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Biomedical subjects

F S Pegley

Publications and source records attributed to F S Pegley.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Immune complexes in ankylosing spondylitis.

Immune complexes have been reported in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and may implicate infectious agents. Serum samples from 49 patients with AS were assayed for immune complexes by polyethylene glycol precipitation, followed by radial immunodiffusion and pepsinogen binding immunoassay. Both methods showed increases in IgA containing immune complexes, which correlated with serum IgA and with IgA rheumatoid factor concentrations, but did not show increases in other immune complex components. Increased immune complexes were associated with peripheral joint synovitis, but showed no correlation with other clinical or laboratory indices of disease activity. Immune complexes from nine AS serum samples and one AS synovial fluid were electrophoretically separated then probed with anti-Klebsiella pneumoniae, but AS specific antigens were not identified. This study did not suggest a major role for immune complexes in AS without peripheral disease, nor provide serological evidence for the involvement of klebsiella antigens.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

A comparison of disability measured by the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire disability scales (HAQ) in male and female rheumatoid outpatients.

Eighty-five consecutive rheumatoid patients (M:F = 22:63) seen during a 10-week period were studied. There were significant differences between the sexes for haemoglobin (means (SD) M = 13.5 (1.2), F = 12.0 (1.6) g/dl, P less than 0.01), presence of nodules (M = 50%, F = 19%, P less than 0.05) and for the HAQ scores (mean (SD) score M = 1.1 (0.9), F = 1.7 (0.9), P = 0.03) but not for age, disease duration, presence of erosions, Larsen score, treatment, pain, early morning stiffness, articular index, ESR, and C-reactive protein. The results suggest that the patients were matched for age, disease activity, severity and duration. The difference in haemoglobin between the sexes is in keeping with a reference population. The data suggest that the impact of RA has a greater effect on the functional status of women.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Specific antibody response to the mycobacterial 65 kDa stress protein in ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Immune responses to conserved, immunogenic homologues of the mycobacterial 65 kDa stress protein (SP65) have been implicated in inflammatory arthritis. Serum anti-SP65 was measured in AS, RA and healthy controls using an indirect enzyme immunoassay with recombinant SP65. IgA anti-SP65 was elevated in 19 of 59 AS patients, but the elevation in median level was not statistically significant. Anti-SP65 of all isotypes was increased in RA, but achieved significance (P less than 0.01) for IgA only. Adjusting specific antibody results for elevations in total serum Ig levels reduced AS and RA anti-SP65 to near normal levels, suggesting that a major component of the increased anti-SP65 may be secondary to polyclonal activation.

Antibodies↗