title: Circulating CXCL11 and CXCL10 are increased in hepatitis C-associated cryoglobulinemia in the presence of autoimmune thyroiditis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  No data are available about circulating levels of the CXCL11 chemokine in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) patients with or without autoimmune thyroiditis (AT). The aim of the present study, therefore, was to evaluate serum CXCL11 levels in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum CXCL11 (and for comparison, CXCL10) was measured in 45 patients with MC, 45 patients with MC and AT (MC + AT), 45 sex- and age-matched controls without AT (control 1), 45 sex- and age-matched patients with AT without cryoglobulinemia (control 2), and in 45 sex- and age-matched patients with hepatitis C chronic infection without MC (HCV+).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum CXCL11 and CXCL10 levels were significantly higher in control 2 than in control 1 (p < 0.01). MC patients had CXCL11 and CXCL10 significantly higher than control 1 (p < 0.01). MC + AT patients had CXCL11 and CXCL10 higher than control 2 (p < 0.01) and MC patients (p = 0.02). Serum CXCL11 levels were not associated with any of the clinical features of cryoglobulinemia in patients with MC and MC + AT, which was the same for CXCL10. CXCL10 and CXCL11 in HCV+ patients were significantly higher than in controls 1 and 2, but lower than in MC or MC+AT patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study first demonstrates higher serum levels of CXCL11 chemokine in patients with MC than in HCV+ patients, and in particular in the presence of AT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, School of Medicine, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy. alessandro.antonelli@med.unipi.it
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: Poupak
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fallahi
authors.forename: Silvia Martina
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.forename: Andreina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mazzi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fabiani
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Centanni
authors.forename: Santino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchi
authors.forename: Clodoveo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferri
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10 / Q000097:blood*; D054371:Chemokine CXCL11 / Q000097:blood*; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C114753:CXCL10 protein, human; C515202:CXCL11 protein, human; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D054371:Chemokine CXCL11