This study examined the validity of the StepWatch activity monitor and the optimal number of monitoring days in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). StepWatch activity data were obtained from databases of two studies: one of patients with COPD who participated in a trial of two exercise persistence interventions ...

The plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) express a high level of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9), which recognizes viral DNA. Activated via TLR-9, pDCs also secrete large amounts of type I interferon which are involved either in stimulation or down regulation of immune response in multiple sclerosis (MS). In the present study, ...

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a progressive and life-threatening disease characterized by complement-mediated chronic hemolysis, resulting in serious life-threatening complications and early mortality. Eculizumab, a humanized anti-C5 monoclonal antibody that inhibits terminal complement activation, has been shown to reduce hemolysis in PNH patients. The pivotal open-label, 12-week phase II registration ...

Internal Jugular Veins (IJVs) are the principle outflow pathway for intracranial blood in clinostatism condition. In the seated position, IJVs collapse, while Vertebral Veins (VVs) increase the venous outflow and partially compensate the venous drainage. Spinal Epidural Veins are an additional drainage pathway in the seated position. Colour- Doppler-Sonography (CDS) ...

The aim of this work was to study the ultrasonographic (USG) features of knee joints in relation to clinical and laboratory measures in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and also to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of local joint activity. This study included 20 with JRA ...

Although extended thymectomy is believed to be suitable for myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with hyperplastic thymus, it is not clear whether surgical treatment is indicated for MG patients with atrophic thymus. We therefore assessed the clinical features and immune responses in 175 MG patients who underwent thymectomy between 1990 and ...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of autoimmune arthritis. Increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in RA may occur secondary to specific drug treatment and reduced physical activity associated with this condition. However, some recent studies suggest contradictory theories about the association of RA with MetS. This study ...

Pruritus is a frequent symptom in patients with cholestatic liver diseases. Pruritus can be excruciating and, in rare cases, become a primary indication for liver transplantation. The molecular mechanism of itch signal transduction is largely unclear. It was our hypothesis that compounds which accumulate in the circulation during cholestasis act ...

Stroke is an emergency which threatens life and the third leading cause of death in developed countries and the leading cause of long-term disability. By means of this study, it was aimed to evaluate the position of triage stroke panel in differential diagnosis of acute hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke ...

Celiac disease (CD) is a common systemic disease related to a permanent intolerance to gluten and is often associated with different autoimmune and neurological diseases. Its mean prevalence in the general population is 1-2% worldwide. Our aim was to study the prevalence of celiac disease in a prospective series of ...

Background Kyphosis is a risk factor for the presence of hiatal hernia, which is a strong predictor of Barrett's esophagus. However, the association between kyphosis and Barrett's esophagus has not yet been clarified. To investigate this relationship, the Cobb angle, a marker of kyphosis, was measured in patients with and ...

Background: Prolactin (PRL) exists in human blood in several molecular forms. Macroprolactin (MaPRL), which most often consists of monomeric PRL and immunoglobulin G, has the highest molecular weight but no biological activity. Immunoassays do not distinguish MaPRL from monomeric PRL, what can lead to an incorrect diagnosis of hyperprolactinaemia. The ...

Background and purpose:  Some patients within the spectrum of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathies (CIDP) have distal acquired demyelinating symmetric (DADS) neuropathy, usually associated with anti-myelin-associated-glycoprotein (MAG) IgM monoclonal gammopathy. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate patients with DADS neuropathy without anti-MAG antibodies, and study their response to ...

Abstract Conclusion: Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) reactivity towards the major mugwort allergen Art v 1 is a good indicator for Art v sensitization. Allergens from the ragweed species Amb t and Amb a possibly share common IgE-binding epitopes. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the reactivity pattern ...

Studies have indicated an association between psoriasis and coeliac disease (CD), an immune-mediated gluten-dependent enteropathy; however, the precise relationship between psoriasis and CD remains controversial. We aimed to assess the prevalence of the CD-associated IgA antibodies antigliadin antibody (AGA), tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and antiendomysium antibody (EMA) in patients with psoriasis. ...

This study surveyed the frequency of autoantibodies among un-affected first-degree relatives (FDRs) of Filipino systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients compared with healthy un-related Filipino controls. The sensitivity, specificity and predictive value of the autoantibodies for SLE diagnosis were also assessed in this Filipino cohort. Filipino patients included in the University ...

Anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease is being recognized increasingly in older patients. Disease presentation and outcomes of these patients are unclear. Case series. 221 consecutive Chinese patients with anti-GBM disease diagnosed in 1998-2008 in our tertiary referral center. Anti-GBM disease was defined as positive anti-GBM antibodies in circulation and/or linear ...

