Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of four patients with alopecia areata.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is the second most common cause of non-scarring alopecia. Little is known on the etiopathogenesis of AA. It is considered an autoimmune disease, with T lymphocytes and antibodies directed against hair follicle structures.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of Polish patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with varied clinical manifestations, which creates difficulties and delays in establishing a diagnosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and nature of the clinical symptoms of SLE, both at the onset of the disease and in its further course. An attempt to assess the immunological characteristics of the patients and to analyze autoantibodies variability over time was also made.