Antibodies to iris and retina detected in sera from patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with iridocyclitis by indirect immunofluorescence studies on human eye tissue

Sera from 12 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) with active iridocyclitis were incubated with frozen, sectioned, whole human eye tissue. Antibodies were detected using fluorescein conjugated goat F(ab')2 antibody to human IgG by immunofluorescent microscopy. Immunofluorescence was determined on tissue from the iris, retina, and 3 portions of the ciliary body. Sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis were compared to sera from patients with JRA with and without antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and healthy children. An increased frequency of antibody to the human iris was seen with sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis compared to healthy children's sera. A higher frequency of antibody was also noted to human retina in sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis compared to patients without ANA and healthy children. No increased frequency of antibody was detected to ciliary body. Sera of 7 patients with JRA with iridocyclitis were also compared during a time of inactive eye disease to a time of active disease. No difference in binding to eye tissue was detected at times of inactive disease compared to controls. Our results demonstrate the presence of antibody to iris and retina by immunofluorescence in the sera of patients with JRA with iridocyclitis.     

酒精性肝硬化与乙型肝炎肝硬化、丙型肝炎肝硬化及自身免疫性肝硬化临床特点对比分析

目的探讨酒精性肝硬化的临床特点及其与乙型肝炎（乙肝）肝硬化、丙型肝炎（丙肝）肝硬化和自身免疫性肝硬化临床特点的异同。方法总结和分析2002--2012年住我院的部分酒精性肝硬化患者（373例）的临床特点,并与同期住院的部分乙肝肝硬化患者（205例）、丙肝肝硬化患者（104例）和自身免疫性肝硬化患者（121例）的临床特点进行对比分析。结果酒精性肝硬化患者好发年龄段为40。59岁（68．36％）,尤其以40。49岁发病率最高,达到43．43％。与其他3种病因所致的肝硬化患者相比,酒精性肝硬化患者男性占绝大多数（98．66％）,差异有统计学意义（P〈O．01）。酒精性肝硬化患者的WBC、中性粒细胞绝对值、中性粒细胞绝对值／淋巴细胞绝对值比值和平均红细胞容积均明显高于其他3种病因所致的肝硬化患者,差异有统计学意义（P均〈O．01）。酒精性肝硬化患者的AST／ALT比值、TBIL和GGT／ALP比值均明显高于其他3种病因所致的肝硬化患者,差异有统计学意义（P均〈0．01）。结论酒精性肝硬化在我国的发病率不断升高,且与乙肝肝硬化、丙肝肝硬化和自身免疫性肝硬化相比有其独特的临床特点。应对酒精性肝硬化给予更多关注。     

Effect of thyroliberin on the prolactin level in the blood serum of primary hypothyroid patients

Results of study of the basic prolactin level and its response to the stimulating action of exogenous thyroliberin in 23 women with primary hypothyroidism are presented; alteration of prolactin secretion in these patients under the effect of replacement thyroid hormone therapy is shown. In the majority of patients with primary hypothyroidism prolactin level was elevated in comparison with the normal, and its secretion in response to TRH was considerably increased. There were no significant differences in the basic prolactin level and in its response to TRG in patients with primary hypothyroidism with or without lactorrhea, and with lactorrheaamenorrhea. Lactorrhea can develop in the patients with increased or with normal blood serum prolactin level. Sensitivity of thyrotrophs and lactotrophs to the inhibitory action of thyroid hormones proved to differ. The efficacy of replacement therapy in patients with primary hypothyroidism combined with lactorrhea-amenorrhea, leading to restoration of the patients' fertility, was demonstrated.     

Increased sensitivity of lymphocytes from patients with systemic autoimmune diseases to DNA alkylation by the methylating carcinogen N-methyl-N-nitrosourea.

Lymphocytes from patients with various diseases associated with autoimmunity showed both impaired capacity to repair O6-methylguanine (a powerful, promutagenic, directly miscoding base lesion) and increased sensitivity to the cytocidal effects of cellular methylation by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) compared with normal controls and patients with other disorders. Defective repair of O6-methylguanine was significantly associated with arthritis and myositis in the group with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and increased sensitivity to the toxic action of MNU was associated with the presence of immune complexes and the administration of steroids to patients with Behçet's syndrome. The results indicate that lymphocytes from patients with the autoimmune diseases studied are more susceptible to DNA damage with possible relevance to aetiopathogenesis.     

Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). II. Responses to chloroquine, quinine, and pyrimethamine.

The studies described in this report were designed to determine the responses of established infections with eight strains of Plasmodium falciparum and two strains of P. vivax in owl monkeys to treatment with chloroquine, quinine, and pyrimethamine. Responses with these different strains ranged from cure via application of well-tolerated doses of two of the above drugs and refractoriness to treatment with maximally tolerated doses of the third, to complete resistance to maximally tolerated doses of all three compounds. The results of treatment exhibited in infected owl monkeys correlated well in two respects with those reported in humans infected with the same plasmodial species. First, calculated on a milligram per M2 basis, the doses of chloroquine, quinine, or pyrimethamine required for a CD90 response in owl monkeys infected with strains susceptible to these drugs were remarkably similar to the doses required and/or employed for cure of infections with so-called drug-susceptible strains in human patients. Secondly, with few exceptions, the responses to the above drugs in owl monkeys infected with the ten specially selected strains were essentially identical with those exhibited by human volunteers or patients infected with the same strains. Together, these findings and correlations provide strong support for use of owl monkeys infected with appropriate strains of P. falciparum and P. vivax in the search for more broadly effective antimalarial drugs.     

Insulin receptors on circulating blood cells from patients with pancreatogenic diabetes: a comparison with type I diabetes and normal subjects

We studied 125I-insulin binding to erythrocytes from 14 patients with diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis or pancreatectomy and compared the results with those found in 10 patients with type I diabetes and 25 normal controls. Patients with pancreatogenic diabetes had higher 125I-insulin binding and enhanced tissue sensitivity to exogenous insulin measured with the glucose clamp technique as compared with patients with type I diabetes. Similar binding data were obtained with monocytes from 3 patients with pancreatogenic diabetes. The increase in insulin binding seemed due mainly to an increase in receptor number. The increase in insulin binding to cells from patients with pancreatogenic diabetes in comparison with cells from normal subjects was also seen in young-erythrocyte-rich fractions and in old-erythrocyte-rich fractions obtained from the mixed population of circulating erythrocytes by centrifugation in density gradient of Percoll-Pielografin. These data, in the absence of any sign of major hematological disorders, suggest that the increase in insulin receptors seen in erythrocytes and in monocytes from patients with pancreatogenic diabetes, can mirror a general phenomenon on tissues throughout the body, including major target cells for insulin and correlate with the heightened sensitivity to insulin characteristic of these patients. In conclusion, patients with pancreatogenic diabetes have increased insulin binding as compared to controls and to patients with type I diabetes with chronic hypoinsulinemia of the same degree. Thus, in addition to insulin deficiency, other factor (s), such as glucagon deficiency, are responsible for the clinical and metabolic differences between these two conditions of insulin deficiency.     

Antibodies to tissue transglutaminase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis

OBJECTIVE: Subclinical gut inflammation has been described in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Joint involvement has also been reported related to celiac disease. We investigated IgA antibodies to bovine tissue tranglutaminase (tTg) and IgA and IgG antibodies to human tTg and to Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) in patients with AS and PsA. METHODS: We evaluated the frequency of IgA antibodies to bovine tTg, and of IgA and IgG antibodies to human tTg and to ASCA in 43 patients with AS and 75 with PsA. As control groups we considered 79 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 78 healthy blood donors. RESULTS: We detected antibodies as follows: IgA antibodies to bovine tTg in 1/43 patients with AS, 3/75 with PsA, 1/79 with RA, and in 9/78 healthy controls; IgA antibodies to human tTg in 1/43 patients with AS, 1/75 with PsA, 1/79 with RA, and in 3/78 healthy controls; IgG antibodies to human tTg in 1/43 patients with AS, 4/75 with PsA, 5/79 with RA, and in 7/78 healthy controls. IgA ASCA were confirmed in 10/43 patients with AS, 7/75 with PsA, 14/79 with RA, and in 7/78 healthy controls; IgG ASCA were present in 5/43 patients with AS, 4/75 with PsA, 8/79 with RA, and in 8/78 healthy controls. No statistically significant difference was observed in the prevalence of IgA or IgG antibodies to bovine and human tTg and in the frequency and in mean level of IgA or IgG ASCA between the studied groups or between each group and healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Our data fail to show an increased prevalence of autoantibodies associated with celiac and Crohn's disease in patients with AS and PsA.     

