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2.
Case Rep Pulmonol ; 2023: 5469592, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37026089

RESUMO

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are abnormal, direct communications between the branches of the pulmonary artery and pulmonary veins, but without pulmonary capillaries between them. During pregnancy, PAVMs can enlarge and become symptomatic, causing even serious complications like haematothorax. To recognize the PAVM that becomes symptomatic in pregnancy, one must be able to distinguish the patient's symptoms caused by developing complications of PAVM, as in the case we present, from physiological changes accompanying a healthy pregnancy, including their degree in relation to the stage of pregnancy. The modified early obstetric warning score charts are a very helpful tool in the assessment of (ab)normal signs and symptoms in pregnant women, especially for physicians who rarely manage pregnant women.

3.
Z Rheumatol ; 82(Suppl 1): 74-79, 2023 Jan.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34940892

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: We compared serum levels of S100A12, a proinflammatory protein predominantly secreted by neutrophils, in children with newly diagnosed childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), systemic juvenile arthritis (sJIA), and systemic undefined recurrent fevers (SURFS) to examine its role as a diagnostic and discriminative marker of inflammation and to indirectly point out the importance of neutrophils and innate immunity in the pathogenesis of these diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, the serum levels of S100A12 protein of 68 children (19 with cSLE, 18 with sJIA, 7 with SURFS, and 24 controls) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared between groups and with clinical and laboratory findings. RESULTS: The median serum S100A12 levels were 469 ng/mL in the cSLE group, 6103 ng/mL in the sJIA group, 480 ng/mL in the SURFS group, and 44 ng/mL in the control group. Children with cSLE, sJIA, and SURFS had significantly higher serum S100A12 levels compared to the control group (p < 0.0001). sJIA patients had the highest levels of S100A12 in comparison to other patients (p < 0.0001), while there was no significant difference between children with cSLE and SURFS. CONCLUSION: Elevated serum SA100A12 levels in children with cSLE, sJIA, and SURFS may indicate intense neutrophil activation, which may play an important role in innate immunity in chronic inflammation in these diseases. Serum S100A12 levels could be used as a diagnostic marker of inflammation and be suitable for distinguishing sJIA and other disorders.


Assuntos
Artrite Juvenil , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico , Criança , Humanos , Artrite Juvenil/diagnóstico , Proteína S100A12 , Estudos Transversais , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/diagnóstico , Inflamação
4.
Local Reg Anesth ; 14: 99-102, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34163238

RESUMO

Multiple vertebral compression and rib fractures in elderly patients with pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common scenario associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Severe pain prevents normal ventilation and leads to atelectasis, consolidation, and pneumonia. Subsequently, these patients frequently develop respiratory failure and require intubation and critical care. Therefore, adequate analgesia is often a life-saving intervention. Anesthetic management of a 78-year-old kyphotic patient with T6, T7, and T9 rib fractures on the right and T10-12 vertebral compression fractures sustained in an accidental fall is presented. She had inadequate pain control and was unable to take a deep breath or cough. Her respiratory status was deteriorating, with tachypnea and worsening hypoxia, necessitating bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) support. Since thoracic epidural analgesia was contraindicated owing to compressive vertebral fractures and to the pending respiratory failure, we opted for a unilateral erector spinae plane (ESP) block at the T7 level and bilateral retrolaminar (RL) blocks at the T10 level. Following the procedure, the pain was immediately relieved and the patient was able to take deep breaths. Shortly thereafter, her respiratory status improved, with the respiratory rate coming back close to the baseline. The patient was subsequently weaned from BiPAP support and discharged from the intensive care unit. While the combination of ESP and RL blocks is not routinely used in patients with multiple rib and vertebral compression fractures, our report indicates that it may be an excellent alternative for analgesia in situations where thoracic epidural and/or paravertebral blocks are contraindicated and when timely intervention could be potentially life-saving.

