The Impact of the IL-10 Gene Polymorphism on mRNA Expression and IL-10 Serum Concentration in Polish Lupus Patients.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies against a lot of nuclear components. Despite many studies on the genetic background of this disease, the pathogenesis remains unclear. The aim of the study is to comprehensively evaluate the polymorphism of the IL-10 promoter gene, its mRNA expression, and the serum IL-10 concentration of SLE female patients and females age-matched controls.

Addison's Disease in the Course of Recurrent Microangiopathic Antiphospholipid Syndrome-A Clinical Presentation and Review of the Literature.

The article presents a male patient with adrenocortical insufficiency in the course of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). It also describes recurrent exacerbations of his clinical status, characteristic of microangiopathic antiphospholipid syndrome (MAPS) which had been misdiagnosed as a disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) syndrome due to sepsis with multi-organ failure, including heart, kidneys, and liver. Issues related to pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, differential diagnosis, and treatment of APS in the context of presently distinguished subtypes of this syndrome have been addressed.

The impact of anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECAs) on the development of blood vessel damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: the preliminary study.

Vascular injury represents one of the most frequent lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of the study was to assess the influence of anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECAs) on the development of endothelial cell (EC) activation, dysfunction and subsequent vasculitis in women with SLE. Fifty six women with SLE were divided into 2 subgroups, i.

[Listeriosis of central nervous system in patients with ulcerative colitis - case study].

In the recently an increase morbidity inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis was observed. The use of purine analogs and their metabolites are associated with a higher incidence of infections in this group of patients. Listeriosis is an infectious disease caused by a relatively anaerobic gram-positive bacteria - Listeria monocytogenes.

[Description of the case of Cogan syndrome].

Cogan syndrome is a persistent disease with the autoimmunologic background connected with vasculitis. It can be diagnosed by symptoms such as interstitial keratitis, optic nerve dysfunction and nervus acusticus dysfunction with subsequent hearing impairment or deafness. In its course, such systemic symptoms frequently occur: exhaustion, weight loss and joint pain.

Pentraxin 3 as a biomarker of local inflammatory response to vascular injury in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder with organ injury related to vasculitis. Inflammation of blood vessels results from auto-immunological activation of endothelial cells. The pentraxin 3 (PTX3), might act as an indicator of vasculitides in many diseases.

Assessment of selected B cells populations in the workers of X-ray departments.

Objectives: Workers of X-ray departments are occupationally exposed to long-term low levels of ionizing radiation (LLIR), which may affect their humoral immunity. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of LLIR on the number and proportion of B cells (CD19+), B1 cells (CD5+CD19+) and memory B cells (CD27+CD19+) in peripheral blood of such workers.

Materials And Methods: In the study group of 47 X-ray departments workers and the control group consisting of 38 persons, the number and percentage of CD19+, CD5+CD19+, CD27+CD19+ cells as well as CD5+CD19+/CD19+ and CD27+CD19+/CD19+ cell ratios were assessed using flow cytometry.

A comparative clinical study on five types of compression therapy in patients with venous leg ulcers.

The aim of this study was to compare five types of compression therapy in venous leg ulcers (intermittent pneumatic vs. stockings vs. multi layer vs.

A randomized, controlled clinical pilot study comparing three types of compression therapy to treat venous leg ulcers in patients with superficial and/or segmental deep venous reflux .

Compression therapy--including inelastic, elastic, and intermittent pneumatic compression--is the standard of care for venous ulcers (VLUs) and chronic venous insufficiency, but there is no consensus in the literature regarding the most effective type of compression therapy. A prospective, randomized, clinical pilot study was conducted among 70 patients with unilateral VLUs treated in a hospital dermatology department in Poland to compare three types of compression therapy (intermittent pneumatic compression, stockings, and short-stretch bandages) in persons with superficial deep venous reflux alone or combined with the segmental variety. Study endpoints were change in ulcer dimensions and proportions healed.

[Serum level of selected chemokines in systemic lupus erythematosus patients taking into consideration the peripheral blood leukocyte counts].

Unlabelled: Chemokines promote leukocyte traffic into the site of inflammation. It depends on the repertoire of chemokines synthesized locally, and the temporal expression of chemokine receptors on leukocytes among them lymphocytes B and T which play crucial role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases for example in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). RANTES (regulated upon activation in normal T cells expressed and secreted) is chemokine influencing T cells and BLC 1 (B-lymphocyte chemoattractant 1) is chemokine which affects B cells.

Serum levels of selected chemokines in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Chemokines promote leukocyte traffic into the site of inflammation. Serum levels of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were evaluated in 48 treated women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and mild-to-moderate disease severity. The results were compared between the whole SLE group and the control (29 women).

[Development of systemic lupus erythematosus after thymectomy performed in a patient with myasthenia gravis].

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease, with not fully understood, complex origin. Several factors are suspected of involvement in the development of the disease. Genetic predisposition, environmental factors, some drugs, estrogens, cigarette smoking and ultra violet radiation seems to be the most important among them.

[Can drugs used in type 2 diabetes therapy induce acute pancreatitis?].

The increased number of subjects with type 2 diabetes and putting into clinical practice further new hypoglycemic agents and also aspiring to achieve the bettest glycemic control using a few medications may cause that undesirable actions of these agents may be observed more frequently. One undesirable effect of hypoglycemic drugs is acute pancreatitis; therefore the aim of the present paper is to review data concerning the development of this complication during type 2 diabetes pharmacotherapy.

Long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) in the light of its structure, mechanism of action and clinical implications.

Pentraxins are a group of evolutionarily conserved ancient proteins. Depending on their structure, pentraxins are divided into short and long pentraxin families. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is the prototype of the long pentraxin group.

[Diagnostic value of antineutophil cytoplasmic antibodies].

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) constitute a family of auto-antibodies directed against various components of the neutrophil cytoplasm. The indirect immunofluorecence assays detected three fluorescent staining patterns: cANCA--cytoplasmic; pANCA--perinuclear and aANCA--atypical. Occurence ANCA is mainly associated with Wegener's granulomatosis and vasculitis, but they are also detected in autoimmune diseases (eg.

Annexin A5 and anti-annexin antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Plasma levels of annexin A5 (ANX A5) and anti-annexin A5 (aANX A5) antibodies were evaluated in 51 women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The results were compared between the total SLE group, subgroups on/without immunosuppressive therapy and the control (28 women). The relationships between ANX A5/aANX A5 antibodies levels and laboratory variables (anti-cardiolipin antibodies-aCL, total cholesterol, thrombocyte count, activated partial thromboplastin time-APTT, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio-INR) were performed in the total SLE group and in the patient subgroups identified as the arithmetic mean of ANX A5 concentration in the control plus 1-4 standard deviations (SD).

[Chronic fatigue syndrome with special focus on systemic lupus erythematosus].

Chronic fatigue is an ailment frequently reported in the course of several pathologies. When fatigue clearly predominates over other symptoms, it is referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Initial CFS definition and diagnostic criteria were published in 1988, and have been several times modified since that time.

[The thyroid functional tests, antithyroid antibodies and the level of prolactin in treated patients with systemic lupus erythematosus].

Unlabelled: The relationships between different autoimmune diseases and among them the connections between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and autoimmune thyroid diseases have been reported for a few years. The aim of this study is the assessment of the laboratory tests findings which are applied in the evaluation of the thyroid function and prolactin (PRL) concentration in serum in women with SLE during therapy.

Material And Methods: In 41 women with SLE treated in the period of a few months to several years the following laboratory tests were performed: the concentration of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), PRL and free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels were measured by chemiluminescence technique, anithyroid antibodies (anti-thyroperoxidase - anti-TPO, and anti-thyroglobulin - anti TG) were tested by immunofluorescence assay.

A sequence of pathologic events in a patient after thymectomy for myasthenia gravis.

The case of a rare coexistence of myasthenia gravis (MG) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is described. MG was diagnosed prior to SLE which developed after thymectomy. The patient was affected by HCV viremia.

Selected angiogenic cytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

The objective of this study was to determine the serum concentration of angiogenic factors (vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF; transforming growth factor beta, TGF-beta1; hepatic growth factor, HGF; basic fibroblast growth factor, bFGF; tumor necrosis factor alpha, TNF-alpha; soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, sVEGF-R1; soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, sVEGF-R2), the relationships among them and to assess the relation of their levels with the applied therapy in 48 females with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; 37 long-term treated +11 newly diagnosed). The control group consisted of 24 healthy women. A statistically significant increase of sVEGF-R2 and significant decrease of sVEGF-R1 were observed in the subgroup of newly diagnosed SLE patients as compared to the control subjects.

Systemic lupus erythematosus and myasthenia gravis.

This review summarizes current knowledge on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) coexisting with myasthenia gravis (MG). SLE can precede or follow the development of MG. SLE can also be observed in patients with MG following thymectomy.

Fibromyalgia: pathogenetic, diagnostic and therapeutic concerns.

Musculoskeletal pains are one of the most common complaints reported by patients. In 1972, Smythe described the generalized pain and tenderness on palpation at specific points and, 4 years later, the term fibromyalgia was introduced for determining the disease syndrome. The etiology and pathogenesis of fibromyalgia are still unknown.

Susac syndrome as an example of a rare vasculopathy.

Susac syndrome is a rare vasculopathy affecting small vessels of the brain, the retina and the cochlea. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is unknown. It is characterized by a triad of clinical symptoms, i.