Raloxifene for postmenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus: a pilot randomized controlled study.

Objective: To study the effects of raloxifene on disease activity and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Postmenopausal women with osteopenia and inactive SLE were randomly assigned to receive either raloxifene (60 mg/day) plus elemental calcium (1,200 mg/day) or elemental calcium alone (control). Patients with a history of thromboembolism or antiphospholipid antibody positivity were excluded.

Mycophenolate mofetil for refractory haemolytic anemia in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been increasingly used in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). While most information concentrates on lupus nephritis, its efficacy in nonrenal manifestations of SLE has not been systematically studied. We describe the successful use of MMF in a patient with SLE-related hemolytic anemia that was refractory to cyclophosphamide, pulse methylprednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulin and cyclosporine.

Serositis related to systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence and outcome.

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and outcome of disease-related serositis in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The records of all SLE patients who attended the medical clinics of Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with disease-related serositis at any stage of their illness were identified and the outcome of these serositis episodes was reported.

Outcome of protein-losing gastroenteropathy in systemic lupus erythematosus treated with prednisolone and azathioprine.

Objectives: To report the efficacy of prednisolone and azathioprine (AZA) in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-related protein-losing gastroenteropathy (PLGE).

Methods: Between 1995 and 2002, 16 consecutive patients with SLE-related PLGE were treated with a regimen consisting of high-dose prednisolone (0.8-1 mg/kg/day for 6 weeks, then tapered to < or =10 mg/day) and AZA (2 mg/kg/day).

Clinical outcomes of systemic lupus erythematosus patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

Methods: Eighteen SLE patients who had been undergoing CAPD for at least 3 months in our unit were compared with 36 other age- and gender-matched non-diabetic CAPD patients with an underlying primary chronic glomerulonephritis (CGn). The clinical outcome, infective complications, lupus activities, biochemical parameters, haemoglobin level and the use of erythropoietin were reviewed.

False positive antibody results against human T-cell lymphotropic virus in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Taiwan suffered from the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. Our laboratory performed a series of virology and serology tests for SARS patients admitted to our hospital. Cross-reactivity was found when testing for antibody against human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) in one patient with SARS.

Intramuscular immunization with plasmid coexpressing tumour antigen and Flt-3L results in potent tumour regression.

Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen-presenting cells capable of initiating a potent primary immune response, making them an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. Flt-3 ligand (Flt-3L) is a haematopoietic growth factor that efficiently induces DC expansion in vivo. To achieve a more efficient and effective method of priming tumour-specific, DC-mediated immune response, we generated a DNA vaccine comprising both human Flt-3L and the tumour antigen, MUC-1 (pNGVL-hFLex-MUC-1).

Investigations and management of gastrointestinal and hepatic manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are protean. Any part of the GI tract and the hepatobiliary system can be involved. Up to two-third of SLE patients develop GI symptoms at some stage of their illnesses.

Incidence and risk factors of thromboembolism in systemic lupus erythematosus: a comparison of three ethnic groups.

Objective: To compare the incidence and risk factors for thromboembolic events in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients of different ethnic backgrounds.

Methods: SLE patients who were newly diagnosed or were referred within 6 months of diagnosis between 1996 and 2002 were prospectively followed up for the occurrence of thromboembolic events. Cumulative hazard and risk factors for thromboembolism were evaluated and compared among patients of different ethnic origins.

CRYBB1 mutation associated with congenital cataract and microcornea.

Purpose: The molecular characterization of a UK family with an autosomal dominant congenital cataract associated with microcornea is reported.

Methods: Family history and clinical data were recorded. This phenotype was linked to a 7.

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent hyperinduction of tumor necrosis factor alpha expression in response to avian influenza virus H5N1.

Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 can infect humans to cause a severe viral pneumonia with mortality rates of more than 30%. The biological basis for this unusual disease severity is not fully understood. We previously demonstrated that in contrast to human influenza A virus subtypes including H1N1 or H3N2, the H5N1 virus associated with the "bird flu" outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 (H5N1/97) hyperinduces proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), in primary human macrophages in vitro.

Characteristics of yogurt-like products prepared from the combination of skim milk and soymilk containing saccharified-rice solution.