6.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25516724

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: The involvement of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases has been documented but clinical trials on the contribution of this pro-inflammatory alarmin in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are basically absent. To address the presence of HMGB1 and a soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) in different subtypes of JIA and additionally in children with SLE, we enrolled a consecutive sample of children harvested peripheral blood as well as synovial fluids (SF) at diagnosis and correlated it with ordinary acute-phase reactants and clinical markers. METHODS: Serum and synovial fluids levels of HMGB1 and sRAGE in total of 144 children (97 with JIA, 19 with SLE and 27 healthy controls) were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: The children with JIA and those with SLE were characterised by significantly higher serum levels of HMGB1 and significantly lower sRAGE levels compared to the healthy controls. A positive correlation between serum HMGB1 and ESR, CRP, α2 globulin was found while serum sRAGE levels were inversely correlated with the same inflammatory markers in children with JIA. Additionally, high level of serum HMGB1 was related to hepatosplenomegaly or serositis in systemic onset JIA. CONCLUSION: The inverse relationship of the HMGB1 and its soluble receptor RAGE in the blood and SF indicates that inflammation triggered by alarmins may play a role in pathogenesis of JIA as well as SLE. HMGB1 may serve as an inflammatory marker and a potential target of biological therapy in these patients. Further studies need to show whether the determination of HMGB1 levels in patients with JIA can be a useful guideline for detecting disease activity.


Assuntos
Artrite Juvenil/diagnóstico , Artrite Juvenil/metabolismo , Proteína HMGB1/metabolismo , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/diagnóstico , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/metabolismo , Receptores Imunológicos/metabolismo , Adolescente , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Sedimentação Sanguínea , Proteína C-Reativa/metabolismo , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Humanos , Estudos Prospectivos , Receptor para Produtos Finais de Glicação Avançada , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Líquido Sinovial/metabolismo , alfa-Macroglobulinas/metabolismo
7.
Clin Exp Rheumatol ; 31(5): 803-12, 2013.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23806205

RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) presents with diverse clinical features and often with non-classical symptoms that may delay diagnosis and increase risk of morbidity and mortality. This paper aims to analyse incidence, and clinical and laboratory features of cSLE in Croatia between 1991 and 2010, and to identify factors influencing time to diagnosis. RESULTS: Medical records at three university-based tertiary care centres were analysed retrospectively for 81 children with cSLE (68 girls). Mean age at onset was 13.4±2.8 yr (interquartile range 3), and annual incidence varied from 1-15 per million at risk. The most frequent clinical and laboratory features were musculoskeletal symptoms (80%) and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (96%). The most frequent immunological laboratory findings were the presence of antibodies against histones (86%), double-stranded DNA (73%), and Sm protein (64%), as well as low levels of C3 complement (69%). Haematuria was present in 58% of children, proteinuria in 56%, and biopsy-confirmed lupus nephritis in 43%. Median time from symptom onset to diagnosis was 2 months (range 0-96). Time to diagnosis was inversely associated with ECLAM score (p<0.001), but it showed no association with age, gender, clinical features or distance from the nearest paediatric centre. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large-scale, in-depth study of clinical and laboratory features of cSLE in Croatia. Among all demographic, laboratory and clinical features examined, ECLAM score alone was inversely associated with time to diagnosis. This highlights the need to improve detection of children with fewer symptoms early in the course of the disease, therefore serious consequences for prognosis could be avoided.


Assuntos
Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/diagnóstico , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Idade de Início , Distribuição de Qui-Quadrado , Criança , Croácia/epidemiologia , Diagnóstico Tardio , Feminino , Humanos , Incidência , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/sangue , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/imunologia , Masculino , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Estudos Retrospectivos , Centros de Atenção Terciária , Fatores de Tempo
8.
PLoS Genet ; 9(1): e1003225, 2013.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23382691

RESUMO

Glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) influences IgG effector function by modulating binding to Fc receptors. To identify genetic loci associated with IgG glycosylation, we quantitated N-linked IgG glycans using two approaches. After isolating IgG from human plasma, we performed 77 quantitative measurements of N-glycosylation using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) in 2,247 individuals from four European discovery populations. In parallel, we measured IgG N-glycans using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) in a replication cohort of 1,848 Europeans. Meta-analysis of genome-wide association study (GWAS) results identified 9 genome-wide significant loci (P<2.27 × 10(-9)) in the discovery analysis and two of the same loci (B4GALT1 and MGAT3) in the replication cohort. Four loci contained genes encoding glycosyltransferases (ST6GAL1, B4GALT1, FUT8, and MGAT3), while the remaining 5 contained genes that have not been previously implicated in protein glycosylation (IKZF1, IL6ST-ANKRD55, ABCF2-SMARCD3, SUV420H1, and SMARCB1-DERL3). However, most of them have been strongly associated with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diabetes type 1, multiple sclerosis, Graves' disease, celiac disease, nodular sclerosis) and/or haematological cancers (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma). Follow-up functional experiments in haplodeficient Ikzf1 knock-out mice showed the same general pattern of changes in IgG glycosylation as identified in the meta-analysis. As IKZF1 was associated with multiple IgG N-glycan traits, we explored biomarker potential of affected N-glycans in 101 cases with SLE and 183 matched controls and demonstrated substantial discriminative power in a ROC-curve analysis (area under the curve = 0.842). Our study shows that it is possible to identify new loci that control glycosylation of a single plasma protein using GWAS. The results may also provide an explanation for the reported pleiotropy and antagonistic effects of loci involved in autoimmune diseases and haematological cancer.


Assuntos
Doenças Autoimunes , Pleiotropia Genética , Glicosiltransferases/genética , Neoplasias Hematológicas , Imunoglobulina G , Animais , Doenças Autoimunes/genética , Doenças Autoimunes/metabolismo , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Estudo de Associação Genômica Ampla , Glicosilação , Glicosiltransferases/sangue , Neoplasias Hematológicas/genética , Neoplasias Hematológicas/metabolismo , Humanos , Imunoglobulina G/sangue , Imunoglobulina G/genética , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Esclerose Múltipla/genética
9.
Rheumatol Int ; 32(11): 3471-9, 2012 Nov.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22065069

RESUMO

The aim of our study was to assess clinical variables with the best correlation to quality of life (QOL) assessed by medical outcome survey Short-Form 36 (SF-36) in patients with spondyloarthritides, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We analyzed the cohort of 54 patients (22 patients with PsA and 32 patients with AS), who filled the Croatian version of SF-36. For each type of arthritis, patients were clinically evaluated using the extensive list of clinical variables categorized into subjective and objective group. For AS patients, subjective and objective variables (spinal mobility measurements, clinical assessment of spinal pain, patient assessments of disease activity and pain) correlated mainly with the physical functioning concept of SF-36. Patients assessments of fatigue correlated with the energy/fatigue subscale, whereas patient assessment of enthesial pain correlated with the pain subscale. Correlations between clinical variables and SF-36 concepts of PsA patients showed more diverse distribution than for AS. Objective variables (spinal mobility measurements, a 76-joint score, clinical assessment of spinal pain) correlated with concepts concerning physical health and pain. Several subjective patient assessments correlated with energy/fatigue, emotional well-being, pain and general health subscales. Both patient and physician assessment of PsA activity correlated with the role limitations due to emotional problems. Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI) had the strongest correlation with the physical functioning concept of SF-36 in both diseases. Our findings provide important information to help selecting the variables with strongest impact on QOL, for better planning the management strategies and achieving better rehabilitation results.


Assuntos
Artrite Psoriásica/psicologia , Fadiga/psicologia , Dor/psicologia , Qualidade de Vida/psicologia , Espondilite Anquilosante/psicologia , Atividades Cotidianas/psicologia , Adulto , Artrite Psoriásica/fisiopatologia , Croácia , Avaliação da Deficiência , Fadiga/fisiopatologia , Feminino , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Humanos , Masculino , Saúde Mental , Dor/fisiopatologia , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Espondilite Anquilosante/fisiopatologia , Inquéritos e Questionários
10.
Expert Opin Ther Targets ; 14(10): 1121-34, 2010 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20854180

RESUMO

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Fas receptor is a mediator of the external apoptotic pathway in many cells and tissues. It is proposed that Fas receptor mediates osteoresorptive effects of estrogen deficiency and local/systemic inflammation. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review covers the past two decades of research on the expression and function of the Fas-Fas ligand system on bone cells, involvement in the pathogenesis of osteoresorption and potential therapeutic modulation. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: We review the structure, biological function and intracellular signaling pathways of the Fas-Fas ligand system emphasizing the role of the non-apoptotic signaling pathways in bone cells, particularly osteoblast differentiation. We also present data on the in vitro expression and function of the Fas-Fas ligand system on osteoblast/osteoclast lineage cells, animal and human studies confirming its involvement in osteoresorptive disorders and potential therapeutic approaches to modulate its function. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Tissue specific therapeutic approaches need to be established to modify the Fas-Fas ligand system in osteoresorptive disorders as systemic targeting has many side effects. The most promising approach would be to target Fas signaling molecules coupled with osteoblast/osteoclast differentiation pathways, but a precise definition of these targets is still needed.


Assuntos
Reabsorção Óssea/fisiopatologia , Proteína Ligante Fas/uso terapêutico , Receptor fas/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Apoptose , Reabsorção Óssea/genética , Osso e Ossos/fisiologia , Osso e Ossos/fisiopatologia , Diferenciação Celular , Linhagem da Célula , Proteína Ligante Fas/metabolismo , Proteína Ligante Fas/farmacologia , Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Terapia de Alvo Molecular , Osteoblastos/citologia , Osteoblastos/efeitos dos fármacos , Osteoblastos/metabolismo , Osteoclastos/citologia , Osteoclastos/efeitos dos fármacos , Osteoclastos/metabolismo , Osteogênese , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Receptor fas/metabolismo
11.
Lab Invest ; 90(3): 402-13, 2010 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20084056

RESUMO

Bone mass is determined by bone cell differentiation, activity, and death, which mainly occur through apoptosis. Apoptosis can be triggered by death receptor Fas (CD95), expressed on osteoblasts and osteoclasts and may be regulated by estrogen. We have previously shown that signaling through Fas inhibits osteoblast differentiation. In this study we analyzed Fas as a possible mediator of bone loss induced by estrogen withdrawal. At 4 weeks after ovariectomy (OVX), Fas gene expression was greater in osteoblasts and lower in osteoclasts in ovariectomized C57BL/6J (wild type (wt)) mice compared with sham-operated animals. OVX was unable to induce bone loss in mice with a gene knockout for Fas (Fas -/- mice). The number of osteoclasts increased in wt mice after OVX, whereas it remained unchanged in Fas -/- mice. OVX induced greater stimulation of osteoblastogenesis in Fas -/- than in wt mice, with higher expression of osteoblast-specific genes. Direct effects on bone cell differentiation and apoptosis in vivo were confirmed in vitro, in which addition of estradiol decreased Fas expression and partially abrogated the apoptotic and differentiation-inhibitory effect of Fas in osteoblast lineage cells, while having no effect on Fas-induced apoptosis in osteoclast lineage cells. In conclusion, the Fas receptor has an important role in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis by mediating apoptosis and inhibiting differentiation of osteoblast lineage cells. Modulation of Fas effects on bone cells may be used as a therapeutic target in the treatment of osteoresorptive disorders.


