Background: The coexistence of cystic fibrosis (CF) and celiac disease (CD) has been reported. To our knowledge there is no study directly comparing the incidence of CD in CF patients to that in the general population at the same time. There is no published data on genetic predisposition to CD in CF patients either. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to assess the genetic predisposition to CD and its incidence in CF patients comparing it to data from the general population. Patients and methods: Two hundred eighty-two CF patients were enrolled in the study. In 230 CF patients the genetic predisposition to CD (the presence of HLA-DQ2/ DQ8) was assessed. In all CF patients, serological screening for CD was conducted. In patients with positive antiendomysial antibodies (EMA) gastroduenoscopy was offered. Intestinal histology was classified according to modified Marsh criteria. The results of serological CD screening in 3235 Polish schoolchildren and HLA-DQ typing in 200 healthy subjects (HS) were used for comparison. Results: Positive EMA was found in 2.84 % of the studied CF patients. The incidence of proven CD was 2.13 %. The incidence of CD as well as positive serological screening were significantly more frequent in the CF group than in the general population. The frequency of CD-related HLA-DQ alleles in CF and HS did not differ. Conclusions: Genetic predisposition to celiac disease in cystic fibrosis patients is similar to that of the general population. However, our results suggest that cystic fibrosis is a risk factor for celiac disease development.
Loss of homeostasis is a hallmark of malignant tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have implicated apoptotic cell death pathways in initiating and propagating autoimmune diseases in susceptible individuals. During malignancy, however, there is an accumulation of cells resistant to apoptosis. Intriguingly, some patients with malignant tumors develop symptoms that cannot be explained solely on the basis of the effects produced by either the primary tumor or its metastases. The mechanisms responsible for these complex symptoms, known as paraneoplastic autoimmunity, remain the focus of investigation.
The discovery of cyclosporine A was a milestone in organ transplantation and the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, developing an efficient oral delivery system for this drug is complicated by its poor biopharmaceutical characteristics (low solubility and permeability) and the need to carefully monitor its levels in the blood. Current research is exploring various approaches, including those based on emulsions, microspheres, nanoparticles, and liposomes. Although progress has been made, none of the formulations is flawless. This review is a brief description of the main pharmaceutical systems and devices that have been described for the oral delivery of cyclosporine A in the context of the physicochemical properties of the drug and the character of its interactions with lipid membranes.
Background. Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterised by periods of exacerbations and remissions. Autoimmune disorders caused by undetermined factors lead to inflammation in the intestinal mucosa. Presently, there is a growing interest in the role of platelets in the assessment of inflammatory lesions in CD. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to answer the question of whether routinely measured platelet indices: concentration of platelets (PLT), the mean platelet volume (MPV), plateletcrit (PCT) could become biomarkers for monitoring the course of CD. Material and methods. In the study programme, there were enrolled 100 patients with a diagnosed CD with a different clinical course, disease location and heterogeneous therapy. In all patients, there were collected blood and stool samples for the assessment of CRP, blood count and fecal calprotectin evaluation. The clinical state of each patient was classified using the Harvey-Bradshaw index. Results. The study showed a positive, statistically significant correlation between fecal calprotectin, CRP, WBC, the Harvey-Bradshaw index and the number of platelets and PCT. Furthermore, the analysis showed a statistically significant negative correlation between MPV and the number of WBC, CRP and fecal calprotectin. Conclusions. Our study showed that platelet indices are a valuable, non-invasive and widely accessible method to assess mucosal healing and the clinical status of the patient.
Although autoimmune diseases are relatively common, mechanisms that lead to their development remain largely unknown. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), as a key transcription factor involved in the regulation of immune responses and apoptosis, appears to be a good candidate for studies on the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. This review presents how perturbations of the NF-κB signaling pathway may contribute to self-tolerance failure, initiation of autoimmune inflammatory response as well as its persistent maintenance and therefore to the development of common autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, thyroid autoimmune diseases, systemic lupus erythematosus as well as inflammatory bowel diseases and psoriasis. A special emphasis is put on the genetic variations in the NF-κB related genes and their possible association with susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, as well as on the therapeutic potential of the NF-κB targeted strategies in the treatment of autoimmunity