SERUM LIPOPROTEIN-ASSOCIATED PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 IN MALES WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME AND OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA.

CONTEXT: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a novel biomarker for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk estimation with high specificity for vascular inflammation. Few studies have investigated Lp-PLA2 levels in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the role of Lp-PLA2 levels as a marker of vascular inflammation that contributes to cardiometabolic dysfunction in patients with MetS and OSAS. DESIGN: This is a prospective case-control study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 83 men were enrolled. Following anthropometric measurements, laboratory analysis and overnight sleep study, patients were divided into three groups: MetS, OSAS with/without MetS. Serum Lp-PLA2 levels were determined by ELISA method. RESULTS: Serum Lp-PLA2 levels were statistically significant among the three groups and were higher in OSAS with MetS group than those without MetS. A significant positive relationship between increased Lp-PLA2 level and CRP (C-reactive protein) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was found. Average oxygen saturation (AvO2) and the lowest oxygen saturation were negatively correlated with Lp-PLA2. The number of desaturation events, oxygen desaturation index, AvO2, AHI and CRP were significant predictors of Lp-PLA2. CONCLUSIONS: Lp-PLA2 levels are associated with OSAS severity and might play an important role in predicting CVD in OSAS with/without MetS.

Repeat-cycle study of high-dose intravenous 4162W94 anti-CD4 humanized monoclonal antibody in rheumatoid arthritis. A randomized placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Results of an earlier open-label pilot study showed that 4162W94 was a relatively non-depleting anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody that induced >80% down-modulation of CD4 molecules from the surface of T lymphocytes. This placebo-controlled repeat-cycle study was conducted in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to determine the duration of CD4 blockade required to achieve lasting clinical benefit. METHODS: Following DMARD washout, 48 patients (i.e. three cohorts of 16 patients) with ACR-defined RA were to be dosed with 1 (cohort 1), 2 (cohort 2) or 3 (cohort 3) cycles of 5x300 mg 4162W94 or placebo (12 and 4 patients per cohort respectively) at monthly intervals. There was at least 3 months of follow-up after dosing. Clinical outcome was assessed in evaluable patients (receiving at least 80% of each dose course) using ACR20 criteria (required on two consecutive visits). CD4 lymphocyte counts and adverse events were also monitored. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were dosed in each of the first two cohorts; however, the dose was reduced in cohort 3 after five patients had received up to two dose cycles due to accumulating evidence of a high frequency of skin rash. These patients were analysed according to the number of cycles received. A further eight patients received 5x100 mg for one to three cycles prior to stopping the study for administrative reasons. Four of 13 (P=0.119 vs placebo) and 7/13 (P=0.015 vs placebo) in cohorts 1 and 2 respectively achieved ACR20 response on at least two consecutive occasions. No patient receiving 5x100 mg/day or placebo achieved ACR20. Four patients were still responding at the end of the 3-month follow-up period. CD4 lymphocyte suppression (<0.2x10(9)/l on at least two successive occasions) occurred in 11/34 patients who received 4162W94 vs none on placebo. Rash occurred in 21/34 monoclonal antibody-treated patients, including one case of biopsy-confirmed cutaneous vasculitis and 1/11 placebo patients. CONCLUSION: 4162W94 demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in this study. However, because of unacceptable CD4 lymphopenia and rash, the original hypothesis that prolonged CD4 blockade would give lasting clinical benefit was not tested.

Initiation of HAART in drug-naive HIV type 1 patients prevents viral breakthrough for a median period of 35.5 months in 60% of the patients.

The introduction of potent combinations of antiviral drugs is a major breakthrough in the treatment of HIV. We investigated the long-term virologic outcome and the development of resistance after initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in drug-naive patients in daily clinical practice. Twenty-five treatment-naive HIV-1 patients were started on HAART. Fifteen patients responded with a drop in viral load below the limit of detection during 35.5 (interquartile range: 7) months of therapy. In 6 of 10 patients with virologic failure, virus with resistance-related mutations against the received drugs emerged. Compared with responders (R), nonresponding (NR) patients were in a later disease stage at therapy start (p = 0.0089) with lower CD4 cell counts at baseline (p = 0.040), and a lower proportion of nonresponders showed protease inhibitor (PI) levels above C(min) (p = 0.049). More NR patients showed secondary PI mutations at baseline (p = 0.079), and the CCR2-64I coreceptor polymorphism was absent among NR patients, compared with 38.5% of R patients displaying CCR2-64I (p = 0.053), although the differences were not significant. In conclusion, starting HAART in antiretroviral drug-naive HIV-infected patients followed in daily clinical practice prevented viral breakthrough for up to 44 months in 60% of the patients. Virologic failure was associated with the development of resistance-related mutations, a later stage of disease at start of therapy and lower PI drug levels.

