Patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE) tend to produce autoantibodies and have a propensity to develop immunoregulatory disorders. We characterize the profile of autoantibodies in a group of HAE patients and investigate their memory B cells' phenotype and activation status. We studied the activity status phenotype, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9 expression and ...

Introduction: Anti-ganglioside antibodies (AGA) have been associated with several peripheral neuropathies, such as Miller-Fisher syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome and multifocal motor neuropathy. They have also been studied in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), focusing on neuropsychiatric manifestations and peripheral neuropathy, but the results are contradictory. Objective: To study the presence ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: At present, there is no reliable tool for predicting disease outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We previously demonstrated an association between specific baseline biomarkers/clinical measures including matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and 2-year radiographic progression in patients with RA. This study further evaluates the predictive capability of these ...

Helicobacter cinaedi is being increasingly recognized as an emerging pathogen. Reports of recurrent bacteremia and isolation of H. cinaedi organisms from a patient with myopericarditis led us to hypothesize that H. cinaedi may be associated with chronic inflammatory cardiovascular diseases such as atrial arrhythmia and atherosclerosis. To assess the association ...

Under certain conditions or at certain stages of the disease course, multiple sclerosis (MS) and mitochondrial disorder (MID) may be differential diagnoses and thus may be confused with each other. In a 30 years old female MS was diagnosed at age 16 year upon recurrent sensory disturbances of the right lower leg, ...

Introduction: Necrotizing myopathy (NM) is distinguished from idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) by dominance of myofiber necrosis, lack of mononuclear inflammatory infiltrates, and presence of antibodies to signal recognition particle (SRP). Methods: The clinical features of 64 cases of NM were determined. Measurement of autoantibodies was undertaken on stored sera from ...

OBJECTIVES: To assess clinical response after switching between anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) agents in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study included 99 patients diagnosed with RA American College of Rheumatology, 1987), on anti-TNF-alpha therapy, to assess the therapeutic response after 24 weeks. Switching was performed if, ...

BACKGROUND: Nodular gastritis (NG) has been reported in adult dyspeptic patients, whereas information on NG in asymptomatic patients is limited. AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence, clinico-epidemiological characteristics, and expression profiles of inflammatory cytokines or cytokine regulatory factors of NG in asymptomatic adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted prospectively using ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of inflammatory biomarkers and total bile acid (TBA) in oral secretions in the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). MATERIALS: This prospective study was conducted in an intensive care unit. Oral secretions were collected from mechanically ventilated patients who met ...

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is a recently described potentially lethal but treatable disorder that often occurs as a paraneoplastic manifestation of ovarian teratomas. We report three women with this disorder who presented with subacute onset of delirium, seizures and autonomic instability. Anti-NMDA receptor antibodies were detectable in the serum or CSF ...

BACKGROUND: Often previously overlooked, microscopic colitis, including collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis, has now emerged as a common cause of chronic diarrhoea. AIMS: To evaluate the prevalence and incidence of microscopic colitis in patients with diarrhoea of unknown aetiology. METHODS: 271 consecutive patients who were referred to the General Hospital ...

BACKGROUND: We have recently documented the appearance of an anti-angiogenic peptide, endorepellin, in the urine of patients with chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD).METHODS: Here, we analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay the excretion of anti-angiogenic peptides endostatin, pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and Kruppel-like factor-2 (KLF-2), in healthy individuals, patients with stable graft ...

Background: The balance (ratio) of anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis. Moreover, the imbalance of anti-/pro-inflammatory cytokines may modulate disease progression in aggressive periodontitis (AP). This study aims to investigate the levels of interleukin (IL)-11 and IL-17 and their ...

BACKGROUND: Sepsis, a common deadly systemic infection caused by a variety of pathogens, has some clinical symptoms similar to the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a whole-body non-infectious inflammatory reaction to severe insults, such as burn, trauma, hypotensive shock and so on. Treatment of sepsis depends mainly on anti-microbial, while ...

The concurrence of inflammatory bowel disease with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare. The concomitant diagnosis of Crohn's disease and SLE is even more rare. The patient, a 40-year-old woman, was admitted to our hospital because of relapsing episodes of abdominal pain, diarrheas upper and lower extremities arthralgias, Raynaud's phenomenon ...

BACKGROUND: The principal cause of mortality in haemodialysis (HD) patients is cardiovascular disease, which is linked to chronic inflammation. Recent studies have demonstrated that angiotensin II receptor AT1 antagonists have anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we evaluated the effect of losartan on CD14(+)CD16(+) monocytes in HD patients. In addition, we ...

