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- Nilsson, Bengt-Olof, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Antinuclear antibodies in the oldest-old women and men
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Autoimmun. - : Elsevier. ; 27:4, s. 281-288
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in very old individuals (>/=86years of age) with healthy younger (18-68years) blood donors (n=200) regarding gender, health status, ratio of circulating CD4/CD8 cells and cytomegalovirus (CMV) serology. Frozen plasma was used for ANA detection in two study groups, i.e. 'OCTO' (97 persons aged 86-92years, 65% women) and 'NONA' (136 persons aged 86-95years, 70% women). OCTO participants were recruited on the basis that they were healthy or moderately healthy according to a selection protocol. No exclusion criteria regarding health status were applied in the NONA sample. The prevalence of ANA was significantly higher in the oldest-old samples compared to blood donors. There was no association between health status and the presence of ANA in the oldest-old. The difference across age was most pro-nounced in men, with low levels at younger age, whereas the prevalence among the oldest-old men reached similar levels as in women. There were no associations between the presence of ANA and CD4/CD8 ratio or with CMV status in the oldest-old. Our findings confirm an in-creased prevalence of ANA in the oldest-old, and emphasize the importance of taking gender and age into consideration when evaluating ANA.
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| 2. |
- Sjöwall, Christopher, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Abnormal Antinuclear Antibody Titers Are Less Common Than Generally Assumed in Established Cases of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 35, s. 1994-2000
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To evaluate antinuclear antibody (ANA) tests in established cases of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy (F-ANA) and enzyme-immunoassays detecting antinucleosomal antibodies (ANSA-EIA). METHODS: Sera from 50 patients with SLE and 65 patients with RA were analyzed regarding abnormal concentrations of F-ANA (serum dilution >/= 1:200 = 95th percentile among 300 healthy blood donors). The sera were also analyzed with 2 commercial ANSA-EIA kits. RESULTS: An abnormal F-ANA titer occurred in 76% of the SLE sera compared to 23% in RA, and was not related to present use of antirheumatic drugs. At dilution 1:50, 84% of the SLE sera were F-ANA-positive compared to 20% of healthy women. Forty percent and 56%, respectively, of the SLE sera tested positive in the 2 ANSA-EIA kits. By the most sensitive assay, 96% of the ANSA-positive SLE sera produced a homogenous (chromosomal) F-ANA staining pattern compared to 18% of the ANSA-negative SLE sera. Ten of the 15 F-ANA-positive RA sera (63%) generated homogenous F-ANA staining and 13 (20%) tested positive in the most sensitive ANSA-EIA, but with no correlation to the F-ANA staining pattern. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of F-ANA at an abnormal titer was surprisingly low (76%) in established cases of SLE. ANSA occurred in 56% of the SLE sera, but also in a fair number (20%) of RA sera. Practically all ANSA-positive SLE sera were identified by chromosomal F-ANA staining. We conclude that the antigen-specific antinucleosomal EIA does not have high enough diagnostic specificity to justify use of this analysis for routine diagnostic purposes.
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| 5. |
- Skogh, Thomas, 1952-
(författare)
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Does a positive anti-CCP test identify a distinct arthritis entity?
- 2005
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Ingår i: Arthritis Research and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6354. ; 7:6, s. 230-232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The introduction of tests recognizing 'anti-citrullinated protein antibodies' (ACPA) has caused a revolution in rheumatology. Immunization against citrullinated proteins is a feature almost unique for rheumatoid arthritis, although ACPA may occur long before the onset of symptoms. Even if the presence of ACPA does not seem to reveal a distinct arthritis phenotype at symptom onset, it predicts an aggressive disease course with unfavourable outcome. Despite the very high diagnostic specificity for rheumatoid arthritis, ACPA-positivity does not always accord with a traditional diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis at clinical presentation. However, even when these patients are judged to suffer from mild undifferentiated arthritis, they call for follow-up and special attention by rheumatologists. © 2005 BioMed Central Ltd.