Ambrosia pollen under high surveillance

The pollinic season of ambrosia in 2003 present strong disturbances due to the meteorology of the end of this summer. The areas with the allergenic risk are concentrated on the area of Rh?ne-Alpes (more than 40 days with a risk equal to or higher than 3) and on the peripheral areas: the area Centre Auvergne with Saint Etienne, Clermont-Ferrand and Montlucon with approximately 10 days with a the allergenic risk equal to or higher than 3; the Sa?ne-Savoie area with the towns of Macon and Grenoble with about twenty days with a allergenic risk equal to or higher than 3 and Dijon, Chalon-sur-Sa?ne with 6 days with a allergic risk equal to or higher than 3; the Mediterranean area with the towns of Avignon and Aix-in-Provence presenting ten days with allergenic risk equal to or higher than 3, Marseille and Toulon with 7 days with a allergenic risk equal to or higher than 3. The allergic risk related to the ambrosia in 2003 had peaks overall less high, but the season is spread out and had during until September 20. The daily peaks for the Rh?ne-Dauphiné-Dr?me area were noted between 6 h and 8 h or 8 h and 10 h, for 2003. On the peripheral areas, we remark a diversity of the daily peaks (Chalon-sur-Sa?ne between 18 h and 20 h). Are these pollens local grains or immigrants grains? On Lyon I (Gerland), the follow-up of the data of the ambrosia since 1987 permit to remark a stagnation of the number of days with an allergic risk, despite a reduction of the number of pollens.     

Factors affecting early exsanguination and death in blunt thoracic aortic trauma

The traditional approach to blunt thoracic aortic injuries has been expedient diagnosis and operative repair due to the significant risk of early exsanguination and death in initial survivors. Nonoperative management has been advocated in patients with multiple injuries to reduce the operative mortality. However, specific clinical parameters and diagnostic tests that may predict the risk of early exsanguination and death have yet to be identified. A retrospective analysis of 80 patients with these injuries was undertaken to identify factors associated with early exsanguination or death. Available aortograms were also examined and graded to determine their utility in predicting these outcomes. Early exsanguination and death were found to be associated with low systolic blood pressure on admission and with short duration from injury to diagnosis. Exsanguination was also associated with the total number of lesions in thoracic injuries, and mortality with age greater than 30 years. Aortographic appearance was not found to correlate with either outcome. Patients with blunt thoracic aortic injuries should continue to be managed expediently, with immediate surgical repair if not contraindicated by associated injuries, to avoid early rupture.     

The use of glucagon challenge tests in the diagnostic evaluation of hypoglycemia due to hepatoma and insulinoma

We previously found that patients with hypoglycemia due to chronic renal and liver disease had anomalous metabolic responses to glucose and glucagon stimulation. In this study we evaluated the use of glucagon (2 mg, iv) tests in the diagnosis of spontaneous hypoglycemia secondary to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and insulinoma. Twenty-one normal subjects, 45 patients with HCC (11 with hypoglycemia), and 14 patients with insulinoma (all with hypoglycemia) were studied. The fasting blood glucose level was low in all patients with hypoglycemia. The fasting plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations were high in patients with insulinoma and low in patients with HCC and hypoglycemia. The blood glucose responses to glucagon administration were less than normal in patients with HCC and hypoglycemia and within normal limits in patients with insulinoma. The insulinoma patients had increased plasma insulin and C-peptide responses to glucagon despite having low blood glucose levels. Compared with the HCC patients without hypoglycemia, HCC patients with hypoglycemia had impaired plasma insulin and C-peptide responses. The fasting hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and impaired insulin/C-peptide responses to glucagon in patients with hepatoma and hypoglycemia presumably reflect the production of insulin-like substances by the hepatoma. We conclude that glucagon administration results in characteristic responses in these groups of patients and can be of use in the diagnosis of spontaneous hypoglycemia secondary to hepatoma or insulinoma.     

