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Biomedical subjects

A Ruffatti

Publications and source records attributed to A Ruffatti.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Early phenotypic activation of circulating helper memory T cells in scleroderma: correlation with disease activity.

OBJECTIVES: The differential expression of several accessory/activation molecules (CD26, CD29, CD45RA, CD25, MLR4, HLA-DR) on peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in patients with scleroderma was compared with that in controls and patients with other connective systemic diseases to look for evidence of the involvement of T cells in the disease process of scleroderma. METHODS: The two colour expression of surface molecules by circulating T cells was analysed with a panel of monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry in 17 patients with scleroderma, 10 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and five patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and the results compared with those for 10 normal controls. The two colour T CD4+ phenotype was further compared between patients with active and quiescent disease in these patients with scleroderma. The coexpression of surface molecules by CD4+ T cells was also analysed by three colour flow cytometry in eight patients with scleroderma. RESULTS: Patients with scleroderma showed increased CD4+CD26+ and CD4+CD25+ percentages and absolute numbers and decreased CD8+CD29+ percentages compared with controls. Moreover, a significant correlation between the higher CD4+CD26+ T cell percentage and absolute cell numbers with disease activity was observed. Most of the CD4+ peripheral blood T cells from patients with scleroderma showed the CD26+CD45RA- phenotype by three colour flow cytometry analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The distinctive pattern of early helper memory T cell activation in these patients with rapidly evolving scleroderma supports the role of a T cell mediated mechanism in the progression of scleroderma.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Antiphospholipid antibodies in mixed connective tissue disease.

We studied the prevalence and clinical significance of antiphospholipid antibodies (ab) in 28 patients affected with well-defined mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). Forty-two patients affected with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 60 healthy subjects were also evaluated, as controls. In MCTD the prevalence of anticardiolipin (aCL) ab was: IgG high level 17.8% (p less than 0.01 versus healthy controls), IgG low level 7.1% and IgM high level 7.1%. No patients had low level of aCL IgM, lupus anticoagulant or false positive VDRL. The aCL profile was similar to that found in SLE patients, but in SLE all prevalences were higher than in MCTD. Furthermore, in MCTD patients the aCL ab were correlated with thrombocytopenia but not with recurrent thrombosis and/or abortions.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialyzed patients detected by first and second generation assays.

A prospective study of liver disease has been conducted among patients entering our Dialysis Unit between 1987 and 1990. On entry, 7 patients had a history of blood transfusions but none had clinical or biochemical features of liver disease. During follow-up, 13 further patients were transfused; 1 case developed acute resolving hepatitis B and another acute non-A, non-B hepatitis progressing to chronicity. Eleven other cases showed transient or fluctuating ALT abnormalities. On entry, anti-HCV was negative by both 1st and 2nd generation ELISA assays (Ortho-Diagnostic Systems) in all cases. During follow-up, a positive reaction was detected in 17 cases: 4 patients were positive by both assays and 13 only by 2nd generation test (p less than 0.01). HCV was implicated in 66% of cases with liver disease of the non-A, non-B type and in 50% of transfused as compared to 23% of nontransfused cases (p = n.s.). These findings suggest that HCV could play a major etiological role in liver disease of hemodialysis patients and that anti-C100 reactivity is more affected by immunosuppression associated with chronic uremia.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Japanese diagnostic criteria for mixed connective tissue disease in Caucasian patients.

Preliminary Japanese diagnostic criteria for the classification of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) were tested in a group of 32 Caucasian patients with this disease. Many clinical and laboratory similarities were found between Caucasian and Japanese patients. However, polyarthritis was more frequent in the Caucasians, while finger and hand swelling, DLCO reduction and muscle involvement were more frequent in the Japanese. In Caucasians the sensitivity of this criteria set was 87%, very similar to that found in the Japanese group (88%), and the specificity was 94%, higher than that of Japanese (87%). The difference resulted from the higher specificity of anti-nRNP antibody positivity in the Caucasian patients, probably due to the use of counterimmunoelectrophoresis in the detection of this antibody. The Japanese criteria seem more useful than others because they allow the use of techniques other than passive hemagglutination in detecting the anti-nRNP antibody. In our experience, such criteria also contribute to a better definition of MCTD in Caucasian patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Anti-thyroid microsomal antibody in synovial fluid as a revealing feature of seronegative autoimmune thyroiditis.

Two cases of recurrent monoarthritis are described in which antithyroid microsomal (antiMi) autoantibody (Ab) was found in synovial fluid (SF) before any clinical or serological evidence of thyroid disease. Subsequently, the follow-up of the two patients showed the appearance of thyroiditis within 2-5 years. The presence of anti-Mi Ab in SF might anticipate the appearance of autoimmune thyroiditis even in the absence of serum detectable antithyroid Ab, as was later observed in these two cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Prevalence and characteristics of anti-single-stranded DNA antibodies in localized scleroderma. Comparison with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Prevalence, levels, and immunoglobulin classes of anti-single-stranded DNA antibodies were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 52 patients with localized scleroderma (33 with morphea, four with generalized morphea, and 15 with linear scleroderma), in 60 healthy controls, and, for comparison, in 31 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Localized scleroderma revealed a significant prevalence of anti-single-stranded DNA antibodies, mainly characterized by high levels and IgM and IgA isotypes. Comparison of antibody characteristics in different clinical forms of localized scleroderma showed some significant differences (levels and immunoglobulin isotypes). Comparison with systemic lupus erythematosus showed that frequency, high levels, and IgG isotype of anti-single-stranded DNA antibodies significantly prevailed in systemic lupus erythematosus, while the IgM isotype significantly prevailed in localized scleroderma. However, generalized morphea and linear scleroderma did not significantly differ from systemic lupus erythematosus as regards antibody frequency and prevalence of high antibody levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Esophageal involvement in mixed connective tissue disease.

