Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is a complex systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease that targets the vasculature and connective tissue-producing cells and components of the innate and adaptive immune systems. The disease is characterized by a hardening of the skin and an increased synthesis of collagen . Prolidase is a specific imidodipeptidase involved in collagen degradation. The aim of this study was to search the serum prolidase activity (SPA) in the two subtypes of systemic sclerosis: diffuse and limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis. For this purpose, 35 patients diagnosed with systemic sclerosis (24 diffuse and 11 limited) and 41 healthy control subjects were included in the study. SPA was determined using Myara's method, which is a modification of Chinard's method. SPA did not differ between the scleroderma patients and controls (p = 0.467). However, SPA was significantly lower in diffuse form than in both limited form and control subjects (p = 0.021 and p = 0.024, respectively). SPA also did not differ between the limited form and control subjects (p = 0.145). Scleroderma is characterized by excessive deposition of collagen and tissue fibrosis due to the reduced collagen degradation. SPA is reduced in scleroderma patients, especially in diffuse form. Circulating autoantibodies, oxidative stress, and decreased physical activity may contribute to this process.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10067-017-3677-7 | DOI Listing |
This 30-color panel was developed to enable the enumeration and purification of distinct circulating immune cell subsets implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), Sjögren's disease (SjD), idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), and others. While designed for application to peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the inclusion of CD45 coupled with the ability to extract cellular autofluorescence spectral signatures enables the application of this panel to other tissue types. Of the 30 total markers, this panel employs 18 markers to profile T cell subsets consisting of different memory subsets and T helper polarities, > 10 markers to profile B cell subsets including double-negative B cells, and a total of 8 lineage markers to identify immune lineages including monocyte and natural killer cell subsets, conventional dendritic cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and basophils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examine disease-specific and cross-disease functions of the human gut microbiome by colonizing germ-free mice, at risk for inflammatory arthritis, colitis, or neuroinflammation, with over 100 human fecal microbiomes from subjects with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or colorectal cancer. We find common inflammatory phenotypes driven by microbiomes from individuals with intestinal inflammation or inflammatory arthritis, as well as distinct functions specific to microbiomes from multiple sclerosis patients. Inflammatory disease in mice colonized with human microbiomes correlated with systemic inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein, in the human donors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespir Med Case Rep
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology of Lucania - UOSD of Rheumatology, "Madonna delle Grazie" Hospital, Matera, Italy.
Background: Anti-Ku antibodies are autoantibodies directed against the Ku protein complex involved in DNA repair. They are typically associated with overlap syndromes featuring polymyositis and systemic sclerosis. Isolated pulmonary involvement without myositis is exceedingly rare.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Transl Autoimmun
June 2025
Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
Iron is a crucial element for living organism in terms of oxygen transport, hematopoiesis, enzymatic activity, mitochondrial respiratory chain function and also immune system function. The human being has evolved a mechanism to regulate body iron. In some rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and gout, this balanced iron regulation is impaired.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Cardiovasc Med
January 2025
Division of Cardiology, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, 28100 Novara, Italy.
Cardiac manifestations in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are variable and are associated with a poor prognosis, frequently resulting in impaired right ventricular function and heart failure. A high proportion of patients with SSc experience pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), interstitial lung disease, or myocardial involvement, all of which can lead to exercise intolerance. In this context, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a useful tool for diagnosing exercise intolerance, elucidating its pathophysiology, and assessing its prognosis.
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