Objectives: In patients with dry mouth, salivary buffering capacity and oral pH decrease due to decreased salivary bicarbonate（HCO3−）concentration; this is associated with the development of dental ...caries and oral candidiasis. It is considered that mouth rinse using sodium bicarbonate water supplements salivary buffering capacity. This study investigated the usability and changes in dry mouth symptoms after use of sodium bicarbonate mouth rinse in patients with Sjogren’s syndrome（SS）. Methods: Twenty-seven patients with SS who had used sodium bicarbonate mouth rinse were enrolled. Usage status, usability, and changes in subjective symptoms regarding dry mouth were investigated by a questionnaire. Medication and countermeasures against dry mouth in the daily life were continued as usual. Results: Highest frequency of use was twice a day（33.3%）, and common use situations were before bedtime（66.7%）, and after meals（63.0%）. Twenty patients（74.1%）had “very good” or “good” sense of use. Eighteen patients（66.7%）had relief of symptoms related to dry mouth. Pros were “feeling refreshed in the mouth”（51.9%）, followed by “becomes less sticky”（29.6%）, “easy to make”（25.9%）, and “inexpensive”（22.2%）. Some respondents said they had less glossitis, angular cheilitis, and stomatitis（14.8%）. For cons “troublesome” was the highest（37.0%）, followed by responses regarding taste（22.2%）. There were also many responses to “none in particular”（25.9%）. No obvious accidents occurred, and twenty patients（74.1%） wished to continue using the mouth rinse. Conclusions: Sodium bicarbonate mouth rinse was considered an effective self-care method for managing dry mouth in SS patients.
Endogenous DNA derived from nuclei or mitochondria is released into the blood circulation as cell-free DNA (cfDNA) following cell damage or death. cfDNA is associated with various pathological ...conditions; however, its clinical significance in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of cfDNA in AAV.
We enrolled 35 patients with AAV, including 10 with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), 13 with microscopic polyangiitis, and 12 with granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Serum cf-nuclear DNA (cf-nDNA) and cf-mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) levels were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction before and after the initiation of immunosuppressive therapy. Tissue samples from EGPA patients were examined by immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. The structure of eosinophil extracellular traps (EETs) and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and stability against DNase were assessed
. Platelet adhesion of EETs were also assessed.
Serum cf-nDNA and cf-mtDNA levels were significantly higher in AAV than in healthy controls, with the highest levels in EGPA; however, serum DNase activities were comparable among all groups. cf-nDNA and cf-mtDNA decreased after treatment and were associated with disease activity only in EGPA. Blood eosinophil count and plasma D-dimer levels were significantly correlated with cf-nDNA in EGPA and cf-mtDNA. EGPA tissue samples showed lytic eosinophils and EETs in small-vessel thrombi. The structure of EETs showed bolder net-like chromatin threads
and EETs showed greater stability against DNase than NETs. EETs provided a scaffold for platelet adhesion.
cfDNA was increased in EGPA, associated with disease activity. The presence of DNase-resistant EETs in small-vessel thrombi might contribute to higher concentration of cfDNA and the occurrence of immunothrombosis in EGPA.
Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate whether cytokines associated with tumour necrosis factor- (TNF-) α and interleukin- (IL-) 6 signalling could predict rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical ...remission (CR) with Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKinib) treatment using the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI). Methods. Eighty-nine patients with RA treated with JAKinibs were enrolled, and their clinical data were collected retrospectively. CR was defined as an SDAI≤3.3 after 6 months of treatment with JAKinib. The serum samples of 89 patients were analysed for IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), soluble gp130 (spg130), and soluble TNF receptor- (sTNFR-) I and sTNFR-II titres. Results. There were no significant differences in the baseline clinical parameters between the CR and non-CR groups. Serum levels of IL-6, sIL-6R, and sgp130 were not significantly different; whereas, the serum sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II levels were significantly lower in the CR group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the baseline log sTNFR II values (OR: 0.002; p=0.034) were predictors of CR. Conclusions. Patients with RA can be stratified prior to JAKinib administration using serum sTNFR-I and sTNFR-II levels but not serum IL-6 axis cytokine levels (IL-6, sIL-6R, and sgp130).
ABSTRACT
Objectives
Raynaud’s phenomenon, one of the major symptoms of systemic sclerosis (SSc), is difficult to treat. Although it is empirically considered that warming is a beneficial technique, ...there is no supportive evidence. We conducted a multicentre study to evaluate whether continuous heating of the arm alleviates Raynaud’s phenomenon in SSc.
Methods
A pair of disposable warmers was applied to the upper arm near the elbow of patients with SSc. Two weeks of non-warmer application were followed by 2 weeks of warmer application, which was repeated twice. The Raynaud Condition Score (RCS), number of episodes, and duration of Raynaud’s phenomenon were recorded. The differences in the mean RCS, frequency, and duration of Raynaud’s phenomenon between the warmer application and non-application periods were analysed.
