title: Association of tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene promoter polymorphism with low attenuation areas on high-resolution CT in patients with COPD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alveolar septal cell apoptosis may contribute to the pathogenesis of emphysema. Because tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is assumed to play an important role in the induction of apoptosis, and allele 2 of the polymorphism at position--308 in the promoter of the TNF-alpha gene has been associated with alteration of TNF-alpha secretion in vitro, we hypothesized that genotypes containing this allele would show more destructive emphysematous changes of the lung.
  
  
  METHODS
  The percentage ratio of the low attenuation area to the corresponding lung area was evaluated using a visual scoring system for CT findings in patients with COPD (n = 84), and these patients were classified into two groups: those with a visual score < 11 and those with a visual score > or = 11. A polymerase chain reaction-based assay was developed to determine the TNF-alpha genotype (TNF-alpha-308*1/2) between subjects with high and low visual scores on chest CT scans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The TNF-alpha-308*1/2 allele frequency tended to differ between patients with a visual score < 11 (0.90/0.10) and those with a visual score > or = 11 (0.81/0.19) [odds ratio, 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.87 to 5.30; p = 0.09].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that the TNF-alpha-308 allele 2 may be partly associated with the extent of emphysematous changes in patients with COPD.
authors.affiliation: Association of Non-University Pulmonary Specialist Physicians, Chiba University School of Medicine, Department of Respirology (B2), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan. sakao@virolo3.m.chiba-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakao
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tatsumi
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Igari
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shino
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shirasawa
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuriyama
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics*; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000235:genetics*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha