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Biomedical subjects

A Weinberger

Publications and source records attributed to A Weinberger.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Seasons of the year and activity of SLE and Behcet's disease.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were evaluated using a telephone questionnaire on the activity of various disease manifestations during the seasons of the past year. The results were compared to those of patients with Behcet's disease (BD), using the same questionnaires, and analyzed in relation to the mean temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in the patient's location, obtained from the official Israeli Meteorological Service. It was found that SLE patients had a tendency towards winter worsening of clinical manifestations, shown as increased incidence of joint pains, weakness, fatigue, Raynaud's phenomenon, and rash, as well as increased number of hospital admissions, sick leaves, and need to raise the dose of medications. The symptoms of patients with BD were not correlated to seasons of the year, except for increased joint pains in autumn and spring. We suggest that UVR accumulation might cause exacerbations in SLE patients several months after prolonged exposure to sunlight in the summer.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Intraarticular minocycline injection in experimental synovitis.

Minocycline, a semi-synthetic tetracycline, was injected into one hind joint of twenty-two rabbits with zymosan-induced arthritis, while the contralateral joint served as a control. A local inflammatory reaction was observed a few days after the zymosan injection. Most clinical parameters such as knee diameter, systemic temperature, sedimentation rate and blood cell count did not change throughout the experiment both in control and minocycline treated rabbits. However, the zymosan platelet counts rose from 3.4x10(5)/microL to 5x10(5)/microL, as well as the level of serum fibrinogen (from 99 mg% to 370 mg%). Microscopically, a perivascular infiltrate consisting of lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear cells was seen. Lymphoid follicles as well as plasma cells epitheloid and giant cells were also observed. A mild tendency to fibrosis and lesser inflammatory reaction in the minocycline treated knees was noted. Our data suggest that intraarticular minocycline treatment did not alleviate the course of the rheumatoid-like inflammatory reaction of the knee joint.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Lymphadenopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus. Prevalence and relation to disease manifestations.

Lymphadenopathy (LAP) is a frequent sign in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Yet, data concerning its relation to the various disease manifestations are scarce or absent. LAP was present in 23/90 (26%) SLE patients. Patients with LAP had significantly more constitutional symptoms of fatigue, fever and weight loss, more cutaneous symptoms and signs, a higher rate of hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, increased anti-dsDNA antibodies and decreased complement levels. Disease activity index was higher among patients with LAP, as was the intake of steroids and antimalaria medications. There was no difference in renal or central nervous system (CNS) involvement between patients with LAP and those without LAP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Libman-Sacks endocarditis in the antiphospholipid syndrome: immunopathologic findings in deformed heart valves.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential immunologic mechanism and involvement of antiphospholipid antibodies in the pathogenesis of heart valve lesions in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). METHODS: Immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence staining methods were used to evaluate 13 heart valve specimens derived from eight patients with the APS, either primary or secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus. Primary antibodies to human immunoglobulins, complement components, serum albumin and a monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody to human anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) were employed. Various tissue specimens from a patient with the APS as well as deformed and normal valves from subjects without the APS were used as controls. RESULTS: Linear subendothelial deposition consisting of immunoglobulins with complement components but not of a non-specific serum protein was found in deformed valves from patients with the APS. None of the control valves or tissues disclosed similar deposition. The same pattern and location of staining was obtained by the anti-idiotypic antibody to aCL. A significant amount of IgG immunoglobulins that bound to cardiolipin was eluted from a valve of a patient with secondary APS. CONCLUSION: Deposits of immunoglobulins including aCL, and of complement components, are common in affected valves of patients with primary and secondary APS. Such deposits may be involved in the pathogenesis of valvular lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Treatment of experimental inflammatory synovitis with continuous magnetic field.

The effect of a magnetic field on synovitis in rats was studied. Synovitis was induced by bilateral intraarticular injection of zymosan to the hind joints. One group of rats was held in a cage with a magnet of 3,800 Gauss on the bottom of the cage (treated), while another group was held in a cage without a magnet (control). Three weeks following intraarticular zymosan injection all rats were killed and the hind joints tissues were examined histologically. The pathologic process was noted and graded according to the involvement of various tissue components, number of inflammatory foci, and size of the lesion. The histologic findings of the tissues from the control group consisted of marked articular infiltrate, composed of lymphocytes and plasma cells with some histocytes in 80% of the animals. A small articular infiltration of the same nature was observed in 20% of the treated rats. The inflammatory score was 3.4 +/- 1.1 in the treated animals and 6.8 +/- 2.6 in the control group (P = 0.002). These data showed that synovitis and the inflammatory process are significantly suppressed by a magnetic field.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Gout, uric acid metabolism, and crystal-induced inflammation.

