Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P05231 (interleukin-6)
 23,907 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytokines play a major role in renal scar formation following febrile urinary tract infection (UTI). We investigated the role of dexamethasone combined with antibiotics in diminishing urinary interleukin-6 (UIL-6) and UIL-8 concentrations during the acute phase of pyelonephritis compared with standard antibiotic therapy. UIL-6 and UIL-8 concentrations were determined by enzyme immunoassay in 34 children with pyelonephritis who were treated with ceftriaxone plus dexamethasone (case group) and in 20 patients with the same diagnosis treated with ceftriaxone alone (control group). Urine samples were obtained at the time of presentation prior to drug administration and at follow-up 72 h after initiation of medication. Creatinine concentrations were also determined, and cytokine/creatinine ratios were calculated to standardize samples. Differences between cytokine/creatinine ratios in initial and follow-up urine samples were significant in the case group (P < 0.001) but not for controls. In addition, combined antibiotic and dexamethasone significantly decreased UIL-6 and UIL-8 concentrations compared with antibiotic alone (P < 0.05). We conclude that dexamethasone combined with antibiotics significantly decreases UIL-6 and UIL-8 levels in patients with acute pyelonephritis. This suggests that the clinical use of corticosteroids may prevent scar formation following febrile UTI.
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PMID:The role of dexamethasone on decreasing urinary cytokines in children with acute pyelonephritis. 1855 21

The present study was conducted to compare the renal and vascular protective effects of telmisartan and amlodipine in untreated hypertensive chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with moderate renal insufficiency. Thirty hypertensive CKD patients were randomly assigned to receive telmisartan 40 mg (n = 15) or amlodipine 5 mg (n = 15) once daily for 12 months. Changes in blood pressure, serum creatinine, 24-h creatinine clearance (Ccr), proteinuria, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), intima-media thickness (IMT), plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), plasma matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and lipid profiles were monitored in all patients. Before treatment, there were no significant differences in these parameters between the telmisartan and amlodipine groups. Over the 12 month observation period, blood pressure decreased equally in both groups. However, serum creatinine, proteinuria, baPWV, IMT, plasma levels of IL-6 and MMP-9 and total cholesterol decreased and 24-h Ccr increased more strikingly in the telmisartan group than the amlodipine group. These data suggest that telmisartan is more effective than amlodipine for protecting renovascular functions, and potentially for ameliorating atherosclerosis, in hypertensive CKD patients with moderate renal insufficiency.
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PMID:Comparison of renal and vascular protective effects between telmisartan and amlodipine in hypertensive patients with chronic kidney disease with mild renal insufficiency. 1913 8

A calcium channel blocker (CCB), azelnidipine (AZ), is reported to inhibit oxidative stresses, particularly when administered under blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether AZ inhibits oxidative stresses more potently than other CCBs under blockade of RAS and exerts renoprotection in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. Subjects were hypertensive type 2 diabetics with nephropathy, taking RAS inhibitors. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups, an AZ group (n=21, 16 mg/d) and a nifedipine-CR (NF) group (n=17, 40 mg/d). The plasma levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF(alpha)), the urinary excretion of 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-epi-PGF(2alpha)) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratios (ACR) were determined before and after 16-week treatment. Neither metabolic parameters nor blood pressure levels differed between the two groups not only at baseline but also after the treatment. However, significant decreases in MCP-1, IL-6, hsCRP, TNF(alpha), 8-epi-PGF(2alpha), 8-OHdG and ACR levels, and a significant increase in the plasma adiponectin level were detected in the AZ group, but not in the NF group. The % change in the urinary oxidative stress markers correlated with that in ACR. Our results indicate that, in hypertensive patients with diabetic nephropathy, a combination therapy of RAS inhibitors and AZ is an effective therapeutic modality for decreasing not only blood pressure but also inflammations and oxidative stresses.
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PMID:Combination therapy with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors and the calcium channel blocker azelnidipine decreases plasma inflammatory markers and urinary oxidative stress markers in patients with diabetic nephropathy. 1871 62

