Cholesterol crystals in synovial and bursal fluid.

Cholesterol crystals were found in two patients with classic rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In one patient, cholesterol crystals were found in synovial fluid from both shoulder joints, and in the second they were in an olecranon bursa. To examine the possible systemic etiology of cholesterol crystals in synovial and bursal fluid, lipid concentrations and the presence of serum antilipoprotein antibodies were measured.

Comparative studies of the serum lipoproteins and lipids in some domestic, laboratory and wild animals.

1. The concentration of lipoproteins and lipids in the sera of several species of healthy adult laboratory animals (guinea-pig, rabbit and rat), domestic animals (cattle, sheep, goat, horse and swine) and wild animals (deer, wild boar, mink and fox) have been investigated under physiological conditions. Special attention was paid to the lipoproteins which are precipitated with heparin-MnCl2 and to the ratio of lipids in separated alpha and beta lipoproteins.

Antilipoprotein antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis.

Antibodies against very low-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins (aLA) were found in 26 of 69 (38%) patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but not in any control subjects (ie, 40 patients with psoriatic arthritis, 21 patients with osteoarthritis, and 65 healthy blood donors). In 21 RA patients (30%), lipoproteins were found in the dissociated components of circulating immune complexes. RA patients with aLA had significantly decreased cholesterol levels in all lipoprotein fractions and total serum lipids, while serum triglycerides were significantly increased compared with RA patients without aLA.

Dyslipoproteinemia in the course of active rheumatoid arthritis.

Concentrations of serum lipids and serum very low-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins (VLDL+LDL, originally called beta lipoproteins) were measured and agarose gel electrophoresis of serum lipoproteins was performed in 69 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 40 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PA), 21 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and 65 healthy blood donors. These lipid parameters were also compared in 21 RA and 40 PA patients during periods of severe disease activity (SA) versus minimal disease activity (MA). RA patients had significantly decreased concentrations of total serum lipids, total serum cholesterol, cholesterol in LDL, and cholesterol in high-density lipoproteins (HDL) compared with healthy blood donors.

A specific type of dislipidaemia-a complex between monotypic immunoglobulins and lipids.

Some bibliographic data suggest that serum lipids bound to monotypic immunoglobulins (Ig-s)could represent one specific type of dislipidaemia in man. In this paper 5 cases confirming such a suggestion are described. After agarose gel electrophoresis lipids bound to monotypic Ig-s moved as one separate lipoprotein category clearly different from alpha and beta lipoproteins.

The influence of serum paraproteins on Burstein's reaction for beta-lipoproteins.

Using sulfonated polysaccharides to precipitate beta-lipoprotein in serum, we obtained high values in certain cases with normal serum lipids. Therefore, we examined whether there are proteins in such sera which precipitate under conditions optimal for beta-lipoprotein insolubilization. The results show that certain IgG paraproteins are precipitable by sulfonated polysaccharides giving erroneously high values for beta-lipoprotein.

[Difficulties in the identification of serum M-component].

The essential criteria for M-component identification , according to precise M-component definition based on literature data, are cited. Problems and difficulties in M-component identification are illustrated on selected cases. It is pointed out that, beside of M-component, IgA/albumin (fig.