Abstract
Objective. Immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a new disease entity that has only been identified this century. Clinical information is thus lacking. We established the ...Sapporo Medical University and Related Institutes Database for Investigation and Best Treatments of IgG4-related Disease (SMART) to clarify the clinical features of IgG4-RD and provide useful information for clinicians.
Methods. Participants comprised 122 patients with IgG4-related dacryoadenitis and/or sialadenitis (IgG4-DS), representing lacrimal and/or salivary lesions of IgG4-RD, followed-up in December 2013. We analyzed the sex ratio, mean age at onset, organ dysfunction, history or complications of malignancy, treatments, rate of clinical remission, and relapse.
Results. The sex ratio was roughly equal. Mean age at diagnosis was 59.0 years. Positron emission tomography revealed that the ratio of other organ involvements was 61.4%. Complications of malignancy were observed in 7.4% of cases. Glucocorticoid was used to treat 92.1% of cases, and the mean maintenance dose of prednisolone was 4.8 mg/day. Rituximab was added in three cases, and showed good steroid-sparing effect. The clinical remission rate was 73.8%, and the annual relapse rate was 11.5%. Half of the cases experienced relapses within 7 years of initial treatment.
Conclusion. We analyzed the clinical features and treatments of IgG4-DS using SMART, providing useful information for everyday clinical practice.
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a novel disease entity that includes Mikulicz’s disease, autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), and many other conditions. It is characterized by elevated serum IgG4 levels ...and abundant IgG4-bearing plasmacyte infiltration of involved organs. We postulated that high levels of serum IgG4 would comprise a useful diagnostic tool, but little information is available about IgG4 in conditions other than IgG4-RD, including rheumatic diseases. Several reports have described cutoff values for serum IgG4 when diagnosing IgG4-RD, but these studies mostly used 135 mg/dL in AIP to differentiate from pancreatic cancer instead of rheumatic and other common diseases. There is no evidence for a cutoff serum IgG4 level of 135 mg/dL for rheumatic diseases and common diseases that are often complicated with rheumatic diseases. The aim of this work was to re-evaluate the usual cutoff serum IgG4 value in AIP (135 mg/dL) that is used to diagnose whole IgG4-RD in the setting of a rheumatic clinic by measuring serum IgG4 levels in IgG4-RD and various disorders. We therefore constructed ROC curves of serum IgG4 levels in 418 patients who attended Sapporo Medical University Hospital due to IgG4-RD and various rheumatic and common disorders. The optimal cut-off value of serum IgG4 for a diagnosis of IgG4-RD was 144 mg/dL, and the sensitivity and specificity were 95.10 and 90.76%, respectively. Levels of serum IgG4 were elevated in IgG4-RD, Churg–Strauss syndrome, multicentric Castleman’s disease, eosinophilic disorders, and in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, chronic hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. The usual cut-off value of 135 mg/dL in AIP is useful for diagnosing whole IgG4-RD, but high levels of serum IgG4 are sometimes observed in not only IgG4-RD but also other rheumatic and common diseases.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Aim
The objective of this study was to assess the gastrointestinal side (GI) effects of oral methotrexate (MTX) in Japanese adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods
In this ...single‐center retrospective study, 112 Japanese adult patients (over 18 years old) with RA were examined by Methotrexate Intolerance and Severity assessment in Adults (MISA) questionnaire.
Results
Forty‐five (40.2%) of patients were MTX intolerant (MISA score ≥1). Twelve patients (11.2%) were moderate‐to‐severe MTX intolerant (MISA cross‐product score ≥4). The most common GI side effects of MTX were gastric discomfort (26.8%), followed by loss of appetite or dysgeusia (14.3%), fatigue and lethargy (12.5%), and nausea (10.7%).
Conclusions
Japanese adult patients with RA showed a high prevalence of MTX intolerance even in low‐dose oral MTX. The MISA questionnaire was practical for finding patients with MTX intolerance.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a novel disease entity that includes Mikulicz's disease, autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), and many other conditions. It is characterized by elevated serum ...IgG4 levels and abundant IgG4-bearing plasmacyte infiltration of involved organs. We postulated that high levels of serum IgG4 would comprise a useful diagnostic tool, but little information is available about IgG4 in conditions other than IgG4-RD, including rheumatic diseases. Several reports have described cutoff values for serum IgG4 when diagnosing IgG4-RD, but these studies mostly used 135 mg/dL in AIP to differentiate from pancreatic cancer instead of rheumatic and other common diseases. There is no evidence for a cutoff serum IgG4 level of 135 mg/dL for rheumatic diseases and common diseases that are often complicated with rheumatic diseases. The aim of this work was to re-evaluate the usual cutoff serum IgG4 value in AIP (135 mg/dL) that is used to diagnose whole IgG4-RD in the setting of a rheumatic clinic by measuring serum IgG4 levels in IgG4-RD and various disorders. We therefore constructed ROC curves of serum IgG4 levels in 418 patients who attended Sapporo Medical University Hospital due to IgG4-RD and various rheumatic and common disorders. The optimal cut-off value of serum IgG4 for a diagnosis of IgG4-RD was 144 mg/dL, and the sensitivity and specificity were 95.10 and 90.76%, respectively. Levels of serum IgG4 were elevated in IgG4-RD, Churg-Strauss syndrome, multicentric Castleman's disease, eosinophilic disorders, and in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, chronic hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. The usual cut-off value of 135 mg/dL in AIP is useful for diagnosing whole IgG4-RD, but high levels of serum IgG4 are sometimes observed in not only IgG4-RD but also other rheumatic and common diseases.
