Mortality and cardiovascular risk in vasculitis ANCA. Importance of hypertension and renal function. Experience from southern Spain.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the principal causes of death in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-(ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Objectives: To evaluate the mortality and it's causes and CVD and its vascular risk factors (VRFs) in AAV patients in Andalusia.

Methods: A multicenter cohort of 220 AAV patients followed-up from 1979 until June 2020 was studied in Andalussia, south of Spain.

[Mesenteric panniculitis].

Mesenteric panniculitis is a condition characterized by chronic nonspecific inflammation of the mesentery. There is little and often confusing information about its characteristics and the approach to take once it has been demonstrated by an imaging test. We propose to describe the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, radiological and pathological features of the patients with mesenteric panniculitis reported in the literature, as well as possible disorders causal or associated with mesenteric panniculitis, in the opinion of the authors of each study.

PXK locus in systemic lupus erythematosus: fine mapping and functional analysis reveals novel susceptibility gene ABHD6.

Objectives: To perform fine mapping of the PXK locus associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and study functional effects that lead to susceptibility to the disease.

Methods: Linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping was conducted by using 1251 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) covering a 862 kb genomic region on 3p14.3 comprising the PXK locus in 1467 SLE patients and 2377 controls of European origin.

Influence of psychological stress on headache in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To compare the prevalence and disability of headache in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with the general population and to assess the role of chronic psychological stress (CPS) in headache development.

Methods: One hundred seventy patients with SLE and 102 control subjects matched for age, sex, and level of education were included in this multicenter, cross-sectional study. CPS, headache-related disability, and chronic analgesic intake (CAI) were evaluated in all participants.

Health-related internet use by lupus patients in southern Spain.

Internet has become a widely used tool by patients seeking information on different diseases. The information regarding lupus patients' Internet use is scarce. This study aims to explore the attitudes and practices of lupus patients in southern Spain, regarding Internet use to find health-related information.

IL2/IL21 region polymorphism influences response to rituximab in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

To determine whether the IL2/IL21 region, a general autoimmunity locus, contributes to the observed variation in response to rituximab in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus as well as to analyze its influence in a cohort including other autoimmune diseases. rs6822844 G/T polymorphism at the IL2-IL21 region was analyzed by TaqMan assay in 84 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 60 different systemic autoimmune diseases Spanish patients receiving rituximab. Six months after the first infusion patients were classified, according to the EULAR criteria, as good responders, partial responders and non-responders.

Association between -174 interleukin-6 gene polymorphism and biological response to rituximab in several systemic autoimmune diseases.

Rituximab has become a pivotal treatment for systemic autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether the genetic variant -174 IL-6 contributes to differences in the response to rituximab in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory myopathies, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-mediated vasculitis, systemic sclerosis, Sjöegren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. DNA samples from 144 Spanish patients with different systemic autoimmune diseases receiving rituximab were genotyped for -174 IL-6 (rs1800795) gene polymorphism using the TaqMan(®) allelic discrimination technology.

Registry of the Spanish network for systemic sclerosis: clinical pattern according to cutaneous subsets and immunological status.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of clinical and immunological characteristics of a large cohort of Spanish patients with scleroderma (SSc) and identifying factors associated with particular organ manifestations assessed by a nationwide cross-sectional analysis.

Methods: We classified SSc patients in 4 subsets using a modification of LeRoy and Medsger classification that included: "prescleroderma" (pre-SSc), limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), and SSc sine scleroderma (ssSSc). Fourteen Spanish centers participated in patient recruitment.

Azathioprine versus mycophenolate mofetil for long-term immunosuppression in lupus nephritis: results from the MAINTAIN Nephritis Trial.

Background: Long-term immunosuppressive treatment does not efficiently prevent relapses of lupus nephritis (LN). This investigator-initiated randomised trial tested whether mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was superior to azathioprine (AZA) as maintenance treatment.

Methods: A total of 105 patients with lupus with proliferative LN were included.

A 3'-untranslated region variant is associated with impaired expression of CD226 in T and natural killer T cells and is associated with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Costimulatory receptor CD226 plays an important role in T cell activation, differentiation, and cytotoxicity. This study was undertaken to investigate the genetic association of CD226 with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to assess the functional implications of this association.

Methods: Twelve tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CD226 were typed in 1,163 SLE patients and 1,482 healthy control subjects from Europe or of European ancestry.

The 10-year follow-up data of the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial comparing low-dose and high-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide.

Objective: To update the follow-up of the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial (ELNT), a randomised prospective trial comparing low-dose (LD) and high-dose (HD) intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide (CY) followed by azathioprine (AZA) as treatment for proliferative lupus nephritis.

