Sex hormones in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sex hormones--estrogens, progestins, androgens, and prolactin--have well-documented effects on the development, progression, or severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These effects are complex and are confounded by in vitro and in vivo considerations that obscure a simple explanation of the sexual dichotomies in SLE. An overview of available experimental and clinical data suggests that low androgens and abnormalities in the prolactin-gonadal axis are the most consistent hormonal aberrations found in human SLE.

Bromocriptine in rheumatic and autoimmune diseases.

Background And Objectives: Multiple lines of evidence support the concept that the anterior pituitary hormone prolactin has a pathogenic role in rheumatic and autoimmune diseases including, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, and uveitis. Conversely, the dopaminergic agonist bromocriptine appears to have therapeutic effects through suppression of pituitary prolactin secretion and, perhaps, through actions on peripheral dopamine receptors. This article reviews the experimental and clinical data supporting the therapeutic use of bromocriptine as a nonstandard or adjunctive therapy in rheumatic and autoimmune diseases.

17-beta-estradiol suppresses IL-2 and IL-2 receptor.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays an important role in adaptive immune responses. These responses differ between females and males and may be due to the sex steroid estrogen. In this investigation we show that estrogen suppresses IL-2 production from activated peripheral blood T cells and CD4+ T cell lines at the transcriptional level.

Estrogen, prolactin, and autoimmunity: actions and interactions.

Estrogen and prolactin have a reciprocal endocrinologic relationship and both hormones have pleiotropic effects on the immune system. Despite the presence of a number of confounding variables, these hormones modulate autoimmunity; however, mechanisms by which this modulation occurs remain obscure. Estrogen appears to suppress cell-mediated and augment humoral-based immunity.

Osteoarthritis of the sternoclavicular joint.

Primary osteoarthritis of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) is relatively common, occurring in 90% of people over age 60, and must be considered in the differential of chest wall pain. Lesions typically appear after age 40 years and are either bilateral or slightly more common in the SCJ of the dominant hand. Diagnosis by plain x-rays is confounded by overlapping structures; therefore SCJ osteoarthritis is most easily diagnosed by classic radiographic findings on computed tomography of the sternoclavicular joint.