Dantrolene, a stabilizer of the ryanodine receptor, prevents collagen-induced arthritis.

Dantrolene inhibits Ca2+ leakage from destabilized ryanodine receptors and therefore may serve as a therapeutic agent against endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated diseases. However, its effectiveness in treating autoimmune diseases remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of dantrolene on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Oral administration of dantrolene resulted in significantly lower arthritic scores in both male and female CIA mice than in the control mice. Micro-computed tomographic and histological analyses showed that dantrolene suppressed bone and chondral destruction. The serum levels of anti-type II collagen (CII) IgG were positively correlated with the arthritic scores (r = 0.704, p < 0.01). In addition, the serum levels of anti-CII IgG were significantly lower in the dantrolene group than in the control group (p < 0.05). These results demonstrate that oral administration of dantrolene to CIA mice inhibits the production of serum anti-CII IgG and consequently prevents arthritis. Therefore, dantrolene may be a potential anti-rheumatic drug.

Echocardiographic features of acute-phase microscopic polyangiitis in Japanese patients: A single-centre retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) affects various organs. However, echocardiographic findings of MPA are unclear. We aimed to evaluate the echocardiographic features of acute-phase MPA in Japanese patients. METHODS: This single-centre retrospective study included 15 patients with MPA who underwent echocardiography within 2 weeks of commencing steroid therapy for induction or reinduction. The echocardiography parameters of thetients were compared with those of 30 age- and sex-matched controls. RESULTS: No significant differences in left ventricular (LV) diameter, LV ejection fraction, or e' were observed between the two groups. However, the MPA group showed a significantly higher left atrial (LA) diameter and LA volume index, as well as higher early diastolic filling velocity, diastolic pulmonary venous flow velocity, and trans-tricuspid pressure gradient, and a shorter deceleration time (DCT). Serum C-reactive protein levels were positively correlated with E wave, E/A, and DCT. These results may indicate that increased LV stiffness, rather than impairment of LV relaxation, contributed to LV diastolic function, resulting in LA enlargement. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with acute-phase MPA had LA dilatation associated with LV diastolic dysfunction. This finding indicates the importance of cardiac assessment in patients with MPA, especially in patients with a strong inflammatory reaction.

Chest wall muscle atrophy as a contributory factor for forced vital capacity decline in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential contribution of accessory respiratory muscle atrophy to the decline of forced vital capacity (FVC) in patients with SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: This single-centre, retrospective study enrolled 36 patients with SSc-ILD who underwent serial pulmonary function tests and chest high-resolution CT (HRCT) simultaneously at an interval of 1-3 years. The total extent of ILD and chest wall muscle area at the level of the ninth thoracic vertebra on CT images were evaluated by two independent evaluators blinded to the patient information. Changes in the FVC, ILD extent, and chest wall muscle area between the two measurements were assessed in terms of their correlations. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify the independent contributors to FVC decline. RESULTS: Interval changes in FVC and total ILD extent were variable among patients, whereas chest wall muscle area decreased significantly with time (P=0.0008). The FVC change was negatively correlated with the change in ILD extent (r=-0.48, P=0.003) and was positively correlated with the change in the chest wall muscle area (r = 0.53, P=0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that changes in total ILD extent and chest wall muscle area were independent contributors to FVC decline. CONCLUSION: In patients with SSc-ILD, FVC decline is attributable not only to the progression of ILD but also to the atrophy of accessory respiratory muscles. Our findings call attention to the interpretation of FVC changes in patients with SSc-ILD.

Change in muscle volume after steroid therapy in patients with myositis assessed using cross-sectional computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: Steroid therapy, a key therapy for inflammatory, allergic, and immunological disorders, is often associated with steroid myopathy as one of the side effects. Steroid therapy is considered the first-line therapy for myositis; however, there have been no reports strictly comparing the muscle mass in patients with myositis before and after steroid therapy. Thus, it is currently unclear whether steroid therapy for such patients affects muscle volume in addition to muscle strength. We aimed to determine the change in muscle mass after steroid therapy via cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) in patients with myositis. METHODS: Data from seven patients with myositis and eight controls, who were all treated with high doses of steroids, were assessed before and after steroid therapy. Clinical factors in patients with myositis included serum muscle enzyme levels and muscular strength. The cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle and the low muscle attenuation rate at the level of the caudal end of the third lumbar vertebra were obtained using CT and measured using an image analysis program for all patients. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using several well-established statistical tests. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for comparing paired data for each patient. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare sets of data sampled from two groups. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used for determining the correlations between two variables. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Muscular strength and serum muscle enzyme levels improved following steroid therapy in patients with myositis. In both groups, the cross-sectional areas of skeletal muscles decreased (myositis group: p = 0.0156; control group: p = 0.0391) and the low muscle attenuation rate tended to increase (myositis group: p = 0.0781; control group: p = 0.0547). In the myositis group, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease showed a tendency toward muscle volume loss (p = 0.0571). CONCLUSION: In patients with myositis treated with steroid therapy, muscle mass decreased after steroid therapy suggesting that the improvement in muscle strength was due to factors other than a change in muscle volume. Our study suggests the importance of therapies that not only improve muscle mass but also improve the quality of muscle strength.

