Breast Involvement in Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies Positive Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis in a 64-Year-Old Female Patient.

In this article, we present a case of a female patient suffering from granulomatosis and polyangiitis with active glomerular disease, who developed exacerbation of pulmonary vasculitis and palpable tumors of right breast. A possibility of neoplastic disease was excluded by histopathological examination of percutaneous biopsy specimen, revealing granulomatous inflammatory infiltrate, without any features of neoplasia. Moreover, both pulmonary and breast lesions subsided following intensification of immunosuppressive/antiinflammatory treatment.

Expression of Cell Membrane Antigens in Cells Excreted in the Urinary Sediment Predicts Progression of Renal Disease in Patients with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.

Background/aims: A link between the number of podocytes excreted in the urine and activity of glomerular disease has been established. The aim of this study was to investigate possible correlations between urinary cells' phenotype and the progression of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).

Methods: Forty patients with newly diagnosed FSGS were included.

[Rapid progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) and skin involvement as a clinical manifestation of vasculitis: a case report].

Systemic vasculitis is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by infiltrates consisting of neutrophils infiltrated the walls of blood vessels of various caliber. The most common clinical manifestation is renal involvement, nervous system, lungs and skin. These disorders may be manifested by changes in the image of urine in the form of a nephritic syndrome, deterioration of renal function, haemoptysis and ulceration of the skin.

[Significance of podocytes isolated from urine as a marker of glomerulonephritis activity--is the game worth of a candle?].

The significance of the native urine sediment in the differential of glomerular disease needs no further comments. However the question arises whether it could be useful to develop a more specific diagnostic approach to identify the origin of renal epithelial cells that can be detected in the urine sediments as well. Especially the detection of podocytes in the urine could be a valuable non-invasive method to get information about the disease activity or disease type and could be used as a follow up.

[ANCA associated vasculitis].

Vasculitis is a process caused by inflammation and necrosis of blood vessel walls and results in a variety of disorders. An accepted classification system for vasculitis is categorized by the size or type of the involved blood vessel as large-, medium-, or small-vessel vasculitis. Small-vessel vasculitis is defined as vasculitis that affects vessels smaller than arteries (i.

Podocytes in urine, a novel biomarker of preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a disorder occurring during pregnancy typically after 20 weeks of gestation. It affects both mother and unborn baby in at least 5-8% of all pregnancies. It is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine.

The association of the IVS1-397T>C estrogen receptor α polymorphism with the regulatory conditions in longstanding type 1 diabetic girls.

Type 1 diabetes is considered as pluricausal disease, whose etiology involves genetic predisposition as well as environmental factors that contribute to disease progression and pathogenesis. Women are believed to be more susceptible to develop autoimmune diseases, which may depend in part on the influence of sex hormones on the immune system. It was shown that estrogens may protect against the development of autoimmune disease by inducing the expansion of regulatory T cell pool and upregulating Foxp3 expression.

Anti-TNF rescue CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in patients with type 1 diabetes from effects mediated by TNF.

The presence of low-grade chronic inflammation is a known feature of long standing diabetes type 1. The association between serum level of several markers of inflammation and severity of DM1 was proven. Serum concentrations of TNF were reported to be elevated in diabetic patients, especially those who developed diabetic complications.

Lower frequency of CD62L(high) and higher frequency of TNFR2(+) Tregs are associated with inflammatory conditions in type 1 diabetic patients.

Diabetes type 1 is a chronic autoimmune disease in which insulin-producing cells are gradually destroyed by autoreactive T cells. Human regulatory cells play important role in controlling autoimmunity, and their qualitative or quantitative dysfunctions may result in ineffective suppression of autoreactive T cells. CD62L is a surface molecule that plays role in homing capabilities of Tregs, and only cells with high expression of CD62L have high suppressive potential.

[Regulatory T lymphocytes expressing L-selectin in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus].

Introduction: Quantitative and/or qualitative dysfunctions in a subset of naturally arising regulatory T lymphocytes may have impact on autoimmune disease development, including diabetes type 1. CD62L is a homing receptor that directs T lymphocytes to lymph nodes. Studies conducted on NOD mice showed that depletion of Tregs expressing CD62L results in diabetes and only CD62Lhigh Tregs are able to protect against the disease.

[TNF-α, diabetes type 1 and regulatory T cells].

Recent studies on animal models of diabetes as well as human regulatory T cells have shown that α impairs the ability of these cells to prevent the disease. NOD mice treated with α had decreased frequency of regulatory T cells, whereas anti-TNF administration induced the increase in the number of these cells and disease prevention. The action of α also influenced the suppressive potential of Tregs.

[CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T lymphocytes: naturally occuring regulatory T cells].

The mechanism that plays an essential role in immunosuppression and regulation is the presence of naturally occurring regulatory T cells (Tregs), which comprise 5-10% of peripheral CD4+ lymphocytes. They are characterized by the constant and high expression of the α subunit of IL-2 receptor (CD25), which makes them different from conventional, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, which express this molecule at lower level only during the activation state. The function of regulatory T cells is to inhibit proliferation as well as cytokine production by effector CD4+CD25- lymphocytes.

[Fabry disease].

Fabry disease is a rare genetic disorder, which is linked to a defect of alfa-galactosidase. In consequence it leads to an excess of glicosphyngolipids in lysosomes of various tissues and organs. Clinical symptoms are related to heart, skin, kidneys and nervous system.