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Background: Altered innate immune function plays an important role in the initiation of inflammatory response in Behcet's disease (BD). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the master regulators of the innate immune system. Because the role of TLRs remains unknown in the pathogenesis of BD, the present study aimed to evaluate the expression levels and methylation status of the TLR2 and TLR4 promoters in patients with BD., Methods: In the present study, Iranian Azeri BD patients (n = 47) with an active (n = 22) and inactive (n = 25) period, and healthy controls (n = 61), were matched according to age, sex and ethnicity. TLR2 and TLR4 genes promoter CpG islands were predicted with the Eukaryotic Promoter Database (https://epd.vital-it.ch). Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) was conducted., Results: The results showed that mRNA of TLR4 was significantly increased in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of BD patients with an active phase compared to the control group. Differences in mRNA of TLR4 between the inactive BD and control groups were not significant. Differences in TLR2 mRNA levels in the PBMCs of the active and inactive phase BD and control groups were not significant. The methylation rate of TLR4 gene promoter was significantly lower in the active and inactive BD groups compared to the control group. The difference between the active and inactive BD groups was not significant. There was no significant difference in the methylation rates of the TLR2 gene between studied groups., Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that the hypomethylation of TLR4 gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of BD via increasing TLR4 expression., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Behçet's disease (BD) was considered a T-helper 1 (Th1)-mediated autoimmune disease, but with the introduction of Th17 cells, their role in the pathogenesis of BD was also addressed. Despite studies on IL-17 in BD, the prognostic value of this cytokine in BD is unclear. The aim of this study is to determine the IL-17 mRNA expression rate and serum levels in patients with BD and its correlation with clinical manifestations and activity of BD. Forty-six BD patients in the active phase of the disease and 70 healthy controls were recruited in this study. BD activity was measured by Behçet's disease current activity form (BDCAF), Iranian Behçet's disease dynamic activity measure (IBDDAM) and total inflammatory activity index (TIAI). The IL-17 mRNA expression and serum levels were significantly higher in the BD patients compared with the healthy controls. These parameters in the BD patients aged <25 at disease onset, positive pathergy test, and positive HLA-B5 and HA-B51 were significantly higher than the healthy controls (P < 0.05). The IL-17 serum level in the patients with active uveitis was lower than the patients with in-active uveitis. There was no association between other clinical manifestations of BD and these parameters. No significant correlation was found between BDCAF and IBDDAM with IL-17 mRNA expression and serum levels. However, TIAI had a significant and negative correlation with the serum levels of IL-17., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. MiR-146 and miR-155 emerged as key regulators of the immune response. This study designed to analyze the miR-146a and miR-155 expression in patients with Behcet's disease (BD) and investigated their association with the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) genes., Methodology: In a case-control study, 47 Iranian Azeri BD patients and 61 age- and sex matched healthy controls recruited to the study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from EDTA blood tubes by Ficoll density-gradient centrifugation. Genomic DNA samples of BD and healthy controls were extracted using the rapid genomic DNA extraction method from the peripheral blood collected in tubes containing EDTA. Total RNA was extracted from the PBMCs according to the TRIzol protocol. MiR-146a, miR-155, TNF-α and CTLA-4 expression were studied using real-time PCR., Results: MiR-155 and TNF-α expression was significantly increased, whilst CTLA-4 expression was significantly decreased in the PBMCs of BD patients. There was no significant difference in the miR-146a expression rate between BD patients and controls. A positive correlation between miR-155 and TNF-α expression and negative correlation between miR-155 and CTLA-4 expression were observed. No significant association was observed between the expression of miR-155, miR-146a, TNF-α and CTLA-4 genes with BD activity. MiR-155 and miR-146a expression rate were significantly higher in patients with uveitis and phlebitis, respectively., Discussion and Conclusion: The expression of miR-155 increased in BD and associated with upregulation of TNF-α and downregulation of CTLA-4 genes., (Copyright © 2018 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In previous studies, the relaxant, anticholinergic (functional antagonism), and antihistaminic effects of various extracts and oils of Nigella sativa seed have been demonstrated. In the present study, the prophylactic effect of a boiled aqueous extract of nigella seed on chemical war victims was examined., Methods: Forty (40) chemical war victims were randomly divided into control group (20 patients) and study group (20 patients), and they were studied for 2 months. In the study group 0.375 mL/kg of 50 g% boiled extract and in the control group a placebo solution were administered daily throughout the study. Respiratory symptom score and wheezing were recorded in the beginning (first visit), 30 days after treatment (second visit), and at the end of the study (third visit). Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were also measured, and the drug regimen of the patients was evaluated at 3 different visits., Results: All respiratory symptoms, chest wheezing, and PFT values in the study group significantly improved in the second and third visits compared to the first visit (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). In addition, further improvement of chest wheezing and some PFT values on the third visit were observed compared to the second visit in this group (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001). In the third visits, all PFT values and most symptoms in the study group were significantly different from those of the control group (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001). However, in the control group, there were only small improvements in some parameters in the second and third visits. The use of inhaler and oral beta-agonists and oral corticosteroid in the study group decreased at the end of the study, while there were no obvious changes in use of the drugs in control subjects., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a prophylactic effect of N. sativa on chemical war victims and warrant further research regarding this effect.