Severe Autoimmune Diseases

Stem cell therapy for severe autoimmune diseases

The interest in autoimmune diseases (ADs) is increasing exponentially (1, 2). Their estimated prevalence in Western countries ranges from 3% to 70% of the general population (3). Autoimmunity coincides with the loss of tolerance to the self (4); it is thought of as a persistent failure of an integrated fabric of components rather than the adverse consequence of a specific “forbidden clone” (5)....

Repeated treatment with high dose cyclophosphamide for severe autoimmune diseases.

High dose cyclophosphamide (HiCY) without stem cell rescue has been shown to induce remissions in patients with severe autoimmune disorders (SADS). However, up to 80% of these patients ultimately relapse. Here we review the outcomes of seven patients treated with two cycles and one patient treated with three cycles of HiCY. The diseases re-treated were scleroderma, multiple sclerosis, three pat...

Severe infections in patients with autoimmune diseases treated with cyclophosphamide.

INTRODUCTION Infectious diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with connective tissue diseases. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclophosphamide (CYC), increases the risk of infections. The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence rates of severe infections in patients who received treatment with CYC. PATIENTS AND METHODS The ...

Autoimmune Diseases

P 86: CD166 as a Therapeutic Target in Autoimmune Diseases

About 3 decades ago CD6 identified as one of the first antigens expresses on the majority of T cells and a subset of B cells. CD6 regulates cellular adhesion migration across the endothelial and epithelial cells. In recent years researches indicate its role in pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Many researches have been done in recent years to block CD6 by CD6 mono clonal antibodies, IOR-T1 a...