Neuropathy associated with Churg-Strauss syndrome (allergic granulomatous angiitis).

A patient with Churg-Strauss syndrome is described, in whom peripheral neuropathy was the principal finding on admission. A general description of allergic granulomatous angiitis is provided, and the clinical and technical (e.g. EMG) findings are discussed in detail.

[Opaque arthrography in the evaluation of gonarthrosis]. / l'artrografia opaca nella valutazione della gonartrosi.

The Authors have studied, by means of the arthrographic technique, 24 cases of knee osteoarthrosis in various clinical phases. In the diagnosis of the early phases of the disease, this technique as been helpful in showing alterations, as the widening of the intercartilaginous space, the irregularities of synovial outlines, the enlargement of the normal popliteal space, which common techniques, unusually cannot display. The assay is not needed in the most advanced phases of the disease but it could here as well supply further diagnostic data (i.e. popliteal cyst, etc.). Therefore the authors suggest the arthrographic technique as a complementary assay to the roentgenological one, as well as an elective technique in the early phases of the knee osteoarthrosis.

Lactoferrin in synovial fluid.

The synovial lactoferrin (LF) concentrations of 59 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were determined. The median value of LF was 4.64+/-3.59 mg/100 ml, but in degenerative arthropathy the levels of the metal-protein were much lower and often not titratable. These variations in the LF concentration explain the low blood-iron levels in inflammatory states, even when the concentration of the metal-protein is not statistically correlated in inflammatory tests, IgG, complement fractions (of the normal or alternate pathway), or variations of other protein fractions of leucocyte origin.

Serum and synovial fluid concentrations of alpha2 macroglobulin and alpha2 neuroamino-glycoprotein in rheumatoid arthritis.

The serum and synovial fluid concentrations of alpha2 macroglobulin and alpha2 neuramino glycoprotein of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been studied. For, both protein fractions have antiprotease activity and inhibit, though to different degrees, many factors concerning inflammation. Even though both fractions have certain activities in common, in rheumatoid arthritis, we neither see a parallel increase nor antagonistic actions in the case of alpha2 macroglobulin and alpha2 neuramino-glycoprotein.

[Critical considerations on the behavior of immunoglobulins in rheumatoid arthritis]. / Considerazioni critiche sul comportamento delle immunoglobuline nell'artrite reumatoide

Critical evaluation of immunoglobulins in Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has been studied the behavior of the serum and synovial immunoglobulins of 62 patients afftected arthritis reheumatoid in various clinic stages; the valued have been expressed in mg% and mg/g of proteins. The serum levels of the IgG and IgA are higher in the cases of R.A. than in normals. The synovial concentrations of the IgA and IgM are lower than the respective serum values, while the phenomenon is less evident for the IgG probably because the last are synthetised in the synovial means. It exists, however, a interdipendence between the concentration of the serum and synovial immunoglobulins. The concentrations of the immunoglobulines, both serum and synovial, are not in relation with the most usual humoral phlogosis-tests, as well as they are not correlable with the values of the naturals antiproteases and with some fractions of the complement (both of the classic and alternative pathway). The variations of the immunoglobulins are, in the R.A., aspecific and of different intensity therefore their determination is not proposable neither as test of measure of the phlogosis nor as index of disease.