Visfatin, a ubiquitous adipokine, was first described in 2005. It was found to be selectively up-regulated in the adipose tissue and to have insulin-mimetic effects. It has been reported that visfatin is associated with endothelial damage in chronic kidney disease. We investigated plasma visfatin levels (using commercially available kits) in 100 clinically stable kidney allograft recipients. We assessed visfatin markers of coagulation: thrombin-antithrombin complexes, prothrombin fragments 1 + 2; fibrinolysis: tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor, plasmin-antiplasmin complexes; endothelial function/injury: von Willebrand factor, thrombomodulin, intracellular adhesion molecule, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM); inflammation: hsCRP and interleukin-6. Visfatin was significantly higher in kidney allograft recipients than in healthy volunteers. Visfatin did not differ significantly between diabetic and nondiabetics, hypertensives and normotensives, patients with and without coronary artery disease, and between male and female subjects. Type of immunosuppressive regimen (mycophenolate mofetil vs azathioprine) did not affect visfatin levels. On univariate analysis, visfatin correlated positively with prothrombin fragments 1 + 2, VCAM, creatinine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and negatively with albumin. In multivariate analysis, only VCAM was associated with visfatin in kidney allograft recipients. Visfatin, which is related to markers of inflammation, may represent a novel link between inflammation and adipocytokines among long-term kidney transplant recipients.
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PMID:Visfatin, a new adipocytokine, is predominantly related to inflammation/endothelial damage in kidney allograft recipients. 1924

There is a growing body of evidence that nitric oxide (NO) excess plays a central role in the pathogenesis of hypotension and organ failure in patients with septic shock. In addition, recently, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthase, has been shown to contribute to the regulation of vascular tone via modulation of NO generation in vivo. However, the kinetics and regulation of serum levels of ADMA in patients with septic shock are largely unknown. Since high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)-receptor for advanced end products (RAGE) axis is supposed to be involved in the lethality in septic shock, we examined the correlations among serum levels of ADMA, endotoxin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble form of RAGE (sRAGE) and RAGE ligands such as HMGB1 and advanced glycation end products (AGE) in septic shock patients. Fifteen septic shock patients (10 males and 15 females, mean age: 70.1+/-8.5 years) and fifteen age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included in this study. The criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference were used for diagnosis of septic shock. All the subjects underwent a complete history and physical examination, determination of blood chemistries, including serum levels of ADMA, endotoxin, IL-6, HMGB1, AGE and sRAGE. Linear and multiple stepwise regression analysis were performed for the determinants of serum levels of ADMA. Serum levels of ADMA were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers (0.98+/-0.21nmol/mL vs. 0.30+/-0.05nmol/mL, p<0.0001). In univariate analysis, creatinine (p<0.005), endotoxin (p<0.001), IL-6 (p<0.001), HMGB1 (p<0.001), AGE (p<0.001) and sRAGE (p<0.001) were significantly associated with serum ADMA levels. After performing multivariate stepwise regression analyses, IL-6 (p=0.001), AGE (p=0.002) and creatinine (p=0.013) still remained significant independently. The present study is the first demonstration that ADMA levels were significantly elevated in patients with septic shock and that serum IL-6, AGE and creatinine levels were independent determinants of ADMA in these patients. Given the harmful effects of NO excess in septic shock, ADMA levels may be increased as a counter-system against inflammation and oxidative stress in this life-threatening disorder.
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PMID:Circulating levels of advanced glycation end products (AGE) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are independent determinants of serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in patients with septic shock. 1945 Jun 86

A 68-year-old woman with a 4 year history of bronchial asthma developed marked myalgia in the extremities following exercise to which she was unaccustomed. Examination on admission, 11 days after onset, revealed myalgia, muscular weakness and cutaneous hemorrhagic bullae. Blood tests revealed eosinophilia (9160/mm(3)) and elevation of creatinine kinase and C-reactive protein. Muscle biopsy in the quadriceps femoris showed small vessel vasculitis and eosinophilic infiltration. Skin biopsy revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis with neutrophilic and eosinophilic infiltration and fibrinoid necrosis. We diagnosed her as having Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS). Corticosteroid treatment relieved her symptoms and resulted in normalization of the laboratory test results. Myositis is rare as an initial manifestation of CSS. The previous studies on immunological changes after eccentric exercise suggest that unaccustomed exercise could induce an increase in the serum level of interleukin-6 and trigger the onset of CSS.
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PMID:Churg-Strauss syndrome presenting as myositis following unaccustomed exercise. 1949 52

Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) remains the most common cause of adult-onset nephrotic syndrome in the world and up to 40% of untreated patients will progress to end-stage renal disease. Although the treatment of MGN with immunosuppressants or steroid hormones can attenuate the deterioration of renal function, numerous treatment-related complications have also been established. In this study, the ameliorative effects of arctiin, a natural compound isolated from the fruits of Arctium lappa, on rat glomerulonephritis induced by cationic bovine serum albumin (cBSA) were determined. After oral administration of arctiin (30, 60, 120 mg/kgd) for three weeks, the levels of serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and 24-h urine protein content markedly decreased, while endogenous creatinine clearance rate (ECcr) significantly increased. The parameters of renal lesion, hypercellularity, infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN), fibrinoid necrosis, focal and segmental proliferation and interstitial infiltration, were reversed. In addition, we observed that arctiin evidently reduced the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), suppressed nuclear factor-kappaB p65 (NF-kappaB) DNA binding activity, and enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. These findings suggest that the ameliorative effects of arctiin on glomerulonephritis is carried out mainly by suppression of NF-kappaB activation and nuclear translocation and the decreases in the levels of these pro-inflammatory cytokines, while SOD is involved in the inhibitory pathway of NF-kappaB activation. Arctiin has favorable potency for the development of an inhibitory agent of NF-kappaB and further application to clinical treatment of glomerulonephritis, though clinical studies are required.
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PMID:Ameliorative effects of arctiin from Arctium lappa on experimental glomerulonephritis in rats. 1952 15