Assuntos
Diferenciação Celular , Estrogênios/deficiência , Osteoblastos/citologia , Osteoclastos/citologia , Osteoporose/metabolismo , Receptor fas/metabolismo , Animais , Apoptose , Linhagem da Célula , Células Cultivadas , Proteína Ligante Fas/metabolismo , Feminino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Osteoblastos/fisiologia , Osteoclastos/fisiologia , Ovariectomia , Transdução de Sinais
12.
Leuk Res ; 34(6): 742-51, 2010 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19926132

RESUMO

We assessed the expression pattern and clinical relevance of BMPs and related molecules in multiple myeloma (MM). MM bone-marrow samples (n=32) had increased BMP4, BMP6, ACVR1 and ACVR2A, and decreased NOG expression compared with controls (n=15), with BMP6 having the highest sensitivity/specificity. Within MM bone-marrow, the source of BMPs was mainly CD138(+) plasma-cell population, and BMP6 and ACVR1 expression correlated with plasma-cell percentage. Using myeloma cell lines NCI H929 and Thiel we showed that BMPs induced ID1, ID2 and IL6, and suppressed CDKN1A and BAX gene expression, and BAX protein expression. Finally, BMPs partially protected myeloma cells from bortezomib- and TRAIL-induced apoptosis. We concluded that BMPs may be involved in MM pathophysiology and serve as myeloma cell biomarkers.


Assuntos
Células da Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Receptores de Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/genética , Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/genética , Proteínas Inibidoras de Diferenciação/genética , Mieloma Múltiplo/genética , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Células da Medula Óssea/patologia , Receptores de Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/metabolismo , Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/metabolismo , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Proliferação de Células , Feminino , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Proteínas Inibidoras de Diferenciação/metabolismo , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Mieloma Múltiplo/metabolismo , Mieloma Múltiplo/patologia , Células Tumorais Cultivadas , Regulação para Cima/genética
13.
J Rheumatol ; 37(2): 246-56, 2010 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20008919

RESUMO

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether different forms of arthritis and disease activity could be distinguished by peripheral blood expression profiles of bone-regulatory factors including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-superfamily [TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), the Fas ligand (FasL), and the ligand for herpesvirus entry mediator (LIGHT)] and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-family members (BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-6) as well as osteoblast differentiation gene Runx2. METHODS: Blood cells from healthy controls (n = 25) and patients at different disease stages with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 49), osteoarthritis (OA; n = 17), or spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS; n = 27) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA; n = 23), were processed for quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gene expression was assessed in comparison with control samples, correlated with clinical data of different forms of arthritis, and analyzed for discriminative efficacy between groups by receiver-operation characteristic (ROC) curves. Results were confirmed on diagnostic RA (n = 5) and AS (n = 8) samples. RESULTS: BMP-4, BMP-6, and Runx2 expressions were significantly decreased in patients with RA and OA versus controls. Patients with RA also had decreased FasL and LIGHT expression, while patients with AS had increased Runx2 expression. Negative correlation with disease activity was found for BMP-4, FasL, and Runx2 in RA and for Runx2 in PsA, while positive correlation was found for BMP-4 in PsA. Gene expression was higher in the therapy-resistant form of AS (for BMP-4, LIGHT, and Runx2) and in methotrexate-treated patients in RA (for BMP-2 and LIGHT). ROC curve analysis confirmed discrimination between groups, particularly decreased LIGHT and Runx2 for RA and increased Runx2 for AS. CONCLUSION: Our study identified BMP and Runx2 as possible biomarkers of bone metabolism in several forms of arthritis, while lower FasL and LIGHT were associated with RA. Correlation between gene expression and disease activity may be clinically useful in assessing therapeutic effectiveness and disease monitoring.


Assuntos
Artrite/diagnóstico , Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/genética , Subunidade alfa 1 de Fator de Ligação ao Core/genética , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Fatores de Necrose Tumoral/genética , Adulto , Idoso , Análise de Variância , Artrite/genética , Artrite/imunologia , Biomarcadores/análise , Proteínas Morfogenéticas Ósseas/imunologia , Subunidade alfa 1 de Fator de Ligação ao Core/imunologia , Feminino , Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Leucócitos Mononucleares/química , Leucócitos Mononucleares/imunologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , RNA Mensageiro/genética , RNA Mensageiro/imunologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Estatísticas não Paramétricas , Fatores de Necrose Tumoral/imunologia
14.
Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets ; 8(2): 139-45, 2009 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19530996

