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Background: There are contradictory reports on the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the immune system. In order to clarify the effect of OSA on the different components of the immune system, we studied the association of OSA with changes in cytokine and chemokine levels, proliferative patterns of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes as well as NK cells ex vivo and neutrophil functions., Methods: We investigated the association of OSA with potential alterations in 14 Th1/Th2 and inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, CD4 and CD8 T cells, NK cells, and the NADPH oxidase activation and phagocytic functions in neutrophils., Results: Our results suggest that the increase in CD4 T cell frequency in OSA is associated with an increased expression of the nuclear protein Ki67 (p<0.05; power>0.8), and is correlated with the levels of IL-1β (p<0.05; power>0.8). The levels of IL-1β as well as IL-6 showed a potential increase, while the levels of IFN-γ (p<0.05; power>0.8) and the ratio IFN-γ/IL-4 in the blood were possibly decreased in OSA. Additionally, we observed a potential increase in the expression of Ki67 in CD8 hi and CD8 lo NK cells (p<0.05; power>0.8). Our results also suggest that neutrophils have a decreased capacity to phagocytose bacteria and activate NADPH oxidase in OSA patients (p<0.05; power>0.8)., Conclusion: OSA may be associated with inflammatory and pro-Th2 immune responses, an increased proliferative potential of NK and CD4 T cells and a decreased capacity of neutrophils to phagocytose bacteria and produce ROS., (Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential elements of the innate immune response to different infections including HIV-1 infection. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLRs have been associated with CD4T cell count and HIV disease progression. The TLR7 (Gln11Leu) SNP was shown to be associated with a rapid decline of CD4T cell count. A relation between TLR9 (1635A/G) SNP and CD4T cells count in HIV-infected patients is suggested, although the outcome associated with this SNP is still controversial., Objectives: To determine the relation of the TLR7 (Gln11Leu) and TLR9 (1635A/G) SNPs with the damage to the immune system during HIV infection as reflected by the average CD4T cell count., Methods: A total of 63 HIV-infected patients and 100 healthy individuals (controls) were enrolled in this study. The above named SNPs were analyzed after amplification of the regions that potentially contain the SNPs by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the PCR products. The frequency of these SNPs and their relation with the CD4T cell count were investigated., Results: The TLR7 (AA) genotype 'Gln' had a trend toward being associated with a CD4T cell count >400cells/μl after controlling viremia via HAART. Additionally, the TLR9 1635 (GG) genotype was associated with a low average CD4T cell count and the TLR9 1635 (AG) genotype was significantly related to a higher average CD4T cell count during the viremic period in HIV-infected patients., Conclusion: The results of this longitudinal study supports the presence of an association between the TLR9 (1635A/G) genotype and the CD4T cell count, which helps clarifying the controversial results regarding this association. It also suggests that the CD4T cell count during the viremic period might be linked to the combination of both TLR7 (Gln11Leu) and TLR9 (1635A/G) genotypes. These results may help predicting the damage to the immune system, and thus impacting the planning for novel anti-HIV strategies., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)