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[MRI of central nervous system in a series of 58 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with or without overt neuropsychiatric manifestations].

PURPOSE: Central nervous (CNS) involvement in SLE is common and can be evaluated with MRI. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate with high-field MRI the CNS involvement in a series of SLE patients with or without neuropsychiatric symptoms. The secondary goal was to detect a possible relationship between MRI and clinical or biological parameters in SLE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We correlated the clinical and biological parameters of 58 patients with a lupus defined according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria, including 30 with neuropsychiatric manifestations with conventional and modern MRI (including diffusion weighted-images, high-resolution 3D T1 weighted-images). The population studied was compared to a group of 18 normal controls. RESULTS: In 69% of cases, MRI demonstrated involvement of the CNS both in asymptomatic patients (64.3%) and in patients with neuropsychiatric manifestations (73.3%): microembolic signals, cerebral infarctions (associated with the anti-phospholipid syndrome), atrophy, basal ganglia involvement, posterior leucoencephalopathy, subcortical calcification or hemosiderin deposits (T2*), dilated perivascular spaces. CONCLUSION: MRI with adapted sequences clearly demonstrated the cerebral involvement in approximately 70% of SLE patients with or without neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Adult↗

Evaluation of patients with CNS involvement in SLE.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may present with a wide array of neuropsychiatric (NP) clinical features. This may either be a primary manifestation of SLE, the result of a complication of the disease or its therapy, or a concurrent disease process. As there is no single diagnostic gold standard for NP-SLE, the assessment of individual patients is heavily dependent upon clinical evaluation in addition to information from studies of autoantibodies, brain structure and function. Despite their lack of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, these tests frequently provide information that can be used to support or refute the clinical impression. They may also provide a basis for the prospective evaluation of the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in individual patients with NP-SLE.

Brain Diseases↗

Antiphospholipid syndrome in SLE.

The antiphospholipid syndrome, initially described in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), occurs in 20-35% of patients with this condition. Its clinical manifestations may precede, be concurrent with, or follow clinical features of SLE. There are no major differences between the primary antiphospholipid syndrome and the secondary form that associates with SLE. Several studies suggest that the presence of an antiphospholipid syndrome in patients with SLE conveys a worse prognosis. To prevent recurrence of thrombotic events (particularly arterial events), oral anticoagulation with an international normalized ratio (INR) close to 3 is recommended. Treatment of recurrent fetal loss is with aspirin, or with aspirin plus heparin. Controlled studies are underway to determine optimal treatment in patients with cerebral ischaemia as well as the optimal treatment in women with recurrent pregnancy loss.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Lack of association between the Met196Arg polymorphism in the TNFR2 gene and autoimmune diseases accompanied by vasculitis including SLE in Japanese.

A polymorphism in high-affinity receptor of TNF (TNFR2) gene, Met196Arg, was reported to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Japanese, whereas the association could not be found in Europeans at all and this represents an apparent discrepancy. The association, then, should be tested in other populations to clarify the possible involvement, if any, of the TNFR2 polymorphism in SLE or other related autoimmune diseases. The purposes of this study were to examine the TNFR2 polymorphism in Japanese patients with SLE and to investigate its association with other autoimmune diseases accompanied by vasculitis, mixed connective tissue disease, Buerger's disease, and Takayasu's arteritis. We found no association at all between the TNFR2 polymorphism and any autoimmune diseases including SLE in Japanese.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

The effects of IgG purified from women with SLE and associated pregnancy loss on rat embryos in culture.

PROBLEM: Recurrent fetal loss occurs in approximately 1% of women. Autoimmune causes have been suggested as a factor in some of these cases. High rates of intrauterine fetal growth retardation and increased incidence of prematurity is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS). Autoantibodies from sera of SLE/APS patients affect reproductive outcome in pregnant mice, as was studied in vivo, where injection of immunoglobulin (Ig)G purified from patients with APS to mice caused fetal resorptions and growth retardation. METHODS: In order to investigate the direct effect of IgG purified from women with SLE or APS on the growth and viability of embryos, we cultured 11.5-day old-rat embryos in their yolk sacs in the presence of IgG purified from SLE and APS patients. RESULTS: IgG purified from SLE and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) patients affected directly the embryo and yolk sac reducing their growth. The purified IgG positive for anti-cardiolipin/anti-DNA antibodies reduced yolk sac and embryonic growth more than sera negative for these antibodies. CONCLUSION: Various antiphospholipid antibodies affect differently the growth and development of the embryo and the placenta.

