Relation of Cag-A-positive Helicobacter pylori strain and some inflammatory markers in patients with ischemic heart diseases.

Recently, a potential link between infectious agents and athero-sclerosis has been suggested. H. pylori strains bearing the cytotoxin associated gene A (Cag-A) provoked a heightened inflammatory response in vivo and showed stronger relation to gastric complication of this infection.

Human natural killer T cells (NKT), NK and T cells in pulmonary tuberculosis: potential indicators for disease activity and prognosis.

One third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). However, active disease can develop only in a small percentage, when the immunity is weakened. The acquired immune response to MTB is primarily mediated by T cells.

A study of the role of IL-12 in pulmonary tuberculosis using the whole blood flowcytometry technique.

Pulmonary tuberculosis remains a major health problem. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which elicits a T-cell dependent immune response, initiated by monocytes through a large number of cytokines of which interleukin-12 is thought to play a critical role in initiation and regulation of T-helper (Th-1) like responses. To better understand the role of IL-12 in pulmonary tuberculosis patients, intracellular IL-12 in peripheral blood-derived monocytes was examined by flowcytometery.

The Bcl-2 and TGF-beta1 levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Relatively little is known about the biochemical mechanisms controlling proliferation and neoplastic transformation of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of study was to determine the level of the oncoproteins Bcl-2, transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and liver cirrhosis (LC) as compared to HCC as a biomarkers of malignant transformation and early detection of suspected patients. A total of forty-three patients were included, 30 of them were males and 13 females, their ages ranged from 29-66 years (49.