[Immune disorders in periodic disease]. / Immunnye narusheniia pri periodicheskoi bolezni.

The examination of 404 patients with periodic disease (301 with uncomplicated form and 104 with amyloidosis complication) has detected decreased functional activity of T-lymphocytes and their suppressor subpopulation, their subnormal quantity. There was a rise in T-helper/T-suppressor index, level of B- and 0-lymphocytes, sensitivity to the renal antigen. Colchicin therapy stopped the attacks and stimulated T-suppressor activity. Combined treatment with tactivin is proposed.

[Immunological indices in development of periodic disease]. / Immunologicheskie pokazateli pri periodicheskoi bolezni v dinamike ee razvitiia.

AIM: To specify immune changes in periodical disease (PD) in different periods of PD development as well as peculiarities of their changes in colchicin therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinicoimmunological investigations including blast transformation of lymphocytes with lymphocytic mitogen and renal antigen, leukocyte migration inhibition with renal antigen, spontaneous and complementary rossette formation were made in 828 PD patients and 43 donors. RESULTS: Decreased functional activity and quantity of T-lymphocytes, their suppressory subpopulation was found in PD. The indices did not correlate with the disease variants and gender but with age and PD complication. In amyloidosis immunological indices deteriorate with positive trend after colchicin treatment. CONCLUSION: PD is characterized by strain in immunological process.

Evidence of oxidative stress in erythrocyte phospholipid composition in the pathogenesis of familial Mediterranean fever (periodical disease).

BACKGROUND: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetically linked disorder common amongst races of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Typical symptoms include episodic pain syndrome extending throughout the chest or abdomen associated with histopathological signs of amyloidosis of the kidney. AIM: To investigate possible connections between the aseptic inflammation that occurs during pain crises and cell membrane structural and functional integrity in patients with FMF. METHODS: Oxidative stress parameters in 42 patients in remission and during a pain crisis were compared with 21 normal subjects. RESULTS: The patient group had significantly greater concentrations of chemiluminescent and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in the blood plasma and lower concentrations of alpha-tocopherol than the control group while in remission; these changes were exacerbated during pain crises. Analyses of the phospholipid composition of erythrocyte membranes showed significant increases in amounts of acidic phospholipids (phosphatidic acid, monophosphatidylinositol and cardiolipin) and lysophosphatidylcholine compared with healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of differences in membrane phospholipid composition was consistent with increased oxidative stress in patients with FMF.