title: The relationship between tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene polymorphisms and acute severe pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between the presence of the TNF2 allele and plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) and soluble TNF receptor (sTNF-R) with the development of acute severe pancreatitis (ASP) and severe sepsis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood leukocytes. The TNF1 and TNF2 biallelic polymorphisms were identified by analyzing NcoI-digested DNA fragments obtained from PCR products. Plasma levels of TNF alpha and sTNF-R were measured by EASIA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall TNF2 allele frequency in ASP patients was comparable to that found in healthy volunteers (29.2% vs. 29.3%, P > 0.05). Severe sepsis occurred in 26 of 72 patients. Patients with severe sepsis showed a significantly higher prevalence of TNF2 than those without (46.2% vs. 19.6%, P < 0.05). Plasma TNF alpha, sTNF-R I, and sTNF-R II levels were (36 +/- 31) pg/ml, (5.4 +/- 3.5) ng/ml, and (11.2 +/- 7.8) ng/ml, respectively, in patients with severe sepsis, and (31 +/- 25) pg/ml, (4.6 +/- 3.8) ng/ml, and (8.8 +/- 6.6) ng/ml in non-severe sepsis subjects. Differences in TNF levels were not statistically significant between patients with ASP and control group (P > 0.05). Moreover, there was no correlation between TNF2 allele frequency and TNFalpha levels [(37 +/- 31) pg/ml vs. (31 +/- 25) pg/ml in TNF2 group and TNF1 group, respectively, P > 0.05].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that there is no relationship between ASP and the TNF2 allele, but that the TNF2 allele is associated with a susceptibility to severe sepsis as a result of ASP.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao 266003, China.
authors.forename: Dianliang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jieshou
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Baojun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xingming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Weiqin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood; D018805:Sepsis / Q000235:genetics; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; C439524:TNF protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha