Immunoblot assay for detection of autoantibodies in autoimmune disease.

When detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANA) a similar indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) pattern may be produced by antibodies which correspond to different antigenic specificity or to diverse autoimmune disorders. To circumvent this problem, we used an immunoblotting against total antigen from HEp-2 cells (TA-HEp-2-C) which proved to be more specific and sensitive than IIF, since it detected up to 40 antigenic bands and an immunoblot pattern characteristic of each individual and unrelated to the fluorescence patterns of ANA. The analysis of immunoblot patterns is of great diagnostic value, since in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) the antigenic zone is found between 21 and 48 kDa, whereas in other rheumatic diseases with or without positive ANA antibodies by IIF it is found between 14 and 21 kDa.

Prolactin, immunoregulation, and autoimmune diseases.

Cells of the immune system synthesize prolactin and express mRNA and receptors for that hormone. Interleukin 1, interleukin 6, gamma interferon, tumor necrosis factor, platelet activator factor, and substance P participate in the release of prolactin. This hormone is involved in the pathogenesis of adjuvant arthritis and restores immunocompetence in experimental models.

Prolactin and gonadal hormones during pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus.

We performed prospective hormonal studies in 9 patients (5 active and 4 inactive) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during pregnancy (Weeks 10 to 37). Nine healthy pregnant women and 5 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were used for comparison. Serum prolactin (PRL), testosterone and estradiol (E2) levels were determined by RIA.

Transverse myelitis: a manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus strongly associated with antiphospholipid antibodies.

All 4 patients with transverse myelitis (TM) included in a prospective study of 500 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) tested for anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies were found to be positive. To determine if the apparently strong association between transverse myelitis and antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLA) in patients with SLE continued to hold, we chose 12 patients with SLE with transverse myelitis from 2 institutions. Eleven of the 12 patients with SLE were tested for aCL and all but one was positive.

Hyperviscosity syndrome as the initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus.

We report the first case of systemic lupus erythematosus with hyperviscosity syndrome as the presenting manifestation. A polyclonal increase in all immunoglobulins was observed. Ultracentrifuge studies showed 17-19S intermediate immune complexes (IC) composed primarily of autoreactive IgG demonstrated at acid pH.

Salmonella septic arthritis in systemic lupus erythematosus. The importance of chronic carrier state.

Salmonella bacteremia is more frequently seen in hospitalized patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than in hospitalized patients with other diseases. In our experience. Salmonella enteritidis septic arthritis is more common in SLE than in patients with others connective tissue diseases.

Antinuclear antibodies in scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease and "primary" Raynaud's phenomenon.

The diversity of antibodies in patients with scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease or "primary" Raynaud's phenomenon could be used as a laboratory aid in the clinical diagnosis. In serum samples of 75 patients we screened for antinuclear antibodies (HEp 2 cells), anti DNA, soluble nucleoprotein and extractable nuclear antigens (Sm, rRNP, U1-nRNP, SSA/Ro, SSB/La and Scl-70). Distinctive antinuclear antibodies pattern was identified in each group of patients.

Correlation study between prolactin and androgens in male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis was studied in 8 male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), both before and after intravenous administration of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH). We provide evidence herein that resting serum levels of estrone are increased and that resting serum testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels are decreased in male patients with SLE. The decreased serum T levels were observed even after the IV administration of 25 micrograms of LH-RH.

[The heart and rheumatoid arthritis. Prospective study of 100 cases].

We studied one hundred consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis from the cardiological point of view through non invasive methods to detect the frequency of cardiovascular complications. Seventy three (73%) were females and twenty seven (27%) males. Mean age, 48.

Bilateral avulsion of quadriceps tendons in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Avulsion of the quadriceps tendons with primary hyperparathyroidism has been reported twice before. We describe a patient with primary type 1 hyperparathyroidism who developed well defined rheumatic symptoms in both knees as a consequence of bilateral rupture of the quadriceps tendons.

Gonadotropins pituitary secretion in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Hormonal abnormalities have been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In order to define the regulatory mechanism involved, the pituitary reserve for gonadotropins secretion was investigated in eight untreated SLE patients with normal menstrual cycles. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined on the fifth day of the menstrual cycle before and after intravenous administration of 25 micrograms synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH).

Hemocytopenia as initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Prognostic significance.

In 1960 Rabinowitz and Dameshek emphasized the close relationship between idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and suggested that ITP is often a prodrome of SLE. On the basis of tis observation, the present study was designed to investigate the prevalence of SLE in patients with the initial diagnosis of ITP, autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), Fisher-Evans' syndrome (F-E) and idiopathic aplastic bone marrow (IABM) and to investigate the salient clinical manifestations and prognosis of these patients. We studied 62 patients, 35 with ITP, 16 with AIHA, 9 with F-E and 2 with IABM.

Cell-mediated immunity to myoglobin in polymyositis.

Using the leucocyte migration inhibition (LIF) test we looked for evidence of cell-mediated hypersensitivity against myoglobin in 8 patients with polymyositis (PM) or dermatomyositis (DM). The migration index for PM-DM patients was 47.5 +/- 17%, while in the controls the index was 86 +/- 12% (p less than 0.

Association of Behçet's syndrome with HLA-B5 in the Mexican mestizo population.

HLA typing done in 10 Mexican mestizo patients with Behcet's syndrome revealed that 7 of them had HLA-B5 antigen as compared to a frequency of 31% in a Mexican mestizo control population. These findings are akin to those made in Japan and Turkey but differ from those made in Caucasian populations in the United States and Great Britain. Ethnic groups with a high frequency of HLA-B5 in Asia and America may belong to the same ancestral trunk.

Protein synthesis and secretion by activated human lymphocytes.

Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed increased synthesis and secretion of protein in response to stimulation by mitogens. Protein secretion in response to concanavalin A (Con A) correlated with cellular proliferation and originated from the proliferating cells. Selective depletion of either B lymphocytes or monocytes did not lead to a reduction in the total protein secreted, suggesting that the T lymphocyte was the cell contributing most of the synthetic activity.