1/74. mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases. A case-series.OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases and tuberculosis. A retrospective case series from 1987 to 1994, drawn from a tertiary-care hospital in mexico City, was studied. RESULTS: Thirty patients were included (20 women, 10 men), with mean age of 39.8 years (range 14-66), and a mean duration of the systemic rheumatic disease of 44 months (1-372). The rheumatic diseases included systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (n = 13), rheumatoid arthritis (7), polymyositis or dermatomyositis (5), and other diseases (5). During the six months previous to the diagnosis of tuberculosis, 22 patients had received corticosteroids, and 13 others immunosuppressants. mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from 18 patients. Pulmonary tuberculosis was found in 10 patients, and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in 20, seven of these with miliary disease. SLE was seen in 6 of the patients with miliary tuberculosis. The clinical manifestations were: fever (67%), weight loss (67%), diaphoresis (60%), cough and sputum (53%), lymph node enlargement (43%), and dyspnea (33%). Sixteen patients had an abnormal chest film. Of 18 patients tested by PPD RT-2, 8 had an induration > 10 mm. patients were initially treated with 3 or 4 anti-tuberculosis drugs for 15 days to 6 months, followed by 6 to 10 months of isoniazid plus rifampicin. Three relapsed, and 2 died of respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS: This case series showed a particular pattern of tuberculosis in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/74. Cardiac myxoma in a 6-year-old child--constitutional symptoms mimicking rheumatic disease and the role of interleukin-6.A 6-y-old girl with right atrial myxoma presented with remittent fever attacks, general arthralgia and laboratory investigations mimicking rheumatic or autoimmune disease. interleukin-6 (IL-6) serum concentration was markedly elevated before and normal after tumour resection, whereas myxoma cells stained negatively for IL-6. IL-6 should be considered a myxoma marker: overproduction by myxoma cells and consecutive systemic passage are assumed to cause immunological features.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.625keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/74. Intracranial inflammatory tumors: a survey of their various etiologies by presentation of 5 cases.Due to similar clinical and neuroradiological features, intracranial inflammatory tumors (IITs) are frequently misdiagnosed as brain neoplasms, from which they notably differ in respect to therapy and prognosis. In this article, five cases of such tumors are presented. Three of the patients with brain tumors (cases 3, 4 and 5) presented a history of 'pararheumatic' syndromes but no diagnosis of defined immunopathies. On the basis of radiological findings, all processes were classified as genuine brain neoplasms, but histology showed reactive inflammatory features. The possible etiologies of these 'tumors' are discussed on the basis of all clinical and histological data of the patients. The spectrum of diseases potentially leading to the manifestation of an IIT is reviewed. Additionally, the presentation of case 5, who developed a highly malignant B-cell-lymphoma 6 months after the removal of an IIT without any histological signs of atypia, shows that this differential diagnosis always has to be kept in mind.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.125keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/74. Rheumatism--parenteral nutrition. Report of a case.A 26-year-old man with progressive rheumatic disease in spite of conventional therapy with antirheumatic drugs and physiotherapeutic exercises. The only therapy that gave temporary relief was, according to the patient, "fasting periods". He was treated experimentally with a period of complete intravenous nutrition ("total bowel rest") with certain subjective and objective improvement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.25keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/74. Raynaud's phenomenon as a manifestation of parvovirus B19 infection: case reports and review of parvovirus B19 rheumatic and vasculitic syndromes.infection with human parvovirus B19 is manifested as erythema infectiosum, transient aplastic crisis, or hydrops fetalis. Rheumatic manifestations include arthropathy and various vasculitic syndromes. Isolated Raynaud's phenomenon due to parvovirus B19 has never been described. We report on 2 previously healthy sisters with new-onset Raynaud's phenomenon accompanied by severe generalized polyarthralgia. A full workup was negative, except serology for parvovirus B19, which was positive. All symptoms gradually subsided within 3-5 months, and no recurrence has been noted during the 3 years since onset. We review all the studies in the English-language literature on parvovirus B19-induced rheumatic and vasculitic syndromes. We hypothesize