Document 0722
 DOCN  M9590722
 TI    Alcohol, tumor necrosis factor, and tuberculosis.
 DT    9509
 AU    Nelson S; Mason C; Bagby G; Summer W; Department of Pulmonary/Critical
       Care Medicine, Louisiana State; University Medical Center, New Orleans
       70112, USA.
 SO    Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1995 Feb;19(1):17-24. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/95289579
 AB    Alcohol exerts potent suppressive effects on the immune system that
       significantly increase host susceptibility to a variety of infections,
       particularly pneumonia. Historically, tuberculosis has been strongly
       associated with alcohol abuse. Although the relationship between alcohol
       abuse and tuberculosis is widely appreciated, the basic mechanisms by
       which alcohol immunosuppresses the host remain to be clarified. A major
       obstacle in furthering our understanding of this association has been
       the difficulty in distinguishing between the effects of alcohol per se
       and the other frequent sequelae of alcoholism such as nutritional
       deficiencies, liver disease, cigarette smoking, hygienic factors, and
       lifestyle. This article focuses on the role of tumor necrosis
       factor-alpha (TNF) in host defense and how alcohol modulates the
       activity of this important cytokine. While TNF's role in mediating the
       lethal consequences of infection has been the subject of much
       conjecture, this review focuses on the emerging evidence that TNF is an
       essential factor in the normal immune response to numerous infections,
       including tuberculosis.
 DE    Alcoholism/*IMMUNOLOGY  AIDS-Related Opportunistic
       Infections/*IMMUNOLOGY  Human  Immunocompetence/IMMUNOLOGY  Macrophages,
       Alveolar/IMMUNOLOGY  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  Tuberculosis,
       Pulmonary/*IMMUNOLOGY  Tumor Necrosis Factor/*PHYSIOLOGY  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE  REVIEW  REVIEW, TUTORIAL

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
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