Pain and depression predict self-reported fatigue/energy in lupus.

UNLABELLED: This study examined the contribution of pain and psychological distress to fatigue. METHODS: One-hundred and twenty-five adult Caucasian and Hispanic lupus patients participated in this study. Demographic data, patient- and physician-reported disease activity, as well as psychological functioning, were collected. Fatigue, pain, and vitality were measured using visual analogue scales as well as a subscale of the SF-36 questionnaire. Linear and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. In the regression analysis, ethnicity was entered at the first step, followed by age, income and education at step 2, pain and disease activity measures at step 3, and psychological measurements at step 4. RESULTS: In the linear regression analysis, Caucasians reported more fatigue. Fatigue positively correlated with income, education, pain, patient-reported disease activity, helplessness, and depression, and negatively with internality, and the energy analysis mirrored the results of the fatigue analysis. In the first regression analysis, fatigue was the dependent variable. At step 1, Caucasians reported more fatigue. At step 2, no other demographic variables were significant. At step 3, pain and disease activity measures were significant when entered as a block; however, pain independently explained a large amount of variance. At step 4, psychological factors were significant as a block, with depression being the strongest predictor. In the second analysis, energy was the dependent variable. At step 1, Hispanics reported more energy. At step 2, demographic variables were not significant. At step 3, pain and disease activity were significant when entered as a block; however, only pain uniquely predicted energy. At step 4, psychological factors were significant as a block, with depression as the major contributor. CONCLUSIONS: Both pain and depression were found to be strong predictors of fatigue, and negatively correlated with energy. Disease activity did not appear to play a significant role in lupus fatigue. These findings support the importance of managing depression and pain in order to reduce fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The Patient Reported Outcomes in Lupus (PATROL) study: role of depression in health-related quality of life in a Southern California lupus cohort.

UNLABELLED: This study examines the relationship between psychosocial factors, ethnicity, disease activity and quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five adult Caucasian and Hispanic lupus patients were recruited from four Southern California medical centers. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the correlation of ethnicity, socioeconomic factors (age, income), and disease activity (patient and physician reported), as well as psychological (depression, internality, helplessness) variables with quality of life (QOL) as measured by the Short Form (SF)-36. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was then used to determine the stepwise contribution of the above determinants on the eight domains of the SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS: Depression negatively correlated with QOL in both Caucasians (r -0.488 to -0.660) and Hispanics (r -0.456 to -0.723). Patient-reported disease activity was moderately related (r -0.456 to -0.698) to seven of the eight SF-36 domains in Hispanics, and none in Caucasians. Physician-reported disease activity, measured by SLEDAI, did not correlate with QOL among Hispanics or Caucasians. When linear and hierarchical regression was used, depression significantly correlated (p < 0.0001) with the majority of the SF-36 domains, except general health, while age had a significant effect in only one domain of the SF-36, physical functioning (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Depression, and not disease activity, appears to have a major influence on quality of life in both Hispanic and Caucasian patients in this lupus cohort.

Depression predicts self-reported disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can significantly impact both physiological and psychological functioning. In order to examine the relationship between psychological functioning and disease activity in SLE, we administered instruments that collected sociodemographic information and measured indices of disease activity and psychosocial functioning from 125 adult Hispanic and White patients with SLE. Patients were recruited from four healthcare settings in the greater Southern California area. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between depression and disease activity were evaluated. Cross-sectional findings revealed that depression and ethnicity were independently correlated with self-reported disease activity. Longitudinally, depression alone predicted self-reported disease activity. These data suggest that depression may play a significant role in the health status of SLE patients and serve as an important target for clinical intervention.

