Transverse Myelitis in a Patient with Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome

The neurological manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are diverse. Transverse myelitis (TM) is an uncommon, but well-known neurological complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). On the other hand, the reported cases associated with primary APS are extremely rare. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TM in a patient with primary APS in Korea. A 32-year-old male patient was admitted with the sudden onset of numbness, a tingling sensation, and weakness in both lower extremities. He had a 19 months history of external iliac and femoral arterial thromboses prior to admission. The laboratory results indicated the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies of the IgG class and lupus anticoagulant. No other autoantibodies were detected and there were no apparent clinical manifestations of SLE or multiple sclerosis. A T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) image showed swelling and increased intensity of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord between C6 and T7 with slight enhancement by contrast medium. After steroid pulse therapy, the patient's symptoms were gradually relieved and the abnormal findings on MR imaging disappeared.

Hypoxia Increases the Expression of ICAM-1 in Cultured Human Synovial Fibroblasts / 대한류마티스학회지

OBJECTIVE: Hypoxic conditions are thought to be exist in inflamed arthritic synovium.Several in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that hypoxia can initiate events that lead to pro-adhesive changes.Therefore,this study was designed to examine the effects of hypoxia on the expression of ICAM-1 by cultured human synovial fibroblasts. METHODS: Synovial fibroblasts were isolated from patients with RA and cultured at hypoxic condition.To quantify the expression of ICAM-1 mRNA in synovial fibroblasts,RT-PCR was performed.The levels of cytokines in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA.The activation of NF-