BACKGROUND It is well-known that increased frequency of neutrophils was found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the immunomodulatory roles and mechanisms of neutrophils in SLE are poorly understood. METHODS Patients with SLE were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. The medical history, clinical manifestations, physical examination, ...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by broad clinical manifestations including cardiovascular and renal complications with periodic disease flares and significant morbidity and mortality. One of the main contributing factors to the pathology of SLE is the accumulation and impaired clearance of immune complexes of which the principle components are h...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) increases stroke risk, but the mechanism is uncertain. This study aimed to determine the association between SLE and features on neuroimaging of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), a risk factor for stroke. METHODS Consecutive patients attending a clinic for SLE were recruited. All patients underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging; ...

We found that the plasma of patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) could induce a human B-cell line (Ramos) to express high levels of immune accessory molecules that are commonly found on blood B cells of patients with active SLE. The ability of SLE plasma to induce such phenotypic changes could be abrogated by neutralizing antibodies specific for the CD40 ligand (CD154) but no...

OBJECTIVES The chemokine CXCL13, also known as BCA-1 (B-cell-attracting chemokine-1) or BLC (B-lymphocyte chemoattractant), is a major regulator of B-cell trafficking. We have recently shown that excessive expression of dendritic cell-derived CXCL13 is a distinctive early event for nephritis in a murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Furthermore, in kidney biopsies from SLE patien...

OBJECTIVE To determine the annual direct, indirect and total costs and predictors of costs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS One hundred and five patients with SLE completed questionnaires on health-care utilization and employment history. Predictors of costs were determined by multiple regression analyses using direct, indirect and total costs as outcome variables....

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a disease with multiorgan involvement and multiple autoantibody production including antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). Despite its reported prevalence in more than one third of SLE patients, the role of ANCA in the pathogenesis or otherwise in SLE remains unresolved. 131 SLE patients had been previously studied for various serologic parameters o...

2014 Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between thyroid disorders and prolactin in patients with and without lupus activity. Patients & methods: Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were evaluated for lupus activity. Serum tri-iodothyronine (T3), serum thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) anti-thyroglobulin (...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a classic autoimmune disease characterized by a myriad of immune system aberrations, most likely resulting from pathogenic autoantibody production, immune complex deposition, and subsequent end-organ damage. B cells play a key role in the pathogenesis; therefore, B-cell-targeted therapies, including B-cell depletion and blockage of B-cell survival factors s...

OBJECTIVES To describe disease characteristics and treatment regimens for adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with autoantibody positive disease in three countries (the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Republic of Kazakhstan). METHODS The Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous Enoxaparin in Non-Q wave Coronary Events (ESSENCE) study was a 1-year, retrospective, multicentre, obs...