The 5' untranslated region variant rs3811050 C/T of the interleukin-38 encoding gene is associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi women.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-38, the latest member of the IL-1 cytokine family, is proposed to have a pathogenic role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is encoded by the IL1F10 gene, which harbors single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may predict the risk of autoimmune diseases. Among them are 5' untranslated region (UTR) SNPs, which play a key role in post-transcriptional control, but have not been studied in Iraqi RA patients.

Evaluation of interleukins (IL-1α, IL-1Ra, IL-12, IL-17A, IL-31, and IL-33) and chemokines (CXCL10 and CXCL16) in the serum of male patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: A case-control study was performed to explore eight pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, namely interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1Ra (IL-1 receptor antagonist), IL-12, IL-17A, IL-31, IL-33, CXCL10 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10), and CXCL16, with the aim to understand their role in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) pathogenesis and evaluate their utility as markers to differentiate between diseased and healthy individuals. Among these cytokines, IL-31 and CXCL16 have not been well studied in AS.

Patients And Methods: The study included 94 male patients with AS and 91 age-matched control males.

Molecular landscape of the interleukin-40 encoding gene, C17orf99, in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant hematological disorder in which aberrant cytokine signaling and inflammation play a role in disease initiation and progression. Interleukin-40 (IL-40) is a novel cytokine encoded by the chromosome 17 open reading frame 99 (C17orf99) gene. This cytokine is involved in mediating inflammation but its biological significance in the pathogenesis of AML has not been investigated.

A novel intergenic variant, rs2004339 A/G, of the gene encoding interleukin-40, C17orf99, is associated with risk of rheumatoid arthritis in Iraqi women.

Interleukin-40 (IL-40) is a novel cytokine encoded by the chromosome 17 open reading frame 99 (C17orf99) gene. Recent studies have shown that IL-40 levels are significantly up-regulated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the association of genetic variants of the C17orf99 gene with the risk of RA has not been investigated.

Interleukin-37 gene expression is down-regulated in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and shown to be affected by CD14 and HLA-DR immunophenotypes.

Recent evidence has indicated that interleukin 37 (IL-37) shows down-regulated expression in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but its association with immunophenotypic markers has not been explored. In the current study, IL37 mRNA expression was analyzed in the peripheral blood of 131 AML patients and 100 controls using the 2 method (fold change), which was based on the principles of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. AML patients were characterized in terms of gender, therapy, fms-like tyrosine kinase 3/internal tandem duplication (FLT3/ITD) and nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutations, French-American-British classification (FAB), World Health Organization (WHO) classification, and immunophenotypes of 25 cytoplasmic and surface markers.

Serum profiles of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in non-hospitalized patients with mild/moderate COVID-19 infection.

This study attempted to explore pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses in patients with mild/moderate coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Eight pro-inflammatory (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-12, IL-17A, IL-17E, IL-31, IFN-γ and TNF-α) and three anti-inflammatory (IL-1Ra, IL-10 and IL-13) cytokines, as well as two chemokines (CXCL9 and CXCL10), were analyzed in the serum from ninety COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. Cytokine/chemokine levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Systemic Interleukin-6 Response after Intravesical Instillation of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin and Mitomycin C in Superficial Bladder Cancer.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is proposed to play a significant role in pathogenesis of urinary bladder cancer (UBC). This role may be influenced by chemotherapy (mitomycin C; MMC) or immunotherapy (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin; BCG). A case-control study was conducted to determine IL-6 levels in serum of newly diagnosed cases (NDC) of superficial UBC, as well as in patients treated with MMC or BCG intravesical instillation.

Toll-like receptor 10 is down-regulated in serum of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis but not associated with Epstein-Barr virus.

In this study, toll-like receptor 10 (TLR10) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were determined in the peripheral blood of 43 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 41 age- and gender-matched controls. Serum TLR10 levels were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. EBV DNA and viral load were detected using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay kit.

Interleukin-22 and interleukin-33 show up-regulated levels in the serum of patients with mild/moderate Coronavirus disease 2019.

Background: This study analyzed serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-22 and IL-33 (pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines) in 90 patients with mild/moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 90 healthy controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to measure IL-22 and IL-33 concentrations.

Results: Median (interquartile range) concentrations of IL-22 and IL-33 were significantly higher in patients than in controls (IL-22: 18.

Interleukin-39 is a novel cytokine associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and positively correlated with body mass index.

Introduction: It is suggested that cytokines play a key role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study explored two recently discovered cytokines, interleukin (IL)-37 (anti-inflammatory) and IL-39 (pro-inflammatory), in T2DM due to limited data in this context.

Methods: Serum IL-37 and IL-39 levels were determined in 106 T2DM patients and 109 controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Interleukin-40 is a promising biomarker associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus risk.

Interleukin (IL)-40 is a recently identified cytokine with a proposed role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by low-grade inflammation. Therefore, it can be suggested that IL-40 may be involved in the pathogenesis of T2DM, but this topic has not been explored.

A novel signature of interleukins 36α, 37, 38, 39 and 40 in ankylosing spondylitis.

