[New and old strategies against osteoporosis].

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to an increased risk of fracture that affects both cortical bone and trabecular bone. Osteoporosis may be either primary or secondary. Primary osteoporosis can be distinguished into two types: diffuse or local.

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors block apoptosis of human epithelial cells of the salivary glands.

Inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in organ-specific autoimmune disease is proving efficacious for a large number of patients. A wide array of biological agents has been designed to inhibit TNF-alpha, such as adalimumab (fully humanized) and etanercept (soluble TNF-alpha receptor fusion constructs p75 subunit). Recently, we suggested that anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies (Abs) isolated from patients with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune rheumatic disease, are able to trigger cell death through extrinsic apoptotic mechanisms in human salivary gland epithelial cells (SGEC).

Fibulin-6 expression and anoikis in human salivary gland epithelial cells: implications in Sjogren's syndrome.

Important changes in acinar and ductal morphology and function, together with pronounced extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, are detectable in the labial salivary glands of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) patients. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of treatment with the anti-Ro/SSA auto-antibodies, characterizing SS, on the expression of fibulin-6, a member of the fibulins family of the ECM, in primary human salivary gland epithelial cell (SGEC) cultures established from biopsies of labial minor salivary glands obtained from healthy donors. The induction of cell detachment and anoikis in SGECs treated with anti-Ro/SSA auto-antibodies were also investigated.

Modulation of the Fcgamma receptors induced by anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies: observations in salivary gland cells.

Only few reports have shown protein expression of the Fcgamma receptors (FcgammaRs) molecules on human salivary gland cells. In this study we investigate a possible upregulation of FcgammaRs following anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies treatment. Anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies were purified from IgG fractions obtained from 14 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS), using Sepharose 4B-Ro and Sepharose 4B-La affinity columns.

Autoantibodies from Sjögren's syndrome trigger apoptosis in salivary gland cell line.

The presence of serum autoantibodies has been associated with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), an autoimmune rheumatic disease that targets salivary and lachrymal glands. The association of apoptosis with autoantibodies production seems to play a role in the pathogenesis of glandular damage. The best-defined antibodies in SS are those reacting with the ribonucleoprotein antigens SS-A (Ro) and SS-B (La).

Fcgamma receptors mediate internalization of anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies from Sjögren's syndrome and apoptosis in human salivary gland cell line A-253.

Background: The presence of serum anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies directed against the ribonucleoproteins Ro and La has been associated with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), an autoimmune rheumatic disease that targets salivary and lachrymal glands. There is increasing evidence of the direct involvement of autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of tissue injury and correlation of their presence with clinical manifestations in SS. The focus of this work was to explore the cellular apoptotic pathway triggered by binding and penetration of anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies in human salivary gland cell line A-253 and to identify the membrane receptors through which anti-Ro and anti-La could exert their effect.

[Hereditary thrombophilia and systemic sclerosis. An unusual case report].

Authors describe a case of systemic sclerosis with deep venous thrombosis. Great attention must be taken for this case because it represents the condition of hereditary thrombophilia. No similar case was reported in literature; therefore, further studies must go ahead understand the possible relation between the two pathologies.

[Wegener's granulomatosis: that is the risk of diagnostic hypervaluation].

Iter for diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis is delineated, underling the role of ANCA, histological test and the risk of diagnostic hypervalutation.

[RANKL/RANK, OPG and OPT in a group of patients affected by chronic arthritis. Preliminary report].

Recently, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL), its receptor RANK, and the decoy receptor osteoprotegerin (OPG), have been identified as paracrine mediator of bone functions. The balance of RANKL/RANK and OPG is critical for osteoclastogenesis modulation and physiological bone remodeling. Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellular glycosylate bone phosphoprotein and acts both as chemokine and cytokine.

[Pulmonary hypertension during lupus erythematosus].

A patient with pulmonary hypertension (PH) during subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus is described. Since the PH is characteristic of other connective tissue diseases (systemic sclerosis, Sharp syndrome), if a systemic lupus erythemtosus is coexistent, one should make a careful diagnostic screening (capillaroscopy, anti-centromere, or anti-Sc170, or anti-RNP antibodies) to show a possible overlap-syndrome.

[Asymptomatic hyper-creatine-phosphokinasemia: a veritable disease? Observation in some cases].

Myopathy is a pathology of the muscle function, without clinical and instrumental signs that are involved the central nervous system and the peripheral one. In all pathologies causing a damage of the muscle fibres, a release of enzymes as GOT, GPT, LDH, aldolase, CPK occurs. The most significant enzyme for the muscle damage is CPK.