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Clin Rheumatol 2019 Mar 16. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Division of Geriatric Infectious Disease, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, No.32 West Second Section First Ring Road, Chengdu, 610072, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.

Podocytic infolding glomerulopathy (PIG) is a newly proposed disease entity, and only 29 cases have been reported worldwide so far, characterized by microspheres or microtubular structures or both associated with podocytic infolding into the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) on electron microscopy. We present two new cases of PIG with connective tissue disease (CTD), one with primary Sjögren's syndrome and the other with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and make a systemic review of the literature. In the entire 31 patients of PIG, 24 (77. Read More

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Immunology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Objective: Peripheral helper T (TPH) cells are a recently identified Th cell subset that promotes B cell differentiation and antibody production in inflamed tissues. This study investigated circulating TPH cells to determine their involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from SLE patients and healthy individuals were analysed. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Mar 8. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Second Cardiology Department, Attikon Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.

Rheumatic diseases are immune-mediated inflammatory multisystem diseases with frequent cardiovascular manifestations including perimyocarditis, valvular disease, coronary artery disease, heart failure with or without preserved ejection fraction, pulmonary hypertension, aneurysms, and thrombosis. Echocardiography, carotid ultrasonography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography are valid diagnostic tools for the detection of the cardiovascular complications of the multisystem diseases that frequently determine prognosis. Furthermore, the findings of these methods may offer additive risk stratification in asymptomatic patients over the conventional risk scores used to assess cardiovascular risk in the primary prevention setting. Read More

Am J Clin Dermatol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Objectives: Depression may occur in up to 30% of individuals with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), many of whom may also have systemic manifestations. Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CCLE) conditions are less likely to present systemic involvement than acute and subacute conditions but more often cause permanent scarring and dyspigmentation. However, little is known about depression in those who have CCLE confined to the skin (primary CCLE). Read More

Rheumatol Int 2019 Mar 16. Epub 2019 Mar 16.

Divisions of Cardiology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Cardiology 5-ACC, MSC 10-5550, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-0001, USA.

The progression of atherosclerosis versus arterial stiffness with age within and between arteries has not been defined. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a human model of accelerated arterial disease that may permit this determination. 76 SLE patients (69 women, age 37 ± 12 years) and 26 age-and-sex-matched controls (22 women, age 34 ± 11 years) underwent transesophageal echocardiography and carotid ultrasonography for assessment of atherosclerosis [plaques and intima-media thickening (IMT)] and arterial stiffness [increased pressure-strain elastic modulus (PSEM)] of the descending thoracic aorta and carotid arteries. Read More

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Objectives: To compare the risk of resistant hypertension (RHTN) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and controls without SLE; to define factors associated with RHTN in SLE patients.

Methods: We studied 1,044 SLE patients and 5,241 control subjects using de-identified electronic health records from a tertiary care center. SLE was defined as ≥ 4 ICD codes for SLE and ANA ≥ 1:160. Read More

Br J Dermatol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.

Background: Anti-C1q autoantibodies (autoAbs) are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but their presence in other rheumatic diseases has not been adequately investigated.

Objective: We aim to assessanti-C1q autoAbs and circulating immune complexes (CICs) in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: One hundred twenty four patients with SSc (106 females; median age 59·4 years, range 25-81·4; 75(60·5%) with limited cutaneous SSc[lcSSc], and 49(39·5%) with diffuse cutaneous SSc[dcSSc]), were studied. Read More

Jpn J Radiol 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Rheumatology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is a rare disease in children and adolescents which overlaps features of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, polymyositis/dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis. We have provided an image-based approach for evaluation of MCTD in children and adolescents, outlying the most frequent imaging findings. This approach would aid imagers and clinicians to consider the diagnosis of this rare entity and be able to make an accurate list of differential diagnosis for complex rheumatologic diseases such as MCTD, thus facilitating the ultimate goal of early diagnosis and optimal management of affected children. Read More

Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2019 Mar 15. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

c Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , United States.

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibodies production and immune complex deposition with systemic clinical manifestations. Interleukin (IL)-17-producing cells play a crucial role in disease pathogenesis and represent an attractive therapeutic target. Areas covered: This review provides an update on the possibility of targeting IL-17 in SLE. Read More

Immunol Rev 2019 Mar;288(1):136-148

Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Chronic autoimmune diseases, and in particular Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), are endowed with a long-standing autoreactive B-cell compartment that is presumed to reactivate periodically leading to the generation of new bursts of pathogenic antibody-secreting cells (ASC). Moreover, pathogenic autoantibodies are typically characterized by a high load of somatic hypermutation and in some cases are highly stable even in the context of prolonged B-cell depletion. Long-lived, highly mutated antibodies are typically generated through T-cell-dependent germinal center (GC) reactions. Read More

Arch Rheumatol 2018 Dec 23;33(4):455-463. Epub 2018 Mar 23.