Serial changes in anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use: A single-center prospective study.

Patients with autoimmune diseases treated with corticosteroids sometimes display feelings of anxiety regarding corticosteroid use. In this single-center prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the serial changes in anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use in 18 patients with autoimmune diseases. The degree of anxiety toward corticosteroid use was assessed using the visual analogue scale. Comprehension of drug characteristics and use was assessed using the Likert scale. To assess the patients' levels of depression and anxiety we used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. These surveys were conducted immediately before the initiation of corticosteroid therapy and just before discharge from the hospital. We observed a decrease in anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores before discharge. However, we did not detect a correlation between these score changes. Additionally, we found that patients who had a poor understanding of the drugs showed little or no changes in their anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use at discharge. These results suggest that some aspects of anxiety related to corticosteroids might be groundless and substantiated by assumptions without a complete understanding of corticosteroid functioning. Patient education regarding corticosteroid use may lead to reductions in anxiety levels and improvement in quality of life of the patients.

Cooling treatment transiently increases the permeability of brain capillary endothelial cells through translocation of claudin-5.

The blood-brain-barrier (BBB) is formed by different cell types, of which brain microvascular endothelial cells are major structural constituents. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of cooling on the permeability of the BBB with reference to tight junction formation of brain microendothelial cells. The sensorimotor cortex above the dura mater in adult male Wistar rats was focally cooled to a temperature of 5 °C for 1 h, then immunostaining for immunoglobulin G (IgG) was performed to evaluate the permeability of the BBB. Permeability produced by cooling was also evaluated in cultured murine brain endothelial cells (bEnd3) based on measurement of trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER). Immunocytochemistry and Western blotting of proteins associated with tight junctions in bEnd3 were performed to determine protein distribution before and after cooling. After focal cooling of the rat brain cortex, diffuse immunostaining for IgG was observed primarily around the small vasculature and in the extracellular spaces of parenchyma of the cortex. In cultured bEnd3, TEER significantly decreased during cooling (15 °C) and recovered to normal levels after rewarming to 37 °C. Immunocytochemistry and Western blotting showed that claudin-5, a critical regulatory protein for tight junctions, was translocated from the membrane to the cytoplasm after cooling in cultured bEnd3 cells. These results suggest that focal brain cooling may open the BBB transiently through an effect on tight junctions of brain microendothelial cells, and that therapeutically this approach may allow control of BBB function and drug delivery through the BBB.

Glomerulonephritis and Interstitial Nephritis Originating from Vasculitis of the Interlobular Arteries of the Kidney in a Patient with Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a type of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Patients often present with peripheral neuropathy and purpura, suggesting impairment of small vessels, especially capillaries. However, medium-sized vessels and small vessels with a vascular diameter larger than that of capillaries may also be impaired, causing atypical findings. We report a case of EGPA treated with corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, and mepolizumab. Renal biopsy revealed vasculitis of the interlobular arteries as the cause of glomerulonephritis and interstitial nephritis. This case suggests the importance of considering vessels upstream of capillaries dominant EGPA as a differential diagnosis in patients with eosinophilia.

Utility of Ultrasonography in Assessing Periaortitis Associated with Retroperitoneal Fibrosis: A Case Report.

