Human leucocyte antigens in tympanosclerosis.

This study was designed to evaluate the association between certain HLA antigens and tympanosclerosis. The serum concentrations of HLA antigens were measured by a microlymphocytotoxicity technique in patients with tympanosclerosis and compared with a healthy control group. The serum levels of HLA-B35 and -DR3 were significantly higher in the patients with tympanosclerosis. This result suggests that certain types of HLA antigens may play an important role as an indicator or mediator in the pathogenesis of tympanosclerosis.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease.

Various clinical and immunological parameters were determined in patients with RA and patients with adult periodontitis. There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to the number of missing teeth, although pocket depths and gingival inflammation scores were significantly increased in the periodontitis group (p less than 0.05). Salivary IgM levels were below the minimum detectable level in both groups, and no significant differences were evident between the two groups with regard to salivary IgG and IgA levels. However, serum IgG, IgA and IgM levels in RA patients were significantly higher than in periodontitis patients (p less than 0.05), indicating enhanced humoral immunity. The present findings suggest that RA patients are not a risk group for advanced periodontal problems in comparison with age- and sex-matched systemically healthy controls.

Fascicular oculomotor nerve palsy in neuro-Behçet's disease.

A 43-year-old man with Behçet's disease developed a left oculomotor palsy and a right elevation paresis. His clinical picture was consistent with an isolated fascicular third cranial nerve palsy, considering the mass effect of a large left capsulothalamic lesion extending down into the mesencephalon, which was visualized by CT and (more precisely) by MRI. The patient's clinical status was improved with steroid and immunosuppressive therapy, and radiologic abnormalities resolved markedly in a month.

[Anticardiolipin antibodies in autoimmune rheumatic diseases]. / Romatizmal otoimmün hastaliklarda antikardiyolipin antikorlarinin arastirilmasi.

In this study, ELISA and VDRL tests have been employed in order to detect ACL antibodies in sera samples obtained from 105 patients with SLE, RA, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, primary Sjögren's syndrome, vasculitis and pulmonary thromboemboli; Using by IFAT, AMA-type 5 and other autoantibodies, RIA anti-DNA antibodies were also tested in SLE patients. In sera obtained from the patients with RA; autoantibodies and RF have been investigated. In SLE cases, ACL antibodies were found to be positive in 55.5% of the patients. In RA cases the rate of ACL antibodies were found to be 51.7%. In SLE cases, the presence of IgG-ACL antibody was found to be in association with thrombosis and fetal loss; while IgM-ACL antibody was found to be in association with fetal loss only. Serologic parameters such as VDRL and AMA type 5 were significantly connected with the presence of ACL-IgG and IgM antibodies (p less than 0.05). In cases of RA connection was detected only between IgG-ACL antibody and thrombosis. Concerning the other rheumatic autoimmune diseases; ACL antibodies were detected in cases: 4 patients out of 11 scleroderma, 1 patient out of 7 vasculitis, 2 patients out of 5 primary Sjögren's syndrome, and 3 patients out of 6 pulmonary thromboemboli.

A sequential study of the relationship between faecal Klebsiella aerogenes and the common clinical manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis.

An 8-month sequential study at 4-weekly intervals of faecal Klebsiella aerogenes and clinical activity of ankylosing spondylitis is described. Similar frequencies of faecal K. aerogenes were found in the 44 patients and 36 healthy controls studied. Eighteen patients on 19 occasions had K. aerogenes cultured from their faeces, when the preceding specimen had been negative. Six (31.6%) of these occasions were associated with a deterioration in clinical state compared with a similar deterioration associated with only 17 (9.8%) of the remaining 174 faecal culture sequences (p less than 0.02). These results suggest that clinical deterioration in ankylosing spondylitis may be associated with the acquisition of faecal K. aerogenes.