[Antibodies to proteinase-3 and myeloperoxidase in systemic vasculitis].

Aim: To investigate occurrence and diagnostic significance of antibodies to proteinase-3 (aPR-3) and myeloperoxidase (aMPO) in systemic vasculitis (SV).

Material And Methods: A total of 98 patients with different forms of SV were examined: nonspecific aortoarteritis (NAA, n = 18), nodular polyarteritis (NP, n = 18), Wegener granulomatosis (WG, n = 20), obliterating thrombangiitis (OT, n = 21), and hemorrhagic vasculitis (HV, n = 21). Eight patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) and 20 donors comprised a control group.

[Clinico-immunological aspects of renal lesions in rheumatoid arthritis].

The aim of this study was to examine the incidence of different renal lesions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to determine their relationships with the type of previous drug therapy and with the specific features of immune disorders. Ninety four patients, 84 (89.9%) females and 10 (10.

[Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and kidney damage in rheumatoid arthritis].

Aim: To investigate clinical significance of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and kidney damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Material And Methods: 94 patients (84 women and 10 men, mean age 45.2 +/- 11.

[Antibodies to phospholipids and the vascular endothelium in nodular polyarteritis].

Clinical significance of antibodies to phospholipids (aPL) and vascular endothelium (aVE) was evaluated in 20 patients (9 women and 11 men aged 36 +/- 10.8 years) with nodular polyarteritis (NP) corresponding to classification criteria of the USA Rheumatology College. Antibodies to cardiolipin (aCL) (IgG and IgM) and to beta 2-glycoprotein (beta 2-GP1) (IgG) were titered by solid-phase enzyme immunoassay.