Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Anatol J Cardiol 2020 Aug;24(2):E5-E7

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic; Arizona-United States.

Expert Rev Respir Med 2020 Aug 4. Epub 2020 Aug 4.

Intensive Care Unit , Tamale, Ghana.

Lupus 2020 Aug 2:961203320947152. Epub 2020 Aug 2.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.

Prior to 1983, several landmark reports prepared the stage for a detailed description of the Antiphospholipid (Hughes) syndrome (APS). Formerly depicted as lupus-like, APS exhibits a wide spectrum of symptoms that overlap with Sjogren's, Hashimoto, and other autoimmune diseases. In this review, we take a glimpse into the history of description of APS, discussing the events that led to its recognition as one of the most common autoimmune diseases and the enormous impact of that recognition in the rheumatology field. Read More

Lupus 2020 Aug 2:961203320945387. Epub 2020 Aug 2.

Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Objectives: IgA antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are prevalent in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients of African American, Afro-Caribbean and South African origin. Nevertheless, data from North Africa are lacking, and most studies use manufacturer-suggested cut-offs based on Caucasian controls. Therefore, we compared aPL isotypes in Sudanese and Swedish SLE patients using nation-based cut-offs. Read More

J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) 2020 Jul 27. Epub 2020 Jul 27.

Multimodality Cardiac Imaging Section, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy.

J Perinat Med 2020 Aug 3. Epub 2020 Aug 3.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, I.M.Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.

An issue of the novel coronavirus infection spreading is currently in the first place among others in the list of the international medical community. Due to lack of information, conflicting research findings, multicomponent effect of the virus on the body host, as well as various consequences that the virus triggers in the body, now every medical specialty does study the viral attack pathogenesis. Recent months showed that vascular complications are the most severe in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and are the main cause of death in the patients. Read More

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020 Aug 1. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

Endocrinology Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Context: Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage is a rare condition with potentially life-threatening consequences as acute adrenal insufficiency. Early adrenal axis testing, as well as directed imaging, is crucial for immediate diagnosis and treatment. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with coagulopathy and thromboembolic events. Read More

Ann Rheum Dis 2020 Jul 31. Epub 2020 Jul 31.

Sorbonne Université, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupement Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, French National Referral Center for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Other Autoimmune Disorders, Service de Médecine Interne 2, Institut E3M, Inserm UMRS, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France.

Handb Clin Neurol 2020 ;171:215-225

Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address:

This chapter discusses some of the neurologic complications of medical diseases that may occur in pregnancy. It reviews both the effects of pregnancy on the underlying disorder and how the medical condition may influence pregnancy outcomes. The most up-to-date information about risk stratification and disease management is presented. Read More

Lancet Haematol 2020 Aug;7(8):e613-e623

Department of Rheumatology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Centre for Rheumatology, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK.

Lifelong anticoagulation with warfarin or alternative vitamin K antagonist is the standard anticoagulant treatment for thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome. Anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome can be broadly defined as breakthrough thrombosis while on standard oral anticoagulation treatment and its management is a major challenge given the serious nature of the thrombotic disease observed, which has become refractory to oral anticoagulation. The factors (genetic and cellular) that cause anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome are now better understood. Read More

Nat Rev Rheumatol 2020 Jul 30. Epub 2020 Jul 30.

Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

Reports of widespread thromboses and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) have been rapidly increasing in number. Key features of this disorder include a lack of bleeding risk, only mildly low platelet counts, elevated plasma fibrinogen levels, and detection of both severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and complement components in regions of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). This disorder is not typical DIC. Read More

J Clin Rheumatol 2020 Aug;26(5):165-168

From the Department of Clinical Immunology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

Objectives: Idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) commonly affects women in the childbearing age group. Both disease activity and immunosuppressants used may have adverse effects on fertility and outcomes of pregnancy. We explored these outcomes in a cohort of women with IIM. Read More

Coron Artery Dis 2020 Jul 23. Epub 2020 Jul 23.

