Regulatory/suppressor T cells (Tregs) maintain immunologic homeo-stasis and prevent autoimmunity. In this article, past studies and recent studies of Tregs in mouse models for lupus and of human systemic lupus erythematosus are reviewed concentrating on CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs. These cells consist of thymus-derived, natural Tregs and peripherally induced Tregs that are similar phenotypically and ...

BACKGROUND Lupus retinopathy is one of the most common vision-threatening complications of systemic lupus erythematosus. The presence of lupus retinopathy is an accurate guide to the presence of active systemic disease activity. RESULTS A prospective study was conducted looking at 91 established cases of systemic lupus erythematosus to evaluate lupus retinopathy. The patients were divided int...

Acute pancreatitis is a rare, but fatal, manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Only 10 systemic lupus erythematosus-associated pancreatitis cases were found in a search of published articles. We report a 24-year-old woman without significant medical history, who was admitted with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, which was diagnosed as pancreatitis. It was discovered to be the initi...

BACKGROUND Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus seem to belong to different serological and clinical subgroups of the disease. Genetic background can cause the appearance of these subgroups. OBJECTIVE To determine whether Brazilian patients who have systemic lupus erythematosus and Raynaud's phenomenon differ from those who do not. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 373 medical records...

Digital ulcers and gangrene are common skin manifestations of connective tissue diseases, especially systemic sclerosis, although they are relatively rare in systemic lupus erythematosus. We describe here three patients with digital gangrene and systemic lupus erythematosus. None of the patients showed high disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus at the time the digital gangrene develo...

A 31 year old woman was hospitalized for evaluation of aortic valve insufficiency and her present cardiac status. Clinical and paraclinical findings strongly suggested the presence of a collagen vascular inflammatory processprecisely, the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), with systemic lupus erythematosus as the underlying disease.

This study investigated the use of anti-ribosomal P antibodies in the diagnosis of cerebral complications of systemic lupus erythematosus using two different methods---western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-ribosomal P antibodies in patient serum were detected in both methods using a purified ribosomal P antigen substrate. Western blotting detected anti-ribosomal P antibod...

The parotid gland may enlarge during the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Shearn and Pirofsky (1952) were the first to draw attention to this association while studying a group of 34 patients who had systemic lupus erythematosus. They discovered sialoadenitis characterized by chronic, nonsuppurative inflammation unilaterally in one and bilaterally in two patients. Morgan (1954) rep...

The combination of systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's disease and severe diffuse glomerular nephritis has only rarely been reported. A 14-year-old girl is described with lupus nephritis in whom co-existent clinical and histological features of Sjogren's syndrome were found. These include bilateral parotid enlargement, xerostomia, increased serum amylase, reduced salivary secretion and lymp...