Autonomic dysfunction predicts early cardiac affection in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To detect the early preclinical alterations in cardiac autonomic control as well as altered cardiac function in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and their relevance to the clinical features of the disease using noninvasive methods.

Methods: 30 SSc patients and 15 healthy controls matched for age and sex underwent clinical examination, serological analysis, and echocardiographic assessment including Doppler flow imaging to evaluate cardiac function, and 24-hour Holter monitoring analyzed for arrhythmia and heart rate variability (HRV) in the time and frequency domains.

Results: The trans-mitral Doppler of early to atrial wave (E/A) ratio was reversed in five patients (16.

Keratinocyte and lymphocyte apoptosis: relation to disease outcome in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with and without cutaneous manifestations.

Our aim was to assess the relationship of keratinocyte and lymphocyte apoptosis and macrophage function to disease outcome in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with and without cutaneous manifestations. 50 systemic lupus erythematosus patients [25 with cutaneous manifestations (group I), 25 without cutaneous manifestations (group II)] and 20 normal controls (group III) were studied. Assessments of disease activity, peripheral lymphocyte apoptosis, macrophage function and apoptotic cells in skin and renal biopsies were carried out.