Haplotype-tagging interleukin-10 promoter polymorphism is associated with reduced risk of retinal artery occlusion.

Purpose: Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 10 (IL-10), play an essential role in atherogenesis. Increased IL-10 production has been found among carriers of the IL10 [TCATA] haplotype, which is formed by five polymorphisms at position -3575, -2763, -1082, -819, and -592 in the promoter region of the IL10 gene. Due to linkage disequilibrium, the presence of the [TCATA] haplotype can be unequivocally determined by analysis of the IL10-592C>A polymorphism.

Association of complement factor H Y402H gene polymorphism with different subtypes of exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Objective: Exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause for a severe central visual loss. The complement system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of drusen. Recently, a complement factor H (CFH) polymorphism, which is characterized by a tyrosine (Y)-to-histidine (H) exchange at position 402 of the CFH gene, has been suggested as a major risk factor for AMD in a North American population.

Polymorphisms within the tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter region in patients with HLA-B27-associated uveitis: association with susceptibility and clinical manifestations.

Purpose: The existence of genetic variations in a number of cytokines has been considered to influence susceptibility or relate to disease severity in various autoimmune diseases. Among these, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) promoter at nucleotides -308 and -238 are considered to be protective against inflammation in HLA-B27-positive individuals, whereas the SNP at position -857 has been associated with disease development in anterior uveitis. We investigate a hypothesized association between the TNF-alpha -857 C-to-T, -308 G-to-A, and the TNF-alpha -238 G-to-A SNPs and the presence of HLA-B27-associated uveitis.

Role of the CCL2/MCP-1 -2518A>G gene polymorphism in HLA-B27 associated uveitis.

Purpose: Acute anterior uveitis (AAU) is the most common form of uveitis. Up to 50% of patients with AAU are HLA-B27 positive. Since HLA B27 itself plays only a minor role in the overall genetic background, other genetic variants are likely to contribute to the susceptibility to AAU.

Prognostic value of keratin subtyping in transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.

To investigate the prognostic value of keratin subtyping in invasive transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs), we performed a systematic study applying 15 different monoclonal keratin antibodies on 53 upper urinary tract TCCs using a tissue microarray technique. Immunoreactivity was correlated with pT stages and tumour grades using the Fisher's exact test. Impact on disease-free survival was analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test.

Keratin immunohistochemistry in renal cell carcinoma subtypes and renal oncocytomas: a systematic analysis of 233 tumors.

Keratin immunohistochemistry represents a widely applied differential diagnostic tool in surgical pathology. To investigate the value of keratin subtyping for the diagnosis among histological subtypes of renal cell carcinoma and oncocytomas, we performed a detailed immunohistochemical study, applying 22 different monoclonal keratin antibodies on a large series of 233 renal tumors [125 conventional, 22 chromophobe, and 20 papillary (12 type-1, 8 type-2 tumors) cancers and 66 oncocytomas] using a tissue microarray technique. Immunoreactivity for keratin 7, 8, 18, and 19 was present in all tumor entities, albeit in varying quantities.