Publications by authors named "Imen Sfar"

Introduction: Although, several studies have assessed the association of HLA Class I and II genes with inclusion body myositis (IBM), results were inconsistent and between-studies heterogeneity needs to be investigated.

Objectives: The aim of this review was to summarize existing data on the contribution of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-B alleles to IBM susceptibility and to investigate the between-studies heterogeneity by subgroup analyses and meta-regressions.

Design: This study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

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Objectives: The aim of this review was to summarize existing data on the contribution of Vitamin D level and/or deficiency/insufficiency to systemic sclerosis susceptibility and its clinical features.

Methods: An electronic literature search for eligible studies among all papers published prior to 30 June 2024 was conducted through PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science, and Scopus databases. Meta-analyses estimating pooled raw mean differences, odds ratios, and Pearson together with subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed for the association of Vitamin D with susceptibility to systemic sclerosis and disease presentation.

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  • Several studies have looked into the link between certain HLA Class II genes and the skin conditions bullous pemphigoid (BP) and mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), but their findings have been inconsistent and more investigation on study differences is needed.
  • A comprehensive review and meta-analysis of prior studies revealed that specific alleles (DQB1*0301, DRB1*1101, and others) significantly increase the risk for pemphigoid, especially when triggered by certain medications.
  • Additionally, the DQA1*0201 allele appears to reduce the risk of developing pemphigoid, indicating a potential protective effect against the disease.
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  • - The review focused on the impact of four specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CTLA-4 gene on the risk of developing pemphigus, an autoimmune skin disease.
  • - An extensive literature search was conducted across several databases, and meta-analyses determined that the SNPs rs5742909*C and rs733618*C significantly increased the risk of pemphigus, while the other two SNPs did not.
  • - The findings indicate a potential genetic link to pemphigus susceptibility, with implications for understanding the disease's biological mechanisms.
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Background: Screening for latent tuberculosis infection using Interferon-Gamma Release Assays is a routine procedure prior to the initiation of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. However, indeterminate results are relatively frequent and are an obstacle to treatment initiation.

Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the frequency of indeterminate QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus test results in Tunisian patients, and to analyze the potential clinico-biological risk factors associated with these indeterminate results.

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Background: Although, several studies have assessed the association of the phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) and HLA-DQA1 SNPs with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN), results were inconsistent and between-studies heterogeneity needs to be investigated.

Objectives: The aim of this review was to summarize existing data on the contribution of 10 SNPs in the PLA2R and HLA-DQA1 genes to PMN susceptibility and to investigate the between-studies heterogeneity by subgroup analyses and meta-regressions.

Design: This study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

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The impact of interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene promoter polymorphisms (SNPs) on treatment response in HCV patients was dissimilarly estimated. Hence, the aim of this meta-analysis was to robustly assess the effect of IL-10 SNPs on treatment response in HCV patients. An electronic literature search was carried out through PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science, and Scopus databases.

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  • Tacrolimus shows variability in how it works in different individuals and has a small window between effective and harmful doses, with ongoing debate about the effect of a specific genetic variant (CYP3A5 6986A>G) on this variability.
  • A study on Tunisian kidney transplant recipients examined the effects of this SNP on tacrolimus levels, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and kidney graft outcomes over five years.
  • Results indicated that patients with the CYP3A5*3 variant had higher tacrolimus concentrations and more ADRs, but this genetic variant did not affect the success of the kidney transplant.
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Objectives: Attitudes and knowledge toward organ donation can influence a person's willingness to donate. The aim of this study was to assess attitudes and knowledge regarding organ donation among Tunisian adults.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a crosssectional survey at the national level from January 23 to February 15, 2017, among 1026 Tunisian adults.

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We present an overview of kidney transplantation activity in the Maghreb countries, based on data from the 9th Colloque France-Maghreb (Paris, May 20 and 21, 2022). For Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, the incidence of end stage renal failure is respectively 120, 130 and 130 per million inhabitants, its prevalence 626, 900 and 833 per million inhabitants and the part of patients with a functional graft of 10.3, 1.

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  • The study investigates how single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Fc-gamma receptors (FcgRs) may affect the response to TNF-inhibitors (TNFi) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Tunisia.
  • Researchers analyzed 47 RA patients over six months, focusing on the effectiveness of TNFi treatments like etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab while genotyping specific SNPs.
  • Results indicated that low-affinity FcgRs were linked to better treatment outcomes, while high-affinity variants were associated with poorer responses, highlighting the potential role of these genetic markers in personalizing RA treatment.
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Management of the COVID-19 pandemic relies on molecular diagnostic methods supported by serological tools. Herein, we developed S-RBD- and N- based ELISA assays useful for infection rate surveillance as well as the follow-up of acquired protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. ELISA assays were optimized using COVID-19 Tunisian patients' sera and prepandemic controls.

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Background: B cell activating factor (BAFF), a crucial factor for B cell survival and differentiation, has been linked to several autoimmune conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of BAFF gene's polymorphisms with its serum levels and to assess their effect on Graves' disease (GD) susceptibility and presentation.

Methods: Sixty-two GD patients and 152 healthy controls have been enrolled to investigate BAFF rs9514827 (-2841 T/C), rs1041569 (-2701 T/A) and rs9514828 (-871 C/T) gene's polymorphism by PCR-RFLP and serum BAFF level's kinetics under medical treatment by ELISA.

