title: A Study on Genetic Association of Interleukin-16 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (rs1131445) With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Iranian Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is an immunomodulatory cytokine, which plays an important role in some inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as hepatitis B, which is a major health concern worldwide.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we aimed to investigate the plausible association between IL-16 polymorphism and chronic HBV susceptibility in an Iranian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a case-control study, we analyzed rs1131445 polymorphism in the microRNA binding site of the IL-16 gene in 262 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 269 healthy controls, using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and DNA sequencing technology to confirm our results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Altogether, in this investigation, a significant association was observed between the IL-16 TC genotype compared with the TT genotype (OR = 0.696, 95% CI: 0.485 - 0.997, P = 0.048), after adjustments for confounders including age and gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings show that immunogenetic factors, such as single nucleotide polymorphism in IL-16, could be a risk factor for susceptibility to chronic HBV infection. However, further investigations are needed to verify these results.
authors: Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Abbas
authors: A
authors: Behelgardi
authors: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Seyed Masoud
authors: SM
authors: Hosseini
authors: Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Seyed Reza
authors: SR
authors: Mohebbi
authors: Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Pedram
authors: P
authors: Azimzadeh
authors: Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Shaghayegh
authors: S
authors: Derakhshani
authors: Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Khatoon
authors: K
authors: Karimi
authors: Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Afsaneh
authors: A
authors: Sharifian
authors: Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors: Mohammad Reza
authors: MR
authors: Zali
keywords: Cytokines; Hepatitis B Virus; Iran; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism; Restriction Fragment Length; Single Nucleotide