Department of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.

Objectives: This study aims to describe the clinical and immunological characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus in the Arab world.

Materials And Methods: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for observational studies describing the clinical and serologic features of systemic lupus erythematosus in adult patients in the Arab world. We used the search terms "lupus in Arabs" and the names of individual Arab countries. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 27;10:324. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Plasma exchange has been widely used in autoimmune neurological diseases and is the standard treatment for myasthenia gravis crisis and Guillain-Barre syndrome. A growing body of research suggests that, in the clinical application of steroid-responsive encephalopathy, such as for Hashimoto's encephalopathy, limbic encephalitis, systemic lupus erythematosus encephalopathy, ANCA-associated vasculitis encephalopathy, and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, plasma exchange is a safe, and effective option when steroids or other immunosuppressive therapies are ineffective in the short term or when contraindications are present. Additionally, plasma exchange can also be used alone or in combination with steroids, immunoglobulins, or other immunosuppressive agents to treat steroid-responsive encephalopathy. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 14;9(1):4530. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Département de microbiologie et immunologie, Faculté de Médecine de l'Université Laval, Québec, Qc, Canada.

Mitochondria are organelles that govern energy supply and control cell death. Mitochondria also express bacterial features, such as the presence of inner membrane cardiolipin and a circular genome rich in hypomethylated CpG motifs. While mitochondrial extrusion by damaged organs or activated cells is thought to trigger innate immunity, it is unclear whether extracellular mitochondria also stimulate an adaptive immune response. Read More

Haematologica 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

University of Florence;

Systemic lupus erythematosus is frequently associated with antiphospholipid syndrome. Patients with lupus-antiphospholipid syndrome are characterized by recurrent arterial/venous thrombosis, miscarriages, and persistent presence of autoantibodies against phospholipid-binding proteins, such as β2-Glycoprotein I. We investigated the cytokine production induced by β2-Glycoprotein I in activated T cells that infiltrate in vivo atherosclerotic lesions of lupus-antiphospholipid syndrome patients. Read More

Clin Sci (Lond) 2019 Mar 14. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Institute of Antibody Engineering, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University; Institute of Antibody Engineering, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University; Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine, Plymouth University Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry., Plymouth, United Kingdom.

Intestinal dysbiosis is implicated in Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the evidence of gut microbiome changes in SLE is limited, and the association of changed gut microbiome with the activity of SLE, as well as its functional relevance with SLE still remains unknown. Here, we sequenced 16S rRNA amplicon on fecal samples from 40 SLE patients (19 active patients, 21 remissive patients), 20 disease controls (Rheumatoid Arthritis patients), and 22 healthy controls, and investigated the association of functional categories with taxonomic composition by Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt). Read More

J Autoimmun 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Fujian Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology, Biomedical Research Center of South China, College of Life Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350117, China. Electronic address:

TREX1 encodes a major cellular DNA exonuclease. Mutations of this gene in human cause cellular accumulation of DNA that triggers autoimmune diseases including Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome (AGS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We created a lupus mouse model by engineering a D18 N mutation in the Trex1 gene which inactivates the enzyme and has been found in human patients with lupus-like disorders. Read More

Lupus 2019 Mar 14:961203319830493. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

1 Department of Dermatology, the 901th Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are possible biomarkers for many diseases, but the knowledge of circRNAs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains limited. This study aimed to assess the expression of circRNAs in PBMCs from patients with SLE and healthy individuals by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

Methods: In total, 128 circRNAs were significantly differentially expressed including 39 upregulated and 89 downregulated circRNAs in four new-onset SLE patients compared with three healthy controls. Read More

Lupus 2019 Mar 14:961203319836712. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

1 Department of Women and Children's Health, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

Background: Juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) is more severe than adult-onset disease, including more lupus nephritis (LN). Despite differences in phenotype/pathogenesis, treatment is based upon adult trials. This study aimed to compare treatment response, damage accrual, time to inactive LN and subsequent flare, in JSLE LN patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) versus intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCYC). Read More

J Clin Med 2019 Mar 12;8(3). Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yonsei-ro 50, Seodaemun-gu, C.P.O. Box 8044, Seoul 03722, Korea.

