of β-thalassemia. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the promoter region or other regulatory sequences of cytokine genes lead to overall production of cytokines. Objective: To analyze the genetic profile of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in Iranian patients with β-thalassemia major. Methods: Allelic and genotype frequencies of cytokine genes were determined in 30 thalassemia patients and 40 healthy subjects using PCR-SSP assay. Allele and genotype frequencies were calculated and compared with those of normal controls. Results: The results of our study show a significant decrease in A allele at position UTR 5644 IFN- γ, G alleles at position -238 TNF- α and 166 IL-2, and C allele at position -590 IL-4. TGF- β haplotype TG/TG increased whereas TGF-β haplotype CG/CG and IL-10 haplotype GCC/ACC decreased significantly in all patients. Conclusion: Data of this investigation suggest that variations among cytokine gene polymorphisms may contribute to the disease susceptibility. A finding which needs to be fairly clarified in other ethnic groups.
Behrouz Nikbin; Nader Tajik; Ali Saraji; Gholam Reza Pourmand; Fatemeh Talebian; Abdurasul Mehrsai; Ali Akbar Amirzargar
Volume 1, Issue 3 , December 2004, , Pages 162-168
Abstract
Background: The Presence of donor leukocytes in recipients of organ allograft has been shown even several years after transplantation. However, it remains unclear whether this donor cell microchimerism plays an effective role in allograft acceptance or is simply a consequence of immunosuppressive conditions ...
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Background: The Presence of donor leukocytes in recipients of organ allograft has been shown even several years after transplantation. However, it remains unclear whether this donor cell microchimerism plays an effective role in allograft acceptance or is simply a consequence of immunosuppressive conditions in recipients. Objective: To study microchimerism in a group of kidney transplant recipients. Methods: In this study, the Peripheral Blood Microchimerism (PBM) after renal transplantation was retrospectively evaluated in 32 male-to-female recipients of living (unrelated) and cadaveric donor renal transplants. Using a Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested-PCR) amplification specific for SRY region of the Y chromosome, microchimerism was detected with a sensitivity of 1:1000000. Recipients were classified and compared according to the presence of PBM, acute and chronic rejection episodes, type of allotransplant, recipient and donor age at transplantation, previous male labor or blood transfusion, allograft function (serum creatinine level), and body mass index. Results: Among 32 recipients, 7 (21.9) were positive for PBM in multiple testing at different post-transplantation times. All microchimeric recipients had received kidney from living-unrelated donors. No significant difference was observed with regard to other parameters mentioned above. In addition, acute rejection rate in the microchimeric group was 3 (42%) versus 4 (16%) in the nonmicrochimeric recipients (not significant). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate better establishment of microchimerism after living donor kidney transplantation. However, concerning the true effect of microchimerism after renal transplantation doubt still persists; and it seems that microchimerism alone has no major protective role in renal allograft survival.
Ali Akbar Amirzargar; Abdol Ali Danesh; Farideh Khosravi; Mohammad Hossein Niknam; Behrouz Nikbin
Volume 1, Issue 2 , September 2004, , Pages 125-129
Abstract
Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) has recently become a major problem in developed countries especially in immune compromised HIV infected individuals. Cytokines, their genes and receptors have been implicated in the protective immunity, pathophysiology and development of tuberculosis. ...
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Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) has recently become a major problem in developed countries especially in immune compromised HIV infected individuals. Cytokines, their genes and receptors have been implicated in the protective immunity, pathophysiology and development of tuberculosis. Material & Methods: In the present study the genotype frequencies of a number of polymorphic genes coding for cytokines or for cytokine receptors have been investigated in a case control study including a group of 40 Iranian PTB patients and 40 healthy individuals. The allelic polymorphism of cytokines SNPs were analyzed according to the protocols of the cytokine component designed for the 13th IHW by the Heidelberg University group. Using PCR-SSP method the following cytokine genes have been determined: IL-1 ¿ (T/C –889), IL-1¾ (C/T +3962), IL-1R (C/T pstI 1970), IL-1RA ( T/C mspaI 1100), IL-4RA (G/A +1902), IL- 12 (C/A –1188), TGF- ¾ (C/T codon 10, G/C codon 25), TNF-¿ (G/A –308, G/A –238), IL-2 (T/G –330 G/T +166), IL-4 (T/G –1098, T/C –590, T/C –33), IL-6 (G/C –174, G/A nt 560), IL-10 (G/A –1082, C/T –819, C/A –592). Results: From IL-1R cluster (pro- inflammatory cytokines) a positive significant association was found at position pstI 1970 C/T polymorphism where the C allele was over presented in the PTB patients (60% vs. 37.5%, P = 0.04). A significant negative association at codon 10 TGF- ¾ C/T polymorphism has also been shown in our patients, where the T allele was not detected in the patients but 10% of the control subjects expressed this allele (Fisher exact test, P = 0.05). At this codon allele T (Leucine substitution) is associated with high TGF- ¾ production. For TNF ¿ an insignificant tendency was found at position -308 A/G polymorphism where the G allele carried by 80% of cases and 65% of controls (P = 0.07). At position -238 a negative association was found at the GA polymorphism (10% vs. 25%, P = 0.07). For IL-6 an insignificant positive association at position -174 C/G polymorphism, G allele (57.5% vs. 37.5, P = 0.07) was found. At the other cytokine genes no specific association were found. Conclusion: In conclusion it is suggested that C allele at position pstI 1970 of IL-1 cluster increases and T allele at codon 10 of TGF- ¾ decreases in PTB patients.
Ali Akbar Amirzargar; Morteza Bagheri; Ardeshir Ghavamzadeh; Kamran Alimoghadam; Farideh Khosravi; Mohammad Hossein Nicknam; Mandana Moheydin; Bita Ansaripour; Batul Moradi; Behrouz Nikbin
Volume 1, Issue 1 , June 2004, , Pages 26-33
Abstract
Background:It has been hypothesized that genetic factors other than histocompatibility disparity may play a role in predisposition to developing Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). In this regard, Th1 and Th2 cytokines and their gene polymorphism seems to be important. Overall expression and secretion ...
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Background:It has been hypothesized that genetic factors other than histocompatibility disparity may play a role in predisposition to developing Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). In this regard, Th1 and Th2 cytokines and their gene polymorphism seems to be important. Overall expression and secretion of cytokines is dependent, at least in part, on genetic polymorphism (nucleotide variations) within the promoter region or other regulatory sequences of cytokine genes. The majority of polymorphisms described are single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic profile of Th1 and Th2 cytokines in 30 Iranian patients with CML and 40 healthy subjects. Methods: In the patients and control subjects, the allelic and genotype frequencies were determined for the cytokine genes. All typing were performed by PCR-SSP assay. Allele and genotype frequencies were calculated and compared with those of normal controls. Results: The results showed that the most frequent alleles in our patients were TGF-b TG/TG, IL-4 T at position -1089, C at position -590, T at position -33 and IL-10 A at position -1082. Whereas the following alleles - TGF-b CG/CG and IL-10 C at position -592 – were seen in much lower frequencies. Conclusion: In conclusion, it could be suggested that the frequency of high producing TGF-b alleles and low producing IL-4 and IL-10 alleles in the CML patients is higher than the normal subjects.
