OBJECTIVES The presence of anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies has been linked with autoimmunity in general and with several autoimmune diseases (AID) in particular. In the current study we evaluated these antibodies in a wide spectrum of AID as well as the links between them and anti-infectious antibodies. METHODS We examined 2082 sera from patients with 16 different AID compared to 524 s...

BACKGROUND Recent findings suggest a causative role of infections in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In hypothesizing an association between infectious agents and the development of atherosclerosis, we would expect a correlation to the extent of atherosclerosis. Moreover, this effect could be multiplied by the number of pathogens to which an individual had been exposed. METHODS AND RESUL...

Pediatric Inpatients Suchitra Rao, MB, BS; Joshua Williams, MD; Maureen Cunningham, MD; Donna Curtis, MD, MPH; Dayanand Bagdure, MD; Mary Glode, MD, FIDSA; Samuel R. Dominguez, MD, PhD; Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases), University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO; Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO; Pediatric Infectious Disease, University of Colorado De...

Macrophages harvested from the peritoneal cavities of mice of several strains were permissive to infection with murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Macrophages from six mouse strains released equivalent amounts of plaque-forming virus into the culture fluids and cells from mouse strains scored similarly in numbers of infectious centres. Twenty to 50% of the infected macrophages obtained after thiogl...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis is a descriptive term given for any inflammation of the liver. It can be characterized as inflammatory cells infiltrating normal hepatic parenchyma, which destroys their ability to perform normal physiologic functions. Hepatitis is a common disorder in immunocompetent populations, mainly attributed to viruses, alcohol, drugs, or autoimmune causes. CASE REPORT Cytomegalovi...

Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) mRNA, protein, and activity are transiently induced after infection of human fibroblasts with human cytomegalovirus. Prostaglandin E(2), the product of COX-2 activity, is transiently increased by a factor of >50 in cultures of virus-infected fibroblasts. Both specific (BMS-279652, 279654, and 279655) and nonspecific (indomethacin) COX-2 inhibitors can abrogate the virus...

Effective Responses with Appropriate Stimulation in vitro Lindsay Nicholson, MD; Harsh Pratap, MS; Elisabeth Bowers, PhD; Edward M. Gardner, MD; Timothy Wright,; Edward Janoff, MD; Internal Medicine/ Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO; Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO; University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO; Denver Health and Hospital...