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) contribute significantly to diabetic complications, both macro- and microvascular. TRC4186 is an AGE-breaker that has been evaluated in vitro and in vivo and shown to reduce AGE burden. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of TRC4186 on diabetic cardiomyopathy and nephropathy in obese Zucker spontaneously hypertensive fatty rats (Ob-ZSF1), an animal model of diabetes with progressive cardiac and renal dysfunction. Ob-ZSF1 rats loaded with 0.5% salt were treated with TRC4186, 9 or 27 mg/kg twice daily intraperitoneally or vehicle control and monitored telemetrically throughout the study. Cardiac function was assessed terminally by Millar catheter. Markers of cardiac and renal dysfunction were measured and changes evaluated histopathologically. TRC4186 at 27 mg/kg prevented rise in blood pressure (BP) and also improved cardiac output (CO) secondary to better diastolic relaxation as well as systolic emptying in association with the reduction in afterload. At 9 mg/kg, CO was improved by compensatory increase in pre-load however afterload reduction was not adequate to allow efficient systolic emptying. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression was reduced with treatment. Deterioration in renal function was retarded as evident from albumin to creatinine ratio and renal histopathology. TRC4186, an AGE-breaker, clearly preserved cardiac function and reduced the severity of renal dysfunction in Ob-ZSF1, an animal model with persistent severe hyperglycemia leading to diabetic heart failure and renal failure.
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PMID:TRC4186, a novel AGE-breaker, improves diabetic cardiomyopathy and nephropathy in Ob-ZSF1 model of type 2 diabetes. 1954 15

Microalbuminuria is associated with hypertension and is a strong risk factor for subsequent chronic disease, both renal and coronary heart disease (CHD), Presently there are several methods available for measurement of microalbuminuria. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the three different methods gave similar information or if one of the assays were superior to the others. Blood pressure, inflammatory markers and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity were correlated with urine albumin analysed with a point-of-care testing (POCT) instrument, nephelometric determination of albumin and albumin/creatinine ratio in elderly males. The study population consisted of 103 diabetic and 603 nondiabetic males (age 77 years) in a cross-sectional study. We analyzed urine albumin with a HemoCue Urine Albumin POCT instrument and a ProSpec nephelometer and albumin/creatinine ratio. There were strong correlations between both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and all three urine albumin methods (p < 0.0001). There were also significant correlations between the different urine albumin measurements and serum amyloid A component, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. The three different urine albumin methods studied provided similar information in relation to cardiovascular disease. There was a strong correlation between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and microalbuminuria in both the whole study population and in nondiabetic males emphasizing the role of hypertension in glomerular damage. The good correlation between the studied urine albumin measurements show that all three methods can be used for monitoring urine albumin excretion.
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PMID:Microalbuminuria measured by three different methods, blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly Swedish males. 1960 91

Serum albumin level, in association with serum interleukin-6 level, is a significant prognostic factor in multiple myeloma patients. The aim of this study was to determine any clinical factors associated with decreased serum albumin level. We retrospectively reviewed the records of 373 patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between January 1996 and March 2008. Patients were divided into two groups according to serum albumin level (above or below 3.5 g/dL, the prognostic cutoff value), and clinical parameters were compared between groups. We aimed to identify any clinical parameters associated with low serum albumin levels. The group with serum albumin <3.5 g/dL showed older patient age, lower hemoglobin level, and poorer performance status. By contrast, levels of serum beta(2)-microglobulin, serum M protein, and bone marrow plasma cells were significantly higher in the group with low serum albumin levels. No significant between-group differences were found when serum calcium and creatinine levels were compared. Numbers of cytogenetic abnormalities and lytic bone lesions also showed no significant between-group differences. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, serum albumin level less than 3.5 g/dL was identified as a significant pretreatment prognostic factor. Lower serum albumin levels in multiple myeloma patients are associated with clinical factors reflecting disease severity.
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PMID:Serum albumin level is a significant prognostic factor reflecting disease severity in symptomatic multiple myeloma. 1984 12


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