Animals↗

Antibodies to type II collagen in SLE: a role in the pathogenesis of deforming arthritis?

The role of autoimmunity to type II collagen in the arthritis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been assessed by ELISA and by Western blotting cyanogen bromide cleavage fragments separated on SDS-PAGE. The results show that antibodies to both native and heat-denatured collagen are quite common in SLE when measured by ELISA. Of particular interest is the demonstration of an association between antibodies to the CB 11 peptide and deforming arthritis in SLE. This is the arthritogenic peptide in murine models of collagen II-induced autoimmune arthritis and the results presented here suggest a potential pathogenetic role in the deforming arthritis of SLE for this specific subset of antibodies to type II collagen.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Lack of association between the polymorphism at the heat-shock protein (HSP70-2) gene and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the Mexican mestizo population.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles have been recognized as genetic factors for developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the present study we analyzed whether a heat-shock protein gene (HSP70-2) is involved in determining susceptibility to develop SLE in a Mexican Mestizo population. A HSP70-2 Pst I polymorphism was detected by a restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RFLP) in 107 SLE patients and 158 healthy controls. No statistically significant differences were observed in the HSP70-2 allele distribution between patients and healthy controls. HLA-DR analysis showed an increased frequency of HLA-DR3 allele in the patients group (P < 0.05, OR = 2.26, EF = 6.0%). On the other hand, when we analyzed HSP70-2 polymorphism in relation to HLA-DR3 allele, we could only detect an increased frequency of AB genotype in the DR3 negative patients (pC < 0.05, RR = 2.6, EF = 11.3%). Linkage disequilibrium was observed for three haplotypes: HLA-DR3-HSP70-2A (D = 0.03, D' = 0.67, P < 0.01); HLA-DR1-HSP70-2A (D = 0.03, D' = 0.86, P < 0.01) and HLA-DR8-HSP70-2B (D = 0.02, D' = 0.46, P = 0.02). Our data indicate that HSP70-2 gene polymorphism as opposed to the other ethnic groups does not appear to be relevant in SLE susceptibility in Mexican patients and that the distribution of the different alleles depend on the frequency of HLA alleles associated with them.

Alleles↗

Mannose binding lectin (MBL) gene mutation is not a risk factor for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japanese.

Mannose binding lectin (MBL) deficiency may be associated with increased susceptibility to infection and autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the present study, we performed for the first systematic search for mutations in all the four exons of the MBL gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Of 49 healthy Japanese individuals studied, only the previously reported mutation at the codon 54 (substitution from Gly to Asp; G54D) was identified. The allele frequencies of G54D in 105 healthy Japanese individuals, 95 SLE patients and 59 RA patients, were 0.233, 0.226 and 0.178, respectively, which were not significantly different. In addition, two polymorphisms at positions of -550 and -221 in the promoter region were not associated with SLE and RA. It is unlikely that MBL deficiency plays a major role in the pathogenesis of SLE and RA in Japanese.

Alleles↗

Analysis of the association of HLA-DRB1, TNFalpha promoter and TNFR2 (TNFRSF1B) polymorphisms with SLE using transmission disequilibrium test.