The 1858T allele in the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) locus shows one of the strongest and most consistent genetic associations with autoimmune diseases. We synthesized all meta-analyses reporting a genetic association of the PTPN22 1858T C/T polymorphism with autoimmune diseases. This work examined their validity to discover false positive results under Bayesian methods. Read More

PLoS One 2019 14;14(3):e0213063. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.

Objective: The human gut harbors diverse microbes that play a fundamental role in the well-being of their hosts. Microbes can cause autoimmunity, trigger autoimmunity in genetically susceptible individuals or prevent autoimmunity. There were reports about intestinal flora changes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients, but no data were available in northeast China. Read More

Rev Prat 2018 Apr;68(4):e165-e175

Service de médecine interne, hôpital Saint-Antoine (AP-HP), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.

Internist (Berl) 2019 Mar 13. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Medizinische Klinik III - Nieren- und Hochdruckerkrankungen, Klinikum Fulda gAG, Universitätsmedizin Marburg - Campus Fulda, Pacelliallee 4, 36043, Fulda, Deutschland.

The rapid progressive glomerulonephritis is an emergency case. Renal function is rapidly lost within weeks or a few months (rarely within days) due to necrotizing extracapillary proliferative crescentic glomerulonephritis. Early diagnosis and treatment improve prognosis, as the best prognostic marker is creatinine when treatment is initiated. Read More

Dermatol Online J 2019 Feb 15;25(2). Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California.

Non-uremic calciphylaxis is a rare, life-threatening condition characterized clinically by cutaneous necrosis and histologically by calcium deposition in small vessel walls. The etiology of non-uremic calciphylaxis remains the subject of ongoing speculation and debate. Herein we present a patient with calciphylaxis who had normal kidney function and numerous rheumatologic diseases, namely systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren syndrome (SS), and myasthenia gravis (MG). Read More

Iran J Immunol 2019 Mar;16(1):43-52

Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.

Background: Members of B7 family are reported to regulate lymphocytes activation, transmit both costimulatory and co-inhibitory signals, control T cell-mediated immune responses and tolerance. Among which B7-H4 is reported to regulate the immune response negatively.

Objective: To investigate the plasma concentration of soluble B7-H4 (sB7-H4) and its clinical significance in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Read More

Rom J Intern Med 2018 Dec 1. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

Carol Davila School of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.

Background: In the last years an uprising interest for a relatively unknown entity, eosinophilic ascites (EA), has been recorded. Our aim is to investigate the potential causes of EA development, as well as clinical, laboratory, endoscopic and radiologic features, management and outcome in these patients.

Methods: The following research was performed on PubMed (MEDLINE) database using the medical subject headings [Mesh] terms "Ascites" AND "Eosinophils". Read More

Pril (Makedon Akad Nauk Umet Odd Med Nauki) 2018 Dec;39(2-3):79-92

University Clinic of Cardiology, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.

Introduction: Atherosclerosis in young and premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is frequent, premature and progressive. Although asymptomatic or with atypical clinical presentation, the patients are at high risk of cardiac events. Aim of this study is to estimate the risk profile for atherogenesis and the prevalence of myocardial perfusion abnormalities with 99mTc myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in young and premenopausal women. Read More

Pac Symp Biocomput 2019 ;24:184-195

Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, U.S.A.*These authors contributed equally to this work.

Genetic variations of the human genome are linked to many disease phenotypes. While whole-genome sequencing and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered a number of genotype-phenotype associations, their functional interpretation remains challenging given most single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) fall into the non-coding region of the genome. Advances in chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) have made large-scale repositories of epigenetic data available, allowing investigation of coordinated mechanisms of epigenetic markers and transcriptional regulation and their influence on biological function. Read More

J Thromb Haemost 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Department of Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine Hokkaido University.

Background/objective: Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are pathogenic autoantibodies in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). This study aimed to clarify the mechanism of aPL production.

Methods: T cell and B cell subsets were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 26 primary APS (PAPS), 19 systemic lupus erythematosus-associated APS (SLE/APS) patients and 10 healthy controls. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.

Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is a pleotropic cytokine that plays an important role in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. In the present study, we investigated whether serum IL-21 positivity is associated with disease activity in patients with all variants of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Sixty patients with AAV from a monocentric prospective cohort were enrolled from November 2016 to May 2018 in this study. Read More

Autops Case Rep 2019 Jan-Mar;9(1):e2018069. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Universidade de São Paulo, Hospital Universitário, Department of Internal Medcine. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Skin involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) occurs in more than 75% of patients with this condition. Vesicles and blisters in lupus erythematosus (LE) may be present in SLE secondary to interface vacuolar changes in the epidermis, in discoid LE also secondary to vacuolar epidermal changes, and in bullous LE secondary to antibodies anti-collagen VII deposits with neutrophilic aggregates. In addition, blisters can occur due to the association of SLE with other autoimmune blistering diseases (e. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 26;10:258. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Unit of Chronic Inflammation, Institute for Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

The importance of low frequency and rare variation in complex disease genetics is difficult to estimate in patient populations. Genome-wide association studies are therefore, underpowered to detect rare variation. We have used a combined approach of genome-wide-based imputation with a highly stringent sequence kernel association (SKAT) test and a case-control burden test. Read More

Rom J Intern Med 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

University Hospital for Infectious diseases and febrile conditions, Medical Faculty "Ss Cyril and Methodius" University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia.

Introduction: The study aimed to compare the etiologic spectrum of diseases causing fever of unknown origin (FUO) and methods for definitive diagnosis in a tertiary care hospital in Republic of North Macedonia during two different time periods.

Patients And Methods: retrospectively were analysed the causes for FUO and final diagnostic approaches in 185 patients with classic FUO that were treated at the University Hospital for Infectious diseases in Skopje during two time periods. Seventy nine patients were treated during 1991 to 1995 and 106 patients during 2011 to 2015. Read More

Neurochem Int 2019 Mar 9;126:36-58. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

PolygenicPathways, 41C Marina, Saint Leonard's on Sea, TN38 0BU, East Sussex, UK. Electronic address:

Prenatal and early childhood infections have been implicated in autism. Many autism susceptibility genes (206 Autworks genes) are localised in the immune system and are related to immune/infection pathways. They are enriched in the host/pathogen interactomes of 18 separate microbes (bacteria/viruses and fungi) and to the genes regulated by bacterial toxins, mycotoxins and Toll-like receptor ligands. Read More

Lupus 2019 Mar 12:961203319835320. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

5 Department of Pathology, Ciudad Real University General Hospital, Ciudad Real, Spain.

Organizing pneumonia is an inflammatory lung entity that presents with a huge variety of clinical, radiological and pathological patterns. Organizing pneumonia can be idiopathic or secondary to other diseases. Corticosteroid therapy is usually the first-line treatment showing clinical improvement in most cases. Read More

Int Immunopharmacol 2019 Mar 9;71:14-21. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Drum Tower Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University, 321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, China. Electronic address:

Triptolide is a biologically active component of the Chinese antirheumatic herbal remedy Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, which has been shown to be effective in treating murine lupus. However, its immunological mechanisms are poorly understood. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are pivotal for maintaining peripheral self-tolerance and controlling autoimmunity. Read More

Int J Rheum Dis 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Aim: To investigate the clinical implications of a genetic polymorphism in glycoprotein 96 (GP96), by analyzing the association between the genotype and haplotype of GP96 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Method: We analyzed cell-surface expression of GP96 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum titer of anti-GP96 antibody of SLE patients. Single nucleotide polymorphisms and deletion mutants of GP96 were detected by two-dimensional gene scanning (TDGS). Read More

Neuromolecular Med 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

The commonest genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a large hexanucleotide expansion within the non-coding region of the C9orf72 gene. The pathogenic mechanisms of the mutation seem toxic gain of functions, while haploinsufficiency alone appears insufficient to cause neurodegeneration. C9orf72 mice rather develop features of autoimmunity. Read More

J Pharm Health Care Sci 2019 28;5. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

3Department of Pharmacotherapy, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2-522-1 Noshio, Kiyose, Tokyo, 204-8588 Japan.

Background: There have been debates about the association between the administration of glucocorticoids and the development of acute pancreatitis, since many anecdotal cases of this adverse event were affected either by concomitant diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE) that may develop acute pancreatitis without glucocorticoid treatment or by co-administered drugs with high risk for the event. The aim of the present study was to explore whether disproportionally elevated signals of developing acute pancreatitis may be detected in patients receiving glucocorticoids as compared those receiving other drugs.

