autoimune

Recent studies have demonstrated that atypical antipsychotic agents, which are known to antagonize dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2a receptors, have immunomodulatory properties. Given the potential of these drugs to modulate the immune system both peripherally and within the central nervous system, we investigated the ability of the atypical anti-psychotic agent, risperidone, to modify disease in the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS)4, experimental autoimune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We found that chronic oral administration of risperidone dose-dependently reduced the severity of disease and decreased both the size and number of spinal cord lesions...

IL-19, IL-20 and IL-24 are members of the IL-10 family of cytokines, the human IL-19, IL-20 and IL-24 genes are all located on the q32 region of chromosome 1, and the three cytokines also share a common receptor IL-20R1/IL-20R2 heterodimer. These cytokines due to the similarity and shared receptor usage, are quite overlapping in function. Recently, the available evidence has indicated that interaction of these cytokines with their receptors might exhibit pro-inflammatory effects on autoimmune diseases, particularly psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis...

We report about very rare case of autoimune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) with "warm" antibodies in eight months old boy. Diagnosis was set up according blood picture results, distinct anaemia in blood picture, positive Coombs test (IgG) for "warm" antibodies. Therapy with high doses of corticosteroids, with immunoglobulins, with two exchange transfusions and with frequent transfusions of deplasmatic erythrocytes (DPE) was without good result. Introducing of Rituximab (Mathera) therapy in dose of 375 mg/m2, four times had good effect...

Progress in the field of pediatric rheumatolgy has been extraordinary; subspecialty is accepted as essential, vital, indispensible and distinct from adult rheumatology. It is clear that arthritis in children is more heterogeneous than RA. Although there are similarities between the inflammatory arthritides occuring in adults and children, RA and JIA appear to be distinct phenotypically with exception for the older child with RF-positive polyarticular arthritis. Progress in molecular biology has enabled us to diagnose those children earlier, and treat them more efficaciously with variety of drugs and biologic agents...

BACKGROUND: In Korean population, antigen frequencies of HNA-1a, HNA-1b, and HNA-2a are determined using a serological and genotyping method. However, no study has been done to assess the gene frequencies of HNA-4a and HNA-5a. It has been reported that the antibody against HNA-4a is associated with alloimmune neutropenia and autoimune neutropenia; however, there is no confirmed clinical report on anti-HNA-5a-related disorders. The aim of this study was to determine HNA-4a and HNA-5a gene frequencies among the Korean population...

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of chronic autoimune thyroiditis were analysed in sixty-seven patients (55 girls). At the time of diagnosis the mean +/- SEM age of 67 patients was 11.6 +/- 2.9 years. Diagnosis of the disease was based on the findings of the enlarged thyroid gland on palpation and positive thyroglobulin and/or microsomal antibodies. The assessment of thyroid function was based on clinical diagnosis and on the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroxine. Initially 36 (53.7%) of 67 patients were euthyroid, 15 (22...

In this study was evaluated the rate of cytodiagnostic accuracy of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in smears prepared from thyroid fine-needle aspirates in 72 cases and of focal lymphocytic thyroiditis (FLT) in 101 cases. The cytodiagnostic accuracy of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) was 75% and 20% in case of focal lymphocytic thyroiditis (FLT). In case of focal lymphocytic thyroiditis (FLT) the cytodiagnostics of autoimmune lymphocytic diseases of thyroid gland apears to have very low ability.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis C is a post-transfusion hepatitis which causes serious problems in blood transfusion. Blood testing requires highly sensitive and specific assays with high predictive value. GENOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS: According to recommendations of International Association for the study of Liver Diseases etiological diagnosis of hepatitis is based on highly sensitive third generation assays: epitopes in the NS5 region comprising noncoding sequence UTR with 324-341 well conserved pair of homologous basis in 92% HCV genomes, therefore appropriate for virus RNA detection...

Previously we have successfully delayed the onset of vasculitis and death in MRL Lpr/Lpr mice that are considered to have an autoimmune disease similar to human lupus erythematosus. Likewise, with the use of megadose human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells, we were able to delay the onset of symptoms and death in SOD1 mice that carry a transgene for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, considered by some to be an autoimune disease. A similar approach was utilized with NOD/LtJ type 1 diabetic mice. By administering megadoses of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells we were able to ameliorate the disease and improved the life span...

Antigen delivers both immunogenic and tolerogenic signals to lymphocytes. The outcome of antigen exposure represents a complex integration of the timing of antigen binding with signals from many other immunogenic and tolerogenic costimulatory pathways. A road map of these signalling pathways is only beginning to be charted, revealing the mechansim of action and limitations of current immunotherapeutic agents and the points of attack for new agents. Ciclosporin and tacrolimus interfere with tolerogenic signals from antigen in addition to blocking immunogenic signals, thus preventing active establishment of tolerance...

Allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) is a 17-kDa-peptide identified in rat cardiac allografts undergoing chronic rejection and in activated microglial cells in inflammatory autoimune disease of the CNS. We have investigated the expression of AIF-1 in 18 autopsy cases of human focal cerebral infarction. AIF-1-positive cells show the morphology of microglia and are CD68- but not GFAP-positive. The peptide is expressed at a low level in normal brain. In infarctions, activated microglial cells in the area of glial reaction show strongly enhanced cytoplasmic immunoreactivity...

Allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1) is a 17-kDa-peptide identified in rat cardiac allografts undergoing chronic rejection and in activated microglial cells in inflammatory autoimune disease of the CNS. We have investigated the expression of AIF-1 in 18 autopsy cases of human focal cerebral infarction. AIF-1-positive cells show the morphology of microglia and are CD68- but not GFAP-positive. The peptide is expressed at a low level in normal brain. In infarctions, activated microglial cells in the area of glial reaction show strongly enhanced cytoplasmic immunoreactivity...

In case of spontaneous, idiopathic, karyotypically normal premature ovarian failure (POF), autoimmune disease's characteristics have to be verified: association with other autoimune diseases, initial psychological stress, circulating antibodies to thyroid, adrenal or the ovaries, particular HLA haplotypes. Ovarian follicular activity can be measured by ultrasonography. Estrogentherapy is able to enhance ovarian activity. The potential benefit of corticosteroid therapy needs further evaluation.

Corticosteroids and splenectomy constitute two important therapeutic modalities in the treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Each of these may affect both the rate of synthesis of autoantibody and the clearance of antibody sensitized cells. The latter possibility has been examined in an experimental model which allows evaluation of the role of antibody and complement in the immune clearance of erythrocytes in molecular terms. The in vivo clearance of (51)Cr-labeled guinea pig erythrocytes sensitized with purified rabbit IgG or IgM antibody to produce a known number of complement-fixing sites per cell was studied...

A great deal of understanding of the human autoimmune endocrinopathies has come from studies of thyroiditis in experimental animals. Three such models are available: induced thyroiditis produced by injections of thyroglobulin plus adjuvant; spontaneous thyroiditis in genetically susceptible animals; and thyroiditis resulting from manipulation of the immunological apparatus. The major lessons learned from studies of experimental animals are (i) autoimmune disease is multifactorial and polygenic; (ii) one or more genes regulating the immune response are associated with the major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) of the particular species; (iii) genetic control of tissue damage is more restricted than control of autoantibody formation; (iv) the Mhc controls T-cell proliferation to the autoantigens; (v) a distinct population of T cells prevents the development of organ-specific autoimune disease; (vi) the suppressor population emigrates from the thymus at a time and rate different from the helper populations; (vii) the suppressor population is more susceptible to low levels of irradiation and to cytotoxic effects of antiserum to Lyt-1 than is the helper population...