Data from: Peripheral TNFa elevations in abstinent alcoholics are associated with Hepatitis C infection

Substantial evidence supports the view that inflammatory processes contribute to brain alterations in HIV infection. Mechanisms recently proposed to underlie neuropathology in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) include elevations in peripheral cytokines that sensitize the brain to the damaging effects of alcohol. This study included 4 groups: healthy controls, individuals with AUD (abstinent from alcohol at examination), those infected with HIV, and those comorbid for HIV and AUD. The aim was to determine whether inflammatory cytokines are elevated in AUD as they are in HIV infection. Cytokines showing group differences included interferon gammainduced protein 10 (IP-10) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Follow-up t-tests revealed that TNFα and IP-10 were higher in AUD than controls but only in AUD patients who were seropositive for Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Specificity of TNFα and IP10 elevations to HCV infection status was provided by correlations between cytokine levels and HCV viral load and indices of liver integrity including albumin/globulin ratio, fibrosis scores, and AST/platelet count ratio. Because TNFα levels were mediated by HCV infection, this study provides no evidence for elevations in peripheral cytokines in "uncomplicated", abstinent alcoholics, independent of liver disease or HCV infection. Nonetheless, these results corroborate evidence for elevations in IP-10 and TNFα in HIV and for IP-10 levels in HIV+HCV coinfection.

大量研究证据表明，炎症反应参与了人类免疫缺陷病毒（Human Immunodeficiency Virus，HIV）感染引发的脑部病变。近期提出的酒精使用障碍（Alcohol Use Disorder，AUD）神经病理机制包括外周细胞因子水平升高，可使脑部对酒精的损伤作用更为敏感。本研究共纳入4组受试者：健康对照者、酒精使用障碍（AUD）患者（检查时已戒酒）、人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）感染者，以及HIV与AUD共病患者。本研究旨在探究酒精使用障碍患者体内的炎症细胞因子水平是否如HIV感染患者一般出现升高。存在组间差异的细胞因子包括γ干扰素诱导蛋白10（interferon gamma-induced protein 10，IP-10）与肿瘤坏死因子α（tumor necrosis factor α，TNFα）。后续t检验结果显示，仅在丙型肝炎病毒（Hepatitis C virus，HCV）血清学阳性的AUD患者中，TNFα与IP-10水平均高于健康对照者。细胞因子水平与HCV病毒载量、肝脏完整性相关指标（包括白蛋白/球蛋白比值、肝纤维化评分及天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（Aspartate Aminotransferase，AST）/血小板计数比值）的相关性，验证了TNFα与IP-10水平升高与HCV感染状态的特异性关联。由于TNFα水平受HCV感染介导，本研究未发现无并发症且已戒酒的酒精成瘾者（排除肝脏疾病或HCV感染）外周血细胞因子水平升高的证据。尽管如此，本研究结果仍证实了HIV感染患者体内IP-10与TNFα水平升高，以及HIV与HCV共感染患者体内IP-10水平升高的相关结论。