Lumping or splitting autoimmune rheumatic disorders? Lessons from Sjogren's syndrome

Beyond lumping and splitting

Unlike synchronic linguists, who can ask their consultants for additional data and examples, historical linguists are, for the most part, stuck with the data we have. Only rarely are we able to add to the corpus of available texts, or find additional examples of a rare combination of phonemes. The problems of historical linguistics are thus inherently probabilistic: we must constantly decide wh...

Corticobasal Degeneration and Corticobasal Syndrome: Lumping Versus Splitting

s S43 Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 23 (2011) S5–S41 DOI 10.3233/JAD-2011-001433 IOS Press S5

The Progression of Posterior Cortical Atrophy to Corticobasal Syndrome: Lumping or Splitting Neurodegenerative Diseases?

BACKGROUND Posterior cortical atrophy is a clinical syndrome that is characterized by the progressive loss of visuospatial integration and is associated with neurodegenerative conditions. CASE REPORT We describe a 60-year-old female with simultanagnosia, oculomotor apraxia, and optic ataxia for which she received an initial clinical diagnosis of posterior cortical atrophy. Three years later, ...

The Hpa Axis in Autoimmune Rheumatic Disorders

Defensins: Potential Effectors in Autoimmune Rheumatic Disorders

Defensins are small cationic peptides with antimicrobial properties. They constitute a highly conserved innate immune defense mechanism across species. Based on the arrangement of disulfide-bonds, αand β-defensins are distinguished in humans. Both types of defensin comprise several distinct molecules that are preferentially expressed at epithelial surfaces and in blood cells. In the last decade...