BACKGROUND: The immune response after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) was evaluated, with specific attention focused on the inter-relationship among clinical conditions, pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus, and cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5) genotypes. METHODS: Forty 40 adult patients who underwent LDLT in the period 2002-2009 were enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS:: Recent studies have suggested that Staphylococcus aureus secrete exotoxins that may act as superantigens and upregulate the variable beta region of lymphocytes in chronic hyperplasticsinusitis with nasal polyposis (CHSwNP). The aim of this study was to add further information for correlating the presence of staphylococcal species and the upregulation ...

Recent studies have suggested that Staphylococcus aureus secrete exotoxins that may act as superantigens and upregulate the variable beta region of lymphocytes in chronic hyperplasticsinusitis with nasal polyposis (CHSwNP). The aim of this study was to add further information for correlating the presence of staphylococcal species and the upregulation of ...

Background and aim: Rituximab (RTX) therapy has shown promising results in Graves´ disease (GD), with or without ophthalmopathy. We examined the occurrence of adverse events in GD patients treated with RTX. Subjects and methods: Ten patients received RTX and methimazole, while ten patients received methimazole only. Adverse events were recorded, ...

We investigated the prevalence of antinuclear antibody (ANA), thyroid antimicrosomal (AMA) and antithyroglobulin (ATA), antigliadin (AGA) immunoglobulin G (IgG)-A, anti-endomisium (EMA) IgG-A, and tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgG-A in 87 patients with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP) and in 95 healthy controls. Antinuclear antibody positivity was found in 13 of 87 ...

Earlier, we found a higher frequency of IgM type C1-inhibitor autoantibodies (C1INH-Abs) in hereditary angioedema (HAE) patients, regardless of previous treatment with C1INH concentrate. The presence of C1INH-Abs correlated with disease severity in patients who have never been treated with C1INH concentrate. We revisited these topics by analyzing a larger ...

Doppler evaluation of lower limb veins was performed to evaluate the pattern of involvement of various sites of incompetence in Indian patients with varicose veins. A prospective Doppler study of 100 consecutive limbs in patients who presented with varicose veins to the vascular surgery department of a tertiary care hospital ...

MxA is an antiviral protein induced by type I interferons (IFN) and some viruses; MxA gene expression is an appropriate marker for measuring biologic activity of exogenous IFNβ, as its induction indicates IFNAR receptor stimulation. A recent study has shown that measurement of MxA mRNA, after 1 year of treatment, predicts ...

Abstract.  Andréasson K, Scheja A, Saxne T, Ohlsson B, Hesselstrand R. (Section for Rheumatology; Section for Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden). Faecal calprotectin: a biomarker of gastrointestinal disease in systemic sclerosis. J Intern Med 2010; doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2010.02340.x. Background.  Assessment of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is ...

STUDY DESIGN: A consecutive case series from a single center of patients undergoing primary microdiscectomy for lumbar herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) who received microbiologic laboratory culture of excised disc material. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of positive bacterial cultures in the disc material of immunocompetent patients without diabetes mellitus or ...

Anti-ribosomal P (Rib-P) autoantibodies have been demonstrated to be a specific diagnostic marker for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-Rib-P (C22) antibodies in patients with SLE drawn from international, multi-center clinics. Sera collected from patients with SLE (n = 333) and various ...

Primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) are clinically and immunopathogenetically distinct phenotypes of inflammatory demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system. Progression following RRMS is well described as secondary progressive MS. We report a patient with unexpected transition from long established PPMS ...

Neutrophil gelatinaase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a glycoprotein bound with matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in human neutrophils, and elevated tissue NGAL expression has been documented in different infectious and inflammatory conditions. Recent evidence suggests that NGAL expression is induced in many types of human cancer. Moreover, NGAL is required for BCR-ABL-induced tumorigenesis. ...

To establish non-radioactive assays for detection of antibodies (Abs) to the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and to muscle specific kinase (MuSK). To show that the assays can be used in Tianjin for testing patients with MG. AChR and MuSK Abs in 51 Chinese MG patients' sera were tested in Oxford, UK, ...

To analyze the role of HLA-DRB1 and -DPB1 alleles in the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis in Southern Han Chinese. Thirty serum anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab)-positive NMO patients, 53 conventional multiple sclerosis (C-MS) patients, and 93 controls (CTLs) were enrolled. The HLA-DRB1 and -DPB1 alleles of the ...

the aim of this study was to investigate the association between the presence of antibodies to C. pneumoniae, some markers of inflammation and the presence of preclinical atherosclerotic lesions in hemodyalisis (HD) patients treated with different dialytic membranes. C. pneumoniae antibodies were measured by microimmunofluorescence in blood samples of 68 ...

