Anti-zinc transporter protein 8 autoantibodies significantly improve the diagnostic approach to type 1 diabetes: an Italian multicentre study on paediatric patients
Conclusion
This study confirms ZnT8A as an important additional and independent diagnostic marker of T1D and supports its introduction in the routine diagnostic process to replace less sensitive methods and improve the overall autoantibody sensitivity. (Source: Autoimmunity Highlights)
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - August 1, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Assessment of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and isolated creatin-kinase elevation
Abstract
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a group of diseases characterized by inflammation of the skeletal muscle. Weakness, mainly affecting the proximal muscles, is the cardinal muscular symptom in IIM. In patients with dermatomyositis, peculiar skin lesions are observed. The assessment of patients with IIM includes clinical and laboratory evaluation, and clinimetric measurements. Different tools have been proposed to measure muscular and extramuscular disease activity and damage in patients with IIM. A core set of measurements to use in clinical practice was recently proposed. Among labo...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - December 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Drugs in induction and treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
Abstract
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a rare disease; so far standardized therapy has not been adequately defined by national or international guidelines or recommendations. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment, but these drugs are burdened by several side effects. Thus, additional treatment based on immunosuppressive agents, especially azathioprine, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine, is often needed. This combinate approach both improves the disease response and allows reduction of the dosage of corticosteroids, decreasing the risk of steroid-related long-ter...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - December 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Myositis autoantibodies and clinical phenotypes
Abstract
Autoantibodies are powerful diagnostic tools in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, especially for confirming the diagnosis and contributing to the definition of disease subsets. They are present in over 80 % of patients with immuno-mediated myositis and directed towards ubiquitously expressed intracellular complexes. Most of these autoantibodies are reported also in other autoimmune diseases, while some are considered myositis-specific. Myositis autoantibodies are traditionally categorized in two groups, based on their diagnostic accuracy: myositis-specific antibodies (MSA) and myositis-assoc...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - December 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Muscle biopsy features of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and differential diagnosis
Abstract
The gold standard to characterize idiopathic inflammatory myopathies is the morphological, immunohistochemical and immunopathological analysis of muscle biopsy. Mononuclear cell infiltrates and muscle fiber necrosis are commonly shared histopathological features. Inflammatory cells that surround, invade and destroy healthy muscle fibers expressing MHC class I antigen are the typical pathological finding of polymyositis. Perifascicular atrophy and microangiopathy strongly support a diagnosis of dermatomyositis. Randomly distributed necrotic muscle fibers without mononuclear cell infiltrates repr...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - December 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets in systemic lupus erythematosus: from bench to bedside
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is considered an autoimmune disease with multiorgan involvement. Many advances have been made during the last decade regarding inflammatory pathways, genetic and epigenetic alterations, adaptive and innate immune system mechanisms specifically involved in SLE pathogenesis. Apoptosis has been proposed as an important player in SLE pathogenesis more than a decade ago. However, only recently new key apoptotic pathways have been investigated and the link between apoptotic debris containing autoantigens, innate immunity and ongoing inflammation has been further elu...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - September 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Efficiency of a solid-phase chemiluminescence immunoassay for detection of antinuclear and cytoplasmic autoantibodies compared with gold standard immunoprecipitation
Conclusion
Our findings show that Zenit RA CLIA was specific and sensitive to detect anti-U1snRNP, anti-Sm, anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-La/SS-B, anti-Jo-1(histRNA-Synthetase) and anti-Scl70(Topo I) autoantibodies. This simple, fast and precise method can be a suitable option to analyze these autoantibody specificities. (Source: Autoimmunity Highlights)
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - September 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Celiac and non-celiac gluten sensitivity: a review on the association with schizophrenia and mood disorders
Abstract
An association between many psychiatric and gluten-related disorders
has been known for some time. In the case of schizophrenia and mood disorders, the major psychiatric disorders, there is much evidence, not without contradictions, of a possible association between schizophrenia and celiac disease. The association between mood disorders and gluten-related disorders, especially celiac disease, has only been studied for depression, often coupled with anxiety, and very recently for bipolar disorder. Since non-celiac gluten sensitivity is now known to be different from celiac disease, many ...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - September 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
The introduction of anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin autoantibodies in the laboratory diagnostic process of anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome: 6 months of observation
Conclusions
The introduction of aPS/PT antibodies in the diagnostic process of APS is highly recommended, since they disclose a notable diagnostic performance and a high correlation with LA activity, such that they can be a viable alternative. (Source: Autoimmunity Highlights)
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - September 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
The Th17 axis in psoriatic disease: pathogenetic and therapeutic implications
Abstract
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis represent two paradigmatic conditions characterized by chronic inflammation and possibly autoimmunity, despite the absence of known serum autoantibodies. The two diseases, albeit strongly correlated from clinical, genetic, and epidemiogical standpoints, manifest significant differences in terms of etiology and pathogenetic mechanisms. Nonetheless, Th17 cells appear crucial to both diseases, and IL23 is the cytokine involved in determining the fate of naive CD4+ cells to differentiate into a pathogenic phenotype. This basic experimental observation led to a clea...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - June 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Treatment of the antiphospholipid syndrome
Abstract
The antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by a combination of laboratory findings (i.e., the presence of at least one antiphospholipid antibody) and clinical manifestations (arterial and/or venous thrombosis, obstetrical complications). Long-term oral anticoagulant is recommended to prevent recurrence of both arterial and venous thrombosis, whereas (low molecular weight) heparin plus aspirin is the treatment of choice to prevent further obstetrical complications. In the rare case of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, heparin plus high-dose corticosteroids plus plasma exchange is assoc...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - June 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
A rare combination of type 3 autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome (APS-3) or multiple autoimmune syndrome (MAS-3)
Conclusions
In this article we report a complex case of APS-3, characterized by the association of seven different autoimmune diseases, which required a complex therapeutic strategy. (Source: Autoimmunity Highlights)
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - June 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Skin CD30 + T cells and circulating levels of soluble CD30 are increased in patients with graft versus host disease
Conclusion
These results suggest that serum sCD30 levels may be helpful for the management of patients with bone marrow transplantation. (Source: Autoimmunity Highlights)
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - June 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in vasculitic ulcers: a case of polyarteritis nodosa
Discussion
IVIG therapy has proven benefit in Kawasaki disease, also showing efficacy in refractory ANCA-associated vasculitis. In PAN, only very few case reports show benefit. In this case, IVIG therapy induced total remission of LL ulcers and PNP, suggesting that it may be useful in selected cases of refractory PAN. (Source: Autoimmunity Highlights)
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - December 1, 2013 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
New insights into HLA class I association to Behçet’s syndrome in Iranian Azari patients
Abstract
Behçet’s syndrome (BS) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disorder characterized by oral and genital ulcers and ocular inflammation. BS has a complex genetic etiology. To evaluate the influence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I in BS susceptibility in Iranian Azari population, we studied 290 BS patients and 300 healthy controls. As expected, a high frequency of HLA-B5 was found. Remarkably, HLA-B35 frequency was higher in the patient than control group, and the frequency of HLA-B51, HLA-B52, and HLA-BW4 was significantly elevated. Thus, HLA-B5 and HLA-B35 seem to confer susceptibilit...
Source: Autoimmunity Highlights - December 1, 2013 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