A number of studies reported associations of HLA-DRB1, TNFalpha (TNF) promoter and TNF receptor II (TNFR2, TNFRSF1B) polymorphisms with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), however, the results have often been inconsistent. Such lack of consistency could partly derive from the population admixture involved in the case-control study. To avoid such a problem, polymorphisms in these genes were analyzed using transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) in Caucasian SLE families. Ninety-one Caucasian SLE family samples recruited in southern California were analyzed for the association with HLA-DRB1, TNF promoter positions at -1031, -863, -857 and -308, and TNFR2-196M/R polymorphisms. Significant transmission was observed for HLA-DRB1*1501, but not for HLA-DRB1*0301, nor for TNF haplotype that codes for -308A. Interestingly, TNF haplotype coding for -1031C, -863A, -857C showed a tendency of preferential nontransmission in the patients without lupus nephritis and in those with malar rash. No transmission distortion was observed for TNFR2-196R allele. These findings confirmed the association of HLA-DRB1*1501, but did not replicate that of the HLA-DRB1*0301, TNFA-308A and TNFR2-196R with SLE in this population. In addition, a possible disease-protective role for TNF haplotype coding for -1031C, -863A, -857C was suggested.

Alleles↗

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha promoter polymorphisms in Mexican patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The major histocompatibility (MHC) genes including TNF-alpha, HSP70 and HLA genes have been associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in several populations. In this study we analyze the polymorphism of TNF-alpha promoter in 51 Mexican Mestizo SLE patients and 55 ethnically-matched healthy controls by polymerase chain reaction methods. No statistically significant differences were observed in the TNF -308 allele and genotype distribution between patients and healthy controls. However, we found a significant increase in the TNF G/A -238 genotype and in the TNFA -238 allele frequencies in the SLE group when compared with healthy controls (Pc = 0.03, OR = 4.77 and Pc = 0.02, OR = 3.62, respectively). DRB1 analysis showed a similar distribution in patients and controls. Linkage disequilibrium was observed for five haplotypes: DRB1*1401-TNFA-238 (D = 0.84; D' = 1.0; P = 0.015); DRB1*0301-TNFA-238 (D = 1.38; D' = 0.41; P = 0.042); DRB1*1106-TNF2-308 (D = 0.9; D' = 1.0; P = 0.0006); DRB1*1104-TNF2-308 (D = 0.83; D' = 0.45; P = 0.02) and DRB1*1406-TNF2-308 (D = 0.83; D' = 0.45; P = 0.02). Our data suggest that the association between the TNF-alpha -238 polymorphism and SLE could play a major role in disease susceptibility.

Alleles↗

The -844C/T polymorphism in the Fas ligand promoter associates with Taiwanese SLE.

FasL expression is critical in T-cell activation-induced apoptosis, which is involved in lupus pathogenesis. This study identified two SNPs in the FasL promoter regions from -1145 to -45 by genomic DNA sequencing. The -844C/T polymorphism was previously described by its location in and affect on the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPB beta)-binding site and the other (-1094A/C, a novel polymorphism) was located at the NF-kappaB transcription-binding site. FasL gene promoter polymorphisms were genotyped in 260 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and 280 healthy controls using MassArray matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The distribution of FasL promoter -844C/C genotype, predominant in Taiwanese, was skewed in Taiwanese SLE patients (odds ratio: 1.53; P-value=0.014). FasL promoter -844C/T polymorphism genotype distributions of Taiwanese, African Americans, and Caucasians differed. Moreover, no particular clinical association of -844C/T and -1094A/C polymorphisms with SLE was found in patients in Taiwan. This study confirmed that -844C/C genotype is associated with lupus susceptibility. The -1094A/C polymorphism is not significantly associated with lupus disease susceptibility, albeit the role of NF-kappaB pathway in FasL promoter activation remains unclear. Fas/FasL pathway may contribute to SLE polygenic disease entity.

