title: [Changes of plasma cytokines in patients with severe hepatitis treated with a probiotic preparation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the changes of plasma cytokines in patients with severe hepatitis treated with a probiotic preparation.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred twelve patients with severe hepatitis treated with a basic regimen were randomly divided into a probiotic preparation treatment group and a control group. Their plasma cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, were determined by conventional techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical symptoms of 84.5% of the treatment group were obviously improved. The treatment effectiveness in this group was better than that in the control group (X2=8.888). It showed that liver functions were significantly improved compared to those of the control group . After the probiotic preparation therapy, there were significant decreases in the concentrations of TNFa and IL-6. TNFa and IL-6 in the treatment group and in the control group were (109.4+/-14.7) pg/ml vs (128.7+/-18.8) pg/ml and (84.3+/-20.1) pg/ml vs (109.1+/-18.7) pg/ml respectively. However, the concentrations of IL-10 and IL-2 in the treatment group increased obviously: IL-2 was (59.8+/-12.2) pg/ml vs (47.1+/-6.7) pg/ml and IL-10 was (30.6+/-6.6) pg/ml vs (22.5+/-6.1) pg/ml.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The probiotic preparation treatment effectively reduces the TNFa and IL-6 and increases the concentrations of IL-10 and IL-2 in the blood of the patients with severe hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou 325000, China. lmq0906@163.com
authors.forename: Ming-qin
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Yong-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hao-hao
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10