Periaortitis is a rare vascular manifestation and is often associated with retroperitoneal fibrosis. Herein, we describe a case of periaortitis accompanied by retroperitoneal fibrosis in a patient who developed acute kidney insufficiency due to bilateral ureteral stenosis. Ultrasonography at presentation detected thickness of the outer layer of the bilateral common iliac artery and right internal and external iliac arteries, consistent with periaortitis. Moreover, follow-up ultrasound images revealed subsiding of the thickness of the arterial wall in response to treatment with corticosteroids. Because of its noninvasiveness and handiness, ultrasonography has become popular for the assessment of large vessels in clinical practice, particularly monitoring for affected lesions. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography are currently used for the diagnosis and monitoring of periaortitis, but in this case, ultrasonography was utilized in the diagnosis and monitoring of periaortitis as a supportive imaging modality, as the use of contrast agents was contraindicated because of renal insufficiency.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis complicated with diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and central nervous system vasculitis.

Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and central nervous system vasculitis are life-threatening complications of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. The simultaneous occurrence of diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and central nervous system vasculitis is a rare presentation of antibody-associated vasculitis. Its diagnosis by histopathology is difficult because biopsy is difficult to perform, and urgent treatment is needed. We report a case of a Japanese man with diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and central nervous system vasculitis associated with antibody-associated vasculitis. New classification criteria may be needed for diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and central nervous system vasculitis associated with systemic vasculitis. When antibiotic-resistant atypical bilateral pneumonia is noted in the acute phase of a cerebral stroke, with elements suggestive of vasculitis, clinicians should be aware that diffuse alveolar haemorrhage and central nervous system vasculitis may occur simultaneously.

Infratentorial onset of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a patient with systematic lupus erythematosus complicated with lymphoma: a case report.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a rare opportunistic infection of the central nervous system caused by reactivation of JC virus (JCV). Typical PML shows confluent, bilateral but asymmetric, subcortical lesions in the supratentorial white matter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report here a 50-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with lymphoma who developed PML with atypical brain MRI findings limited to the infratentorial area at presentation. She presented with numbness on the right side of the face, including her tongue, clumsiness of the right hand, and gait disturbance, after completion of remission induction therapy for lymphoma, including rituximab. Brain MRI demonstrated a solitary lesion limited to the cerebellum and brainstem, but a definitive diagnosis could not be made from cerebrospinal fluid study or tentative histologic evaluation of brain biopsy specimens. Despite methylprednisolone pulse therapy, her neurological deficits progressively worsened. One month later, in-depth analysis of her cerebrospinal fluid and brain biopsy specimens confirmed the presence of JCV. Eventually, the localised unilateral crescent-shaped cerebellar lesions on MRI expanded to the contralateral cerebellum, middle cerebellar hemisphere, pons, and midbrain and finally developed multifocal invasion into the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres. Our case suggests that PML could first present with a solitary infratentorial lesion in immunocompromised patients.

Treatment of Class IV Lupus Nephritis with Mycophenolate Mofetil Monotherapy.

Lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in up to 60% of systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Combination therapy involving a corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been a standard therapy for LN. However, clinicians generally prefer to minimize steroid use in LN treatment. We herein report the case of a Japanese man with LN whose severe chronic heart failure prevented us from using steroid therapy. Instead, his LN was successfully treated with MMF monotherapy. Based on our experience with this case, we suggest that MMF monotherapy may represent a feasible LN treatment option in patients who cannot tolerate steroid therapy.

Dermatomyositis Complicated by Digital Ischemia and Lung Adenocarcinoma in a Patient with Positive Anti-signal Recognition Particle Antibodies.

A 58-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with anti-signal recognition particle (SRP)-positive dermatomyositis associated with Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and lung adenocarcinoma. She presented with cutaneous lesions, including ulceration of her right middle finger. Tissue specimens obtained from her right deltoid muscle were positive for CD4+ T-cell infiltration and the sarcolemma showed the upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens. The present case suggests that overlapping autoimmune diseases or complications of malignancy may result in an atypical clinical presentations and histological findings in patients with anti-SRP antibody-positive dermatomyositis.

Successful Treatment of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Associated with Lupus Nephritis by Using Mycophenolate Mofetil.

An estimated 0.9% to 2.4% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) also have hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). HLH associated with autoimmune diseases is often refractory to corticosteroid treatment; thus, additional immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, or tacrolimus, are required. Here, we describe the case of a 44-year-old Japanese woman who developed HLH associated with lupus nephritis. Initially, her HLH was refractory to treatment with a corticosteroid, tacrolimus, and mizoribine. However, alternative treatment with a corticosteroid, mycophenolate mofetil, and tacrolimus improved both her HLH and lupus nephritis. This case suggests the possibility of mycophenolate mofetil as a key drug for treating HLH associated with SLE.