Role of Plasmapheresis in the Management of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Multiple Myeloma: Should We Abandon It?

The aim of the current study was to determine whether plasmapheresis in combination with chemotherapy could significantly remove free light chains (FLC) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and therefore improve renal recovery and patient survival. During the study period, 29 patients with MM and AKI presented to our unit and were treated with two different therapy modalities (plasmapheresis with chemotherapy or bortezomib). At the end of treatment, a significant decrease of FLCs was present in the group treated with plasmapheresis compared to the bortezomib group. Patients treated with plasmapheresis had similar survival compared to patients treated with bortezomib. There was a significantly higher decrease of FLCs and longer survival in patients treated with three or more plasmapheresis sessions than in patients treated with two plasmapheresis sessions. Plasmapheresis therapy still remains a useful and effective method in the treatment of AKI in MM patients. Plasmapheresis significantly reduces FLCs compared to bortezomib especially with higher number of plasma exchange sessions but it must be combined with other chemotherapy agents in order to prolong renal recovery and therefore patient survival.     

Treatment of nonresponders to standard hepatitis C therapy

Over 40% of patients with chronic hepatitis C fail to achieve sustained virologic response to treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. They represent a growing population of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Those more likely to be nonresponders include patients with genotype 1 (especially with high viral load), advanced fibrosis, or HIV coinfection, as well as African Americans. Prior treatment history must be carefully reviewed and the pattern of nonresponse ascertained to formulate appropriate management strategies. Modi.-able factors associated with poor response should be identified prior to retreatment and addressed to improve the efficacy of retreatment. Patients with mild inflammation and mild fibrosis are at low risk of progression to cirrhosis and may reasonably be offered observation with periodic follow-up. The treatment of naïve patients needs to be optimized in order to minimize the growth of the population of “difficult to treat” nonresponders with chronic hepatitis C.     

Diet-induced obesity in mice causes changes in immune responses and bone loss manifested by bacterial challenge

Obesity has been suggested to be associated with an increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. However, few studies have examined the effect of obesity on the immune response to bacterial infections. In the present study, we investigated the effect of obesity on innate immune responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis infection, an infection strongly associated with periodontitis. Mice with diet-induced obesity (DIO) and lean control C57BL/6 mice were infected orally or systemically with P. gingivalis, and periodontal pathology and systemic immune responses were examined postinfection. After oral infection with P. gingivalis, mice with DIO had a significantly higher level of alveolar bone loss than the lean controls. Oral microbial sampling disclosed higher levels of P. gingivalis in mice with DIO vs. lean mice during and after infection. Furthermore, animals with DIO exposed to oral infection or systemic inoculation of live P. gingivalis developed a blunted inflammatory response with reduced expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and serum amyloid A (SAA) at all time points compared with lean mice. Finally, peritoneal macrophages harvested from mice with DIO and exposed to P. gingivalis exhibited reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines compared with lean mice and when exposed to P. gingivalis LPS treatment had a significantly reduced recruitment of NF-kappaB to both TNF-alpha and IL-10 promoters 30 min after exposure. These data indicate that obesity interferes with the ability of the immune system to appropriately respond to P. gingivalis infection and suggest that this immune dysregulation participates in the increased alveolar bone loss after bacterial infection observed in mice with DIO.     

Survey of the effect of adding Fluosol-DA 20%/O2 to treatment with various chemotherapeutic agents

The tumor growth delays (TGDs) observed with a series of antineoplastic agents with or without Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing (95% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide) in the FSaIIC fibrosarcoma are shown. All but two of eleven alkylating agents examined showed some degree of positive effect by the addition of Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to drug treatment. The largest effects were seen with busulfan and procarbazine. Melphalan and the nitrosoureas, carmustine, lomustine, semustine, and chlorozotocin, gave increases in TGD ranging from 2- to 6-fold with the addition of Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing. Modest increases were seen with cytoxan and dacarbazine. Cisplatin showed no additional TGD with Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing, and mitomycin showed a negative effect. The addition of Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to bleomycin treatment increased the TGD produced by 5- to 6-fold compared to the drug alone. With vincristine and etoposide at three different doses, TGDs increased 2.4- to 3-fold in combination with Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing. Increases of 1.3- to 1.4-fold in the TGD were observed with methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil with Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing. Adding Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to treatment with several of the drugs examined resulted in significant enhancement of TGD and therefore may lead to an improved therapeutic outcome when added to certain currently used clinical regimens.     