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| 6. |
- Skoglund, Caroline, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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C-reactive protein and C1q regulate platelet adhesion and activation on adsorbed immunoglobulin G and albumin.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Immunology and cell biology. - : Wiley. - 0818-9641 .- 1440-1711. ; 86:5, s. 466-74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Blood platelets and C-reactive protein (CRP) are both used clinically as markers of ongoing inflammation, and both participate actively in inflammatory responses, although the biological effects are still incompletely understood. Rapidly adhering platelets express receptors for complement factor 1q (C1q) and the Fc part of immunoglobulin G (IgG), and CRP is known to activate/regulate complement via C1q binding, and to ligate FcgammaRs. In the present study, we used normal human IgG pre-adsorbed to a well-characterized methylated surface as a model solid-phase immune complex when investigating the effects of CRP and C1q on platelet adhesion and activation. Protein adsorption was characterized using ellipsometry and polyclonal antibodies, and human serum albumin (HSA) and non-coated surfaces were used as reference surfaces. Platelet adhesion to IgG and HSA was inhibited by both C1q and CRP. Furthermore, CRP (moderately) and C1q (markedly) decreased the spreading of adhering platelets. The combination of C1q and CRP was slightly more potent in reducing cell adhesion to IgG, and also impaired the adhesion to HSA and non-coated surfaces. Platelet production of thromboxane B2 (TXB(2)) was also reduced by C1q both in the presence and absence of CRP, whereas CRP alone had no effect on TXB(2) production. We conclude that CRP and C1q regulate the behaviour of platelets, and that this may be an important immunoregulatory mechanism during inflammatory conditions.
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| 7. |
- Skoglund, Caroline, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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C-reactive protein inhibit complement-mediated platelet activation suggesting a protective role in atherogenesis
- 2006
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis Supplements. - Clare, Ireland : Elsevier. - 1567-5688 .- 1878-5050. ; 7:3, s. 284-284
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective: C-reactive protein (CRP) represents a powerful predictor of coro- nary artery disease. However, its physiological role is not fully understood. The binding of CRP to its ligand phosphorylcholine (PC) activates the com- plement system via the classical pathway, although limited to the initial stages, i.e. no membrane attack complex is formed. The aim of this study was to chaxacterize CRP-induced complement activation on PC-coated surfaces, and to investigate the regulatory effects of PC-bound crp on complement induced platelet activation.Methods: PC conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin was immobilized to cross-linked fibrinogen on silica particles. Ellipsometry and polyclonal anti- bodies were used to quantify deposition of serum proteins, complement factors and CRP on the surfaces. Washed platelets as well as serum were prepared according to standard protocols. CRP concentrations were measured with a high sensitivity assay. Lumi-aggregometry was used to evaluate the effects of PC-coated particles and CRP on complement-induced platelet aggregation and secretion.Results: Serum (5%) induced platelet aggregation and secretion through complement-dependent mechanisms. PC-coated particles antagonized the complement-mediated platelet activation but only if CRP was present. Inter- estingly, we found that a minor elevation of CRR below 5 rag/1 was sufficient to inhibit platelet activation.Conclusions: We suggest that CRP bound to PC-expressing ligands, e.g. bacteria or modified low-density lipoproteins in an atherosclerotic lesion, modulate complement activation and thereby prevent a harmful platelet activation.
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| 8. |
- Svärd, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Presence and utility of IgA-class antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides in early rheumatoid arthritis : the Swedish TIRA project
- 2008
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Ingår i: Arthritis Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6354 .- 1478-6362. ; 10:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IntroductionThe present study was carried out to assess whether IgA-class antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptides (IgA anti-CCP) in recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis add diagnostic and/or prognostic information to IgG anti-CCP analysis.MethodsSerum samples were obtained from 228 patients with recent-onset (<12 months) rheumatoid arthritis at the time of inclusion in the Swedish TIRA cohort (Swedish Early Intervention in Rheumatoid Arthritis). Sera from 72 of these patients were also available at the 3-year follow-up. Disease activity and functional ability measures (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C-reactive protein, 28-joint count Disease Activity Score, physician's assessment of disease activity, and the Swedish version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire) were registered at inclusion and at regular follow-ups during 3 years. An IgA anti-CCP assay was developed based on the commercially available IgG-specific enzyme immunoassay from EuroDiagnostica (Arnhem, the Netherlands), replacing the detection antibody by an anti-human-IgA antibody. A positive IgA anti-CCP test was defined by the 99th percentile among healthy blood donors.ResultsAt baseline, a positive IgA anti-CCP test was observed in 29% of the patient sera, all of which also tested positive for IgG anti-CCP at a higher average level than sera containing IgG anti-CCP alone. The IgA anti-CCP-positive patients had significantly higher disease activity over time compared with the IgA anti-CCP-negative patients. After considering the IgG anti-CCP level, the disease activity also tended to be higher in the IgA anti-CCP-positive cases – although this difference did not reach statistical significance. The proportion of IgA anti-CCP-positive patients was significantly larger among smokers than among nonsmokers.ConclusionAnti-CCP antibodies of the IgA class were found in about one-third of patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis, all of whom also had IgG anti-CCP. The occurrence of IgA-class antibodies was associated with smoking, and IgA anti-CCP-positive patients had a more severe disease course over 3 years compared with IgA anti-CCP-negative cases. Although IgA anti-CCP analysis does not seem to offer any diagnostic information in addition to IgG anti-CCP analysis, further efforts are justified to investigate the prognostic implications.
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