Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a synthetic antimalarial, is recognized for its immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and vascular-protective effects. In 20-30% of cases of primary obstetrical antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), the combination of antiplatelet aggregation and prophylactic anticoagulation fails to prevent obstetrical complications, a situation referred to as refractory obstetrical APS. This is partly due to the pro-inflammatory effects of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) binding to decidual and trophoblastic cells, which compromise embryonic implantation and placentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To assess the diagnostic performance of a panel of standard tumor markers (TMs) in patients hospitalized with significant involuntary weight loss (IWL) and elevated levels of inflammation biomarkers, and a combination of the TM panel and the finding of the computed tomography (CT) scan.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in the internal medicine department at Amiens-Picardie University Medical Center (Amiens, France) between January 1st, 2015, and November 1st, 2021. The inclusion criteria were age 18 or over, significant IWL (≥ 5 kg over 6 months), elevated inflammation biomarkers (e.
Introduction: PET/CT is regularly used to investigate inflammatory syndrome of unknown origin (IUO), but hypermetabolisms found are not always consistent with the final diagnosis. The objective of the study was to assess the cost attributed to the diagnostic work-up for these false positives.
Materials And Methods: We conducted an ancillary study on a previous retrospective cohort from the internal medicine department at Amiens university hospital in patients who had a PET/CT scan between October 2004 and April 2017.
Objectives: CTLA4 deficiency (CTLA4d) is a disease with multisystem autoimmune features, including neurologic manifestations. We aimed to describe neurologic involvement in these patients.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional observational study using the French Reference Centre for Primary Immunodeficiencies (CEREDIH) registry plus a surveillance in national society networks.
Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET) coupled with computed tomography (CT) in the diagnostic workup for inflammatory syndrome of undetermined origin (IUO) and to determine the diagnostic delay in an internal medicine department.
Patients And Methods: We retrospectively studied a cohort of patients for whom a PET/CT scan had been prescribed in an indication of IUO in an internal medicine department (Amiens University Medical Center, Amiens, France) between October 2004 and April 2017. The patients were grouped according to the PET/CT findings: very useful (enabling an immediate diagnosis), useful, not useful, and misleading.
Cutaneous involvement in multiple myeloma with extramedullary disease is rare. We report the case of a refractory multiple myeloma patient who developed a cutaneous lesion. Histopathology revealed dermal immature plasma cell infiltrate with a lack of CD138 expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pasteurella spp. can lead to fatal infections in humans.
Objective: To assess prognostic factors of invasive pasteurellosis.
Background/aim: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by high production of immunoglobulins resulting in a constant source of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) was identified as a possible circulating biomarker that could help in monitoring ER-stress mediated diseases.
Materials And Methods: To assess the relevance of MANF in MM, we performed in silico and in vitro analysis in malignant cell lines including the myeloma cell line RPMI 8226.
Chronic stimulation by infectious pathogens or self-antigen glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph) can lead to monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma (MM). Novel assays such as the multiplex infectious antigen microarray (MIAA) and GlcSph assays, permit identification of targets for >60% purified monoclonal immunoglobulins (Igs). Searching for additional targets, we selected 28 purified monoclonal Igs whose antigen was not represented on the MIAA and GlcSph assays; their specificity of recognition was then analyzed using microarrays consisting of 3760 B-cell epitopes from 196 pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spotlighted the link between viral infection and autoimmunity. In this review, we focus on coronavirus-induced autoimmunity based on evidence from experimental animal models, SARS-CoV infection with in vitro studies of molecular mimicry and COVID-19 with several clinical reports of autoimmune manifestations of this disease. Further studies will be needed to better characterize the role of SARS-CoV-2 in the development of autoimmunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Solid tumors often establish a procoagulable state that can lead to venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although some of the key genes involved in this process are known, no previous study has compared the "coagulome", i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To compare characteristics, pregnancies and treatments during pregnancies of seronegative and seropositive antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), to analyse factors associated with obstetrical outcome.