Division of Cardiology, Dipartimento Emergenze-Urgenze, University Hospital Paolo Giaccone.

Arthritis Rheumatol 2020 Jul 30. Epub 2020 Jul 30.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Objective: The release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) by hyperactive neutrophils has recently been recognized to play an important role in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Here, we aimed to evaluate autoantibodies targeting NETs in patients with primary APS, and to determine their potential functions and clinical associations.

Method: We measured global anti-NET activity in 76 patients with primary APS, 23 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), 11 patients with history of unprovoked venous thrombosis without aPL, and 44 healthy controls. Read More

Hamostaseologie 2020 Aug 29;40(3):356-363. Epub 2020 Jul 29.

Department of Haematology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Rotunda Hospital and Mater University Hospital, Irish Network for VTE Research (INViTE), Dublin, Ireland.

Placenta-mediated pregnancy complications are clinically important conditions and include preeclampsia, placental abruption, intrauterine growth restriction, and late fetal loss. Pathophysiology is complex, and may be linked to prothrombotic disorders such as antiphospholipid syndrome, whose understanding is still evolving. In this narrative review, we will present the latest evidence to better understand hemostatic mechanisms of preeclampsia, as well as in women with placenta-mediated pregnancy complications and inherited thrombophilia or antiphospholipid antibodies. Read More

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2020 Jul-Aug;38(4):754-759. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.

Objectives: COVID-19 features include disseminated intravascular coagulation and thrombotic microangiopathy indicating a hypercoagulable state. We aimed to investigate antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) prevalence and clinical relationships in a large cohort of COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We analysed the prevalence and titres of serum aPL in 122 patients with COVID-19 and 157 with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) and 91 with other autoimmune rheumatic diseases (oARD) for comparison. Read More

Blood 2020 Jul 28. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

Hôpital Claude Huriez, CHRU Lille, Lille, France.

Clin Rheumatol 2020 Jul 28. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, further understanding of its complications points towards dysregulated immune response as a major component. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is also a disease of immune dysregulation leading to multisystem compromise. We present a case of new-onset SLE concomitantly with COVID-19 and development of antiphospholipid antibodies. Read More

Eur J Rheumatol 2020 Jul 21. Epub 2020 Jul 21.

Department of Nuclear Cardiology, National Institute of Cardiology Ignacio Chavez, Mexico City, Mexico.

Expert Rev Respir Med 2020 Jul 25. Epub 2020 Jul 25.

Laboratory of Pulmonary Investigation, Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

J Autoimmun 2020 Jul 21:102527. Epub 2020 Jul 21.

Department of Pathophysiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Electronic address:

Objective: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired thrombophilia characterized by recurrent thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity, in the presence of antibodies to β2 glycoprotein-I (β2GPI), prothrombin or Lupus anticoagulant (LA). Anti-β2GPI antibodies recognize complexes of β2GPI dimers with CXCL4 chemokine and activate platelets. Thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1) is secreted by platelets and exhibits prothrombotic and proinflammatory properties. Read More

Mult Scler Relat Disord 2020 Jul 17;45:102405. Epub 2020 Jul 17.

Clinical Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria. Electronic address:

We report the case of a 35-year-old male patient suffering from a clinical and radiological manifestation of a transverse myelitis associated with antiphospholipid antibodies. After a challenging diagnosis the patient improved substantially due to immunosuppressive treatment. The demyelinating spinal cord lesion and the impressive therapeutic outcome may support the possibility of a direct binding of antiphospholipid antibodies to CNS antigens and consequently leading to a neuroimmunological pathomechanism distinct from the well-known pro-thrombotic effect of antiphospholipid antibodies. Read More

Lupus 2020 Jul 23:961203320940776. Epub 2020 Jul 23.

Barbara Volcker Centre for Women and Rheumatic Disease, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA.

Objective: This study aimed to use cluster analysis (CA) to identify different clinical phenotypes among antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL)-positive patients.

