OBJECTIVES There have been many studies suggesting that localized scleroderma has a strong autoimmune background, although the lesions are usually limited to the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Here we summarize previous data on the autoimmunity of localized scleroderma, mostly published in the last two decades, because there has not been a review paper summarizing autoimmunity in this disorder. ...

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a rare disorder caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, leading to defects in T cell selection. The disease manifestations include both autoimmune tissue destruction and immunodeficiency, with specific susceptibility to chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. Studies have demonstrated a wide repertoire of...

OBJECTIVE Research suggests autoimmune processes to be involved in psychiatric disorders. We aimed to address the prevalence and incidence of autoimmune diseases in a large Finnish patient cohort with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. METHODS Patients (N = 2342) treated at the Eating Disorder Unit of Helsinki University Central Hospital between 1995 and 2010 were c...

Phenotype of biological systems needs to be robust against mutation in order to sustain themselves between generations. On the other hand, phenotype of an individual also needs to be robust against fluctuations of both internal and external origins that are encountered during growth and development. Is there a relationship between these two types of robustness, one during a single generation an...

The last two decades have marked a growing understanding of the interaction occurring between bone and immune cells. The chronic inflammation and immune system dysfunction commonly observed to occur during the ageing process and as part of a range of other pathological conditions, commonly associated with osteoporosis has led to the recognition of these processes as important determinants of bo...

in immune tolerance either in time to prevent the further cascade of events or with the administration of drugs to check the degenera-tive process. As stronger and more specific immune modulators are developed and given at the very onset of the disease, better control of the disease will be attained. of specific chemokines and chemokine receptors in the central nervous system of multiple sclero...

OBJECTIVE A descriptive study was conducted on patients with uveitis to determine the frequency of associated autoimmune systemic diseases. METHODS 64 patients with uveitis were studied. The patients were not known to have an underlying autoimmune systemic disease prior to the diagnosis of uveitis. All patients had the following immunological tests performed: serum immunoglobulins, complement...

Karunatilake and Pidcock [1] recently described an interesting patient with autoimmune manifestations, cytopenias and lymphoproliferation. However, the authors did not comment on several important aspects. Did the patient have any lymphadenopathy, and was there a family history of a similar condition? Was the presence of double negative T cells in the peripheral blood looked for, was an aptotos...

H(v) channels (voltage-gated proton channels) are expressed in blood cells, microglia and some types of epithelial cells. In neutrophils H(v) channels regulate the production of reactive oxygen species through regulation of membrane potential and intracellular pH. H(v) channels have also been suggested to play a role in sperm physiology in the human. However, the functions of the Hv channel at ...

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated intestinal disorder that may be associated with other immunemediated extra-intestinal disorders, including immune-mediated endocrine diseases, such as autoimmune thyroiditis, most often with hypothyroidism. Other monoglandular autoimmune endocrine disorders may also occur, including autoimmune adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease). In celiac disease, cli...