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Chemokines play an important role in the autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of CCL20 and a polymorphism [-786C > T (rs6749704)] in the chemokine gene in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The blood samples were collected from 135 MS patients and 135 healthy subjects as a control group. The patients have relapsing-remitting (RRMS; n = 65), primary progressive (PPMS; n = 47), secondary progressive (SPMS; n = 35) or progressive relapsing (PRMS; n = 14) patterns. The serum levels of CCL20 were measured by ELISA. The DNA was analyzed for CCL20 polymorphism using PCR-RLFP. The mean serum levels of CCL20 in the MS group were significantly higher than in the healthy group (P < 0.001). In patients with a SPMS pattern, the frequency of CT genotype at rs6749704 (24.3 %) was significantly lower as compared to patients with other patterns (42.8 %; P < 0.04). No significant differences were observed between subjects with different genotypes in rs6749704 regarding the CCL20 levels. The mean serum levels of CCL20 in both newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed patients was significantly higher than in the healthy group (P < 0.05 and 0.001, respectively). The mean serum levels of CCL20 in patients with RRMS, SPMS and PPMS patterns were significantly higher than in the healthy group (P < 0.004, P < 0.04, and 0.05, respectively). The levels of CCL20 in untreated patients and in patients who received interferon-β, methylprednisolone or the combination of interferon-β plus methylprednisolone were higher as compared to the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.03, P < 0.005, and P < 0.05, respectively). These results showed higher levels of CCL20 in patients that represent that the chemokine may play an important role in the pathogenesis of MS. The rs6749704 polymorphism was an associated SPMS pattern. The levels of CCL20 were not influenced by gender, disease pattern and treatment.

Objective: Bipolar disorders are among the most common chronic mental disorders. Despite the recent improvement in controlling psychiatric disorders, treatment of bipolar disorders remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of consuming probiotics in patients with bipolar disorder-type 1 compared to the placebo group. Method: This was a permuted blocked randomized clinical trial conducted in Shahid Beheshti mental hospital in Kerman, Iran, from October 2017 to October 2018. Two psychiatrists diagnosed and hospitalized all 38 patients with type 1 bipolar disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Using blind randomized blocking method size 4, patients were divided into 2 groups of placebo and probiotic. Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were completed at the beginning, week 4, and week 8 of the study by a psychiatry resident. Independent t test, Mann-Whitney and repeated measures ANOVA tests were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in age, sex, and severity of mania and depression. Consumption of probiotics reduced the scores of YMRS and HDRS over time in the probiotic group more than the placebo group, but it was not significant. Conclusion: Consumption of probiotics had non-significant effects on improvement and treatment of bipolar type 1 patients. It is suggested that future studies be conducted with different probiotic microbial strains and longer period of treatment.

Chemokines play a major role in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Gender also affects the susceptibility and course of MS. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of the macrophage-derived chemokine (CCL22) in women and men patients with MS. Blood samples were collected from 135 healthy subjects (35 men and 100 women) and 135 MS patients (29 men and 136 women; 47 newly diagnosed and 88 treated patients and have relapsing-remitting (RRMS; n = 65), secondary progressive (SPMS; n = 37), primary progressive (PPMS; n = 19), or progressive relapsing (PRMS; n = 14) patterns). The serum levels of CCL22 were measured by ELISA. The difference of the mean serum levels of CCL22 between the newly diagnosed MS men and healthy men was not significant, but in newly diagnosed MS women, the mean serum levels of CCL22 were significantly lower than those in treated MS women and healthy women (P < 0.006 and P < 0.0001, respectively). The differences of the mean CCL22 levels between men patients with different treatment programs were not significant, but the mean CCL22 levels were significantly higher in women treated with interferon-β or the combination of interferon-β plus methylprednisolone as compared to untreated women patients (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The CCL22 levels were also significantly higher in women with RRMS and PRMS patterns in comparison to healthy women (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). These results showed lower levels of CCL22 in women patients which represents that the reduction in CCL22 levels may play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease in women. In women patients, the levels of CCL22 were influenced by disease pattern and treatment.

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