Patients And Methods: Inclusion criteria were: (1) thrombotic and/or obstetrical APS (Sydney criteria); (2) absence of conventional antiphospholipid antibodies (APL); (3) at least one persistent non-conventional APL among IgA anticardiolipin antibodies, IgA anti-B2GPI, anti-vimentin G/M, anti-annexin V G/M, anti-phosphatidylethanolamine G/M and anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin G/M antibodies. The exclusion criteria were: (1) systemic lupus erythematosus ( SLE) or SLE-like disease; and (2) other connective tissue disease.
We report the case of an 80-year-old woman who presented one episode of cardiopulmonary arrest and two episodes of acute airway obstruction. We found in this patient the presence of tracheomalacia caused by megaesophagus compression secondary to achalasia probably responsible for episodes of acute airway obstruction and cardiopulmonary arrest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic stimulation by infectious or self-antigens initiates subsets of monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance (MGUS), smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM), or multiple myeloma (MM). Recently, glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph) was reported to be the target of one third of monoclonal immunoglobulins (Igs). In this study of 233 patients (137 MGUS, 6 SMM, 90 MM), we analyzed the GlcSph-reactivity of monoclonal Igs and non-clonal Igs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by thrombosis and/or obstetrical manifestations and the persistent presence, at least 12 weeks apart, of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) such as lupus anticoagulant (LA) and/or anticardiolipin antibodies (ACL) and/or anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI). The finding of patients with clinical profile highly suggestive of APS but who are negative for conventional biological criteria has led to the concept of seronegative APS. In the last few years, new antigen targets and methodological approaches have been employed to more clearly identify this syndrome in patients with thrombosis or obstetrical complications without conventional aPL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe conducted a retrospective study on all cases of pneumococcal septic arthritis (SA) in patients >18 years of age reported to the Picardie Regional Pneumococcal Network in France during 2005-2016. Among 1,062 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease, we observed 16 (1.5%) SA cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) are at risk of serious complications. However, data on the incidence and causes of emergency hospital admissions are scarce. The primary objective of the present study was to describe emergency hospital admissions among patients with PID, with a view to identifying "at-risk" patient profiles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Annexin A2 (ANXA2), an endothelial cell receptor for plasminogen and tissue plasminogen activator, has been identified as a new autoantigen in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). ANXA2 can exist as a monomer or a heterotetrameric complex with S100A10 protein. This S100A10 subunit also plays a pivotal role in the regulation of fibrinolysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: . Report of a case of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) with multiple organ involvement leading to a life-threatening condition despite early combination corticosteroid and heparin therapy. Initiation of plasma exchange led to rapid improvement of the patient's general condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcquired and inherited thrombophilia have both been reported to be associated with an increased risk of obstetric complications in early or later stages of pregnancy. Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is strongly expressed in vascular and placental tissues and plays a crucial role in fibrinolysis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies directed against ANXA2 in patients with recurrent miscarriage or obstetric complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNK cells are key players in the fight against persistent viruses. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with the presence of a population of CD16(+) CD56(dim) NKG2C(+) NK cells in both acutely and latently infected individuals. Here, we studied the nature of these terminally differentiated NK cells in different human populations infected with HCMV: healthy donors stratified by age, thymectomized individuals, pregnant women suffering from primary CMV infection, and lung transplant patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the incidence of infections leading to hospitalization, the mortality rate related to infections, and the determinants of these factors in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Methods: In total, 486 patients with GCA (75% women) were enrolled at the time of diagnosis. All patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for GCA.
Aims: To evaluate vascular expression of annexin A2 (ANXA2) and its subunit S100A10 in lupus nephritis (LN).
Methods: The present histological study included 14 patients with LN and 11 controls (patients with non-lupus kidney diseases). Kidney biopsies from patients with lupus were scored for lupus glomerulonephritis (according to the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society 2003 classification) and vascular lesions (such as microthrombi and antiphospholipid syndrome nephropathy (APSN)).