OBJECTIVES: The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc).METHODS: The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of ...

BACKGROUND: Infliximab, an anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody, administered to Behçet's disease (BD) patients in Japan with refractory intraocular inflammation, has shown excellent clinical results. However, some patients demonstrate a decreased response to infliximab during the course of the treatment. In the present study, we investigated the correlation between this reduced therapeutic ...

BACKGROUND: Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a relatively new marker of intestinal inflammation. Recently, many studies have extended its role in predicting relapse of quiescent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the reported results have been inconsistent. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis of the predictive capacity of FC in IBD relapse. ...

BACKGROUND: There is some preliminary evidence to suggest that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are less frequently infected with Helicobacter pylori than the general population. AIM: To examine whether the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is lower among IBD patients compared with non-IBD individuals based on results from ...

Anti-CCP (cyclic citrullinated peptide) is considered the most useful laboratory tool in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Some authors have also found this autoantibody in patients with scleroderma (SSc). The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anti-CCP antibodies in SSc patients from Southern Brazil and their association with ...

Introduction: Amyloid neuropathy is a rare peripheral neuropathy that classically presents as a progressive sensory neuropathy with prominent autonomic involvement. Methods: We describe 5 patients with amyloid neuropathy (familial amyloid polyneuropathy or acquired amyloidosis) who were initially mistaken to have chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) based on history, clinical examination, ...

Pancreatitis is a diffuse systemic immuno-inflammatory response to a localized process of auto-digestion within the pancreatic gland, caused by premature activation of proteolytic digestive enzymes. According to the ATLANTA criteria (1992) we recognized a mild and a severe acute pancreatitis (SAP ) . Mortality rate in SAP account up to ...

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent ductal syndrome. Few epidemiological studies in Tunisia exist. Aim: To describe clinical, biological and electromyographic data of Tunisian patients with CTS Methods: A retrospective study including 80 patients with CTS, during the period going from 2009 to 2010. Results: A female ...

Dysphagia has previously been reported in the inflammatory myopathies (IMs): inclusion body myositis (IBM), dermatomyositis (DM), and polymyositis (PM). Patients report coughing, choking, and bolus sticking in the pharynx. Myotomy has been the treatment of choice, with variable success reported. We sought to determine underlying causes of dysphagia in IM ...

The aim of this study was to perform an immunohistochemical analysis from 100 megakaryocytes per sample, analyzing positivity and intensity levels of anti-LAP human TGF-β1 (or Latent TGF-β1) and anti-TGF-β1 (or Active TGF-β1) antibodies from 18 essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 38 primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patients (being 19 pre-fibrotic and 19 ...

To evaluate the clinical remission by means of power Doppler ultrasonographic (PDUS) monitoring in a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission (DAS28 < 2.6). The study included 54 patients with RA in therapy with DMARDS, anti-TNF, or no therapy in clinical remission according to ACR criteria and DAS ...

This is a phase II trial evaluating efficacy and safety of aprepitant (AP) in combination with 5-HT3 antagonist and adjusted dose dexamethasone in patients receiving high-dose cyclophosphamide (CY) and filgrastim for stem cell mobilization. We used Simon's optimal two-stage design constrained to fewer than 40 patients with 10% type I ...

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of antibodies to RNA polymerase III (anti-RNAP) differs among systemic sclerosis (SSc) cohorts worldwide. Previously reported associations of anti-RNAP include diffuse cutaneous disease, tendon friction rubs and renal crisis, with recent reports suggesting a close temporal association between malignancy and SSc disease onset among patients with ...

OBJECTIVES:: Positivity of both IgA anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (TTG) and anti-endomysium (EMA) antibodies has a positive predictive value (PPV) of nearly 100% for celiac disease (CD).Objective of this study is evaluate if patients of any age, with high pre-test probability of CD and high titre of anti-TTG and EMA positivity, have ...

To study the response to infliximab in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as reflected in fecal calprotectin levels. Thirty-six pediatric patients with IBD [23 Crohn's disease (CD), 13 ulcerative colitis (UC); median age 14 years] were treated with infliximab. Fecal calprotectin was measured at baseline, and 2 and 6 wk ...

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system with progressive or relapsing signs in more than one limb, ending in prolonged periods of disability. There are no guidelines for anesthesia in this uncommon paralyzing disease. This report features a 19-year-old woman with CIDP scheduled ...

Background  The increased sebum secretion has been considered as one of the pathogenic factors of acne. Objective  The goal of this study was to assess the correlation between the casual sebum level and the severity of acne using objective measuring methods in a large acne patients group. We also investigated ...