Methods: We retrieved spontaneously reported cases of acute pancreatitis and clinically related adverse events (target events) from the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) using 18 preferred terms (PTs). Read More

Caspian J Intern Med 2019 ;10(1):65-72

Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology Division, Faculty of Medicine, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by T-cells imbalance. There are ongoing controversies about the role of specific T-helper cell subsets and their cytokines. The study aimed to confirm the disturbance of Th17/Treg ratio in SLE patients. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 25;10:199. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.

Reumatologia 2019 28;57(1):19-26. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Candidate of Reproductive Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects all body organs. This disease has marked physiological, mental, and cognitive effects on the patient and results in sexual dysfunction, depression, and decreased self-confidence. This study was conducted to compare sexual function, depression, anxiety, stress, and the related factors in women suffering from SLE. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 11;9(1):4032. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Rheumatology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Defects in Fas function correlate with susceptibility to systemic autoimmune diseases like autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). C57BL/6 lpr (B6/lpr) mice are used as an animal model of ALPS and develop a mild SLE phenotype. Involvement of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) has been suggested in both phenotypes. Read More

Dis Model Mech 2019 Mar 8;12(3). Epub 2019 Mar 8.

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK

Patients suffering from systemic autoimmune diseases are at significant risk of cardiovascular complications. This can be due to systemically increased levels of inflammation leading to accelerated atherosclerosis, or due to direct damage to the tissues and cells of the heart. Cardiac complications include an increased risk of myocardial infarction, myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy, valve disease, endothelial dysfunction, excessive fibrosis, and bona fide autoimmune-mediated tissue damage by autoantibodies or auto-reactive cells. Read More

Lupus 2019 Mar 11:961203319834677. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

1 National Institute of Immunohaematology, Indian Council of Medical Research, Mumbai, India.

Several studies have demonstrated associations between interleukin-18 polymorphisms and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus in different populations except one of Indian origin. We therefore investigated for the influence of interleukin-18 (-1297T/C, -607A/C, -137G/C; + 105A/C) polymorphisms on genetic susceptibility and clinical expression of the disease in Indian systemic lupus erythematosus patients. A total of 200 systemic lupus erythematosus patients and 201 controls were recruited. Read More

Hum Antibodies 2019 Feb 25. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Department of Biostatistics, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Background: Extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) and anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) positivity and related diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren syndrome, and other autoimmune diseases are known to be associated with obstetrical complications and poor perinatal outcomes.

Objective: To demonstrate the importance of ENA, anti-dsDNA, antiphospholipid (APL), and anticardiolipin (ACL) antibody positivity on pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: Ninety one pregnant women with known ENA, anti-dsDNA, APL IgG and IgM, and ACL IgG and IgM antibody positivity were retrospectively compared with 91 randomly selected pregnant woman in terms of obstetrical complications and pregnancy outcomes. Read More

Expert Rev Proteomics 2019 Mar 11. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

b Division of Nephrology & Hypertension, Department of Pediatrics , University of Cincinnati College of Medicine , 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati , Ohio .

Introduction: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common and significant manifestation, affecting 60% of adults and 80% of children with systemic lupus erythematosus, with up to 30% of patients progressing to end stage renal disease. There remains an unmet need for non-invasive markers of disease activity, damage, and response to therapy. In addition, non-invasive biomarkers that predict therapeutic efficacy are needed to enable cost-effective clinical trials of novel agents. Read More

JAAD Case Rep 2019 Mar 26;5(3):245-248. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Bronx, New York.

Cureus 2018 Dec 27;10(12):e3782. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Internal Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.

Fever is a common manifestation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and may be associated with disease activity, but should be closely evaluated for infection, drug reaction, thromboembolism, malignancy, or other etiology. We present the case of a 44-year-old Peruvian female with SLE with periodic high fevers and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels, treated with anakinra, an interleukin-1 (IL-1) inhibitor. Following the birth of her first child, she developed frequent episodic fevers followed by multiple hospitalizations, approximately two to three times per year. Read More

J Cancer 2019 29;10(4):829-835. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Biostatistics Task Force of Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.

: To evaluate the infection incidence in breast cancer patients whether they have a major autoimmune disease or not. : This retrospective cohort study compared the infection incidence of 174 breast cancer patients with an autoimmune disease, including Sjogren's Syndrome (SS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), along with 4429 patients without an autoimmune disease, for the period 2000 to 2016. Six-hundred and ninety six, age-, stage-, and diagnosis era-matched patients without any autoimmune disease were analyzed to eliminate the effects of these confounding factors may have on the results. Read More