Ventricular tachycardia: prediction of response to oral aprindine with intravenous aprindine

Aprindine was administered both intravenously and orally to 25 patients with ventricular tachycardia refractory to conventional antiarrhythmic agents to test the hypothesis that the response to intravenous aprindine predicts the response to oral aprindine. Ten patients had incessant ventricular tachycardia and 15 had paroxysmal sustained inducible ventricular tachycardia. Eleven patients (43 percent) had conversion to sinus rhythm with intravenous aprindine (nine with incessant and two with paroxysmal sustained ventricular tachycardia). Thirteen patients (all with paroxysmal sustained ventricular tachycardia) manifested slowing of the tachycardia without conversion, whereas in one patient with incessant ventricular tachycardia, the tachycardia became less frequent and nonsustained after intravenous aprindine. All 11 patients who had conversion to sinus rhythm with intravenous aprindine remained free of ventricular tachycardia during oral treatment with aprindine (at 2 weeks) and for a follow-up period of 2 to 38 months (mean 16 +/- 13). Of the 14 patients who did not have conversion to sinus rhythm with intravenous aprindine, 12 had spontaneous or inducible ventricular tachycardia, or both, at evaluation 1 to 2 weeks after initiation of oral aprindine. In conclusion, administration of intravenous aprindine to patients with ventricular tachycardia is helpful in predicting the subsequent response to oral aprindine. In addition, the pattern of ventricular tachycardia predicted the response to aprindine; patients with incessant ventricular tachycardia tended to respond, and those with paroxysmal sustained ventricular tachycardia tended not to respond.     

Pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension due to lung disease

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) often complicates the course of patients with advanced lung disease, and it is associated with a worse prognosis. Per the recent classification of pulmonary hypertensive disorders, PH due to lung disease is considered as a separate category within a group of disorders that was previously referred to as "secondary" PH. Among the lung diseases associated with PH, the incidence and clinical course of PH is best known for patients with COPD. Per studies in patients with COPD and other lung disorders, it is evident that the pathophysiology and treatment of these disorders is generally distinct from that of pulmonary arterial hypertensive disorders. Changes in the pulmonary vasculature that accompany elevations in pulmonary vascular pressure are generally referred to as pulmonary vascular remodeling. Chronic hypoxia is well known to cause pulmonary vascular remodeling and PH, and it is the major mechanism implicated for the development of PH in patients with lung disease. Other mediators have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of PH in animal models and patients with PH, including patients with pulmonary diseases. General features of pulmonary vascular remodeling are discussed with particular emphasis on those changes that have been described in patients with lung diseases. Recent discoveries in these areas are also reviewed, and findings in pulmonary arterial hypertensive diseases are contrasted with those found in patients with PH due to lung diseases. Some of these discoveries have already led to new treatment strategies for patients with the most severe forms of PH. PH due to lung diseases shares some common pathophysiologic features with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Therefore, it is likely that these discoveries and new treatments will also be extended to benefit patients with PH due to lung disease.     

Meta-analysis of randomized trials of angioedema as an adverse event of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors

Angioedema is a rare, potentially life-threatening adverse event of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors. The objective of the present study was to determine the risk of angioedema from randomized clinical trials. A PubMed/CENTRAL/EMBASE search was made for randomized clinical trials from 1980 to October 2011 in patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), or direct renin inhibitor (DRI). Trials with a total number of patients ≥100 and a duration of ≥8 weeks were included for analysis. Incidence of angioedema was pooled by weighing the incident rate of each trial by the inverse of the variance. Twenty-six trials with 74,857 patients in the ACE inhibitor arm with 232,523 person-years of follow-up, 19 trials with 35,479 patients on ARB with 122,293 person-years of follow-up, and 2 trials with 5,141 patients on DRI with 1,735 person-years of follow-up met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. In head-to-head comparison in 7 trials, risk of angioedema with ACE inhibitors was 2.2 times higher than with ARBs (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5 to 3.3). With ACE inhibitors and ARBs, incidence of angioedema was higher in heart failure trials compared to hypertension or coronary artery disease trials without heart failure (p <0.0001). Weighted incidence of angioedema with ACE inhibitors was 0.30% (95% CI 0.28 to 0.32) compared to 0.11% (95% CI 0.09 to 0.13) with ARBs, 0.13% (95% CI 0.08 to 0.19) with DRIs, and 0.07% with placebo (95% CI 0.05 to 0.09). In conclusion, incidence of angioedema with ARBs and DRI was <1/2 than that with ACE inhibitors and not significantly different from placebo. Incidence of angioedema was higher in patients with heart failure compared to those without heart failure with ACE inhibitors and ARBs.     

