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Abstract. Patients with exacerbation of chronic herpesvirus infection were subjected to immunocorrection therapy. In the course of treatment, time-dependent correlations were found between the changes in production of IFNγ, IL-1β and IL-6, and initial level of IFNγ. The patients with high initial concentrations of IFNγ did also exhibit above-normal initial IL-1Β and IL-6 values, as compared to appropriate parameters for a sub-group with low IFNγ levels. In the course of immunocorrection with Echinacea, all the patients showed increase in IFNγ levels. However, due to initially low IFNγ values, its increase was more pronounced than in persons with high background levels of IFNγ. Dynamics of IL-1Β decrease and changes in IL-6 concentrations were more expressed in cases of higher initial levels of these cytokines. The alterations revealed for IFNγ, IL-1Β and IL-6 levels confirm that immunocorrection with Echinacea causes reduced intensity of inflammation and activation of antiviral immune response. (Med. Immunol., 2008, vol. 10, N 2-3, pp 283-290).

Abstract. In present work, we studied some interrelations between tobacco smoking and the processes of immune system stimulation in healthy blood donors. In our opinion, this issue is especially important for the big industrial center, with rather strong antigenic exposure of the organism. The levels of circulating immune complexes (CIC) were used as a marker index which reflects specific antigen-antibody interactions during inflammation. According to the results obtained, the majority of persons who have high CIC levels were tobacco smokers (53.76%). Moreover, the percentage of persons with high CIC content, like as the mean values of this index is increased proportionally to the duration of smoking. A mixture of tobacco smoke components seems to exert direct toxic effect upon various compartments of the immune system and causes local irritation of bronchial tree, thus producing local and systemic inflammatory reaction. It is, possibly, an additional factor which determines activation of immune system, with a background of adverse antropogenic exposures typical to industrial centers. The data obtained allow us to affirm a toxic action of tobacco smoke upon the organism of smokers, with development of inflammatory reactions that are displayed as increased CIC levels at preclinical stage.