OBJECTIVES The MPO-specific antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (MPO-ANCA) are associated with renal failure. Epitopes of MPO-ANCA and immunoglobulin G (IgG) subclass and cytokine levels in the recovery phase were analysed by the administration of 15-deoxyspergualin (DSG) to SCG/Kj mice, which show spontaneous crescentic GN (CrGN). METHODS We treated SCG/Kj mice by using DSG and MPO deletio...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether the combined oral contraceptive (COC) ethinylestradiol (EE) 20 μg/drospirenone 3 mg taken in a 24/4-day regimen (ie, 4-day hormone-free interval) is more effective than an EE 20 μg/desogestrel (DSG) 150 μg COC taken in a 21/7-day regimen (ie, 7-day hormone-free interval) in reducing hormone withdrawal-associated symptoms (HWAS). METHODS This double-blind, randomize...

Pemphigus is an autoimmune disease of skin adhesion associated with autoantibodies against a number of keratinocyte antigens, such as the adhesion molecules desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and 3 and acetylcholine receptors. The notion that anti-Dsg antibodies alone are responsible for blisters in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) stems from the ability of rDsg1 and rDsg3 to absorb antibodies that cause ...

BACKGROUND Serum desmoglein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is used for the diagnosis and monitoring of pemphigus diseases. OBJECTIVES To compare the diagnostic accuracy of salivary antidesmoglein (Dsg) 1 and 3 ELISA in the diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients with that of serum desmogleins ELISA. METHODS Eighty-six untreated PV patients and 180 age- and sex-matched PV-fr...

It is a well-establishedfact that many visceral smooth muscle cell membranes evoke a spike with contraction, and calcium ion is generally considered to be the current carrier for the spike generation, and also to be the final activator of the contractile system under physiological conditions (see reviews of BOHR 1964, DANIEL 1964, SCHILD 1964, SANDOW 1965, HOLMAN 1968, SOMOLYO & SOMOLYO 1968 an...

A patient showing antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) with severe vasculitis, and massive proteinuria after kidney transplantation was treated with deoxyspergualine (DSG, Spanidin((R)), Nippon Kayaku). DSG showed marked efficacy for this patient's symptoms. We report on a patient for whom DSG was effective against AMR after renal transplantation.

Immunosuppressive agents are commonly used in the prevention of graft rejection following transplantation and in the treatment of autoimmunity. In this study, we examined the immunosuppressive mechanism of the drug 15-deoxyspergualin (DSG), which has shown efficacy in the enhancement of graft survival and in the treatment of autoimmunity. Using a murine model of chronic relapsing and remitting ...

AIM To determine the presence of circulating autoantibodies to desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and Dsg 3 in patients with oral lichen planus. METHODS Serum concentrations of circulating autoantibodies to Dsg 1 and Dsg 3 were determined by ELISA in 32 patients with erosive form and 25 patients with reticular form of oral lichen planus, 13 patients with acute recurrent aphthous ulcerations and 50 healthy co...