1/6. The role of HLA B27 in the diagnosis and management of low-back pain and sciatica.Present diagnostic criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) lean heavily on the x-ray examination, but there is much dispute as to its efficacy, especially in mild or early cases. Determinations of the HLA B27 histocompatibility antigen appear to define the population at risk far better than any other means. Of 31 patients who had the HLA B27 antigen, all had negative latex fixation tests and axial polyarthritic complaints (seronegative spondyloarthropathy or rheumatoid variant). Three had Reiter's syndrome and one had ulcerative colitis. Of the remaining 27 patients, nine had definite AS, 11 had probable AS, and seven had possible AS. Eleven of the 27 underwent at least one invasive spinal procedure (myelogram, laminectomy, fusion, facet denervation) before a diagnosis of AS was made.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = antigen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/6. An increase of blood squamous cell carcinoma antigen in pseudomonas aeruginosa spondylitis.Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) is traditionally engaged for detecting and following up malignancy from a squamous cell origin. We encountered an unusual increase of blood SCCA but no other cancer markers in a patient associated with an infective lumbar spondylitis due to pseudomonas aeruginosa. An overshooting of Th1 expression, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, bumped up by his uremia as a result of P. aeruginosa infection may hasten SCCA. Therefore, SCCA might additionally serve as a serological marker for infection besides squamous cell cancer, and its false-positive increase also highlights the appropriateness of tumor marker screening.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2.5keywords = antigen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/6. The immunochemical characterisation of circulating immune complex constituents in candida albicans osteomyelitis by isoelectric focusing, immunoblot, and immunoprint.Circulating immune complexes present in the serum of a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, end-stage renal failure, and thoracic vertebral candida albicans osteomyelitis were sequentially analysed by isoelectric focusing, immunoblotting, and immunoprinting. Candida antigens (including mannoproteins), Clq and C3 complement components, and specific anti-Candida antibody were detected within polyethylene glycol precipitated complexes. An antigen of 47K molecular weight was amongst those demonstrated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be present within the complexes. It has been proposed elsewhere that a serologic response to a 47K protein is predictive of recovery from candida albicans infection. Free antibody had specificity for Candida antigens ranging in molecular weight from 18K to more than 100K including a 47K component. The analytical techniques employed allowed rapid and precise identification of the components of one particular immune complex system and will be widely applicable to the dissection of other diverse systems.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.5keywords = antigen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/6. Immunoglobulin in chronic inflammatory diseases.Several case studies are presented to illustrate the success of intravenous gammaglobulin (IVIG) therapy in ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, chronic anterior uveitis, herpes zoster, and relapsing genital herpes simplex. Hypothetical mechanisms explain the marked improvement of the chronic disorders, with particular emphasis on substitution of specific antibodies. The recently recognized heterogeneity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is explored as one possible explanation for low and high responders to particular antigens. It is suggested that various chronic inflammatory disorders result from ineffective immune responses, and that the administration of IVIG may shift the delicate balance between the pathogen and the host to favor the latter.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = antigen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/6. Psoriatic arthritis.Despite having several modes of presentation, psoriatic arthritis usually can be readily distinguished from other forms of polyarthritis. Prominent features in all forms are a predilection for digital joints and occurrence of osteolysis and ankylosis. rheumatoid factor is usually absent, and the prognosis appears to be better than that for rheumatoid arthritis. The relationship of HLA-B27 histocompatibility antigen to psoriatic arthritis is indefinite; presence of the antigen predisposes to spondylitis. For most patients, treatment directed at the psoriasis is adequate, especially if it is combined with the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = antigen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/6. Psoriatic arthritis with spinal involvement in a patient receiving alpha-interferon for chronic hepatitis c.A 26-year-old male patient being treated with alpha-interferon for chronic hepatitis c developed psoriasis, seronegative oligoarthritis and sacroiliitis after four months. The close temporal relationship between the alpha-interferon therapy and the onset of skin and articular lesions strongly suggests that the drug played a role in the induction of the disease despite the absence of hla antigens related to psoriatic arthritis. We cannot exclude the possibility that immunological alterations associated with HCV infection could have constituted a predisposing factor in the onset of the disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = antigen (Clic here for more details about this article) |