Administration of maximal or median doses of drugs in cardiovascular diseases?

In recent years some specialists recommend to treat patients with cardiovascular diseases with maximal doses of drugs and refer to the results of extensive clinical studies. On critical evaluation of some it seems that the results are not interpreted accurately and that the highest doses of drugs (or combined treatment) do not produce better results than the use of smaller doses. This applies e.g. to the study HOT with felodipine in hypertensive patients and patients with cardiac insufficiency in the ATLAS study with lisinopril and the MERIT-HF study with metoprolol. It applies also the HOPE study with ramipril in secondary prevention in subjects with cardiovascular diseases. Efforts to achieve as low as possible lipid values has also some pitfalls. The author recommends to treat comprehensively all patients and to select maximal doses only in selected subjects.     

Health-related quality of life in patients with common rheumatic diseases referred to a university clinic

The aim of the present study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with common rheumatic diseases referred to a rheumatology clinic and to compare it to the HRQoL of the general population. All patients with a new referral to the Department of Rheumatology of the Helsinki University Central Hospital were asked to participate in the study during the period from May 2002 to April 2003. A total of 295 patients with various rheumatic diseases were included in the analysis: 99 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 47 with arthralgia and fibromyalgia, 43 with other chronic arthritis (spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, enteropathic arthritis), 44 with osteoarthritis (OA), 22 with active reactive arthritis (ReA), 17 with systemic rheumatic diseases, 9 adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and 14 with other diagnoses. HRQoL was measured by a disease specific instrument, the Stanford health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) and by a generic instrument, 15D. The mean baseline 15D score of the 295 included patients (0.822, SD 0.114) was significantly lower than of the general population (0.903, SD 0.098). Patients with OA and chronic arthritis reported the poorest HRQoL scores (both 0.810 on a 0-1 scale). In patients with RA and ReA the 15D score improved in a statistically significant and clinically important manner during the 8-month follow-up. Discomfort and symptoms caused by the disease were alleviated in a statistically significant manner in patients with RA as well as in those with arthralgia and fibromyalgia, chronic arthritis, ReA and systemic rheumatic diseases. HAQ score improved significantly in patients with RA, arthralgia and fibromyalgia, and ReA. The HRQoL of patients with common rheumatic diseases at referral to rheumatology clinic is significantly lower than the HRQoL of age-standardized general population. The most affected patients are those with OA, chronic arthritis and RA. A significant improvement in HRQoL with conventional interventions was achieved in patients with RA and ReA.     

Significance of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies to double stranded and single stranded DNA in patients with lupus nephritis: correlation with severity of renal histology.

The correlation between renal histology and class specific (IgG and IgM) antibodies to double stranded DNA (dsDNA) and single stranded DNA (ssDNA) was studied by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 40 untreated patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The levels of IgG antibodies to dsDNA were significantly higher in patients with World Health Organisation class IV nephritis than in those with class I, class II, or class III nephritis. IgG antibodies to ssDNA were higher in patients with class IV than in those with class II nephritis. IgG antibodies to dsDNA showed a close correlation with the histological activity score and the amount of electron dense deposit. IgG antibodies to ssDNA showed only a weak correlation with the renal histological activity score. IgM antibodies to dsDNA and IgM antibodies to ssDNA were not correlated with renal histological features. Patients with moderate to severe nephritis had a lower ratio of IgM antibodies to dsDNA to IgG antibodies to dsDNA than those with mild nephritis. These results indicate that the measurement of IgG antibodies to dsDNA is predictive in evaluating renal histological activity in patients with SLE.