Testosterone patches in the management of patients with mild/moderate systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVES: Androgen deficiency has been associated with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of testosterone patches vs placebo in female SLE patients with baseline mild-to-moderate disease activity in a randomized, double-blind, single-centre placebo-controlled trial. METHODS: Patients received testosterone (150 microg) or placebo transdermal patches for 12 weeks. Patients were assessed at 4-weekly intervals for disease activity using the Safety of Oestrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-SLE Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI), Systemic Lupus Activity Measure-Revised (SLAM-R) and The British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) indices, physician global assessment (PGA), quality of life using the SF-36 survey and sexual functioning using the Derogatis score. Data were analysed using two sample t-tests to compare the mean difference from baseline to week 12 in the testosterone patch and placebo groups. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were recruited in to each group. There was no significant baseline difference between the groups in age, race or marital status. There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the mean change in SELENA-SLEDAI (0.547 +/- 3.72, P > 0.60), nor in PGA or BILAG system scores. The mean change in SLAM-R score was statistically different (2.06, S.D. 3.3, P = 0.01) but was not considered clinically meaningful. Health transition also showed a small change (P < 0.03). There was no significant difference in the Derogatis scores or toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Testosterone patches were safe but did not significantly affect disease activity, quality of life or sexual functioning. Increased use of steroids in the placebo group may have confounded the study results.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to an antibody against a labile component of human platelet antigen-3b (Bak b).

We report the second case of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti-human platelet antigen (HPA)-3b (Bak(b)) antibody. The infant was severely affected with intracranial haemorrhage. Most importantly, we were able to detect this antibody only by using fresh, unfixed platelets as antigen. This antibody was detectable neither by conventional mixed passive haemagglutination, platelet immunofluorescence test using fixed platelets, nor by monoclonal antigen immobilization of platelet antigen assay using solubilized platelets. We assume that this antibody reacts only with fresh platelets and that the antigen is a labile component of HPA-3b (Bak(b)).

Establishment of a new cell line with the characteristics of a multipotential progenitor from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in early erythroblastic crisis.

A novel cell line (KH88) was established from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blastic crisis. The leukemic blasts had the features of undifferentiated blasts with basophilic agranular cytoplasm and they were focally positive for acid phosphatase and alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase. CD36, CD33, HLADR, and CD71 were expressed on the surfaces of the blast cells. Most blasts were positive for platelet peroxidase activity, and some of them had granules containing aggregates of ferritin molecules. These findings were compatible with those of 'early' erythroblastic leukemia, this established cell line (KH88) having similar characteristics, and actually producing hemoglobin A and hemoglobin F. Although the KH88 cells were negative for megakaryocytic markers, they were induced to express CD41 by phorbol ester. Further, a few KH88 cells were positive for myeloperoxidase. This cell line was thus revealed to have the capacity to differentiate into three lineages, providing a useful model for studying the differentiation of multipotential stem cells. Moreover, a subline of KH88 had a peculiar chromosome abnormality, del(3)(q21q25); it would be useful to study the significance of this chromosomal abnormality.

Does recombinant human erythropoietin accelerate erythropoiesis for predonation before cardiac surgery?

This study was performed to determine the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO) on preoperative autologous blood donation in patients undergoing elective coronary bypass or valvular operations. Nineteen patients received 200 u/kg of rEPO intravenously 3 times a week, and 210 mg/day of iron sulfate orally, for 2 weeks before surgery (EPO group). Seven matched patients only took the same dose of iron sulfate (control group). Bone marrow was aspirated from the sternum during surgery, and the Myeloids/Erythroids ratio was calculated in 13 patients of the EPO group. The total donated blood mass was 853 +/- 231 g in the EPO group, and 657 +/- 140 g in the control group (p < 0.05). The average increase in hemoglobin (Hb) mass from admission to the day before surgery was 87 +/- 33 g in the EPO group, and 24 +/- 13 g in the control group (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the logarithm of the ratio of "increased Hb mass/Hb mass at admission" was significantly correlated to the Myeloids/Erythroids ratio (r = -0.9130, p < 0.01). These results strongly indicate that rEPO is a very useful agent for predonation of autologous blood for cardiac operations.

Efficient introduction of a gene into hematopoietic cells in S-phase by electroporation.

