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Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by vascular damage and fibrosis in the intima that commonly occurs in the aorta. In many damaged sites in TA patients, natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to be hyperactivated and produce inflammatory cytokines and toxic components. Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are found on NK cells and interact with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands to activate or suppress NK cells. The present study assessed the possible role of KIR and their HLA ligand genes in susceptibility to TA in Iranian patients. This case-control study included 50 TA patients and 50 healthy subjects. DNA was extracted from whole peripheral blood samples, and polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) was performed to recognize the presence or absence of polymorphism in 17 KIR genes and 5 HLA class I ligands in each participant. Among the KIR and HLA genes, a significant decrease was detected in the frequency of 2DS4 (full allele) in TA patients (38%) compared with healthy controls (82%) (OR=0.13, 95% CI=0.05-0.34). However, none of the KIR and HLA genotypes or the interactions between these genes were associated with susceptibility to TA. The KIR2DS4 gene might be involved in the regulation of activation as well as the production of cytotoxic mediators of NK cells in patients with TA.

The aim of current study was to determine women´s maternal asthma in pregnancy, delivery and birth outcomes. Using a retrospective cohort design, data of 580 pregnant women were gathered form a large teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. The medical records of pregnant women who had attended this hospital between 2009 and 2011 were assessed. Data of delivery and birth outcomes were gathered by observation and medical records of women. Multiple logistic regression and adjusted odds ratio (OR) were used to assess the independent association of asthma and outcomes. 274 patients (47.2%) were in "asthmatic group" and 306 patients (52.8%) were in the "non-asthmatic group". Basic and demographic variables showed the same distribution across two groups. Maternal asthma showed an adjusted relationship with gestational diabetes (OR=2.64), gestational hypertension (OR=3.79), cesarean delivery (OR=2.68), small for gestational age (OR=2.86), premature rupture of membrane (OR=2.18), preterm delivery (OR=1.74), abnormal vaginal bleeding (OR=3.75), and low birth weight (OR=1.78) significantly (p<0.05 for all associations). The majority of pregnancy, delivery and birth outcomes except fetal death, abortion, placenta previa and placenta abruption) were significantly associated with maternal asthma. The largest association of maternal asthma was with gestational hypertension and abnormal vaginal bleeding respectively.