Results
Twenty-eight patients were included in the analysis. The average RCS was 1.98 and 2.66 during the warmer application and non-application periods, respectively. The change between the two periods was statistically significant by paired t-test. In addition, the frequency and total duration of Raynaud’s phenomenon in the warmer application period were significantly lower than those in the non-application period.
Conclusions
Heating of the upper arm near the elbow is effective in alleviating Raynaud’s phenomenon in SSc.
A case of eel collagen allergy Tamura, Masao; Matsui, Kiyoshi; Kobayashi, Yukihiro ...
Allergology international,
January 2018, 2018-01-00, 2018-01-01, Letnik:
67, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, especially the salivary and lacrimal glands. As a result of ...salivary gland dysfunction, most patients with SS have xerostomia related to a reduced salivary flow rate. In addition to the discomfort due to xerostomia, dry mouth can cause various intraoral manifestations such as refractory stomatitis, ulcer, and atrophic changes in the oral mucosa and tongue, and the patient's quality of life (QoL) is severely impaired. These manifestations are believed to be caused mainly by a decrease in the clearance in the oral cavity owing to hyposalivation. However, because saliva has several beneficial physiological effects on the intraoral environment, qualitative changes in sialochemistry should also be considered a cause of the refractory intraoral manifestations in SS.
Salivary epidermal growth factor (EGF) is considered an important cytoprotective factor against injuries. It contributes to wound healing in the oral cavity and to maintenance of mucosal integrity in the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. We evaluated changes in salivary EGF levels and assessed the association between salivary EGF levels and the severity of intraoral manifestations in patients with SS. The following novel findings were obtained: (1) salivary EGF levels in SS patients were significantly lower than those in non-SS patients; (2) salivary EGF levels as well as the salivary flow rate decreased with the progression of SS; (3) with prolonged SS disease duration, salivary EGF levels decreased more rapidly than the salivary flow rate; and (4) decreases in salivary EGF levels significantly correlated with exacerbation of the oral health-related QoL in patients with SS.
The deterioration in saliva quality as well as lower intraoral clearance by hyposalivation could play a role in the pathogenesis of refractory intraoral manifestations in patients with SS. Our findings suggest a new target for therapeutic intervention for SS.
We examined whether serum B cell activating factor (BAFF) is useful for predicting the remission of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) following rituximab ...treatment. We used the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) 2008 version 3 for the evaluation of 27 patients with AAV 6 months after rituximab treatment. Those with BVAS = 0 achieved remission, whereas those with BVAS score > 0 did not achieve remission. We considered changes in serum BAFF before rituximab treatment, 1 month after treatment, and 6 months after treatment. In the remission group, the serum BAFF increased consistently. In the non-achieved group, serum BAFF was within the normal range. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of serum BAFF before and 1 month after rituximab treatment. However, the serum BAFF level at 6 months after rituximab treatment was significantly higher in the remission group than in the non-achieved group. If serum BAFF does not increase after 6 months of rituximab in AAV, it may be assumed that there are residual B cells and plasma cells in the tissues. Enhanced treatment targeting B cells, including re-administration of rituximab or the addition of other immunosuppressive drugs, should be considered.
Biologics used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rarely cause eosinophilia. We herein report a patient with RA being treated with infliximab, adalimumab, and tocilizumab who developed ...eosinophilia with skin symptoms. Interestingly, the marked eosinophilia and skin symptoms did not reappear after the patient's medication was switched to golimumab. In this case, the presence of biologics-specific antibodies suggested that immunogenicity caused the eosinophilia. Therefore, switching to a biologic with a lower immunogenicity was effective. These findings may be helpful for clinicians treating patients with biologics-induced eosinophilia.
YKL-40 is implicated in inflammation and tissue repair, but no reports have investigated its involvement in myositis in polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). Therefore, we aimed to investigate ...the relationship between YKL-40 and PM/DM. We retrospectively enrolled 35 patients diagnosed with PM/DM along with 26 healthy controls (HCs). Both PM and DM were diagnosed according to Bohan and Peter's criteria. Serum YKL-40 levels were measured, age-corrected to YKL-40 percentile values, and compared to HCs. Patients with myositis without interstitial lung disease were also enrolled and compared to HCs. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to identify YKL-40-positive inflammatory cells in muscle biopsy samples from two patients each with PM and DM. Age-corrected serum YKL-40 levels were significantly higher in patients with PM/DM compared to HCs with and without lung disease; however, these levels decreased significantly after treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis showed infiltration of YKL-40-positive inflammatory cells into the intramuscular sheath and perimuscular membrane. Immunofluorescence staining showed CD68 expression in YKL-40-positive inflammatory cells, suggesting that these cells were macrophages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that YKL-40-positive macrophages are present in PM and DM, indicating that YKL-40 may be involved in PM/DM.
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