Positive influence of the Delta32CCR5 allele on response to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-1 infected patients.

The heterozygous 32 base pair deletion of the chemokine receptor 5 (Delta32CCR5) has been associated with a more benign course of HIV-1-infection. To study the influence of Delta32CCR5 on the response to antiviral therapy we analyzed the presence of Delta32CCR5 by PCR in PBMC from 107 randomly selected HIV-1-infected patients treated with HAART for at least three months. 24 of 107 patients were heterozygous for Delta32CCR5 (22.4%). Before initiation of HAART Delta32CCR5 heterozygous patients (d/w) did not differ from homozygous CCR5 wild-type patients (w/w) regarding viral load and CD4 counts. After a median treatment time on HAART of 17.5 months (d/w, range 6-31 months, p = n.s.) or 19 months (w/w, range 3-33 months) all 24 patients (100%) with the Delta32CCR5 mutation, but only 58/83 patients (69.9%) with wild-type CCR5 showed a suppression of HIV-1-viremia below 500 copies/ml (p = 0.0020). Furthermore, 20/24 (83.3%) of the Delta32CCR5 heterozygous patients achieved CD4 counts above 200/microliter, but only 57/83 (68.7%) of the patients homozygous for CCR5 wild-type (p = 0.011). Our data indicate that the presence of heterozygous Delta32CCR5 is associated with a better response to HAART suggesting that therapeutic strategies targeting CCR5 could be of value for a sustained suppression of HIV-1 by HAART.

Phenotypic HIV-1 resistance correlates with treatment outcome of nelfinavir salvage therapy.

In order to analyse whether drug sensitivity testing would be beneficial for clinical decision-making in heavily pretreated patients, we retrospectively studied viral genotype and phenotypic drug resistance in 12 HIV-1-infected patients, each of them with a history of failing at least one therapeutic regimen including one or two protease inhibitors (PIs). The salvage therapy included nelfinavir as new PI in all cases. Four patients showed a sustained and five patients a transient viral load decrease. Three patients failed to show a significant decline of plasma HIV-1 RNA. In the baseline samples of these cases, resistance against all components of their combination therapy could be detected, whereas at least one antiretroviral drug was still active in the cases with transient treatment response. All patients with sustained therapy response harboured viruses that were either fully sensitive or resistant to only one of the drugs administered. In our study, phenotypic drug resistance was predictive for the success of antiretroviral salvage regimens.

Lead induced anaemia due to traditional Indian medicine: a case report.

Lead intoxication in adults without occupational exposure is a rare and unexpected event. The case of a western European is reported who had severe anaemia after ingestion of several ayurvedic drugs, obtained during a trip to India. Laboratory findings showed high blood lead concentrations, an increased urinary lead concentration, and an increased urinary excretion of delta-aminolaevulinic acid. Also, slightly increased urinary concentrations of arsenic and silver were found. Physicians should be aware that with growing international travel and rising self medication with drugs from uncontrolled sources the risk of drug induced poisoning could increase in the future.

[An unusual case of Heberden arthrosis in a young man]. / Ein ungewöhnlicher Fall einer Heberden-Arthrose bei einem jungen Mann.

Heberden nodes affect mainly middle-aged women. Inheritance is autosomal dominant in female and autosomal recessive in male patients. We report the case of a young man who presented already with 12 years of age with pain in the distal finger joints. There were no other clinical or serological signs for other rheumatoid diseases, like psoriatic or rheumatoid arthritis. Radiologic findings were consistent with Heberden's osteoarthritis of the finger joints. The joint changes remained clinically and radiologically stable during a time period of more than 15 years. The HLA typing revealed the haplotype HLA A1, B8 and DR4, in accordance with former studies which reported a higher frequency of HLA A1, B8 in families with primary osteoarthritis (early onset osteoarthritis of the large joints in combination with Heberden nodes).

Suppression of HHV-8 viremia by foscarnet in an HIV-infected patient with Kaposi's sarcoma and HHV-8 associated hemophagocytic syndrome.

Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of Kaposi s sarcoma. In vitro, antiviral drugs with activity against herpes viruses also can suppress HHV-8, however, little is known about the antiviral activity against HHV-8 in vivo. In this report we describe the effects of foscarnet on HHV-8 viremia in an HIV-infected patient with disseminated Kaposi s sarcoma and a presumably HHV-8 associated hemophagocytic syndrome. HHV-8 DNA could be detected in this patient by PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), in bronchoalveolar fluid and tumor biopsies. After initiation of foscarnet because of a severe hemophagocytic syndrome HHV-8 PCR turned negative in PBMC, but stayed positive in pleural effusions and in a tumor biopsy. After termination of foscarnet therapy HHV-8 DNA in PBMC persistently reappeared. Under treatment with foscarnet the hemophagocytic syndrome dramatically improved, suggesting that HHV-8 had a pathogenetic role in this syndrome.

Fcgamma receptor IIa polymorphism in Caucasian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: association with clinical symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: The class II human leukocyte Fcy receptor for IgG (FcgammaRIIa) occurs in 2 codominantly expressed allelic forms (R131 and H131). Cells expressing IIa-H131 interact much more effectively with complexed IgG2 and IgG3 than do cells with IIa-R131. This might be linked to variability in immune complex handling, and therefore related to disease pathogenesis. The present study examines these possibilities in a cohort of Caucasian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: One hundred eight Caucasian patients were diagnosed with SLE according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria. The SLE patients and 187 Caucasian controls were genotyped for the FcgammaRIIa polymorphism, and associations between FcgammaRIIa genotypes, selected HLA haplotypes, and clinical as well as laboratory features were analyzed. RESULTS: No significant skewing of the FcgammaRIIa polymorphism was observed in the SLE cohort. Various clinical and serologic parameters were found more frequently or at a younger age in patients homozygous for the genotype IIa-R/R131 compared with those with the genotype IIa-H/H131. In patients with the genotype IIa-R/R131, significantly higher frequencies of proteinuria, hemolytic anemia, anti-nuclear RNP antibodies, and hypocomplementemia were found. The only clinical symptom observed more frequently in patients homozygous for IIa-H/H131 was livedo. Patients with the IIa-R/R131 genotype were significantly younger at disease onset and had an earlier incidence of arthritis, sicca syndrome, nephritis, lymphadenitis, hematologic abnormalities, immunologic abnormalities, lupus anticoagulant, cryoglobulinemia, and hypocomplementemia. HLA-DR3 was found in 41.7% of SLE patients, but was not associated with clinical symptoms, serologic abnormalities, or the homozygous genotypes of the FcgammaRIIa, although an association with a significantly later onset of SLE was found. CONCLUSION: The FcgammaRIIa polymorphism constitutes an additional factor that might influence the clinical manifestations and course of SLE, but does not represent a genetic risk factor for the occurrence of SLE.

Study of fluticasone propionate efficacy in the treatment of patients with bronchial asthma not controlled by other inhaled corticosteroids.

The aim of the study was to test the fluticasone propionate (FP) efficacy in the treatment of patients with bronchial asthma (BA), not controlled by high doses (more than 1 mg) of other inhaled corticosteroids. Asthma symptoms (degree of dyspnea on Sadoul scale, percentage of symptom-free days and nights), and drug consumption were measured and lung function tests were performed in 20 patients (11 women and 9 men, mean age 47 years) for a 2 months period. Biochemical measurements were done referring to oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, which is characteristic to inflammatory diseases of respiratory system. We evaluated lipoperoxidation (LPO) in the plasma and the blood, before and after FP treatment, by determining malondialdehyde (MDA) status, superoxide-dismutase and ceruloplasmine activity and non-protein SH groups (essential glutathione) status. The biochemical measurements showed a significant decrease in lipid peroxides level in the plasma and the blood and a slight increase of glutathione after 2 months treatment with FP. Lung function tests were performed on a Flow Streen Jaeger and we determined: peak expiratory flow (PEF), vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec. (FEV1) and mid-expiratory flow at 50% VC (MEF50). The measurements were done before FP administration, after 3 days, 7 days, 1 month and 2 months. The dose of FP was equivalent to 50-75% of the daily dose of Beclomethasone dipropionate (BD) previously administered. The degree of dyspnea diminished from 3-4 to 0-1. The percentage of symptom-free days and nights improved from 12% to 78% and 25% to 95% respectively. The use of short acting beta agonists diminished with 75% and no patients required i.v. corticotherapy or theophylline. PEF increased with a mean of 25%, VC with a mean of 23%, FEV1 with a mean of 30% and MEF50 with a mean of 36%. Our results demonstrate improved efficacy of FP vs high doses of other inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of moderate persistent and severe forms of BA.

Clinical relevance of Fc gamma receptor polymorphisms.