RESUMO

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a group of chronic childhood arthritides of unknown origin. Although the use of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants brought a substantial improvement in treatment, the present therapeutic regime could not be considered satisfactory. As inflammation seems to be an essential part of pathogenesis of JIA, efforts have been made to develop pharmaceutical means to mitigate the innate immune system. Emerging targets for treatment are alarmins, a family of multifunctional intracellular proteins with strong pro-inflammatory activity. In the context of JIA, particularly interesting are high mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) and three members of the S100 family: S100A8, S100A9, and S100A12. No definite conclusion can be made at the time, but both animal models and clinical studies support the concept of alarmins as possible key mediators of JIA. Therefore, pharmacological interference with alarmin pathways could turn out to be an excellent strategy for long-term management of JIA. Several options have been tested and they either inhibit the release of alarmins or sequester the already secreted ones. Although still very few in number, therapeutic experiments on mice are quite optimistic. Thus, it was the purpose of the present review to give an overview of the present knowledge on the topic and to bring this exciting new therapeutic possibility to the focus of rheumatologists.


Assuntos
Artrite Juvenil/imunologia , Artrite Reumatoide/imunologia , Proteína HMGB1/metabolismo , Receptores Imunológicos/metabolismo , Proteínas S100/metabolismo , Animais , Anti-Inflamatórios/imunologia , Artrite Juvenil/diagnóstico , Artrite Juvenil/fisiopatologia , Artrite Juvenil/terapia , Artrite Reumatoide/diagnóstico , Artrite Reumatoide/fisiopatologia , Artrite Reumatoide/terapia , Terapia Biológica/tendências , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica , Glucocorticoides/uso terapêutico , Proteína HMGB1/química , Proteína HMGB1/genética , Proteína HMGB1/imunologia , Humanos , Imunidade Inata , Camundongos , Prognóstico , Receptor para Produtos Finais de Glicação Avançada , Receptores Imunológicos/química , Receptores Imunológicos/genética , Receptores Imunológicos/imunologia , Proteínas S100/química , Proteínas S100/genética , Proteínas S100/imunologia
15.
Immunol Lett ; 121(2): 134-9, 2008 Dec 22.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18992278

RESUMO

Mice with interleukin (IL)-7 transgene under the control of E(alpha) promoter over-express IL-7 in MHC class II-positive cells and develop specific immune phenotype, marked by an increase in CD45R(+) cells in both the bone marrow and peripheral blood. We show that IL-7 transgenic mice have a bone phenotype characterized by an age-related loss of trabecular bone in both axial and long bones. Osteopenia was the result of increased number of active osteoclasts on the surface of trabecular bone. Furthermore, IL-7 transgenic mice showed increased osteoclastic but unchanged osteoblastic potential of the bone marrow in vitro. IL-7 over-expression also created osteoclastogenic microenvironment within the bone marrow which promoted the commitment of precursors towards the osteoclast lineage. These findings are important for immunological disturbances where IL-7 is involved and where alterations in the immune system are accompanied by changes in bone metabolism, such as multiple myeloma, rheumatoid arthritis and postmenopausal osteoporosis.


Assuntos
Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas/imunologia , Reabsorção Óssea/imunologia , Interleucina-7/biossíntese , Linfócitos/metabolismo , Osteoclastos/metabolismo , Fatores Etários , Animais , Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas/sangue , Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas/genética , Medula Óssea/imunologia , Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Reabsorção Óssea/sangue , Reabsorção Óssea/genética , Diferenciação Celular , Linhagem da Célula , Proliferação de Células , Genes MHC da Classe II/genética , Genes MHC da Classe II/imunologia , Interleucina-7/genética , Interleucina-7/imunologia , Antígenos Comuns de Leucócito/sangue , Antígenos Comuns de Leucócito/genética , Antígenos Comuns de Leucócito/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Transgênicos , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética
16.
Drug News Perspect ; 20(8): 485-94, 2007 Oct.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18080035

