In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy of erythematosquamous skin diseases

Background:  In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) represents a promising imaging tool that allows a non-invasive examination of skin morphology in real time at nearly histological resolution, showing microanatomical structures and individual cells.
Objectives:  The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of confocal examination of erythematosquamous skin diseases, to define typical RCM-features and assess them for their presence or absence, diagnostic performance and reliability.
Methods:  Three independent observers received standardized instructions about diagnostic RCM-features of erythematosquamous skin diseases. A total of 1700 RCM images obtained from 75 patients with psoriasis, contact dermatitis, mycosis fungoides, chronic discoid lupus erythematosus (CDLE) or subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) and from 10 'healthy adults' without any skin disease were evaluated by each observer.
Results:  Overall, sensitivity and specificity values as observed by three observers were, respectively, 89.13% and 95.41% for psoriasis; 83.33% and 92.31% for contact dermatitis; 62.96% and 94.53% for SCLE/CDLE; and 63.33% and 92.89% for mycosis fungoides.
Conclusions:  Reflectance confocal microscopy examination appears to be a promising method for non-invasive assessment of erythematosquamous skin diseases. This study provides a set of well-described morphological criteria with obvious diagnostic impact, which should be used in further investigations.     

Laminar periostitis and multiple osteonecrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus

Summary Bone affectation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is caused both by the disease itself and by the treatment used. We report the case of a woman diagnosed of SLE, who, in the course of her illness, develops multiple aseptic osteonecrosis (AON) and laminar periostitis, radiologically compatible with the diagnosis of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA), with no evidence of acropaquia. In this case, the patient shows all the risk factors involved in the pathogenesis of the development of ischemia in bone microcirculation.     

Acquired Brown's syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus: another ocular manifestation

Summary Tenosynovitis in rheumatic disorders may affect ocular muscles producing symptoms unfamiliar to rheumatologists. We present a case of superior oblique tenosynovitis (Brown's syndrome) as an early rheumatic manifestation in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.     

Antibody to Cardiolipin Causing Hepatic Infarction In a Post Partum Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

This is a case of a thirty one year old post partum patient, with SLE and antibodies to cardiolipin causing hepatic vascular thrombosis leading to infarction. No previous literature account is recorded.     

Regional cerebral glucose metabolism in SLE chorea: further evidence that striatal hypometabolism is not a correlate of chorea

The pathophysiology of chorea in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is uncertain. Pathologic examination has not identified a specific location for the causative lesion(s) and immunologic mechanisms have been suggested in its etiology. In other choreic disorders, such as Huntington's disease and benign hereditary chorea, glucose hypometabolism in the striatum has been demonstrated by positron computed tomography (PCT) using [18F]deoxyglucose. With this technique we have studied four patients with chorea secondary to SLE. In these patients the regional distribution of cerebral glucose metabolism was normal. In particular, striatal glucose metabolism was within the normal range, even though the ratio of striatal to cortical glucose metabolism was increased. Our results show that striatal hypometabolism, as seen in other disorders manifesting chorea, is not the PCT correlate of the dyskinesia.     

食管癌切除术后炎症反应的研究

目的:研究食管癌切除术后炎症介质IL-6、IL-8、TNF-a、中性粒细胞计数的变化.方法:选择拟行经左胸食管癌切除术的食管癌病例40例,在全麻双腔气管插管下经左胸行食管癌切除胃食管机械吻合术,术中左肺萎陷.分别于术前(T0),左肺恢复通气后(T1),术后6h(T2),12h(T3),24h(T4)采集外周血测定IL-6、IL-8、TNF-a、中性粒细胞计数.结果:外周血IL-6、IL-8、TNF-a、中性粒细胞计数在T1,T2,T3,T4时点均较T0升高.结论:开胸行食管癌切除术可引起炎症因子的升高.     

A shift in the Th(1)/Th(2) ratio accompanies the clinical remission of systemic lupus erythematosus in patients with end-stage renal disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with renal involvement often show remission of systemic clinical activity after progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). SLE is characterized by predominantly humoral, T-helper (Th)(2)-mediated autoimmune responses. Since ESRD induces a state of immunodeficiency that affects the balance of Th cell subsets, we hypothesized that a Th(1) shift induced by ESRD leads to clinical remission of SLE. METHODS: Using single-cell measurement of intracellular cytokines by flow cytometry after polyclonal stimulation with PMA/ionomycin, helper cell profiles were analysed in SLE patients with preserved renal function and in SLE patients with ESRD, from both isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and whole blood. RESULTS: Using the whole-blood assay, patients with SLE and preserved renal function showed a predominance of Th(2) cells compared to healthy controls (patients, Th(1)/Th(2) ratio 6.0+/-1.0 vs controls, 9.0+/-1.0; P<0.05). In contrast, SLE patients with ESRD have significantly more Th(1) cells (36.8+/-5.0%) than those without ESRD (23.4+/-3.6%; P<0.05). This results in an enhancement of the Th(1)/Th(2) ratio to 12.1+/-2.6, which is not significantly different from healthy controls. These data were confirmed using a PBMC-based assay. CONCLUSIONS: SLE patients with preserved renal function show a bias in the differentiation of Th cells towards Th(2). Once ESRD occurs, the Th(1)/Th(2) ratio normalizes. This may contribute to the remission of Th(2)-mediated autoimmune diseases such as SLE.     

Glomerulosclerosis: Are we any wiser?

Summary Chronic renal failure (CRF) is characterized histologically by progressive glomerulos-clerosis (GS) and tubulo-interstitial scarring (TIS). Recently, research has focused on the study of the pathophysiology of GS. Most advances in this field have been derived from the study of various experimental models of CRF and GS in the rat. In this paper, I will review some of the concepts and hypotheses put forward to explain progressive GS and examine their relevance to glomerular scarring and CRF in humans.     

CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE MIMICKING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Abstract Systemic lupus erythematosus, primary Sjögren's syndrome and systemic sclerosis may be associated with acute transverse myelitis and chronic relapsing neurological syndromes mimicking multiple sclerosis in the same individuals and/or their relatives. We now present three cases which suggest that there is a wide spectrum of connective tissue disorders mimicking multiple sclerosis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. These cases demonstrate that the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis should be kept under constant review by searching for the development of connective tissue disorders in the patients or their relatives.     

Microplate ELISA for detection of antibodies to DNA in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: specificity and correlation with Farr radioimmunoassay

A 96-well microplate ELISA for the detection of antibodies to DNA is described. A number of buffers and precoating treatments were used to evaluate the optimal method for coating the plate with DNA. These included pretreatment of the plates with poly-L-lysine or protamine sulfate, and posttreatment with glutaraldehyde, none of which improved the performance of the assay. Whereas bicarbonate and borate coating buffers gave equivalent and satisfactory results, TRIS buffer resulted in very high binding of immunoglobulin to wells not coated with antigen. Sera from groups of patients with autoimmune disease as well as normal sera were tested against plates optimally coated with native E. coli DNA, calf thymus DNA, and heat-denatured DNA. Using native E. coli DNA, virtually none of 35 normal sera had any detectable antibody. With this antigen, as well as with native calf thymus DNA, significant levels of DNA antibody were found only in SLE patients. Most patients with SLE or drug-induced lupus, as well as some patients with rheumatoid arthritis and normal individuals had antibodies that bound to heat-denatured (single-stranded) DNA. Using either native E. coli or calf thymus DNA, a good correlation was found between the amount of DNA antibody detected by ELISA and the Farr-type radioimmunoassay.