The influence of co-existing atopy on the prognosis of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE) was assessed in this study. Patients diagnosed with JSLE between October 2005 and April 2016 were enrolled in a prospective study and followed up for 2 years. Management of patients was evaluated using the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score and laboratory v...

BACKGROUND Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred neuroimaging method in the evaluation of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between clinical and immunological features with MRI abnormalities in female patients with NPSLE, to screen for the value of conventional MRI in NPSLE. METHODS A to...

OBJECTIVES TO COMPARE TWO MEASURES OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) RESPONSE: the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG)-based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) and the Systemic Lupus Responder Index (SRI) against a clinician's assessment of improvement. METHODS Ninety-one lupus patients were identified with two visits at which Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-interferon (IFN)-γ monoclonal antibody AMG 811 in subjects with SLE without or with lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS In this phase Ib, randomised, multiple-dose escalation study (NCT00818948), subjects without LN were randomised to subcutaneous AMG 811 (6, 20 or 60 mg) or placebo and subjects with LN were randomised to s...

OBJECTIVE To determine the safety and efficacy of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (MSCT) in refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS A total of 15 patients with persistently active SLE underwent MSCT. Outcome was evaluated by changes in the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), serological features (anti-nuclear antibodies and anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA...

Background The efficacy of antitumour necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-α) treatment is well recognised in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but remains controversial in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore, the role of anti-TNF-α treatment in 'Rhupus', a disease sharing features of RA and SLE, is still debated. Objective To evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of anti-TNF-α in patients with rh...

Background: Tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a multifunctional cytokine that belongs to the TNF-ligand superfamily. Objective: To evaluate ability urinary TWEAK (uTWEAK) diagnose lupus nephritis (LN) and its correlation with activity chronicity index. Patients Methods: This study was carried out on 75 individuals, 50 SLE patients, fulfilling SLICC revision ACR c...

OBJECTIVES The chemokine CXCL13, also known as BCA-1 (B-cell-attracting chemokine-1) or BLC (B-lymphocyte chemoattractant), is a major regulator of B-cell trafficking. We have recently shown that excessive expression of dendritic cell-derived CXCL13 is a distinctive early event for nephritis in a murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Furthermore, in kidney biopsies from SLE patien...

INTRODUCTION Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by impaired efferocytosis and aberrant activation of innate immunity. We asked if shedding of MER receptor tyrosine kinase (MerTK) and AXL into soluble (s) ectodomains was related to immunological and clinical aspects of SLE. METHODS Levels of sMER and sAXL in the plasma of 107 SLE patients and 45 matched controls were measured ...

OBJECTIVES Acthar Gel is a long-acting formulation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) with anti-inflammatory effects thought to be mediated in part through melanocortin receptor activation. This study was initiated to understand the role of Acthar Gel in SLE treatment in rheumatology practices. METHODS This is a retrospective case series of nine adult female patients treated with Acthar Ge...