RESUMO

Interleukin (IL)-18 is an important regulator of both innate and acquired immune responses. It is upregulated in several human autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and, therefore, might represent a novel therapeutic target. This review highlights the biology of IL-18, its central role in inflammation and immune response, as well as provides evidence for the involvement of IL-18 in selected chronic inflammatory diseases. After that, the authors discuss various therapeutic strategies of IL-18 blockade in clinical and preclinical models, particularly the inhibition of IL-18 secretion, IL-18 binding protein, anti-IL-18 monoclonal antibodies and soluble IL-18 receptor.


Assuntos
Produtos Biológicos/farmacologia , Interleucina-18/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Produtos Biológicos/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Doenças do Sistema Imunitário/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças do Sistema Imunitário/imunologia , Doenças do Sistema Imunitário/metabolismo , Interleucina-18/imunologia , Interleucina-18/metabolismo , Modelos Imunológicos , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/citologia , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/efeitos dos fármacos , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/imunologia
17.
Clin Rheumatol ; 26(8): 1332-4, 2007 Aug.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17597334

RESUMO

The objective of this report is to explore the balance between serum and synovial fluid levels of interleukin (IL)-18 in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Blood samples were obtained from 81 children with JIA and 18 control children. Synovial fluid samples were collected from 16 children with oligoarticular JIA. Concentrations of IL-18 were determined using commercial kit. Patients with systemic JIA had higher serum levels of IL-18 than patients with other forms of JIA or control children, both during the active (median, range: 6,240, 1,600-78,750 pg/ml) and inactive (1,615, 513-3,270 pg/ml) phase of disease [analysis of variance (ANOVA), P<0.05). Levels of IL-18 in sera of children with oligoarticular JIA (255, 89-4,342 pg/ml) were similar to the respective synovial fluid levels (217, 89-1,245 pg/ml). Serum levels of IL-18 were proportional to the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and levels of C-reactive protein, but inversely proportional to the haemoglobin levels. IL-18 appears to be an important mediator of systemic JIA, while it seems of a lesser relevance in pathogenesis of other JIA forms. Therefore, inhibition of IL-18 might be a base for a successful biological therapy for systemic JIA.


Assuntos
Artrite Juvenil/imunologia , Interleucina-18/sangue , Líquido Sinovial/imunologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Artrite Juvenil/sangue , Biomarcadores , Sedimentação Sanguínea , Proteína C-Reativa/análise , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Hemoglobinas/análise , Humanos , Lactente , Masculino , Líquido Sinovial/química
18.
J Immunol ; 178(6): 3379-89, 2007 Mar 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17339432

RESUMO

Apoptosis through Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) is an important regulator of immune system homeostasis but its role in bone homeostasis is elusive. We systematically analyzed: 1) the expression of Fas/FasL during osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis in vitro, 2) the effect of FasL on apoptosis and osteoblastic/osteoclastic differentiation, and 3) osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis in mice deficient in Fas or FasL. The expression of Fas increased with osteoblastic differentiation. Addition of FasL weakly increased the proportion of apoptotic cells in both osteoclastogenic and osteoblastogenic cultures. In a CFU assay, FasL decreased the proportion of osteoblast colonies but did not affect the total number of colonies, indicating specific inhibitory effect of Fas/FasL on osteoblastic differentiation. The effect depended on the activation of caspase 8 and was specific, as addition of FasL to osteoblastogenic cultures significantly decreased gene expression for runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) required for osteoblastic differentiation. Bone marrow from mice without functional Fas or FasL had similar osteoclastogenic potential as bone marrow from wild-type mice, but generated more osteoblast colonies ex vivo. These colonies had increased expression of the osteoblast genes Runx2, osteopontin, alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, and osteoprotegerin. Our results indicate that Fas/FasL system primarily controls osteoblastic differentiation by inhibiting progenitor differentiation and not by inducing apoptosis. During osteoclastogenesis, the Fas/FasL system may have a limited effect on osteoclast progenitor apoptosis. The study suggests that Fas/FasL system plays a key role in osteoblastic differentiation and provides novel insight into the interactions between the immune system and bone.


