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Background: The imbalanced expression of chemokines plays critical role in the development of Helicobacter pylori-mediated complications. Objectives: Our aim was to determine ginger extract (GE) effects on the expression of chemokines CCL17, CCL20, CCL22, and CXCL10, as well as CCR4, CCR6, and CXCR3 receptors by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from H. pylori -infected patients with peptic ulcer (PU). Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from 20 patients with H. pylori-associated PU, 20 H. pylori-infected asymptomatic subjects (HAS), and 20 non-infected healthy subjects (NHS). The PBMCs were stimulated by 10 µg/mL of H. pylori-derived crude extract (HPCE) in the presence of 0, 10, 20, and 30 µg/mL of GE. After 36 hours, the supernatant and the RNA extracted from the cells were tested for chemokine concentration and chemokine receptor expression using ELISA and real-time PCR techniques, respectively. Results: In PU patients, treating HPCE-stimulated PBMCs with 10, 20, or 30 µg/mL GE reduced the production of CXCL10 (1.47, 1.5, and 1.53 folds, respectively, P < 0.001 for all), CCL20 (1.44, 1.62, and 1.65 folds, respectively, P < 0.003), and treatment with 30 µg/mL GE increased CCL17 (1.28-fold, P < 0.001) and CCL22 (1.59-fold, P < 0.001) production compared with untreated HPCE-stimulated PBMCs. In PU patients, the HPCE-stimulated PBMCs treated with 10, 20, or 30 µg/mL GE expressed lower levels of CXCR3 (1.9, 3, and 3.5 folds, respectively, P < 0.001) and CCR6 (2.3, 2.7, and 2.8 folds, respectively, P < 0.002) while treating with 10 µg/mL GE upregulated CCR4 (1.7 fold, P = 0.003) compared with untreated HPCE-stimulated PBMCs. Conclusions: Ginger extract modulated the expression of chemokines and their receptors in the PBMCs derived from H. pylori-infected PU patients. The therapeutic potentials of ginger for treating HP-related complications need to be further explored.

Background: One of the most important limiting factors affecting the efficacy of treatment using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is their immunogenicity to the patients that may influence the diagnostic and therapeutic process. Objectives: This study determined the unwanted immunologic response to the presence of antibody against some theraputic agents made following taking mAbs in patients with malignancy. Methods: Blood samples were collected from patients with cancer, including 32 patients with lymphoma or leukemia, 43 patients with breast cancer, and 23 patients with adenocarcinoma (colon or ovarian cancer) while receiving treatment with Rituximab, Trastuzumab, and Bevacizumab, respectively. Serum levels of human antibodies against the mentioned mAbs were determined by the standard sandwich ELISA method designed in the research. Results: The presence of human antibodies against the mentioned mAbs was detected in 4 out of 32 (12.5%) Rituximab-treated patients and 7 out of 43 (16.3%) Trastuzumab-treated patients with a mean ± SD titer of 2.33 ± 0.37 AU/mL and 1.2 ± 0.21 AU/mL, respectively. The probability for the presence of anti-mAb in patients treated with Rituximab alone was significantly higher than patients, who took concomitantly Rituximab and once or more chemotherapeutic agents (26.6% vs. 0.0%; P < 0.02). None of Bevacizumab-treated patients, as was anticipated, developed antibody against the administrated mAb. Conclusions: The results of this study indicates the production of antibody against therapeutic mAbs Rituximab and Trastuzumab in a number of treated patients and this may influence their efficacy of treatment. The production of the human anti-mAb may be suppressed by chemotherapeutic drugs in Rituximab-treated patients and this phenomenon may be considered as a bonus effect during treatment. Bevacizumab did not show immunogenicity in the treated patients.

Background: The presence of polymorphisms in IL-12B gene, encoding IL-12 P40 subunit, is associated with a number of autoimmune diseases. Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the association of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs3212227) in IL-12B gene with multiple sclerosis (MS) in patients from Southeast of Iran. Methods: Blood specimens were collected from140 patients with MS as the case and 140 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects as the control groups. The genomic DNA was extracted and the genetic variations in SNP rs3212227 were determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. Results: The frequencies of AA, AC, and CC genotypes in SNP rs3212227 were 55.0%, 17.9%, and 27.1% in patients with MS, and 61.4%, 29.3%, and 9.3%, in healthy subjects, respectively. The frequency of CC genotype at rs3212227 was significantly higher in patients with MS as compared with the healthy controls (P < 0.001). However, the AC genotype was less prevalent in patients with MS than the healthy control ones (P < 0.02). The frequency of A and C alleles at SNP rs3212227 were 63.09% and 36.07% in patients with MS and 76.07% and 23.9% in healthy control subjects, respectively. The frequency of C allele was significantly higher, whereas the frequency of A allele was lower in patients with MS than the healthy control subjects (P < 0.001). The frequency of CC genotype in SNP rs3212227 was significantly higher in patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and primary progressive MS (PPMS) patterns in comparison with the healthy control subjects (P < 0.002, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). In patients with RRMS pattern, the frequency of AC genotype (18.6%) was significantly lower than that of the control group (29.3%, P < 0.05). In patients with RRMS and SPMS patterns the frequency of C allele was significantly higher in comparison with that of the control group (P < 0.03 and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The results represented that the presence of CC genotype and C allele in SNP rs3212227 of IL-12B gene were associated with susceptibility to MS disease, whereas the presence of AC genotype and A allele may confer protection against the disease.

Background: Occult hepatitis B infected (OBI) patients cannot eradicate hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA from their liver and peripheral blood, completely. Objectives: The main aim of this study was to investigate the rate of HLA-A2 expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with OBI. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, intensity of HLA-A2 was measured on the PBMCs of 57 OBI patients and 100 HBsAg-/ anti-HBc+/HBV-DNA samples were enrolled as controls; measurements were performed using the flow cytometry technique. Results: Flow cytometric analysis indicated that 19 (33.3%) OBI patients and 28 (28%) controls expressed HLA-A2 antigen on their PBMCs. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the rate of individuals expressing HLA-A2 antigen. Statistical analyses showed that the intensity of HLA-A2 expression significantly decreased in OBI patients (3.58 ± 0.1) in comparison to healthy controls (4.21 ± 0.25; P < 0.001). Conclusions: According to these results it can be concluded that decreased intensity of HLA-A2 on the PBMCs of OBI patients may lead to resistance of HBV in the patients.