The current study examined five cytokines, three belong to interleukin (IL)-1 family (IL-36α, IL-37 and IL-38), one belongs to IL-12 family (IL-39) and one has not been assigned to a family (IL-40), in the serum of 110 male patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 103 male controls. Studies regarding these cytokines in AS are very limited. Therefore, the significance of IL-36α, IL-37, IL-38, IL-39 and IL-40 as biomarkers of AS was evaluated.

Evaluation of human β‑defensins in the cerebrospinal fluid of suspected meningitis.

Human β-defensins (HBDs) are an important class of antimicrobial peptides that have immunomodulatory functions; however, the role of HBDs have not been well explored in the pathogenesis of meningitis. A cross-sectional study was performed to explore the levels of HBD1, HBD2, HBD3, and HBD4 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 176 suspected meningitis cases. CSF samples were first subjected to PCR analysis using a set of universal primers targeting a portion of the eubacteria 16S rRNA gene.

Evaluation of interleukins 37 and 38 and vitamin D status in the serum of women with Graves' disease.

Background: Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune thyroid disorder and recent studies have proposed a role for interleukin (IL)-37, IL-38, and vitamin D (VitD) in the pathophysiology of disease. Therefore, this study investigated the expression of IL-37, IL-38, and VitD in the serum of GD patients and correlations of their levels with some demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: Serum IL-37, IL-38, and VitD levels were evaluated in 90 women with GD and 93 control women using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Interleukin-38 promoter variants and risk of COVID-19 among Iraqis.

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has recently emerged as a respiratory infection with a significant impact on health and society. The pathogenesis is primarily attributed to a dysregulation of cytokines, especially those with pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Interleukin-38 (IL-38) is a recently identified anti-inflammatory cytokine with a proposed involvement in mediating COVID-19 pathogenesis, while the association between IL38 gene variants and disease susceptibility has not been explored.

Evaluation of serum soluble HLA-G levels post-recovery from COVID-19 and post-vaccination (Sinopharm and Pfizer-BioNTech).

Serum soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels have been shown to be upregulated in COVID-19 patients. In this study, sHLA-G levels were examined in COVID-19 patients 14-21 days post-recovery (100 patients) and 80 uninfected controls. In addition, individuals vaccinated with Sinopharm or Pfizer-BioNTech (50 individuals each) were followed 21 days post-first dose and 21 days post-second dose.

Significance of Lipid Profile Parameters in Predicting Pre-Diabetes.

In prediabetes, blood glucose levels are higher than normal; however, they remain below the diabetes threshold. Studies conducted on biomarkers for this disease result in controlling diabetes mellitus (DM) or reducing the risk of developing complications. Lipid profile parameters are considered important predictors of DM.

Evaluation of interleukin-38 levels in serum of patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Interleukin-38 (IL-38) has recently been considered as a cytokine with anti-inflammatory properties in viral respiratory infections, particularly coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), but the evidence has not been well elucidated. Therefore, a case-control study was conducted to determine IL-38 serum levels in 148 patients with COVID-19 (45 moderate, 55 severe, and 48 critical) and 113 controls. Results demonstrated that IL-38 levels did not show significant differences between patients and controls (68.

Interleukin-37 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis among Iraqi patients.

Background: Control of tuberculosis (TB) depends on a balance between host's immune factors and bacterial evasion strategies. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is among the immunomodulatory factors that have been proposed to influence susceptibility to tuberculosis.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 105 patients with pulmonary TB (37 active, 41 multi-drug resistant and 27 relapse) and 79 healthy controls to determine serum levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-37.

HLA-G 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Iraqi patients.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G molecules are proposed to influence susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A case-control study was conducted on 209 patients with COVID-19 and198 controls to assess soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels and HLA-G 14-bp insertion [Ins]/deletion [Del] polymorphism. Results revealed that median levels of sHLA-G were significantly higher in serum of COVID-19 patients than in controls (17.

Epidemiological profile of tuberculosis in Iraq during 2011-2018.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most progressive infectious diseases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The pathogen is the first cause of mortality linked to a single pathogen worldwide, especially in poor and developing countries.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to estimate incidence rate (IR) of TB in Iraq during a period of eight years (2011-2018).

Severity of coronavirus disease 19: Profile of inflammatory markers and (rs4646994) and (rs2285666) gene polymorphisms in Iraqi patients.

Susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and disease severity has recently been associated with inflammatory markers and genetic polymorphisms of (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and genes, but the evidence has been inconclusive. This case-control study (99 COVID-19 patients and 96 controls) sought to assess the significance of age, C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) in severity of COVID-19. Besides, two variants of and genes (rs4646994 and rs2285666, respectively) were analyzed to determine their role in COVID-19 susceptibility and/or disease severity.

Interleukin-37 gene polymorphism and susceptibility to coronavirus disease 19 among Iraqi patients.

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious respiratory viral infection. Dysregulated immune response is an important feature of disease, and cytokines are among the most important mediators of dysregulated immunity. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is one such cytokine and studies have indicated its role in pathogenesis of COVID-19.