Despite ongoing research, the clinical and histopathological natural history of immunoglobulin (Ig) G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) remains unclear and the optimal time to initiate treatment is unknown. ...A focus on clinical symptoms rather than image finding is recommended for therapeutic initiation in autoimmune pancreatitis, but evidence for this approach is lacking. We aimed to retrospectively analyse disease duration, efficacy of treatment with glucocorticoids and results of histopathological examination of submandibular gland specimens to clarify the necessity for early intervention in IgG4-RD.
Salivary secretions were assessed before and after treatment in 26 cases of IgG4-related Mikulicz's disease (IgG4-MD). Relationships between disease duration, amount of salivary secretion before treatment, improvement of salivary secretion and ratios of areas of residual acini, fibrosis and lymphoid follicles in the involved submandibular gland specimens were analysed.
Salivary secretions were significantly reduced in cases with illness of >2 years (P < 0.05). An inverse correlation was seen between improved amount of salivary secretion and amount of salivary secretion before treatment (r = -0.60). Improved amount of salivary secretion was also associated with each histological factor (acini, r = 0.29; fibrosis, r = -0.23; lymphoid follicles, r = -0.31), which showed interrelationships (acini and lymphoid follicles, r = -0.23; acini and fibrosis, r = 0.42; lymphoid follicles and fibrosis, r = 0.30).
Salivary secretion can be improved even in cases with lower levels of salivary secretion before treatment in IgG4-RD, but improvements in the amount of salivary secretion decrease with histological changes with delayed therapeutic intervention. These data suggest that early intervention is needed to improve outcomes in patients with IgG4-MD.
Primary carcinoma of the duodenum is a rare lesion. In conjunction with the widespread use of panendoscopy, reported cases of carcinoma of the duodenum have recently increased. Although benign ...hyperplasia of Brunner's gland is well documented, duodenal carcinoma originating in Brunner's gland is extremely rare, and, consequently, there is little data on the morphological or histochemical characteristics. We report here a case of early duodenal carcinoma arising from Brunner's gland, whose origin was proven by mucin immunohistochemistry.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
It is considered that autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), Mikulicz’s disease (MD) and IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) comprise systemic IgG4-related plasmacytic syndrome (SIPS), of which ...the origin remains unknown. We analyzed these patients with focus on serological aspects to invest whether there are autoantigens in SIPS. We evaluated 28 patients with SIPS who presented at Sapporo Medical University Hospital and the collaborated institutions. They were mainly middle-aged (eight male), and consisted of 26 patients with MD and two patients with AIP. The three among 26 patients diagnosed with MD were complicated to AIP, and another three patients had IgG4-related TIN. As a control, healthy volunteers and the patients with Sjögren’s syndrome were examined. At first, we measured the levels of serum complements and circulating immune complexes in these patients. Next, immune complexes were collected from the serum of patients and healthy controls by immunoprecipitation. They were divided into immunoglobulin and the antigens by glycine–HCl solution. The divided samples including the antigens were analyzed by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Nine patients had hypocomplementemia and 15 had elevated levels of circulating immune complexes in the group of SIPS. In the groups of healthy volunteers and SS, all showed that the levels of serum complements and circulating immune complexes were normal. SELDI-TOF-MS detected a 13.1-kDa protein from all samples of SIPS, and not in normal control and SS. It is possible that the 13.1-kDa protein is one of the autoantigens of SIPS.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Recent advances in medication choices have strikingly improved the management of rheumatoid arthritis. However, medication alone cannot place back already deformed joints. Thus, to prevent ...metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint destruction, joint deformity correction should be considered since mechanical stress induced by finger motions will eventually destruct the undestructed joint, with a possibility of recurrence and future implant arthroplasty in mind since RA still remains as a progressive disease. We report a modified metacarpal shortening osteotomy for correcting MP joint deformity. The advantage of our technique over previous osteotomies is that it easily allows for subsequent implant arthroplasty even after the recurrence of joint deformity/destruction. Major modifications include that the metacarpal is shortened at its mid-shaft and the osteotomy is performed vertical to the shaft and fixed with surgical wiring. We believe that combination therapy consisting of medication and surgery is preferable to prevent joint destruction, even in this age of biological agents.
A 73-year-old man with concomitant chronic heart and renal failure presented because of dysphagia. Endoscopic examination showed a giant protruding tumor located on the middle of the esophagus. ...Pathological findings on HE staining revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, so we performed radiotherapy and Nd : YAG laser, but the tumor was not reduced. Then we decided to use argon plasma coagulation (APC) 4 times a month. After APC treatment, an endoscope easily went through, and this patient achieved palliative clearance of the obstruction without any complications. Immunohistologically, tumor cells were positive for c-kit, CD34, vimentin and desmin, and negative for α-smooth muscle actin, S-100 and NSE, therefore the final histological diagnosis was malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), smooth muscle type. There have been no signs to suggest the passage disorder of esophagus. For the quality of life of the patient with inoperable tumor obstructing the esophagus, APC seems to be valuable and a palliative approach.