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  • The study investigates whether variations in Fc-γ receptors caused by specific genetic changes (single nucleotide polymorphisms) affect how well therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are cleared from the body and influence the development of anti-drug antibodies.
  • Conducted on Tunisian rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with various biologic drugs, the study measured serum drug levels and the presence of anti-drug antibodies while genotyping patients for specific Fc-γ receptor variations.
  • Results indicate that while most patients had serum drug levels within the therapeutic range, a minority developed anti-drug antibodies, with a notable association between the high affinity FcgR2A R131H receptor and antibody development, prompting recommendations for further research with larger sample sizes.
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Aims: Interferon-beta (IFNβ), the most widely prescribed medication for multiple sclerosis, is generally considered safe. Nevertheless, rare serious and/or life-threatening side effects have been reported such as thrombotic microangiopathy. A few mechanisms have been proposed to explain how interferon causes thrombotic microangiopathy, but immunological studies have been unable to pin this phenomenon down to a single pathophysiologic pathway.

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Introduction: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an immunosuppressive tryptophan-depleting enzyme expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissue. However, IDO has not been reported in the peripheral blood of NPC patients. The aim of this study was to analyze, IDO1 and IDO2 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression, the kynurenine (Kyn) and tryptophan (Trp) plasma levels, their clinical values and their relationship with cytokine levels in NPC.

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Background: To overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, serology assays are needed to identify past and ongoing infections. In this context, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of 6 immunoassays on samples from hospitalized patients for moderate to critical COVID-19.

Methods: 701 serum samples obtained from 443 COVID-19 patients (G1: 356 positive RT-PCR patients and G2: 87 negative RT-PCR cases) and 108 pre-pandemic sera from blood donors were tested with 6 commercial immunoassays: (1) Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2, Roche (Nucleocapsid, N), (2) Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S, Roche (Spike, S), (3) Vidas SARS-COV-2 IgM/IgG, BioMérieux (S), (4) SARS-CoV-2 IgG, Abbott (N), (5) Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG, Beckman Coulter (Receptor Binding Domain), and (6) Standard F COVID-19 IgM/IgG Combo FIA, SD Biosensor (N).

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Introduction: Axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a common inflammatory arthritis characterized by axial skeletal inflammation, enthesitis, and association with HLA-B27. Pro-inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the regulation of inflammatory response and seem to be good candidates involved in the development of this pathology.

Aim: To assess the influence of the functional polymorphisms of single nucleotide polymorphims (SNPs) of IL-1 and IL-1 Ra in SpA susceptibility Tunisian patients.

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Objectives To evaluate the serum dosage of the biomedicine (DBM) and the incidence of antidrug antibody (ADA) against antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) in spondyloarthritis, and to demonstrate the influence of these parameters on the clinical efficiency. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional multicentric study including patients with spondylarthritis (SpA) under antiTNF (infliximab [INF], etanercept [ETA] and adalimumab [ADL]) for at least 6 months. A dosage of the ADA and DBM were practiced by the immuno-enzymatic essay.

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Background: Primary membranous nephritis (PMN) is an autoimmune disease induced by the deposit of antibodies (Ab) to the phospholipase receptor A2 receptor (PLA2R) on podocytes. In this context, we aimed to assess the relationships between anti-PLA2R Ab, PLA2R rs4664308 SNP, PLA2R mRNA levels and PMN susceptibility and outcome.

Methods: Sixty-eight PMN patients, 30 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with secondary MN and 30 healthy control subjects served for anti-PLA2R Ab measurement by ELISA and PLA2R rs4664308 SNP genotyping by a commercial real-time PCR.

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Unlabelled: Infliximab (IFX) is a chimeric monoclonal antibody which has proven its efficacy in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. However, its efficacy can be limited by the development of anti-IFX antibodies (ATI) resulting in a therapeutic failure of IFX. ATI plasmatic monitoring is then indicated to optimize IFX treatment.

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Despite the current availability of more potent drugs, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still treated with a combination of IFN- and ribavirin in many countries. Interferon/ribavirin therapy can induce the appearance of autoantibodies to Rods and Rings (anti-RR), which have been associated to a poorer prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anti-RR antibodies before and after ribavirin therapy and to look for a possible association with HCV infection outcome.

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Introduction: Clopidogrel (clopi) is a prodrug widely prescribed in the management of coronary artery disease and requires the intervention of hepatic cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) for its activation. However, there is interindividual variability in response to clopi despite the use of recommended doses. Thus, the studies have highlighted the effect of the CYP2C19 gene polymorphism or Cyp2C19 gene on the response to clopi and particularly Cyp2C19 * 2 which may be associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular events or MACE.

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Th17 cell subset has been implicated in autoimmune diseases, tumor immunity and, transplant rejection. In order to investigate the role of IL-17/IL-23 pathway in allograft outcome, intragraft expression of IL-17 mRNA and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-17RC, and IL23R genes were evaluated with a quantification of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-23 plasma levels. This study revealed that recipients with acute rejection (AR) had a significant increase in IL-17A mRNA expression levels after transplantation compared to controls (P = 0.

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Background: Interleukin-17 (IL-17), a cytokine mainly secreted by Th17 cells, seems to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Functional genetic polymorphisms in IL-17 and its receptor genes can influence either qualitatively or quantitatively their functions. Therefore, we aimed to study the impact of IL17-A and IL17RC polymorphisms on plasma level of IL-17 and RA susceptibility and severity.

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