that the pathogenesis of Raynaud's phenomenon in our patients involved immune-mediated endothelial damage leading to platelet activation and vasoconstriction. We recommend that in cases of unexplained Raynaud's phenomenon, serology for parvovirus B19 be included in the evaluation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.625keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/74. Malignant lymphoma and rheumatic symptoms.A patient intially thought to have a connective tissue disease, later shown by biopsy to have Hodgkin's disease is described. The progress of her illness suggests that she is suffering from a connective tissue disease, too, or possibly secondary immune complex disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/74. [Psychsomatic aspects of rheumatic, especially soft tissue rheumatic diseases]rheumatic diseases may be connected to varying degrees with psychic factors. On the one hand, rheumatic diseases may produce psychic reactions, while on the other hand rheumatic symptoms--especially in extra-articular rheumatism--may be induced by psychosomatic hysteric pararheumatic diseases and depressive mechanisms. Special reference is made to psychosomatically induced extra-articular rheumatic diseases in which not only the complex genesis but also the clinical symptomatology are discussed. During therapy more attention should be directed to psychic factors than in the past, as only an intensive psycho and/or psychopharmacotherapy can influence the disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.5keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/74. leprosy: a close mimic in a rheumatology clinic.Cutaneous and neurological manifestations of leprosy are readily diagnosed. However, physicians sometimes fail to recognize that leprosy may present with a rheumatic symptoms. A plethora of rheumatic manifestations are associated with leprosy, particularly with lepra reactions. A diligent examination for skin lesions/nerve involvement may uncover the diagnosis of leprosy in a patient referred for a rheumatological disorder. To highlight the fact that leprosy can mimic several rheumatological disorders, we have discussed a few representative cases seen over the past two years at our rheumatology clinic in a teaching hospital. In all these cases, a diagnosis of leprosy was made when the patient was referred for a rheumatic complaint.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.375keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/74. Autoantibody to dna excision repair enzyme hMYH in a patient with rheumatic disease.We screened a human HepG2 cell cDNA expression library using serum from a patient with rheumatic disease. This serum had immunofluorescence reactivity to nuclei with a homogeneous staining pattern and to punctuate nuclear aggregates, chromosomal metaphase plate, midbody, and cytoplasmic bridge. YT1, the longest cDNA clone isolated, has sequence identity to hMYH, the human homologue of the escherichia coli excision repair enzyme, dna adenine glycosylase MutY. YT1 is a truncated cDNA of 1619 bp, encoding amino acids 22-535, and contains a full-length 3'-UTR sequence. We were unable to express a bacterial male fusion protein incorporating amino acids 22 to 535 of hMYH. Consequently, we generated two additional male fusion proteins of hMYH encoding amino acids 1-120 (pMAL-c2:hMYH(1-120)) and amino acids 121-535 (pMAL-c2:hMYH(121-535)). The patient serum immunoblotted only pMAL-c2:hMYH(1-120), suggesting that the autoepitope(s) is restricted to amino acids 22-120 of hMYH, and detected a protein of approximately 59-kDa in total HeLa and nuclear extracts consistent with reactivity to hMYH. Affinity-purified autoantibodies to pMAL-c2:hMYH(1-120) reacted by immunoblot to pMAL-c2:hMYH(1-120), with no reactivity to pMAL-c2:hMYH(121-535). By immunofluorescence, these antibodies displayed staining of nuclei. This is the first report of autoantibodies to hMYH in a patient with rheumatic disease. We were able to identify hMYH reactivity in relatively small cohorts of sera collected from rheumatoid factor-positive patients (6 of 18) and dsDNA-positive patients (1 of 18), with no reactivity detected in serum collected from 9 healthy subjects.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.75keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/74. Trends in rheumatic disease: update on new diagnostic and treatment strategies.Advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of rheumatic and immunologic diseases have led to improved therapies, such as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and bisphosphonates. These drugs can not only alleviate symptoms but also alter the course of the disease. However, they also have significant potential side effects, which mandate, more than ever, correct diagnosis and vigilant monitoring for toxicity.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.625keywords = rheumatic (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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