Serum triglyceride levels are significantly higher and serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are lower in patients with gout compared with healthy individuals. Whereas increased serum triglyceride levels exist intrinsically in gout, serum uric acid concentration correlates inversely with insulin sensitivity and positively with serum triglycerides. Interaction of monosodium urate crystals with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and with tumor necrosis factor-activated neutrophils favored the production of interleukin-1 over that of interleukin-1-Ra, resulting in a proinflammatory imbalance. Interaction of the crystals with iron or tyrosine kinase may modify their inflammatory response and can be an important modulating mechanism in gouty arthritis. E-selectin is a specific marker for synovial fluid soluble endothelial activity and is increased in the synovial fluid of patients with gouty arthritis, as well as in that of patients with other inflammatory arthritides. Similarly, E-selectin was found to be high in joints with monosodium urate crystal-induced synovitis. In addition, synovial fluid levels of interleukin-8 were found to be high in gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Elevated serum interleukin 1 receptors and interleukin 1B in patients with Behçet's disease: correlations with disease activity and severity.

Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (SIL-2R) and interleukin 1-B (IL-1B) levels in peripheral blood were assayed by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent method in 25 patients with Behçet's disease and in 20 healthy controls. Eighteen patients suffered from active Behçet's disease and 6 patients had severe disease manifestations. SIL-2R levels were followed for a period of 16 months and were correlated with disease activity. In all the patients with Behçet's disease the levels of SIL-2R and IL-1B were significantly higher than their control, 958 +/- 712 vs. 404 +/- 119 u/ml (P < 0.001) for SIL-2R and 639 +/- 741 vs. 59 +/- 53 pg/ml (P < 0.001) for IL-1B. No correlation was found between disease activity and severity and the levels of SIL-2R and IL-1B. It is suggested that levels of SIL-2R and IL-1B are elevated in patients with Behçet's disease but do not serve as disease activity markers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Serum 17-beta-estradiol and testosterone levels in asymptomatic hyperuricaemic men.

Low levels of oestrogen, FSH and LH in serum have been reported in patients with gout. The mechanism by which sex hormones affect the development of gout is unknown, but some investigators believe that it is related to the influence of oestrogens on serum uric acid levels. We studied the relationship between serum uric acid and 17 beta oestradiol (ES) levels in asymptomatic hyperuricaemic (ASH) men in order to test the hypothesis that low ES levels are associated with hyperuricaemia. Thirty-eight men with asymptomatic hyperuricaemia (ASH) were selected from a population of healthy individuals undergoing periodical multiphasic health examinations. After adjusting for the differences in albumin levels between the two groups, no significant difference in serum ES level was found. The serum testosterone levels were similar in both groups. These findings suggest that there is no difference in the sex hormone profiles between asymptomatic hyperuricaemic and normouricaemic men.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Effect of weather conditions on acute gouty arthritis.

82 patients were retrospectively evaluated for the effects of maximal and minimal temperatures, barometric pressure, wet and dry temperatures and heat stress on the five consecutive days preceding an acute gouty attack. Maximal temperature on day four preceding the attack was higher than the monthly mean [p < 0.01], the fifth day's lower than the monthly mean minimal temperature [p < 0.05], and the mean barometric pressure of the fifth day before the attack higher then the monthly mean [p < 0.02]. On day four before the acute gouty arthritic attack heat stress was significantly higher than the mean monthly heat stress [p < 0.03]. The same findings were noted between the difference of the fifth night wet and fourth night dry temperatures, which were higher than those on the day of the attack [p < 0.05 and p < 0.03 respectively]. These weather changes were not specific to a certain month. Weather changes which occur four to five days before an acute gouty attack may play a significant role in precipitating the attack.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus. Prevalence and relation to disease expression.

Significant fatigue was observed in 63/83 (76%) SLE patients. Patients with fatigue had significantly lower lymphocyte counts (1090 +/- 60 vs 1675 +/- 205 cells/mm3 P = 0.003), and higher ratings for headache, nervousness and musculoskeletal symptoms and signs. These disease parameters also correlate significantly with the magnitude of fatigue. Fatigue correlated with disease activity index (r = 0.49 P < 0.001).

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Expression of systemic lupus erythematosus in various ethnic Jewish Israeli groups.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the expression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Jewish Israeli patients according to ethnic origin. METHODS: Eighty four patients with SLE were divided into groups according to origin and compared for history, physical examination, and laboratory variables. RESULTS: Patients of Sephardic origin had more serious disease manifestations than Ashkenazi patients in 60 of the 76 variables examined. They had significantly worse muscle pain, alopecia, and cutaneous vasculitis, higher antibodies to DNA and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and significantly lower complement and leucocytes. Sephardic patients were divided into subgroups according to country: Mediterranean area, Iran-Iraq-India, and Yemen. All three subgroups had more serious disease manifestations than the Ashkenazi group, and the Yemenite patients had the most serious manifestations among the Sephardic subgroups. The Sephardic patients had a significantly lower education level, but only origin, and not education level or age, was significantly related to disease manifestations on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: More serious manifestations of SLE are found among Jewish patients of Sephardic origin, but these are not related to level of education or age.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Synovial copper deposition as a possible explanation of arthropathy in Wilson's disease.

A patient with longstanding Wilson's disease and arthritis is presented. