This is a review and update article on antinuclear antibodies assays, in particular the antinuclear factor, in which are approached histological and epidemiological aspects, physiopathogenesis, identification methods, their specificities and interpretation, correlating them to their applicability in the dermatologist's and general clinician's clinical practice.

We compared the reliability and reproducibility of three tests for fluorescent antinuclear antibodies (FANA) that are routinely performed in our laboratory. Sera from 72 patients, selected according to diagnosis (SLE in 28, RA in 12, and other connective-tissue diseases in 33), and from 32 healthy controls were tested with all three assays. There were wide variations between the results obtaine...

To the Editor: Hemichorea is usually associated with a unilateral lesion of the central nervous system. Causative brain lesions include stroke, neoplasm, vascular malformation, and tuberculoma. 1 Drugs and systemic illness have been linked to hemichorea without brain lesions; however, such instances are extremely uncommon. 2-5 Levosulpiride is a highly selective dopamine D2-receptor antagonist ...