A study of esophageal symptoms and function was performed in 21 patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). Esophageal involvement was found in 18 cases (85%), in 14 (66%) with typical symptoms, in 15 (71%) with manometric abnormalities and in 11 (57%) with both. The manometric pattern was characterized by reduction of amplitude and coordination of peristaltic waves throughout the esophageal body and reduction of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) competency. In comparison, 38 patients with systemic sclerosis showed a similar but more severe pattern, particularly at the level of the distal esophagus and LES. Thus, although similar, the esophageal involvement in MCTD was not exactly the same as that of systemic sclerosis. Furthermore, in MCTD a correlation between manometric abnormalities and cutaneous involvement was lacking, and this suggests that esophageal disorders are not always linked with clinically evident scleroderma-like features of this disease. Since the diagnosis of MCTD is made in the presence of the clinical picture of more than one connective tissue disease, the detection of esophageal involvement by a sensitive technique such as esophageal manometry in a patient with suspected MCTD may be a useful diagnostic aid.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies in the healthy elderly: prevalence and characteristics.

Using Crithidia luciliae fluorescent assay a significant prevalence (7.6%; P less than 0.006) of anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies was found in a healthy old population. A negative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for anti-total histone antibodies excluded a false-positive reaction. Anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies in the aged differed from those found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and were characterized by a low titer (95.6% of cases), belonging to the IgA class alone (95.6%), no complement-fixing ability (100%), and negativity to Farr assay (100%). It is concluded that, in elderly subjects without signs and symptoms of disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus, such a peculiar anti-double-stranded DNA antibody may be detected.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Renal artery thrombosis and hypertension in a 13 year old girl with antiphospholipid syndrome.

The case of a 13 year old girl with renal artery thrombosis and hypertension is described. A cerebrovascular accident and a probable occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery also occurred. Very high levels of 'lupus anticoagulant', anticardiolipin antibodies as well as false positive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory tests were repeatedly shown. Moreover, the patient fulfilled at least four classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus, but only a slight positivity for antinucleolar antibodies was present. The striking relation between antiphospholipid antibody levels and clinical events and the treatment of this complex syndrome are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Autoantibodies of systemic rheumatic diseases in the healthy elderly.

Antinuclear antibodies, anticardiolipin antibodies and IgM rheumatoid factor were determined in 300 healthy aged subjects, comparing their prevalence to that in 100 healthy subjects aged between 19 and 44 years and 352 patients under 65 years of age, affected by various systemic rheumatic diseases. Increased production of IgM rheumatoid factor and antinuclear and anticardiolipin antibodies was found as characteristic of aged humans, and suggested that a correction for age should be considered in evaluating the clinical significance of autoantibody profiles in elderly patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Renal function during calcitriol therapy in chronic renal failure.

Some authors have reported that vitamin D treatment worsens renal function. We studied 10 patients with stable renal function, who were given calcitriol (0.5 micrograms/day) for a 4-month period. Creatinine and inulin clearance were performed at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. Although serum creatinine increased and creatinine clearance decreased, inulin clearance did not show significant variations. Furthermore, serum creatinine fell to the baseline value within 60 days after discontinuation of vitamin D therapy. The increased serum creatinine may be explained by an augmented release from muscular tissue, probably due to the improvement of uremic myopathy induced by calcitriol.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Anticentromere antibody in localized scleroderma.

Using metaphase chromosome spreads as substrate for indirect immunofluorescence technic, we observed anticentromere antibody in three of twenty-five patients affected with various clinical forms of localized scleroderma. Anticentromere antibody is generally considered a serologic marker of the CREST syndrome, a more benign subset of systemic sclerosis. However, none of the three anticentromere antibody-positive patients with localized scleroderma had Raynaud's phenomenon, acrosclerosis, or any signs or symptoms of systemic disease; on physical and laboratory examination, they showed only typical cutaneous features of localized scleroderma: two showed linear scleroderma, and one showed localized morphea. A 2-year 8-month follow-up of two patients did not disclose any clinical evidence of systemic sclerosis. The occurrence of anticentromere antibody in patients with localized scleroderma seems to offer supportive evidence that a relationship exists between localized scleroderma and systemic sclerosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Biofiltration vs. bicarbonate dialysis: influence on plasma volume changes and extravascular fluid mobilization.

The present study compares the effects of bicarbonate hemodialysis (Bic. HD) and biofiltration (BF), a new hemodiafiltration technique, on plasma volume (PV) changes and extravascular fluid mobilization (Vfm). Ten uremic patients underwent one experimental session of Bic. HD and, one week later, one of BF, both on the second dialysis of the week. Net ultrafiltration rate was limited to 700 ml/min. At the start of each session, whole blood volume (WBV), PV and red cell volume (RCV) were determined using 5 mu Ci of radioiodinated serum albumin (RISA). PV and Vfm were calculated at hourly intervals using a serial hematocrit method. On Bic. HD, PV increased at 60 min. then decreased at 120 and 180 min., with efficient Vfm only during the first hour. On BF, PV increased throughout treatment, with greater Vfm. It would appear that PV is better preserved in BF, on account of more efficient Vfm.

Acetates↗