title: High values of CXCL10 serum levels in patients with hepatitis C associated mixed cryoglobulinemia in presence or absence of autoimmune thyroiditis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate CXCL10 serum levels in patients with hepatitis C virus chronic infection (HCV) associated mixed cyoglobulinemia (MC), in the presence or absence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AT). CXCL10 was assayed in 50 MC patients without AT, in 40 MC patients with AT (MC+AT), in 2 gender- and age-matched control groups [50 healthy controls (without HCV or AT; control); 40 controls with AT (without HCV and MC; control+AT)]. CXCL10 was significantly higher: (1) in control+AT than in control (p<0.001); (2) in MC patients than in control (p<0.001); (3) in MC+AT patients than in control (p<0.001), control+AT (p<0.001), or in MC (p=0.002). CXCL10 was significantly increased in MC+AT patients with thyroid hypoechogenicity (388+/-147 vs 302+/-112; p=0.03), or hypothyroidism (391+/-142 vs 307+/-118; p=0.04), compared to those without. By defining a high CXCL10 level as a value at least 2 SD above the mean value of the control (>167 pg/ml), 8% of control, 22% of control+AT, 47% of MC and 80% of MC+AT had high CXCL10 (p<0.0001). In conclusion, our study is the first to demonstrate high serum levels of CXCL10 in MC and that CXCL10 in MC+AT patients are significantly higher compared to MC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa - School of Medicine, Via Roma, 67, I-56100 Pisa, Italy. a.antonelli@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: Clodoveo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.forename: Poupak
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fallahi
authors.forename: Silvia Martina
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frascerra
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Franzoni
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galetta
authors.forename: Ele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrannini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: C114753:CXCL10 protein, human; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10