Systemic lupus erythematosus associated with moyamoya syndrome.

Moyamoya disease is an uncommon clinical entity, characterized by bilateral occlusion of the internal carotid artery and the development of collateral arteries. An 18-year-old Saudi male with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presented with mild right hemiparesis, followed by recurrent ischemic stroke. Cerebral angiography showed bilateral internal carotid artery stenosis associated with the development of collateral circulation (moyamoya vessels).

Serum and synovial fluid concentrations of endothelin-1 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

To determine the endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentrations in synovial fluid and serum of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, this study was designed to examine if serum ET-1 concentration of control subjects has any correlation either with the ET-1 concentration of synovial fluid or ET-1 concentration of serum from RA patients. Twenty-eight patients were studied of whom eight males and twenty females with confirmed rheumatoid arthritis. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were also included as controls.

Renal involvement in Behçet's disease: review of 9 cases.

We describe clinical data on 9 patients with Behçet's disease with renal involvement (8 males, one female) and results of kidney biopsies in 4 patients. Renal involvement occurred in 9 of 120 patients (7.5%) followed at our center.

Hemichorea in systemic lupus erythematosus: significance of MRI findings.

A young man with systemic lupus (SLE) developed hemichorea 13 years after the onset of his illness. For the first time in the course of his illness he had a positive test for anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of his brain showed lesions of presumed vascular cause in the ipsilateral basal ganglia.

Evaluation of anti-ds DNA antibody measurement by using commercial kits for use in a clinical laboratory.

Three hundred and seventy-six consecutive antinuclear antibody-positive sera were tested for anti-ds DNA antibody by using three commercial kits which use 125 I recombinant DNA (radioimmunoassay), highly purified calf thymus DNA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) and Crithidia lucilliae (immunofluorescence assay) as substrates. All patients' sera, after reviewing medical records, were classified into three broad groups: Group I (systemic lupus erythematosus), Group II (rheumatic diseases and rheumatoid arthritis), and Group III (nonspecific ANA antibody test positive). A sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive test value and negative predictive test value for Group I against Group II-III (generally these two groups of sera should not show any anti-ds DNA antibody) combined showed for Crithidia lucilliae (IF assay) 58.