Serum amyloid A apol ipoprote in family consists of three members that in human beings are coded by different genes: SAA1, SAA2, and SAA4 (reviewed in 1-3). SAA1 and SAA2 are so-called acute phase isoforms. Their expression is increased in response to inflammation. SAA4 is a constitutive isoform, the expression of which does not change during an acute-phase response. In addition, one more relat...

Colchicine is the treatment of choice in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) both for attacks and for prevention of secondary amyloidosis. The overall non-responder rate varies from 5-10 to 40%. Thalidomide is known to blunt the acute phase response. We report the efficacy of the addition of thalidomide to colchicine in controlling the febrile attacks and acute phase response in a patient with F...

Normal adult male hamsters have low levels (10-20 micrograms) of female protein (FP) in serum which increase approximately fivefold during an acute phase response. In contrast, normal females have 50- to 100-fold higher serum levels and the acute phase reaction consists of a transient decrease in FP (approximately 50%), followed by a return to normal levels even under adverse conditions such as...

The bisphosphonates are a novel class of drug that have been registered for various clinical applications worldwide. Bisphosphonates, and in particular the aminobisphosphonates (nBPs), are known to have a number of side-effects including a rise in body temperature and accompanying flu-like symptoms that resemble a typical acute phase response. The mechanism for this response has been partially ...