Cells of the hematopoietic cell line K562 were synchronized by three different methods: single aphidicolin treatment, thymidine treatment followed by hydroxyurea exposure, and double hydroxyurea treatment. The synchronized cells were transfected via electroporation with plasmid pMoZtk, which contains the beta-galactosidase gene, using a square wave pulse immediately after synchronization or at various time points during culture. Simultaneously, synchronized cells were fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analyzed to determine their stage in the cell cycle using double staining with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and propidium iodide. Highly efficient introduction of pMoZtk was observed for the cell fraction, which predominantly consisted of the cells in S-phase. These results suggest that by increasing the proportion of cells in S-phase, the efficiency of gene transfer into hematopoietic cells such as hematopoietic stem cells can be improved.

Hematopoietic recovery in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after an autologous marrow graft purged by combined hyperthermia and interferon in vitro.

We describe a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in whom hemopoiesis recovered after an autologous marrow graft purged by in vitro hyperthermia. A 17-year-old woman was diagnosed as having ALL in April 1985. After clinical remission was induced, marrow cells were harvested. The marrow cells were treated with hyperthermia at 42.0 degrees C for 1 h in the presence of alpha-interferon to eliminate residual leukemic cells, and then cryopreserved. In January 1990, during her fourth remission she was treated with busulfan and cyclophosphamide, and then received the thawed autologous marrow. Her hematopoietic recovery was prompt with normal trilineage regeneration without any life-threatening complications. She is in good health without evidence of a leukemic relapse at 6 months after autologous bone marrow transplantation. This case suggests that human multilineage progenitor cells retain self-renewal capacity in vivo even after treatment with heat and alpha-interferon in vitro followed by the freezing and thawing procedures.

[Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on reduce of homologous blood transfusion in open heart surgery].

We have used recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO) in order to prevent patients from developing anemia following preoperative autologous blood preservation. Thereby, we have been able to reduce intraoperative homologous blood transfusion during cardiac operations. In June and July, 1989, six middle-aged selective patients received rEPO (200 IU/kg) intravenously every other day starting from fifteen days before the day of their operations. One unit (200 ml) of autologous blood was drawn and preserved every few days. However, no significant differences were observed in red cell counts, hematocrit, hemoglobin and serum protein levels between before and after preservation. Not only preoperative autologous blood preservation with provision of rEPO, but also using the intraoperative autotransfusion system enabled us to perform cardiac operations on 5 out of 6 patients without any homologous blood transfusion. None of the six patients exhibited any undesirable effects due to rEPO administration. Their postoperative courses were excellent.

[IBL-like T cell lymphoma associated with early gastric cancer: a case report].

A 67-year-old man was admitted in October 1987 with complaints of nausea, headache, dizziness and speech disturbance. Hematological examination showed pancytopenia. Bone marrow aspiration failed with a dry tap. A month later, the second aspiration showed hypocellular marrow containing 18.2% of lymphoma cells. Physical examination showed splenomegaly and lymph node swelling. Polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia was not observed. A lymph node biopsy exhibited typical histology of immunoblastic lymphadenopathy (IBL)-like T cell lymphoma. Surface marker CD3 and CD4 positive cells were dominant. The patient complained of epigastric pain and occult blood was positive in stool. Gastrofiberscopic examination disclosed well differentiated adenocarcinoma in situ located on a polyp, and polypectomy was performed. Lymphoma was treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vinblastine and prednisolone. Splenomegaly and lymph node swelling were reduced in size but the effect was temporary. Thereafter the patient has been treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vindesine, prednisolone and etoposide every 3 weeks. This is our first case report of IBL-like T cell lymphoma associated with early gastric cancer.

Chronic T cell leukemia with a NK phenotype reacting with anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) mouse monoclonal antibody.

We describe a patient demonstrating chronic T cell leukemia with a natural killer (NK) phenotype. The leukemic cells could be stained by OKT 3 (T cells), anti-Leu-7 and anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) (NK cells) but not anti-Leu-11 monoclonal mouse antibody (activated NK cells). Fresh mononuclear cells showed a very low NK activity, although this activity returned to normal levels after 18 days incubation with interleukin-2 and some stimulants. It was not known why the NK activity of fresh mononuclear cells was low. This report is the first on leukemia characterized by anti-MAG monoclonal antibody.