Assuntos
Apoptose/imunologia , Diferenciação Celular/imunologia , Proteína Ligante Fas/imunologia , Osteoblastos/imunologia , Osteoclastos/imunologia , Receptor fas/imunologia , Animais , Antígenos de Diferenciação/biossíntese , Antígenos de Diferenciação/imunologia , Apoptose/genética , Medula Óssea/imunologia , Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Células da Medula Óssea/imunologia , Células da Medula Óssea/metabolismo , Matriz Óssea/imunologia , Matriz Óssea/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Células Cultivadas , Proteína Ligante Fas/deficiência , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Mutantes , Osteoblastos/citologia , Osteoblastos/metabolismo , Osteoclastos/citologia , Osteoclastos/metabolismo , Células-Tronco/citologia , Células-Tronco/imunologia , Células-Tronco/metabolismo , Receptor fas/deficiência
19.
Coll Antropol ; 30(2): 395-400, 2006 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16848157

RESUMO

Cardiac surgery (CS) with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induces systemic inflammatory response by activating plasma proteins and blood cells. Activated monocytes/macrophages produce inflammatory marker neopterin (NP). The aim was to explore the NP kinetics in first 24 hours after CS according to the CPB use. Significant difference between groups was found for NP levels 12 and 24 hrs after CS, being higher in on-pump group. Strong association was found between NP levels 12 hrs after CS and the length of ICU stay for on-pump group (r=0.744, p<0.001). Strong association was found between preoperative NP levels and the length of ICU stay for those on-pump patients with elevated preoperative NP (r=0.855, p=0.001; linear regression equation y=0.50x-5.14, p<0.001). Preoperative NP levels higher than 10 nmol/L in on-pump group could predict prolonged ICU stay and outpoint patients at higher risk for developing postoperative complications and, therefore, help to determine the necessary therapeutic interventions.


Assuntos
Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Cardíacos/efeitos adversos , Ponte Cardiopulmonar/efeitos adversos , Neopterina/sangue , Síndrome de Resposta Inflamatória Sistêmica/diagnóstico , Idoso , Análise de Variância , Biomarcadores/sangue , Feminino , Humanos , Tempo de Internação , Modelos Lineares , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Síndrome de Resposta Inflamatória Sistêmica/sangue , Síndrome de Resposta Inflamatória Sistêmica/etiologia
20.
Teach Learn Med ; 18(2): 126-9, 2006.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16626270

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Although publishing in scientific journals has an educational component, the educational role of journals in medicine has not been evaluated. PURPOSE: To assess whether tutoring authors in a medical scientific journal could be related to their long-term scientific publications and academic advancement. METHODS: The study included 47 journal authors who were individually tutored in scientific writing and data presentation by the editors of the Croatian Medical Journal during the 1991-1995 war years and 47 colleagues the authors identified as their academic peers at the time of tutoring. We assessed their published articles in scientific journals, citations to these articles, and academic advancement, defined as the level of postgraduate education and advancement in the academic rank. RESULTS: By 2003, tutored authors published more articles in MEDLINE-indexed journals than their academic peers (median = 4, interquartile range = 1-9 vs. 1 [0-5], respectively; p = .0265), and received more citations to these articles (4 [0-16] vs. 1 [0-6], p = .0275). They also made a significantly greater academic advancement, assessed as a score of their academic rank and research degree (2 [0-4] vs. 1 [0-2], p = .0369). CONCLUSIONS: Editorial tutoring of journal authors can positively influence their long-term academic advancement. Journals may have an important teaching role in local academic communities.


Assuntos
Autoria , Educação Médica , Jornalismo Médico , Ensino , Croácia , Humanos
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