Genetic polymorphisms of the tumor necrosis factor and lymphotoxin alpha in type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To investigate the frequency of the single-base change polymorphic variants identified in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene (-308 G/A) and lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) (+252 G/A) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: A prospective study in a Mexican-mestizo population of 51 patients with T2D and 48 healthy subjects was carried out. We took a peripheral blood sample from each individual for identification of the polymorphic genotypes by polymerase chain reaction.

Fate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in peroxidase-loaded resting murine macrophages.

Background: Myeloperoxidase (MPO), in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and a halide represent an efficient microbicidal mechanism of phagocytic cells. MPO is abundant in neutrophils which also respond to infection by producing large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). MPO, ROS and halide constitute a very toxic antimicrobial system (called the Klebanoff system or KS).

Functional state analysis of phagocytic cells of patients with type 2 diabetes and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: The phagocytic function in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been explored mainly in macrophages but not in polymorphonuclears (PMN). The purpose of this study was to determine the functional status of PMN leukocytes in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), Type 2 diabetes (T2D), and in patients with both diseases.

Methods: An observational, prospective, and comparative study was carried out.

The use of the microplate alamar blue assay (MABA) to assess the susceptibility of Mycobacterium lepraemurium to anti-leprosy and other drugs.

Although murine leprosy is no longer a common illness, our understanding of the biology of this disease is incomplete. One particular example of this concerns the etiologic agent Mycobacterium lepraemurium (MLM). MLM is a fastidious microorganism that is difficult to grow in axenic media; in a way, this has hampered attempts to thoroughly study its physiological and metabolic characteristics.

Polymorphisms in tumor necrosis factor and lymphotoxin A in tuberculosis without and with response to treatment.

This study compared the frequency of the genetic polymorphisms of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in pulmonary tuberculosis without and with response to treatment. We carried out an observational, prospective, comparative study. Three groups were studied: healthy subjects, responders, and non-responders to directly observed treatment short-course.

Probiotics and autoimmunity: an evolutionary perspective.

Probiotics are microorganisms that have demonstrated beneficial effects on human health. Probiotics are usually isolated from the commensal microflora that inhabits the skin and mucosas. We propose that probiotics represent the species of microorganisms that have established a symbiotic relationship with humans for the longest time.