Asian People↗

Anti-dsDNA production coincides with concurrent B and T cell activation during development of active disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

The objective was to serially analyse T and B cell activation in relation to autoantibody production during the development of relapses in SLE. In a prospective study we serially analysed, by flow cytometry, T cell activation in relation to B cell activation and anti-dsDNA production in quiescent SLE and during the development of a clinical relapse. In addition, we related changes in T and B cell activation to changes in levels of anti-dsDNA and total IgG. During periods with clinically quiescent disease, the expression of activation markers on T cells (IL-2R and HLA-DR) and B cells (CD38) was persistently higher in SLE than in healthy controls (P < 0.001). Percentages of CD20+ CD38+ B cells were related to levels of total IgG (P < 0.02), but not to levels of anti-dsDNA. Development of disease activity was paralleled by an increase in the percentages of CD4+ T cells (P < 0.005) and CD20+ CD38+ B cells (P < 0.001), which were interrelated. Increases in B cell activation were related to increases in levels of anti-dsDNA (P < 0.005), but not to changes in total IgG levels. B cells expressing high levels of CD38 spontaneously produced IgG class anti-dsDNA in vitro. Persistence of activated B cells during periods with clinically quiescent disease in SLE seems to underly hypergammaglobulinaemia but not anti-dsDNA production. Prior to clinical disease activity, further activation of T and B cells occurs, which is paralleled by rises of anti-dsDNA but not of total IgG. This suggests that the production of anti-dsDNA is a T cell-dependent antigen-driven process, which is independent of the polyclonal activation of the immune system inherent to the disease.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

Specificity and immunochemical properties of antibodies to bacterial DNA in sera of normal human subjects and patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

To elucidate the mechanisms of anti-DNA production, we assessed the binding of sera of normal human subjects (NHS) and patients with SLE to a panel of bacterial and mammalian DNA. Using single-stranded DNA as antigens in an ELISA, NHS showed significant binding to some but not all bacterial DNA, while lacking reactivity to calf thymus DNA. Among bacterial DNA, the highest levels of binding were observed with DNA from Micrococcus lysodeikticus and Staphylococcus aureus. In contrast, SLE sera showed high levels of binding to all DNA tested. To evaluate further immunochemical properties of the anti-DNA antibodies, the subclass distribution of these responses was evaluated by subclass-specific reagents. While NHS showed a predominance of IgG2 antibodies to bacterial DNA, SLE sera had a predominance of IgG1 antibodies to these antigens. Together, these results provide further evidence for the antigenicity of bacterial DNA and suggest that NHS and SLE anti-DNA differ in the patterns of epitope recognition as well as mechanisms of induction.

Animals↗

Th1 (IL-2, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)) and Th2 (IL-10, IL-4) cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

We investigated the production of IL-2, IFN-gamma, IL-10 and IL-4 by PBMC from 24 patients with SLE and 10 healthy individuals. Basal and mitogen-stimulated (lipopolysaccharide and phytohaemagglutinin (LPS + PHA)) cytokine production was determined in a whole blood assay (WBA). Supernatants were collected and assayed with specific ELISAs. Although the IL-2 and IFN-gamma contents did not differ significantly between patients and controls under both conditions, statistically significant correlations were found between each cytokine and disease activity (SLAM index) after stimulation (respectively, r = 0.501, P = 0.01 and r = 0.631, P = 0.001). PBMC IL-10 production was significantly higher for patients than controls (P = 0.05), but no correlation between IL-10 levels and the SLAM index was obtained. IL-4 production was not statistically different between SLE patients and controls. For stimulated WBAs, the IL-10/IL-2 and IL-10/IFN-gamma ratios were significantly correlated with disease severity (P = 0.02; P = 0.001, respectively). Overall, our data suggest that SLE is characterized by an elevated production of IL-10, reflecting the basal state of activation of the immune system. During exacerbation of SLE, IL-2 and IFN-gamma are synthesized in larger amounts and may cause the tissue damage observed.

Adolescent↗

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a circulating inducer of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production acting on leucocytes resembling immature dendritic cells.

