INTRODUCTION Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, with higher prevalence in women. An incidence peak occurs during the reproductive years, suggesting that estradiol may play a role in the clinical presentation of SLE. Anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) are associated with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APLS), but can be found in patients with SLE without APLS, and rel...

Background Belimumab (BLM) is a recombinant human IgG-1λ monoclonal antibody that inhibits B-cell activating factor. It approved for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). effective in reducing disease activity, flares, damage prevention and also as steroid-sparing agent. A treat to target (T2T) approach care SLE patients important terms improving short long-term outcomes. Objecti...

Objective The variety of disease phenotypes among patients with SLE challenges the identification of new biomarkers reflecting disease activity and/or organ damage. Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellular matrix protein with immunomodulating properties. Although raised levels have been reported, the pathogenic implications and clinical utility of OPN as a biomarker in SLE are far from clear. Thus...

OBJECTIVES To determine factors associated with damage accrual in a prospective cohort of patients with SLE. METHODS Patients with SLE who attended the Lupus Clinic at Monash Health, Australia, between 2007 and 2013 were studied. Clinical variables included disease activity (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2K, SLEDAI-2K), time-adjusted mean SLEDAI, cumulative glucocorticoi...

OBJECTIVE The costimulatory interactions of the B7 family molecules CD80 and CD86 on antigen-presenting cells with their T-cell counter-receptors CD28 and CTLA-4 modulate T lymphocyte-mediated immune responses in a reciprocal manner. We investigated the possible aberrant production of soluble (s) forms of the T-cell costimulatory molecules CD80, CD86, CD28 and CTLA-4 in plasma of patients with ...

INTRODUCTION Mer and Tyro3 are receptor tyrosine kinases important for the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Together with Axl, they constitute the TAM receptor family. These receptors can be shed from the cell membrane and their soluble extracellular regions can be found in plasma. The objective of this study was to elucidate whether the plasma levels of soluble Mer (sMer) and Tyro3 (sTyro3) we...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in children is usually more severe than it is in adults and there is a higher incidence of renal involvement. We described 18 children (16 girls, 2 boys) with lupus nephritis (LN), whose average age was 14.4 ±1.81 years. Disease activity was assessed according to SLEDAI (SLE Disease Activity Index). Renal biopsy was classified according to the INS/RPS (Interna...

OBJECTIVES Hematological abnormalities, particularly lymphopenia, are common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), whether the disease is active or not. The aim of this study is to assess whether lymphopenia (blood counts ≤1000 K/µl) is a risk factor for severe infections in patients with SLE. METHODS A retrospective case-control study was performed. We reviewed the clinical re...

OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence of depression in Mexican pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Analytical transversal study including patients aged 7-16 years with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus seen at the Pediatric Rheumatology Consultation Service. The disease was classified by means of the MEX-SLEDAI questionnaire. Descriptive statis...

SLE is an autoimmune disorder that involves polyclonal autoimmunity against multiple autoantigens. PTX3, a marker of the acute-phase inflammatory response, plays an important role in innate immunity and in modulation of the adaptive immune response. Our study tried to resolve some rather controversial aspects of the use of PTX3 as a biomarker of disease activity in SLE patients. We demonstrated...