Myocardial Perfusion Abnormalities in Young and Premenopausal Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Detected with 99MTC MIBI Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy - Prevalence and Correlation with Proatherogenic Factors.

Introduction: Atherosclerosis in young and premenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is frequent, premature and progressive. Although asymptomatic or with atypical clinical presentation, the patients are at high risk of cardiac events. Aim of this study is to estimate the risk profile for atherogenesis and the prevalence of myocardial perfusion abnormalities with 99mTc myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in young and premenopausal women.

Association of 22 cytokine gene polymorphisms with tuberculosis in Macedonians.

Objective: To examine the possible role of 22 cytokine gene polymorphisms in host susceptibility to or protection against tuberculosis (TB) in Macedonians.

Method: 301 healthy unrelated individuals and 75 patients with pulmonary TB were studied. Cytokine genotyping was performed by PCR with sequence-specific priming (PCR-SSP) (Heidelberg kit).