Yogurt-like products were prepared from a combination of skim milk and soymilk (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) containing saccharified-rice solution by lactic fermentation of four different cultures. The ratio of skim milk and soy milk had no significant effect on titratable acidity, while the type and nature of culture used for fermentation affected the titratable acidity. Lower syneresis was observed in soy-based yogurt, and both the hardness and springiness of curd increased as the proportion of soymilk in the substrate increased.

Tacrolimus for induction therapy of diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis: an open-labeled pilot study.

Background: Tacrolimus is a relatively new calcineurin inhibitor that has been increasingly used in transplant medicine. The objective of the current work is to report our preliminary experience with tacrolimus in the treatment of diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Nine consecutive patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for SLE and with biopsy-proven diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis were recruited for an open-labeled trial with prednisolone and oral tacrolimus (0.

Long-term survival of southern Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a prospective study of all age-groups.

We conducted the current study to determine the clinical determinants of survival and the survival rates in an unselected cohort of Chinese patients with new-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including all age-groups. Patients were those newly diagnosed as having SLE or referred within 6 months of diagnosis to the departments of medicine, geriatrics, and pediatrics at Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong, between 1991 and 2003. Patients under the care of all specialists were included for analysis.

Functional disabilities profile of chinese elderly people with Alzheimer's disease - a validation study on the chinese version of the disability assessment for dementia.

This study aimed to determine the validity and applicability of the Chinese version of the Disability Assessment for Dementia (CDAD) in the Chinese elderly population. The original English version was translated and modified to a 47-item scale to suit the societal and cultural background of the Chinese population. The CDAD was administered to 169 community-residing Chinese elderly people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.

Treatment for lupus nephritis: a revisit.

The optimal treatment of severe lupus nephritis remains unclear. Regimens consisting of steroid and cyclophosphamide (CYC) appear to be most effective. Infection and gonadal toxicity is a major concern of CYC use in patients of reproductive age.

An improved thermoanalytical approach to quantifying trace levels of polymorphic impurity in drug powders.

Accurate quantification of impurities existing as separate crystalline phases at trace levels in drug materials is an important issue in the pharmaceutical industry. In the present study, a thermoanalytical approach previously developed for quantifying trace levels of polymorphic impurity (form II metastable nuclei) in commercial salmeterol xinafoate powders has been successfully applied with slight modifications to ribavirin, an antiviral drug exhibiting roughly similar polymorph-dependent crystallization kinetics in melts to that of salmeterol xinafoate. Essentially, the approach involved modeling of the crystallization kinetics of both tested and reference drug materials in melts using the Avrami-Erofe'ev (AE) rate expression, derivation of a mathematical equation for relating the AE kinetic constant to the composition of reference polymorph mixtures, and the use of this derived equation (in the form of a calibration curve) to calculate the impurity contents of the tested samples from their computed AE constants.

Laboratory-based surveillance and molecular epidemiology of influenza virus in Taiwan.

A laboratory-based surveillance network of 11 clinical virological laboratories for influenza viruses was established in Taiwan under the coordination of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Taiwan. From October 2000 to March 2004, 3,244 influenza viruses were isolated, including 1,969 influenza A and 1,275 influenza B viruses. The influenza infections usually occurred frequently in winter in the northern hemisphere.

Bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The objective was to study the bone mineral density (BMD) and its clinical determinants in a cohort of postmenopausal patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). All postmenopausal SLE patients receiving long term glucocorticoids were identified from our medical clinics. Lumbar and femoral BMDs were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry.

Prognostic factors in lupus nephritis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous disorder and its renal manifestations are protean. The course and prognosis of lupus nephritis is dependent on a large number of demographic, histopathological, serological, racial, socioeconomic and time dependent factors. Moreover, the initial and maintenance therapeutic regimens may also influence the long term renal outcome.

Lupus pneumonitis or severe acute respiratory syndrome?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious respiratory illness caused by a novel human coronavirus. The disease is highly infectious and carries significant mortality and morbidity. There was a major outbreak of SARS in Guangdong, Taiwan, Beijing, Hong Kong and Toronto between March and June 2003.