Background: The aim of this study was to determine the TH1 and Th2 serum cytokines, in patients with psoriasis and to compare their cytokine levels with those of normal control subjects.Methods: Serum levels of Interferon-gamma (IFN-g), Interleukin-2 (IL-2), Interleukin-4 (IL-4), and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 40 patients with psoriasis and in 40 normal controls.Results: Compared with control subjects, patients with psoriasis had elevated levels of IFN-g and IL-2 (P<0.001). In addition a positive correlation was found between the levels of IFN-g, IL-2 and disease severity.Conclusion: TH1 secreting inflammatory cytokines may contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Background & Objective: Although many experimental studies provide convincing evidence, that type II immunity is protective against helminthes; recent data in mice reveal that TH1 are also important in some cestods like Hymenolepis nana. To reveal the role of TH1 and Th2 lymphocyte in immunity against H.nana, the level of IL12, IFNg, IL5, IL13 was determined in serum of human infected with H.nana.Materials & Methods: In a case control study in 2006 in Mazandaran Medical Sciences University a total of 31 patients (case) with H.nana infection and 30 clinical healthy people (control) were included in this study. Measurment of IL12, IFNg, IL13 and IL5 in serum samples were performed by solid-phase sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbant assay. Differential leukocyte count also was done. T test, mannwhitney test and wilcoxan W test were used for data analysis.Results: The mean concentration of IFNg, IL13, IL12, IL5 in the sera of patient with H.nana infection were higher than control group, but only the difference between concentration of IFNg (P<0.05) and IL13 (P<0.05) in two groups were significant. There was an increase in percentage of monocytes, Eosinophils and lymphocytes in patient when compared to the control group, but this increase was not significant.Conclusion: Results form the present study are in agreement with experimental study in that both TH1 and Th2 responses occurs in H.nana infection.

Estrogens foster immunological processes driven by CD4+ Th2 cells and B cells and androgens foster TH1 CD4+ and CD8+ cell activity. Higher levels of IFN-gamma and IL-2 and lower levels of IL-4 and IL-10 are detected in the phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocyte culture supernatants of men compared with women. It is documented that the physiologic levels of estrogens produced during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle shift the female immune system toward a Th2-type response and that the TH1 cytokines are increased in postmenopausal women. However, the TH1 immune response is also surprisingly stronger in women, hence affording them a better protection against infections. Nickel sensitivity, a TH1 immune reaction, seems to be more common in women even if men wear earrings. Further, not only the Th2 but also the TH1 autoimmune diseases are generally more common in women than men. How do women advance a stronger TH1 response than men? It is suggested that in contrast to the paradigm that estrogens lead to a Th2 bias, estrogens can enhance TH1 cytokine production also. However, the discrepant effects of estrogens are difficult to be reconciled from a molecular viewpoint and hence are not advocated by all authors. This paper provides an explanation: The effects of dehydroepiandrosterone on TH1/Th2 balance seem to be model-specific; in humans dehydroepiandrosterone, representsa pivotal up-regulator of TH1 immune response. Steroid sulphatase is a microsomal enzyme that cleaves the sulphate group of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate. This enzyme is controlled by an X-linked gene that escapes the Lyon effect of X-inactivation; as a result, women usually have about twice steroid sulphatase in their cells, including macrophages, as have men.Puttingall these facts together, it could be concluded that women's macrophages, which contain higher steroid sulphatase levels and enter peripheral lymphoid organs through afferent lymphatic drainage, produce higher levels of dehydroepiandrosteronein these organs; and higher levels of this hormone produce stronger TH1 immune responses.

Background and Objectives: Type, intensity, and duration of exercise determines the effect of exercise on the immune system. This study aimed to determine the effect of different exercise intensities on cytokine response pattern in male football players.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 11 male football players of Jahrom University (mean height, 1.70±0.04m; weight, 64.42±6.44kg; age, 21.90±0.87 yr; body mass Index, 22.05±1.68kg/m2) with at least 6 months of activity, were studied. In the first week, the participants ran one session at 65% of maximum heart rate and in the second week, one session at 80% of maximum heart rate for 30 minutes at running track. Blood samples were taken before and immediately after each training session. Data were analysed using dependent t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. The significance level was considered p<0.05.Results: Exercise at 65% of maximum heart rate had no significant effect on IFN-g (p=0.60), IL-4 (p=0.14), and IFN-g/IL-4 ratio (p=0.22). A session of exercise with 80% of maximum heart rate, had no significant effect on IL-4 (p=0.57) and IFN-g/IL-4 ratio (p=0.38), whereas the level of IFN-g significantly decreased (p=0.01).Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the immune response changed with the intensity of the exercise, and exercise at 80% of maximum heart rate had a significant effect on the IFN-g response compared to the exercise at 65% of maximum heart rate.