Ischaemic injury to femoral head induces apoptotic and oncotic cell death.

Aims: The mechanism of cell death in ischaemic osteonecrosis of the femoral head is not clear. Therefore, this study was designed to clarify the mode of cell death following ischaemic osteonecrosis of the femoral head in an established pig model.

Methods: Morphological assessment, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL) assay, detection of DNA laddering and transmission electron microscopy studies were performed to determine whether apoptosis is one of the pathways of cell death following ischaemic osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

B cell loss leading to remission in severe systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis is mediated in part by autoantibodies. We describe a patient with central nervous system lupus who developed a loss of B cells with associated hypogammaglobulinemia and sinopulmonary infections requiring intravenous immunoglobulin. The SLE went into complete remission.