IgG4-related mastitis characterized by skin thickening of the breast: a case report.

BACKGROUND: IgG4-related diseases are characterized by marked infiltration and IgG4-positive plasma cells and fibrosis, and involve multiple organs. However, IgG4-related mastitis is rare. We report a case of mastitis associated with IgG4-related disease. CASE PRESENTATION: A 78-year-old woman visited our hospital with a complaint of multiple subcutaneous nodules. A biopsy of a dorsal subcutaneous mass was performed but did not yield a definitive diagnosis. However, blood tests showed a high level of IgG4, thus she was referred to the department of collagen disease for further examination. Computed tomography (CT) showed a thickening of the skin of the right breast, and the patient was referred to our department. On physical examination, a large area of thickened skin was observed in the right breast without inflammatory breast cancer-like redness, and no mass was palpable. A needle biopsy was performed on an indistinct hypoechoic area in the breast, and she was diagnosed with mastitis associated with IgG4-related disease. Systemic steroid therapy was then administered and the symptoms of multiple skin nodules and mastitis improved. CONCLUSIONS: We reached the diagnosis based on a biopsy of the mammary gland enabling the patient to begin treatment for IgG4-related disease. This case was characterized by breast skin thickening, which is different from inflammatory breast cancer.

Transitions in vascular ultrasonography findings of temporal arteritis in a GCA case with progressive temporal headache and visual impairment.

The European League Against Rheumatism and the American College of Rheumatology have stated that the halo sign on vascular ultrasonography (v-US) is relevant in diagnosing giant cell arteritis (GCA) and is equivalent to temporal artery biopsy. However, there are only a few reports about transitions in v-US findings after glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. We report the transitions in the v-US findings in a case of GCA after GC therapy. The patient had rapidly progressive symptoms, and there were concerns about blindness. After GC therapy, we first observed improvement in headache and visual impairment symptoms within 1 week, followed by rapid improvement in laboratory findings within 2 weeks. Subsequently, there were improvements in v-US findings after more than 2 months. In conclusion, these findings showed a dissociation between improvements in clinical symptoms and v-US findings of the temporal artery. Additionally, this case suggests that regular examination of v-US findings is useful in evaluating GCA with evident vascular wall thickness before GC therapy.

Risk factors associated with relapse after methotrexate dose reduction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving golimumab and methotrexate combination therapy.

AIM: To identify risk factors for relapse after methotrexate (MTX) dose reduction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving golimumab (GLM)/MTX combination therapy. METHOD: Data on RA patients ≥20 years old receiving GLM (50 mg) + MTX for ≥6 months were retrospectively collected. MTX dose reduction was defined as a reduction of ≥12 mg from the total dose within 12 weeks of the maximum dose (≥1 mg/wk average). Relapse was defined as Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using C-reactive protein level (DAS28-CRP) score ≥3.2 or sustained (≥ twice) increase of ≥0.6 from baseline. RESULTS: A total of 304 eligible patients were included. Among the MTX-reduction group (n = 125), 16.8% of patients relapsed. Age, duration from diagnosis to the initiation of GLM, baseline MTX dose, and DAS28-CRP were comparable between relapse and no-relapse groups. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of relapse after MTX reduction was 4.37 (95% CI 1.16-16.38, P = 0.03) for prior use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and the aORs for cardiovascular disease (CVD), gastrointestinal disease and liver disease were 2.36, 2.28, and 3.03, respectively. Compared to the non-reduction group, the MTX-reduction group had a higher proportion of patients with CVD (17.6% vs 7.3%, P = 0.02) and a lower proportion of prior use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (11.2% vs. 24.0%, P = 0.0076). CONCLUSION: Attention should be given to RA patients with history of CVD, gastrointestinal disease, liver disease, or prior NSAIDs-use when considering MTX dose reduction to ensure benefits outweigh the risks of relapse.

Diagnosis of giant cell arteritis by head-contrast three-dimensional computed tomography angiography: two case reports.

INTRODUCTION: Temporal artery biopsy is essential for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. It has been shown that 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography, magnetic resonance angiography, and ultrasonography are useful for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. However, there are only a few reports on the usefulness of three-dimensional computed tomography angiography in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. We describe two cases in which giant cell arteritis was difficult to diagnose using positron emission tomography-computed tomography and magnetic resonance angiography but was diagnosed using three-dimensional computed tomography angiography, thus showing the importance of three-dimensional computed tomography angiography in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1: An 81-year-old Japanese man. Laboratory investigations revealed normocytic anemia and raised inflammatory marker levels. Slight bleeding in the right posterior pole of his eyeball and leukoma of his left cornea were observed on fundus examination. Stenosis and stoppage of the temporal artery were detected on three-dimensional computed tomography angiography. A diagnosis of giant cell arteritis was made, and he was started on orally administered prednisolone. His headache and C-reactive protein levels improved. Four weeks after glucocorticoid steroid treatment, three-dimensional computed tomography angiography revealed improvement in stenosis and stoppage of temporal artery. Case 2: A 74-year-old Japanese woman. A dose of 20 mg of prednisolone was administered and her polymyalgia and polyarthritis improved; however, her headache and ear occlusion persisted. Although vasculitis was not detected on positron emission tomography-computed tomography, stenosis and stoppage of the temporal artery were detected on computed tomography angiography. She was diagnosed as having giant cell arteritis and started on orally administered prednisolone treatment (60 mg daily). Her headache and C-reactive protein levels improved. Four weeks after glucocorticoid treatment, three-dimensional computed tomography angiography showed improvement in stenosis and stoppage of temporal artery. CONCLUSIONS: In both patients with giant cell arteritis, three-dimensional computed tomography angiography revealed improvement in stenosis and stoppage of temporal artery after glucocorticoid treatment. We conclude that computed tomography angiography along with magnetic resonance angiography, positron emission tomography-computed tomography, and ultrasonography are important for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis.

TIM-4 has dual function in the induction and effector phases of murine arthritis.

T cell Ig and mucin domain (TIM)-4 is involved in immune regulation. However, the pathological function of TIM-4 has not been understood and remains to be clarified in various disease models. In this study, DBA/1 mice were treated with anti-TIM-4 mAb during the induction or effector phase of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Anti-TIM-4 treatment in the induction phase exacerbated the development of CIA. In vitro experiments suggest that CD4 T cells bind to TIM-4 on APCs, which induces inhibitory effect to CD4 T cells. In contrast, therapeutic treatment with anti-TIM-4 mAb just before or after the onset or even at later stage of CIA significantly suppressed the development and progression by reducing proinflammatory cytokines in the ankle joints without affecting T or B cell responses. Consistently, clinical arthritis scores of collagen Ab-induced arthritis, which is not mediated by T or B cells, were significantly reduced in anti-TIM-4-treated mice with a concomitant decrease of proinflammatory cytokines in the joints. In vitro, macrophages secreted proinflammatory cytokines in response to TIM-4-Ig protein and LPS, which were reduced by the anti-TIM-4 mAb. The anti-TIM-4 mAb also inhibited the differentiation and bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts. These results indicate that TIM-4 has two distinct functions depending on the stage of arthritis. The therapeutic effect of anti-TIM-4 mAb on arthritis is mediated by the inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine production by inflammatory cells, osteoclast differentiation, and bone resorption, suggesting that TIM-4 might be an appropriate target for the therapeutic treatment of arthritis.