Methods: The Alliance for Clinical Trials and International Networking (APS ACTION) Registry includes persistently positive aPL of any isotype based on the Sydney antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) classification criteria. We performed CA on the baseline characteristics collected retrospectively at the time of the registry entry of the first 500 patients included in the registry. Read More

Immunol Med 2020 Jul 23:1-12. Epub 2020 Jul 23.

Department of Immunopathology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.

Antibodies specific for cardiolipin (CL)-β-glycoprotein I (βGPI) are known to induce tissue factor (TF) expression by monocytes and endothelial cells which leads to a prothrombotic state in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), but the mechanism is not fully elucidated. Previously, we reported that the mouse monoclonal anti-CL-βGPI antibody WB-6 cross-reacts with DNA, enters monocytes binding to cell surface DNA, and induces TF expression. The current study aimed to identify the intracellular signaling pathways involved in this process. Read More

Curr Rheumatol Rep 2020 Jul 22;22(9):51. Epub 2020 Jul 22.

First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Rheumatology program, Medical School, 'Laiko' Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17 Agiou Thoma Street., 11527, Athens, Greece.

Purpose Of The Review: To review the available evidence on the management of a variety of non-criteria manifestations in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), including valvular disease, alveolar hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, APS nephropathy, skin ulcers, livedo reticularis, cognitive dysfunction, and epilepsy.

Recent Findings: Current treatment relies on low-level evidence and mainly on expert consensus due to the rarity and the heterogeneity of non-criteria APS manifestations and the diversity in management approaches. Conventional anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet APS treatment do not adequately control most of non-criteria manifestations. Read More

Thromb Haemost 2020 Jul 21. Epub 2020 Jul 21.

Coagulation Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium.

Background:  Anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-β2 glycoprotein I (aβ2GPI) immunoglobulin A (IgA) antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have shown to associate with thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity. However, inclusion of IgA aPL in the classification criteria of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) has been debated. We investigated the value of aCL and aβ2GPI IgA aPL in the detection of thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity in addition to the current aPL panel for APS. Read More

J Autoimmun 2020 Jul 18:102524. Epub 2020 Jul 18.

Laboratory of Immunology and Immunotherapy, CHRU Morvan, Brest, France; UMR1227, Lymphocytes B et Autoimmunité, Université de Brest, INSERM, CHU de Brest, Brest, France. Electronic address:

Antiphospholipid (aPL) autoantibodies are uncommon in systemic autoimmune diseases (SADs). However, the European PRECISESADS study provides the opportunity to better characterize this rare association. The study was composed of 1818 patients with SADs including 453 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 359 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 385 with systemic sclerosis (SSc), 367 with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS), 94 with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), and 160 with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). Read More

Curr Vasc Pharmacol 2020 Jul 21. Epub 2020 Jul 21.

Department of Pathophysiology, Athens University School of Medicine, Athens. Greece.

In Part 1 of this Thematic Issue entitled "Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases and Cardiology", a panel of specialists and experts in cardiology, rheumatology, immunology and related fields discussed the cardiovascular complications of spondyloarthritides, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome and vasculitides, as well as relevant cardiovascular issues related to non-biologic and biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and provided their recommendations for prevention and management of these complications. In part 2 of this Thematic Issue, experts discuss the enhanced cardiovascular risk conferred by additional autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), including systemic lupus erythematosus, the antiphospholipid syndrome, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. These, and the previous articles, place inflammation as the key common link to explain the enhanced risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with ARDs. Read More

J Int Med Res 2020 Jul;48(7):300060520903659

Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

We herein report two cases of primary adrenal insufficiency (AI) associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). In both patients, the main finding that led to the diagnosis was hyponatraemia. The major difference between the two cases was the time at which AI evolved during the course of APS. Read More

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2020 Aug 23;29(8):104982. Epub 2020 May 23.

Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 127 S. San Vicente Blvd, A6302, Los Angeles 90048, CA, United States. Electronic address:

We report a case of ophthalmic artery occlusion (OAO) in a young patient with COVID-19 infection that was on therapeutic anticoagulation with apixaban for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A 48-year-old man with obesity was hospitalized with a severe form of COVID-19 infection, complicated with acute respiratory failure, septic shock, dilated cardiomyopathy and fungemia. Despite treatment with prophylactic enoxaparin (initial D-Dimer 1. Read More

Autoimmun Rev 2020 Jul 16:102620. Epub 2020 Jul 16.

Department of Biomedical, Experimental and Clinical Sciences-Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in secondary prevention of pregnancy complications for patients with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and history of stillbirth.

Methods: We described three cases of obstetric APS patients with history of stillbirth treated with IVIg in four pregnancies. In addition, we conducted a systematic literature review on the use of IVIg in obstetric APS with history of stillbirth. Read More

Immunol Res 2020 08;68(4):213-224

Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Piazzale Giorgio Menghini, 1, 06129, Perugia, Italy.

SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by a protean clinical picture that can range from asymptomatic patients to life-threatening conditions. Severe COVID-19 patients often display a severe pulmonary involvement and develop neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and strikingly elevated levels of IL-6. There is an over-exuberant cytokine release with hyperferritinemia leading to the idea that COVID-19 is part of the hyperferritinemic syndrome spectrum. Read More

Mediterr J Rheumatol 2020 Jun 15;31(2):216-219. Epub 2019 Dec 15.

Department of Rheumatology, Asklepieion General Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Periaortitis is a rare disorder which may manifest isolated or in association with other autoimmune diseases, including SLE. Another rare, yet severe cardiovascular manifestation of lupus is diffuse subendocardial vasculitis (DSV), which should be suspected in patients presenting with myocardial hypokinesis, impaired ejection fraction and normal coronary angiography. Read More

Cureus 2020 Jun 12;12(6):e8584. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Rheumatology, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, USA.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder with marked thrombotic and inflammatory features driven by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA). Here, we report a case of APS with a rare, atypical manifestation and discuss a differential diagnosis. A 53-year-old male without significant past medical history presented with new onset of episodic tongue stiffness and dysarthria which lasted for about a minute over a period of three months. Read More

Ann Rheum Dis 2020 Jul 15. Epub 2020 Jul 15.

Sorbonne Université, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupement Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, French National Referral Center for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Other Autoimmune Disorders, Service de Médecine Interne 2, Institut E3M, Inserm UMRS, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France.

Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2020 Jun 15;16(6):539-542. Epub 2020 Jul 15.

Sorbonne Université, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Groupement Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, French National Referral Center for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome and Other Autoimmune Disorders, Service de Médecine Interne 2, Institut E3M, Inserm UMRS, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris) , Paris, France.

Pol Arch Intern Med 2020 Jul 14. Epub 2020 Jul 14.

Chest 2020 Jul 2;158(1):428-429. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Xinchang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Xinchang, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address:

Intern Emerg Med 2020 Jul 11. Epub 2020 Jul 11.

Hematology Unit, Azienda Ospepdaliero-Universitaria, Via del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy.

The acute respiratory illnesses caused by severe acquired respiratory syndrome corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health emergency, involving more than 8.6 million people worldwide with more than 450,000 deaths. Among the clinical manifestations of COVID-19, the disease that results from SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans, a prominent feature is a pro-thrombotic derangement of the hemostatic system, possibly representing a peculiar clinicopathologic manifestation of viral sepsis. Read More

Arch Soc Esp Oftalmol 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Doctora en Medicina y Cirugía. Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Servicio de Oftalmología, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España. Electronic address:

Case Report: A 34 year-old woman presented with decrease in visual acuity in her right eye (RE). Her past medical history was unremarkable. Dilated fundus examination revealed a central venous occlusion and an obstruction of the cilioretinal artery. Read More

J Clin Rheumatol 2020 Jul 6. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Coagulation Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium Department of Hematology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium Coagulation Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Future Cardiol 2020 Jul 10. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 333 City Boulevard West, Suite 400, Orange, CA 92868, USA.