Immunodeficiency, centromeric instability and facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome is an extremely rare autosomal recessive disorder. In addition to the juxtacentromeric heterochromatic instability, the disease is characterized by variable reduction in serum immunoglobulin levels which cause most ICF patients to succumb to infectious diseases before adulthood as well as exhibit facial ...

Macrophages may play a role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc), and CD163-positive M2 macrophages are potentially important source for fibrosis-inducing cytokines. However, no link between M2 macrophages and SSc has been established. The aim is to evaluate the possibility that serum levels of soluble CD163 (sCD163) can be ...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the negative predictive value (NPV) of sonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Right lower quadrant sonograms of 193 patients (158 female and 35 male; age range, 3-20 years) with suspected acute appendicitis over a 1-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Sonographic findings ...

Purpose: Gluten sensitivity (GS) is related to the pathogenesis of sporadic or hereditary ataxia. Methods: Total of 194 healthy controls and patients with either hereditary ataxia (n=207) or sporadic ataxia (n=361) were tested for the circulating gluten-related autoantibodies which serve as biomarkers to interpret the existence of GS. Results: The ...

Data on B cell depletion therapy in severe autoimmune diseases in paediatric patients are very limited. We conducted a retrospective cohort study and recruited patients who were treated with rituximab (RTX) and followed up for at least 6 months through the German societies of paediatric rheumatology and nephrology. The aim was ...

Frequency and titers of autoantibodies in patients with sickle-cell disease (SCD) have been reported as relatively high. In a prospective study of 88 patients, we examined this "hyper-autoreactivity" and its clinical consequences. For 1 year, patients with SCD were screened for the presence in their serum of antinuclear, anti-double-stranded DNA, ...

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the etiological agent of gonorrhoea, an infectious disease characterized by acute inflammation of the urogenital tract with a massive infiltration of neutrophils. Polymorphonuclear leukocyte recruitment is one of the activities of the recently described interleukin-17A (IL-17A); thus, we analyzed the serum concentration of IL-17A, together with IL-23 ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multicomponent disease. Autoimmunity can contribute to the pathogenesis of COPD. This study investigates the prevalence of circulating antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-tissue (AT) antibodies, two common markers of autoimmunity, in COPD and their relationship with several components of the disease. We determined lung ...

In the present study, the cause of suspected false-positive (anomalous) values for CK-MB activity, in Indian patients investigated for ACS. Total serum CK and CK-MB activity, serum Troponin I were measured and CK-MB as a percentage of the total CK activity (%CK-MB) calculated. CK-MB was also estimated using densitometry and ...

Basophil activation tests (BATs) have been demonstrated to be useful in detecting IgE-mediated sensitization by measuring basophil activation surface markers (CD63 and CD203c). Hymenoptera venom is one of the best known mediators-release trigger in patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM). The aim of this study was to investigate the use of ...

Objective.- We attempted to investigate the relationship between migraine without aura (MwoA) and bronchial hyper-reactivity to postulate inflammation as an underlying mechanism in migraine. Background.- Comorbidity of migraine and atopic diseases such as asthma has been an argument for suspected immune system dysfunction in migraineurs. Methods.- Twenty patients with MwoA ...

To investigate the role of the nerve growth factor (NGF) in the endometriosis-associated innervation in the development of endometriosis-associated symptoms, 41 peritoneal fluid samples (PF) from patients with surgically and histologically proven endometriosis and 20 PF from patients with other gynecologic conditions were analyzed with Western blot and a novel ...

Endometriosis is a leading cause of infertility, and recent studies suggest that leptin and adiponectin may have a role in its causation and progression. This study assessed levels of leptin and adiponectin in serum and peritoneal fluid (PF) in patients with endometriosis and infertility. This cross-sectional study included women undergoing ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and contribution of humoral immunodeficiency in refractory chronic rhinosinusitis (RCRS). This study was performed at a tertiary care academic referral center. RCRS patients who had at least three episodes of documented sinusitis in the previous year despite antibiotic therapy, who ...

This study was aimed at evaluating the association between seminal plasma interleukin-8 (sIL-8) and colour-Doppler ultrasound (CDU) characteristics of the male genital tract in a series of patients fulfilling the criteria of male accessory gland infections (MAGI). Of 250 subjects seeking medical care for couple infertility, 79 (mean age: 36.4 ± 7.5 years) ...

Ovarian function in Turner syndrome (TS) patients depends on the specific karyotype. This retrospective clinical study evaluates the pituitary-gonadal axis during infancy, childhood and adolescence in TS patients according to karyotype and ovarian function. A cohort of 70 TS patients (0-16 years) followed at a tertiary referral centre for paediatric ...

To assess for the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms and abnormal semen parameters in adults with a history of PUV. The study involved 29 male patients, aged 17-51 (mean 21.5 years), with a history of PUV. Ten had more severe symptoms of frequency, urgency and enuresis, and agreed to ...