Novel therapies in SLE treatment: A literature review.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory disease with a multisystem manifestation and a variety of clinical symptoms. Over the last decades, the prognosis and life expectancy of patients with SLE improved significantly due to the implementation of corticosteroids combined with immunosuppressive agents. Nevertheless, the use of these medications is often associated with the occurrence of serious side effects and additional deterioration of organ function.

Inappropriate Expression of PD-1 and CTLA-4 Checkpoints in Myeloma Patients Is More Pronounced at Diagnosis: Implications for Time to Progression and Response to Therapeutic Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by severely profound immune dysfunction. Therefore, the efficacy of drugs targeting the immune environments, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), is of high clinical importance. However, several clinical trials evaluating ICIs in MM in different therapeutic combinations revealed underwhelming results showing a lack of clinical efficacy and excessive side effects.

The Risk of Autoimmunity Development following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination.

The broad spectrum of interactions between autoimmune diseases and the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is not fully understood. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-ENA, anticardiolipin antibodies (ACL), and anti-beta-2 glycoprotein I antibodies (anti-β2GPI) before and after the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in a real-life setting in healthcare professionals. The identification of risk factors associated with vaccine immunogenicity was evaluated.

Complete (Humoral and Cellular) Response to Vaccination against COVID-19 in a Group of Healthcare Workers-Assessment of Factors Affecting Immunogenicity.

Vaccination is the best way to limit the extent of the COVID pandemic. Knowledge of the duration of the immune response will allow the planning of a vaccination protocol. This study aims to validate the complete (humoral and cellular) immune responses over time in large population groups following the full vaccination of healthcare professionals in real-life conditions and to assess the relationship between antibody levels and T-cell activity in relation to the characteristics of the study group.

The assessment of the risk of COVID-19 infection and its course in the medical staff of a COVID-only and a non-COVID hospital.

Background: Medical workers are a group that is particularly vulnerable to infection during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the risk of COVID-19 infection and its course in the medical staff of a COVID-only and a non-COVID hospital.

Material And Methods: The observational study included 732 participants who were medical workers.

Occult Autoimmune Background for Epilepsy-The Preliminary Study on Antibodies Against Neuronal Surface Antigens.

The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of antibodies against neuronal surface antigens (NSA-ab) in patients with different types of epilepsy, in comparison with the subjects diagnosed with immune-mediated disorders. Forty patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) of unknown origin, 16 with post-stroke epilepsy, and 23 with systemic autoimmune disorders (SAD) with CNS involvement were included. NSA-ab were sought in serum using indirect immunofluorescence method.

Deregulated Expression of Immune Checkpoints on Circulating CD4 T Cells May Complicate Clinical Outcome and Response to Treatment with Checkpoint Inhibitors in Multiple Myeloma Patients.

Unlike solid-tumor patients, a disappointingly small subset of multiple myeloma (MM) patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors derive clinical benefits, suggesting differential participation of inhibitory receptors involved in the development of T-cell-mediated immunosuppression. In fact, T cells in MM patients have recently been shown to display features of immunosenescence and exhaustion involved in immune response inhibition. Therefore, we aimed to identify the dominant inhibitory pathway in MM patients to achieve its effective control by therapeutic interventions.

CD4CD28 T cells are expanded in moderately active systemic lupus erythematosus and secrete pro-inflammatory interferon gamma, depending on the Disease Activity Index.

Background: Pathogenic CD4CD28 cells are characterized by inflammatory cytokine synthesis and tropism to the inflamed tissues. Recent studies showed the involvement of CD28 T cells in a severe clinical outcome of lupus. However, their role in moderately active disease is still unresolved.

Relapsing polychondritis - analysis of symptoms and criteria.

Objectives: Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare disease characterised by recurrent inflammation of the cartilaginous structures and proteoglycan-rich organs. The aim of this case series study is to share the 10-year clinical experience of our department in diagnosing RP patients in the context of data from available published studies.

Material And Methods: A retrospective case analysis of 10 patients with symptoms of RP, hospitalised at the Department of Rheumatology and Internal Diseases of Wrocław University Hospital between January 2008 and December 2018.

Cognitive impairment, event-related potentials and immunological status in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is a frequent problem in lupus patients, regardless of their overt neuropsychiatric (NP) involvement.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to test cognitive abilities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients by means of neuropsychological testing and event-related potentials (ERPs), and to search for their cognitive abilities correlations with a wide range of auto-antibodies.

Material And Methods: A total of 37 SLE patients were subjected to a battery of neuropsychological tests, recommended by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), and to ERPs.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of Polish patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with varied clinical manifestations, which creates difficulties and delays in establishing a diagnosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and nature of the clinical symptoms of SLE, both at the onset of the disease and in its further course. An attempt to assess the immunological characteristics of the patients and to analyze autoantibodies variability over time was also made.

[Central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus - diagnosis and therapy].

Nervous system involvement in lupus belongs to its severe complications and significantly impacts its prognosis. Neuropsychiatric lupus includes 19 disease manifestations concerning both central and peripheral nervous system. This paper presents clinical aspects of central nervous system involvement in lupus.

Evaluation of an automated chemiluminescent immunoassay kit for antinuclear antibodies in autoimmune diseases.

The identification of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) is an essential step in the diagnosis of different autoimmune diseases. The gold standard method for their detection is immunofluorescence assay. However, this is a subjective and laborious method, thus a need for simplified objective methods has aroused.

International multicenter evaluation of autoantibodies to ribosomal P proteins.

Autoantibodies to the ribosomal phosphoproteins (Rib-P) are a serological feature of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The reported prevalence of anti-Rib-P antibodies in SLE ranges from 10 to 40%, being higher in Asian patients. The variation in the observed frequency may be related to a number of factors but is dependent in large part on the test system used to detect the autoantibodies.