The severity of acute Puumala hantavirus infection does not predict the long-term outcome of patients.

Background/aims: We have found greater urinary protein excretion and higher glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and blood pressure in patients 6 years after acute nephropathia epidemica (NE) compared with seronegative controls. The present aim was to establish whether the long-term outcome is determined by the severity of acute illness.

Methods: Serial plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), creatinine, C-reactive protein, blood cell count as well as 24-hour urinary protein and overnight α(1)-microglobulin and albumin excretions were measured in 37 patients with acute NE.

Immunogenetic characteristics of patients with autoimmune gastritis.

Aim: To explore whether predisposition to autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is found in human leukocyte antigen (HLA), cytokine or killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene variations.

Methods: Twelve Finnish patients with autoimmune-type severe atrophy of the gastric corpus were included. The patients' serum was analyzed for pepsinogen I and Helicobacter pylori (H.

Genetic polymorphism of the human ICOS gene.

Inducible costimulator (ICOS) is a novel receptor belonging to the same family as CD28 and CTLA4, which regulate T-lymphocyte activation in the immune response. The genes for these molecules are located adjacent to each other on Chromosome 2q33. Many autoimmune diseases have been found to be genetically linked to or associated with genetic markers near the CTLA4 gene.