Patients And Methods: Data for survival and kidney function were prospectively collected during a 10-year period for the 90 patients randomised in the ELNT, except in 6 lost to follow-up.

Results: Death, sustained doubling of serum creatinine and end-stage renal disease rates did not differ between the LD and HD group (5/44 (11%) vs 2/46 (4%), 6/44 (14%) vs 5/46 (11%) and 2/44 (5%) vs 4/46 (9%), respectively) nor did mean serum creatinine, 24 h proteinuria and damage score at last follow-up.

Anti-cofactor autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence, clinical and HLA class II associations.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical and HLA-class II allele associations of some anti-cofactor antibodies in a homogeneous group of European patients with SLE. One hundred thirty-six patients with SLE, fulfilling four or more of the ACR 1997 revised criteria for the classification of the disease, coming from 7 European countries, were enrolled consecutively. Anti-prothrombin (anti-PT), anti-annexin V (anti-AnnV), anti-protein C (anti-Cprot) and anti-protein S (anti-Sprot) were determined by using commercial ELISA kits.

[Comparison of high-resolution liquid chromatography versus microparticle enzyme immunoassay for the measurement of sirolimus levels in renal transplantation].

Objective: To compare sirolimus levels measured in whole blood using two analytical techniques: high-resolution liquid chromatography and microparticle enzyme immunoassay, and to evaluate whether hemoglobin, hematocrit, and time from kidney transplantation influence results obtained using the immune-enzymatic technique.

Method: A retrospective, observational study in which all transplanted patients with at least one measurement of sirolimus levels using high-resolution liquid chromatography or microparticle enzyme immunoassay from October 2004 to May 2005 were consecutively included. For statistical comparisons simple linear regression, ANCOVA, intra-class correlation coefficient, and the method of agreement limits were all used.

[Experience with rituximab in the treatment of systemic erythematosus lupus].

Objective: To assess the short-term effectiveness and tolerance of rituximab in patients with systemic lupus erythematous and distinct clinical manifestations.

Patients And Methods: Thirteen patients were studied. Rituximab (RTX) was indicated for refractory nephritis in 6 patients, severe thrombocytopenia in 5, aplastic anemia in 1 and peritoneal vasculitis associated with nephritis in 1.

Patient satisfaction with nursing care in a regional university hospital in southern Spain.

Patient satisfaction is a valid indicator for measurement of service quality. Patients' opinions are important because dissatisfaction suggests opportunities for improvement. We evaluated the satisfaction of patients with nursing care in a regional university hospital in southern Spain and determined the relevant sociodemographic and attendance characteristics.

Early response to immunosuppressive therapy predicts good renal outcome in lupus nephritis: lessons from long-term followup of patients in the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial.

Objective: In the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial (ELNT), 90 patients with lupus nephritis were randomly assigned to a high-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (IV CYC) regimen (6 monthly pulses and 2 quarterly pulses with escalating doses) or a low-dose IV CYC regimen (6 pulses of 500 mg given at intervals of 2 weeks), each of which was followed by azathioprine (AZA). After a median followup of 41 months, a difference in efficacy between the 2 regimens was not observed. The present analysis was undertaken to extend the followup and to identify prognostic factors.

[Clinical and immunological features in 112 patients with antiphospholipid syndrome].

Background And Objective: We decided to describe the demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of a series of patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) (Harris criteria) and review other Spanish published series.

Patients And Method: We describe 112 patients with APS, 50 primary (PAPS) and 62 secondary (SAPS) -56 (90%) to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-, monitorized in two referral centers in Malaga (Spain) from 1989 to 2000. All data were obtained from the medical records by means of a protocol.

Benefits at 3 yrs of an asthma education programme coupled with regular reinforcement.

The benefits at 3 yrs of an asthma self-management education programme coupled with educational reinforcement were assessed at follow-up visits in 63 adults with chronic asthma. Changes in asthma-related morbidity parameters, lung function and use of different classes of drugs before intervention and after 1, 2 and 3 yrs of the asthma education programme were compared using Friedman one-way analysis of variance. Improvements in the number of days off work or school, general practitioner consultations, admissions to emergency services, hospital admissions and nocturnal awakenings, as well as increases in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), were significant.

HLA class II alleles associations of anticardiolipin and anti-beta2GPI antibodies in a large series of European patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The objective of this study was to determine the HLA class II associations of the anticardiolipin (aCL) and anti-beta2GPI (abeta2GPI) antibodies in a large series of European patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A cohort of 577 European SLE patients was enrolled. aCL and abeta2GPI were measured by ELISA methods.