Human IgG receptors are very heterogeneous and we currently distinguish three Fc gamma receptor classes specifying at least 12 receptor isoforms. On top of this complexity, Fc gamma R are further found to differ between different individuals. Polymorphisms have been identified for all three Fc gamma R classes. The best-studied ones represent allelic variation of Fc gamma RIIa (CD32) and Fc gamma RIIIb (CD16). The Fc gamma RIIa polymorphism is now considered to be a heritable risk factor for autoimmune and infectious diseases, and support for a relevant role of the IIIb polymorphism has also been obtained. A detailed analysis of the exact contribution of each of these Fc gamma R polymorphisms in relation to previously implicated risk factors should unravel the pathophysiological importance of Fc gamma R polymorphisms in the near future.

[Clinical course and prognostic parameters in adult-onset Still's syndrome. Own experience and review of the literature]. / Verlauf und prognostische Parameter bei Still-Syndrom des Erwachsenen. Eigene Erfahrungen und Literaturübersicht.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with adult onset of Still's disease (AOSD) were examined one to nine years after the established diagnosis. Clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters and the outcome of the cases are presented and compared to international literature and to Yamagushi's in 1992 proposed diagnostic criteria. Nine patients were reexamined in our out-patient clinic. The chart of one additional patient, who died 10 month after the initial symptoms was also available for data analysis. Retrospectively, it was investigated whether any parameters were predictive for a chronic or severe form of the disease. RESULTS: One patient died 10 month after the diagnosis was established due to a secondary haemophagozytic syndrome. One patient developed a chronic form of the disease, whereas 2 patients had a chronic-remitting form. Six patients presented a self-limiting, shorter than 12 month lasting course of AOSD with a restitutio ad integrum. All patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of Yamagushi et al. Three of 10 patients developed a chronic form of AOSD, compared to up to 70% of the patients reported by others. The patient who died was significantly older (46 years) than the average age (24,9 years) of all patients. Interestingly, he did not present Still's rash or lymphadenopathy, but rather developed a secondary hemophagocytic syndrome with an excessive hyperferritinaemia. CONCLUSION: Predicting parameters for a chronic course of the disease could not be found. Each patient's diagnosis retrospectively could be confirmed using the Yamagushi's diagnostic criteria. Thus, these criteria appear helpful in the difficult diagnostic process of this disease.

Osteonecrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus, steroid-induced or a lupus-dependent manifestation?

Osteonecrosis (ON) is a well-known complication in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often associated with steroid therapy. In a cohort of 280 SLE patients followed over the last 10 years, seven patients developed symptomatic ON, one of them after septic arthritis of the hip. Two other patients developed ON several years after discontinuing steroids. One patient developed ON of both humeral and femoral heads within a few months after the diagnosis of SLE. When we compared the cumulative steroid doses taken by our patients with those described in other reports (43,700 mg and 45,300 mg, respectively), our patients received less steroids (38,834 mg). We found no increased frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon, leukopenia, anti-phospholipid antibodies, or a flare of SLE activity in our patients with ON, factors which have been reported to be associated with ON. Various pathogenic mechanisms, which could lead to ON in SLE patients are discussed.

Evidence for direct anti-heparin-sulphate reactivity in sera of SLE patients.

Recently it has been suggested that anti-ds-DNA antibodies (Abs) promote tissue damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by cross-reactivity with highly negatively charged tissue components such as heparan sulphate (HS), the major glycosaminoglycan of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Other authors, however, support the theory of DNA-anti-dsDNA immune complex deposition in situ. To further elucidate the possible role of HS antibodies, we developed a new ELISA system with heparan sulphate bound to solid phase. SLE patients (n = 40) showed a higher reactivity against HS (mean = 28.4, SD = 34.3) as compared to normal donors (n = 28, mean = 15.2, SD = 6.3) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 35, mean = 14.3, SD = 6.4). The addition of native dsDNA or HS to SLE sera was followed by a dose-dependent reduction in anti-HS reactivity. In contrast, in an anti-dsDNA ELISA, no reduction was observed when HS was added to SLE sera. An increase in reactivity was observed when SLE sera with and without a prior incubation with dsDNA were digested with DNAse I or II. After the purification of serum samples by protein A sepharose under dissociative conditions, seven out of eight SLE patients showed an increase in anti-HS reactivity. No correlation of the anti-HS Abs was found with organ involvement or other serological parameters. We concluded, that there is evidence for a direct anti-HS Ab reactivity in SLE sera. A part of these antibodies seems to show low avidity anti-dsDNA cross-reactivity.