Aortic valve (AV) thrombus, a rare complication of antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS), is important to distinguish from Libman-Sacks endocarditis because of its responsiveness to anticoagulation. This may be attributed to immunopathologic differences underpinning their development. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with high-risk primary APLS who developed an AV mass and was taken for valvular repair surgery but found to have pure thrombus and normal valve leaflets. Read More

Int Heart J 2020 Jul 8;61(4):856-858. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Cardiology and Nephrology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine.

Nutcracker syndrome (NCS), which is defined as compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery, is usually benign and self-limiting. Long-term renal venous retention increases the risk of renal vein thrombosis. However, NCS rarely develops into isolated thrombosis of the left renal vein; the reason for this process remains unknown. Read More

Lupus 2020 Jul 8:961203320940389. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Section of Rheumatology, Western Connecticut Health Network, Danbury, USA.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created new challenges that necessitate prompt responses in unexpected clinical situations. Multiple extrapulmonary manifestations and complications of COVID-19 have already been described, but only scattered data are present on immunologic manifestations. We present a case of severe refractory thrombocytopenia in a 51-year-old woman with a history of long-standing systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome who presented with hemoptysis in the setting of COVID-19 infection. Read More

Arch Rheumatol 2020 Mar 12;35(1):107-116. Epub 2019 Dec 12.

Rheumatic Diseases Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Objectives: This study aims to review the studies evaluating the therapeutic effects of rivaroxaban versus those of warfarin in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

Materials And Methods: The study included randomized clinical trials, comparative studies, cross-sectional investigations, and case series that focused on the effects of warfarin and rivaroxaban and compared the effects of these anticoagulants in patients with APS. The relevant articles published until 2018 were searched in several databases, including PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Embase, and Web of Science. Read More

Cureus 2020 Jun 2;12(6):e8404. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Hematology/Oncology, Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, USA.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm, and its diagnosis requires elevated hemoglobin level (>16.5 mg/dL in men and >16 mg/dL in women), bone marrow characteristics of PV (hypercellularity for age with trilineage growth), and presence of JAK2 (Janus kinase 2) mutations or subnormal erythropoietin level if JAK2 mutation is not present. There exists a subset of patients with normal hemoglobin and hematocrit due to either from dilution of the blood or from coincidental blood loss anemia but these patients still might have underlying PV. Read More

Curr Pharm Des 2020 Jul 7. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Institute of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, 50109, Los Chaguaramos 1050-A, Caracas. Venezuela.

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are derivatives of the heterocyclic aromatic compound quinoline. These economical compounds were used as antimalarial agents for many years. Currently, they are used as monotherapy or in conjunction with other therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS). Read More

J Thromb Thrombolysis 2020 Jul 5. Epub 2020 Jul 5.

Hematology and Hemotherapy Center, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.

Tissue factor (TF) is a procoagulant protein associated with increased risk of thrombotic events in antiphospholipid syndrome (t-APS). The mechanisms by which TF levels are increased in APS have not yet been established. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TF mRNA expression is associated with TF levels and thrombosis in APS. Read More

J Reprod Immunol 2020 Jun 20;141:103166. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Fertility Disorders, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 440, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address:

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF) are unsolved challenges in reproductive medicine. Whether RIF patients share the same risk factors as RM patients is a matter of debate. Besides clinical factors, immune alterations are discussed in both conditions. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Jul 3;10(1):11010. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Unit of Immunology and Chronic Disease, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

IgM antibodies against phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) and malondialdehyde (anti-MDA) may have protective properties in cardiovascular and rheumatic diseases. We here compare these antibodies in systemic rheumatic conditions and study their properties. Anti-PC and anti-MDA was measured using ELISA in patients with SLE (374), RA (354), Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD, 77), Systemic sclerosis (SSc, 331), Sjögren's syndrome (SjS, 324), primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPs, 65), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD, 118) and 515 matched healthy controls (HC). Read More