Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014118 (endocarditis)
 15,629 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is the agent of Q fever. The chronic form of the disease is associated with the overproduction of interleukin-10 and deficient C. burnetii killing by monocytes. We hypothesized that the replication of C. burnetii inside monocytes requires a macrophage-deactivating cytokine such as interleukin-10. In the absence of interleukin-10, C. burnetii survived but did not replicate in monocytes. C. burnetii replication (measured 15 days) was induced in interleukin-10-treated monocytes. This effect of interleukin-10 is specific since transforming growth factor beta1 had no effect on bacterial replication. C. burnetii replication involves the down-modulation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) release. First, interleukin-10 suppressed C. burnetii-stimulated production of TNF. Second, the addition of recombinant TNF to interleukin-10-treated monocytes inhibited bacterial replication. Third, the incubation of infected monocytes with neutralizing anti-TNF antibodies favored C. burnetii replication. On the other hand, deficient C. burnetii killing by monocytes from patients with chronic Q fever involves interleukin-10. Indeed, C. burnetii replication was observed in monocytes from patients with Q fever endocarditis, but not in those from patients with acute Q fever. Bacterial replication was inhibited by neutralizing anti-interleukin-10 antibodies. As monocytes from patients with endocarditis overproduced interleukin-10, the defective bacterial killing is likely related to endogenous interleukin-10. These results suggest that interleukin-10 enables monocytes to support C. burnetii replication and to favor the development of chronic Q fever.
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PMID:Interleukin-10 stimulates Coxiella burnetii replication in human monocytes through tumor necrosis factor down-modulation: role in microbicidal defect of Q fever. 1125 92

Intestinal microflora can be considered as a ''dynamic system'' that actively interacts with the intestinal epithelium and the local immune system. It synthesizes antimicrobial substances (bacteriocins), vitamins (PP, B1, B6, B12), it produces a major intestinal nutrient (butyric acid) and interacts in a competitive fashion with the pathogens. Lactobacilli concentration (Gram+, Gram variable, facultative anaerobes) is generally decreased in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. This syndrome has, until recently been considered to be ''functional'', whereas, in fact, it may result from previous enteritis (in up to 31% of patients), featuring a persistent low-grade intestinal inflammation and a reduction in interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentration. Some Lactobacilli strains (e.g. L. paracasei subsp. paracasei) in vitro lead to normalisation of the hypercontractility of the smooth muscle cells. A growing body of clinical findings indicates that some ''genetically stable'' strains of Lactobacilli may be useful in the treatment, even long term, of IBS, and reduce the postoperative infection rate, especially in critically ill patients (orthotopic liver transplant, severe pancreatitis). However, some Lactobacilli, ''not genetically stable'', used in the treatment of neutropenic patients during chemotherapy and in pediatric patients submitted to gastrojejunostomy, have been reported to lead to bacteremia and endocarditis. These effects may be due to transfer of bacteria and genetic material. Therefore, the confirmed genetic stability and the fact that no antibiotic resistance occurs are fundamental requisites for the use of Lactobacilli in certain disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as, for instance, IBS. In conclusion, ''genetically stable'' Lactobacilli (L. paracasei subsp. Paracasei F19) have recently become available, representing an exiting new field in clinical studies and for treatment purposes, offering guarantees of safety also for long-term use. Careful personalized evaluation, as always in medical practice, is necessary in order to gain further insight into, and to validate with additional studies, the role of ''genetically stable'' Lactobacilli in the treatment of IBS.
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PMID:New insights into Lactobacillus and functional intestinal disorders. 1861 77