Objective: To assess highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as inflammatory biomarkers in patients with asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Materials and Methods: A total of 26 patients with asymptomatic PHPT and 22 age- and sex-matched individuals as a control group were recruited for the study. Corrected serum calcium, ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of rituximab (RTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in routine clinical practice, and to identify predictors of 6-month response to RTX in patients for whom at least 1 anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF) therapy has failed. METHODS: The analysis involved 646 patients with RA registered ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: : This study investigated whether the vitreous fluid levels of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) were associated with the occurrence of serous retinal detachment (SRD) in patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). METHOD: S: ...

Sodium salicylate is an inexpensive, readily available anti-inflammatory agent which inhibits NF-κB in in vitro models. We examined whether it was possible to safely achieve and maintain salicylate levels known to inhibit NF-κB in vitro in 11 patients with MDS or AML taking sodium salicylate. Most patients achieved the target ...

Objective: To describe the main characteristics of patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (SS) and white matter abnormalities (WMA) seen by a specialist SS unit. METHODS: The study cohort included 321 consecutive patients fulfilling the 2002 classification criteria for primary SS. We retrospectively analyzed the results of neuroimaging studies performed in ...

OBJECTIVE: The present study evaluated the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides antibodies (anti-CCP), rheumatoid factor (RF), and circulating immune complexes (CIC) in Sudanese patients infected with the Leishmania donovani parasite. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sera were collected from Leishmania infected patients (n = 116) and healthy Sudanese (n = 93). Nineteen ...

Objective: The aim was to assess the level of systemic involvement and character of renal disease in patients with chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus of the discoid lupus variety (hereafter referred to as 'discoid lupus') and features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Clinical confusion with other types of cutaneous lupus erythematosus ...

OBJECTIVES:: Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is often difficult to diagnose. We evaluated the diagnostic yields of underlying diseases of PLE among esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, fluoroscopic conventional enteroclysis (FCE), videocapsule endoscopy (VCE), and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) and prognosis after treatment. METHODS:: Between June 2003 and August 2010, 25 consecutive patients with PLE confirmed ...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical course of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in children and adolescents and the effects of levothyroxine therapy on the clinical course and laboratory findings. Methods: The clinical and laboratory data of 101 patients with HT at presentation and during a three-year ...

Heart failure (HF) represents the final stage of chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CChC). The diagnosis of CChC is based on the demonstration of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies (aTcAg) and clinical and epidemiological data. In Venezuela, there are no data about the prevalence of chagasic HF. The aim of this study was to ...

The most important clinical features of the spondyloarthritides (SpA) are not only inflammatory back pain (IBP) but also peripheral (enthesitis) and extra-articular symptoms. For clinical purposes, two forms related to the predominant clinical manifestation - axial and peripheral SpA - and five subgroups- ankylosing spondylitis (AS), SpA associated with psoriasis ...

In patients with liver cirrhosis, portal hypertensive colopathy (PHC) and anorectal varices (ARVs) are thought to cause lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. In the present work, we studied the diagnostic yield of colonoscopy in cirrhotic patients and haematochezia. The current study was conducted on 77 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent colonoscopy ...

PURPOSE: The rationale of the present study was to radiolabel rituximab with 99m-technetium and to image B lymphocytes infiltration in the affected tissues of patients with chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases, in particular, the candidates to be treated with unlabelled rituximab, in order to provide a rationale for 'evidence-based' therapy. PROCEDURES: ...

BACKGROUND: "Indefinite for dysplasia" (IND) on pouch mucosal biopsy is occasionally reported during routine histopathological evaluation. The natural history and implication of this histologic entity in ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) has not been studied. AIM: The aim of this study is to characterize cumulative probability, natural history, and clinical outcome ...

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) demonstrate different patterns of prosthetic wear or cellular responses to implant wear debris compared to patients without inflammatory joint disease. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients who had a primary revision of a total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) for aseptic loosening between 1996 and ...

INTRODUCTION: Adalimumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeted against TNF-α, has proved to be successful in the treatment of uveitis. Another anti-TNF-α agent, i.e., infliximab, has been reported of benefit in the treatment of refractory sarcoidosis. The aim of this prospective case series was to evaluate the effect of adalimumab on ...

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), first purified from the conditioned medium of human retinal pigment epithelial cells, has been shown to be a highly effective inhibitor of angiogenesis. A recent study showed that PEDF is also a novel adipokine secreted mainly by adipocytes. Psoriasis has been shown to be associated with ...