Non-invasive diagnostic and functional evaluation of cardiac and pulmonary involvement in systemic sclerosis.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of non-invasive methods in the early detection of pulmonary and cardiac involvement in Systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to identify clinical and/or instrumental patterns of prognostic value.

Patients And Methods: Twenty female patients affected by SSc (8 with diffuse cutaneous SSc and 12 with limited cutaneous SSc) were enrolled in our study. Cardiac and pulmonary involvement (respiratory function tests and carbon monoxide lung diffusion [DLCO], chest radiography, high resolution computed tomography [HRCT] and lung perfusion magnetic resonance) were evaluated.

GM-CSF and pregnancy: evidence of significantly reduced blood concentrations in unexplained recurrent abortion efficiently reverted by intravenous immunoglobulin treatment.

Problem: Certain Th-2 cytokines and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) are propitious for the success of pregnancy and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is often characterized by a failure of Th-2 type responses. These considerations as well as the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in RSA induced us to evaluate the levels of GM-CSF in normal pregnancies, in pregnant women affected with unexplained RSA and the effects of IVIg treatment.

Method Of Study: Peripheral blood free GM-CSF was measured by means of a sandwich enzyme immunoassay in 39 healthy women (13 non-pregnant, 26 pregnant) and in 53 RSA patients (11 non-pregnant, 42 pregnant).