Acceptance of Illness and Health Behaviours of Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Treated with Haemodialysis: A Single-Centre Study.

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing haemodialysis experience numerous life changes often requiring significant sacrifices. Adaptation to the limitations associated with the disease and dialysis treatments may influence their health behaviour.

Aim: The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between the level of illness acceptance and the intensity of health behaviours in patients treated with haemodialysis.

Wild-Type BCG or Recombinant BCG Secreting Murine IL-18 (rBCG/IL-18) Strains in Driving Immune Responses in Immunocompetent or Immunosuppressed Mice.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections remain a global health problem in immunosuppressed patients. The effectiveness of BCG (Bacillus Calmette−Guérin), an anti-tuberculosis vaccine, is unsatisfactory. Finding a new vaccine candidate is a priority.

Cytokine Biosignature of Active and Latent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection in Children.

None of the currently used diagnostic tools are efficient enough in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection in children. The study was aimed to identify cytokine biosignatures characterizing active and latent tuberculosis (TB) in children.

Decrease of IL-5 Production by Naive T Cells Cocultured with IL-18-Producing BCG-Pulsed Dendritic Cells from Patients Allergic to House Dust Mite.

The only currently available anti-tuberculosis vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has been reported to also protect against unrelated diseases, including inflammatory diseases such as allergic asthma. Recombinant BCG strains that produce IL-18 have been shown to enhance Th1 responses over non-recombinant BCG and to reduce IL-5 production and bronchoalveolar eosinophilia in mice. However, their ability to decrease the immune polarization of human Th2 cells is not known.

IL-18 and related function proteins associated with tuberculosis severity and screening for active TB among patients with non-mycobacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Background: Differentiation of active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) from non-mycobacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) still remains a diagnostic challenge.

Objective: The study aimed to quantify the IL-18, IFN-γ, IL-18BP, IL-37, and IP-10 levels in serum and () antigens-stimulated blood cultures from TB or CAP patients and explore if the proteins can be a useful basis for discriminating these diseases.

Methods: In total, 124 Polish adults, including mild/moderate (M/MTB) or advanced (ATB) TB patients, and CAP patients, were enrolled in the study.

Interleukin-18, Functional IL-18 Receptor and IL-18 Binding Protein Expression in Active and Latent Tuberculosis.

A thorough understanding of the processes modulating the innate and acquired immune response to () infection in the context of gene expression is still a scientific and diagnostic problem. The study was aimed to assess IL-18, IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP), IL-18R, IFN-γ, and IL-37 mRNA expression in patients with active tuberculosis (ATB) and healthy volunteers with latent -infection (LTB) or -uninfected healthy controls (Control). The relative mRNA expression was assessed in the buffy coat blood fraction using the qPCR method.

IL-18/IL-37/IP-10 signalling complex as a potential biomarker for discriminating active and latent TB.

Background: Currently, there are serious limitations in the direct diagnosis of active tuberculosis (ATB). We evaluated the levels of the IL-18/IL-37/IP-10 signalling complex proteins in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb)-specific antigen-stimulated QuantiFERON® Gold In-Tube (QFT) cultures and in serum samples from ATB patients, healthy individuals with latent M.

Lack of significant effect of interleukin-18 gene variants on tuberculosis susceptibility in the Polish population.

Background: Polymorphisms in genes encoding cytokines are known to determine susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection. In particular, interleukin-18 (IL-18), an inducer of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), playing an important role in anti-mycobacterial immune responses, may influence the risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB).

Effect of Cyclophosphamide Treatment on Central and Effector Memory T Cells in Mice.

Immunological memory is a key feature of adaptive immunity. It provides the organism with long-lived and robust protection against infection. The important question is whether cyclophosphamide (CP), as immunosuppressive agent used in cancer therapy and in some autoimmune diseases, may act on the memory T-cell population.

Tuberculin skin test reaction is related to memory, but not naive CD4 T cell responses to mycobacterial stimuli in BCG-vaccinated young adults.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only vaccine available against tuberculosis and the tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most widely used method to detect BCG take. However, subjects may remain TST-negative, even after several BCG administrations. To investigate some of the potential reasons underlying this inability of developing tuberculin sensitivity in response to BCG we compared the effect of different mycobacterial stimuli in the groups differently responding to tuberculin.

Mycobacteria-derived biomarkers for tuberculosis diagnosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains an escalating problem worldwide. The current diagnostic methods do not always guarantee reliable diagnosis. TB treatment is a time-consuming process that requires the use of several chemotherapeutics, to which mycobacteria are becoming increasingly resistant.

CD14-159C/T polymorphism in the development of delayed skin hypersensitivity to tuberculin.

The skin tuberculin test (TST), an example of a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction, is based on measuring the extent of skin induration to mycobacterial tuberculin (PPD). Little is known about the genetic basis of TST reactivity, widely used for diagnosing TB infection. The study investigated the relationship of the single base change polymorphic variants in CD14 gene (CD14(-159C/T)) with the development of DTH to PPD in BCG-vaccinated Polish Caucasian individuals.

Type of monocyte immunomagnetic separation affects the morphology of monocyte-derived dendritic cells, as investigated by scanning electron microscopy.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are increasingly being used for multiple applications and are useful tools for many immunotherapeutic strategies. The understanding of the possible impact of the DCs-generation methods on the biological capacities of these cells is therefore essential. Although the immunomagnetic separation is regarded as a fast and accurate method yielding cells with the high purity and efficiency, still little is known about its impact on the properties of the generated DCs.

