A randomized, blinded, parallel group, placebo controlled pilot study evaluating the effect of PVAC treatment in patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis.

Objective: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a disorder characterized by progressive thickening of the skin; there is no effective therapy. PVAC, a potential therapeutic agent derived from delipidated, deglycolipidated Mycobacterium vaccae, has shown effects on cutaneous disease in animal models of SSc. We evaluated the safety and possible biologic effect of intradermal injections of PVAC in patients with diffuse SSc.

Hospitalizations for coronary artery disease among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Although patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with persons without SLE, the burden of CAD among SLE patients is unknown. This study was undertaken to estimate this burden.

Methods: We used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to estimate the number of hospitalizations for CAD among patients with SLE in the US in 1998.