Interferon system in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and sclerodermia systematica.

In the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and/or sclerodermia systematica usually acid-labile interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was found. Blood leukocytes cannot be considered the source of its production as they spontaneously produce IFN-gamma identified with specific antiserum. Blood leukocytes of tested patients generated in vitro a reduced amount of staphylococcus enterotoxin A-induced IFN-gamma and virus-induced acid-labile IFN-alpha. This findings support the assumption of impaired functioning of T- and B-blood cells in autoimmune diseases. The production of Newcastle diseases virus-induced IFN-alpha and influenza virus-induced acid-stable IFN-alpha by patients' leukocytes has not been altered. Acid-labile IFN-alpha obtained from the blood of tested patients, IFN-gamma spontaneously generated by leukocytes in vitro and acid-labile IFN-alpha produced by leukocytes in vitro following induction with influenza virus show similar sensitivity to pH 2.0 and time patterns of the antiviral state development in human diploid fibroblast culture.

[Significance of subjective symptoms in the diagnosis of hyperviscosity syndrome]. / Znachimost' sub''ektivnykh priznakov v diagnostike giperviazkogo sindroma.

A questionnaire including 9 main signs: headache, vertigo, vision and hearing derangement, fatigue, hemorrhage, somnolescence, loss of appetite has been elaborated and introduced into the clinical practice. It was revealed that patients with Sjögren's syndrome had an elevated viscosity of the serum in 30% of the cases. These patients complained of headache and vision derangement more often than those with normal indices, though in the first group it did not reach critical values corresponding to an extended clinical picture of the hyperviscous syndrome. The mentioned questionnaire can be used for early diagnosis of the rheological properties of the blood.