Two-Year Follow-up Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigen-Driven IFN-γ Responses and Macrophage sCD14 Levels After Tuberculosis Contact.

Clinical data regarding the prediction of active tuberculosis (TB) development in close TB contacts are scarce. To address this problem, we performed a 2-year follow-up study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) antigen-driven IFN-gamma responses and serum levels of soluble macrophage CD14 receptor in individuals with recent or prolonged M.

Interleukin 18 (IL-18) as a target for immune intervention.

Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in the regulation of innate and acquired immune response. In the milieu of IL-12 or IL-15, IL-18 is a potent inducer of IFN-gamma in natural killer (NK) cells and CD4 T helper (Th) 1 lymphocytes. However, IL-18 also modulates Th2 and Th17 cell responses, as well as the activity of CD8 cytotoxic cells and neutrophils, in a host microenvironment-dependent manner.

The balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the immune responses to BCG and DTwP vaccines.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and pertussis vaccines have been found to be insufficient and their further improvement is required. In order to develop improved vaccines, a better understanding of the main pathways involved in the host's protective immunity to the pathogens is crucial. We address the question as to whether the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production might affect the host responses to BCG and diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-whole cell pertussis (DTwP) vaccines.

Immune response gene polymorphisms in tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), remains a leading public health problem in most parts of the world. Despite the discovery of the bacilli over 100 years ago, there are still many unanswered questions about the host resistance to TB.

Dendritic Cell Activity Driven by Recombinant Mycobacterium bovis BCG Producing Human IL-18, in Healthy BCG Vaccinated Adults.

Tuberculosis remains an enormous global burden, despite wide vaccination coverage with the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the only vaccine available against this disease, indicating that BCG-driven immunity is insufficient to protect the human population against tuberculosis. In this study we constructed recombinant BCG producing human IL-18 (rBCGhIL-18) and investigated whether human IL-18 produced by rBCGhIL-18 modulates DC functions and enhances Th1 responses to mycobacterial antigens in humans. We found that the costimulatory CD86 and CD80 molecules were significantly upregulated on rBCGhIL-18-infected DCs, whereas the stimulation of DCs with nonrecombinant BCG was less effective.

Interferon-gamma assay in combination with tuberculin skin test are insufficient for the diagnosis of culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective: Early diagnosis of infectious cases and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) are important strategies for reducing the incidence of this disease. Unfortunately, traditional TB diagnostic methods are time-consuming and often unreliable. This study compared the accuracy and reliability of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon (IFN)-γ-based assay (IGRA) for the diagnosis of active pulmonary TB Polish cases that could or could not be confirmed by M.

Antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation as a marker of immune response in guinea pigs with sustained Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria are human pathogens causing symptomatic gastritis, peptic ulcer or gastric cancer. Little is known about the kinetics of immune responses in H.

Helicobacter pylori-driven modulation of NK cell expansion, intracellular cytokine expression and cytotoxic activity.

During Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infections, innate immune cells may be positively or negatively modulated by Hp compounds or by Hp-induced cytokines. We have shown previously that the natural cytotoxic activity of PBMC was lower in Hp-infected [Hp(+)] than Hp-uninfected individuals [Hp(-)]. Here, we asked whether the Hp-modulated cytotoxic amplitude is associated with changes in the number of NK cells, their activation or intracellular cytokine expression.

The lack of L-PG production and the repercussions of it in regards to M. Tuberculosis interactions with mononuclear phagocytes.

The lysine connection with phosphatidylglycerol (PG) alters the M. tuberculosis(Mtb) surface charge, and consequently it may decrease the bacterial vulnerability to antimicrobial action of the immune cells. The aim of the study was to assess the significance of PG lysinylation in the Mtb interactions with mononuclear phagocytes.

Immunophenotype of peripheral blood natural killer cells and IL-10 serum levels in relation to Helicobacter pylori status.

Recent findings suggest that NK (Natural Killer) cells may directly modulate the antimicrobial immune responses. In this study, we performed immunophenotypic analysis of peripheral blood NK cells with regard to CD56, CD16, Nkp46, and CD25 markers, as well as IL-10 levels quantification in the sera samples of asymptomatic, H. pylori (Hp)-infected or uninfected individuals, and combined these results with our previous findings on lymphocyte cytotoxic activity.

Interactions between an M. tuberculosis strain overexpressing mtrA and mononuclear phagocytes.

Purpose: It was previously shown that the bacterial two-component regulatory signal transduction (2CR) system MtrAB may be associated with the ability of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) to survive in macrophages. In the present work Mtb mutants: Rv-78 with overexpression of mtrA and Rv-129 with elevated level of phosphorylation-defective MtrA were used for further investigation of the potential influence of the MtrAB system on Mtb interaction with human monocytes.

Monocyte signal transduction receptors in active and latent tuberculosis.

The mechanisms that promote either resistance or susceptibility to TB disease remain insufficiently understood. Our aim was to compare the expression of cell signaling transduction receptors, CD14, TLR2, CD206, and β2 integrin LFA-1 on monocytes from patients with active TB or nonmycobacterial lung disease and healthy individuals with M.tb latency and uninfected controls to explain the background of the differences between clinical and subclinical forms of M.