Patients with active SLE often have an ongoing production of IFN-alpha. We therefore searched for an endogenous IFN-alpha-inducing factor (IIF) in SLE patients and found that their sera frequently induced production of IFN-alpha in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy blood donors, especially when the PBMC were costimulated with the cytokines IFN-alpha2b and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The phenotype of the IFN-alpha-producing cells (IPC) as determined by flow cytometry corresponded to that of the natural IPC, resembling immature dendritic cells. The IIF activity in SLE sera was sometimes as high as that of a virus and was present especially in patients with active disease and with measurable IFN-alpha levels in serum. The IIF had an apparent molecular weight of 300-1000 kD and appeared to consist of both immunoglobulin and DNA, possibly being immune complexes. This endogenous IFN-alpha inducer may be of pathogenic significance, since a reported occasional adverse effect of IFN-alpha therapy in patients with non-autoimmune disorders is development of anti-dsDNA antibodies and SLE.

Adult↗

Antibodies from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera define differential release of autoantigens from cell lines undergoing apoptosis.

SLE is an autoimmune disease characterized by a wide range of anti-cellular and anti-nuclear autoantibodies. Many of these antigens are exposed or altered during apoptosis when the nucleus is dismantled in a controlled manner by caspases. We used Western blotting techniques to demonstrate that autoantibodies in SLE sera recognize antigens released during apoptosis. Reproducible bands, not seen in the untreated cells, with the characteristics of histones were seen when staining apoptotic cell lysates with SLE sera. Normal sera recognized some of these bands but much less strongly. Different triggers of apoptosis did not produce marked differences in the antigens recognized. We also compared different cell lines (Jurkat and U937) and found that the staining differed for one autoantigen in particular. The differential release of autoantigens by apoptotic cells may have relevance to the variety of autoantibodies seen in SLE.

Apoptosis↗

Distinguishable patterns of connectivity in serum immunoglobulins from SLE patients and healthy individuals.

Given that normal individuals maintain significant levels of serum autoantibodies that share many characteristics with those found in association with autoimmune diseases (AID), it has been proposed that disease could result from defects in supraclonal regulation, namely deviations of normal patterns of immunoglobulin (Ig) connectivity. Using conventional methods, together with a recently developed technique to quantitatively score a variety of V-region-dependent serum IgG interactions, the authors have now compared serum Ig connectivity in a group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to healthy controls. The results demonstrate the existence of V-region interactions of serum IgG and IgM in SLE patients and healthy donors, with comparable connectivity titres, diversity and average affinities (microM range), but a wider individual variation and a tendency for higher F(ab')2 directed reactivities in the group of SLE patients. Multivariate statistics analysis of the data derived from reactivity patterns on F(ab')2 subsets, however, distinguished the two groups of donors, and demonstrated a larger dispersion and wider time-dependent variations in the patient population, as compared to healthy controls. The authors conclude that SLE is associated with circulating antibody repertoires that deviate from the patterns and levels of V-region connectivity characteristic of healthy individuals. These findings may shed light on the mechanisms of disease maintenance, and on the basis for the therapeutic effects of normal polyclonal Igs at high doses.

Adolescent↗

Renal flares in 91 SLE patients with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND: Even when treated with current protocols, 25 to 30% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (DPGN) evolve to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The occurrence of renal flares is considered to be an important risk factor for the evolution to ESRD. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence and prognostic significance of renal flares in SLE patients with DPGN and to identify predictors for the occurrence of flares. METHODS: Ninety-one SLE patients were selected for study based on the following criteria: (a) evidence of renal involvement, (b) a follow-up of at least 6 months after the renal biopsy, and (c) a steady improvement in renal manifestations after the biopsy lasting for at least three months. RESULTS: Renal flares occurred in 54% of the patients after renal biopsy and appropriate treatment. A younger age at the time of renal biopsy correlated with the occurrence of renal flares. A high activity index (> or =10) and karyorrhexis on histology correlated with the occurrence of nephritic flares. Twenty-seven percent of the patients developed ESRD. The number of renal flares, nephritic flares, and "early" proteinuric flares (that is, those occurring in the first 18 months after renal biopsy) as well as serum creatinine levels, karyorrhexis, and chronicity index on renal histology were correlated with doubling serum creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that (a) a distinct subgroup of SLE patients exists, made up of younger patients with extensive, active lesions on renal biopsy, who are at higher risk for renal flares, (b) renal flares represent important predictors of doubling serum creatinine.

Adolescent↗