Selected artcles March 2016

 

 

Cytokine profile in patients with DiGeorge syndrome

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Increased Levels of Interferon-Inducible Protein 10 (IP-10) in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

D. M. Aresvik, K. Lima, T. Øverland, T. E. Mollnes and T. G. Abrahamsen

 

In a study conducted by Norwegian researchers an association between increased levels of the pro-inflammatory and angiostatin chemokine IP-10 and presence of congenital heart disease in patients with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is shown.

 

The syndrome, also known as DiGeorge syndrome, is a genetic disorder with an estimated incidence of 1:4000 births. Patients may suffer from affection of many organ systems with cardiac malformation, thymic hypoplasia or aplasia, hypoparathyroidism, palate anomalies and psychiatric disorders being the most frequent. The incidence of autoimmune diseases is increased in older patients.

 

In the present study, researchers examined a cytokine profile in patients with DiGeorge syndrome by measuring a broad spectrum of serum cytokines.

 

Dina Aresvik is the first author of the paper, and a PhD student in the group of Tore Abrahamsen. She planned the study with her supervisor and their collaboration partner Tom Eirik Mollnes. In addition she performed the laboratory work and analyzed the data.

 

– I just love the feeling you get when you discover something in the lab, she says, however admitting that the favorite part of the study was working with the patients.

 

– Many children participated in our study, and it was very meaningful to work with them.

 

Dina Aresvik did also write the paper in collaboration with the rest of he research group, and they conclude that their finding that the pro-inflammatory and angiostatic chemokine IP-10 is increased in DiGeorge-patients may have implications for the pathogenesis of the syndrome. However, further studies are needed to clarify the association between increased IP-10 and congenital heart defects.

 

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Activation of Complement Following Total Hip Replacement

 

Activation of Complement Following Total Hip Replacement

S. Thordardottir, T. Vikingsdottir, H. Bjarnadottir, H. Jonsson Jr and B. Gudbjornsson

 

Here, researchers from Iceland show that there is significant activation of the complement system following cemented total hip replacement surgery. The study also indicates that these processes are likely still active on the 3rd post-operative day.  

 

First author of the study, Soley Thordardottir, was doing her bachelor internship at the Landspitali - University Hospital in Iceland under the supervision of Thora Vikingsdottir and Bjorn Gudbjornsson.

 

– Although during the time the article was submitted, revised and accepted for publication, I was a PhD student at the Radboud university medical center in the Netherlands, she says.

 

Soley Thordardottir performed the majority of the experimental work, analysed the data, conducted statistical analysis and prepared the manuscript for publication. 

 

– What I found most fun was to go and pick up the freshly drawn blood samples from the orthopaedic unit, because there I got to witness the cooperation and willingness of the patients involved in the study. It was inspiring to hear their curiosity and excitement about the study results, encouraging my believes that findings of studies like these might in the future help speed up recovery of patients and reduce the chance of painful complications following total hip replacement or other joint replacement surgeries.

 

Previously, the group have demonstrated that patients undergoing total hip replacement due to osteoarthritis develop an acute inflammatory reaction measured by an increase in CRP and cytokine levels as well as a decrease in albumin serum levels. Here, they investigated whether the complement system was also activated in these patients and show that the complement system indeed is activated for a longer period and conclude that this activation may play a role in the inflammatory reaction following the surgery.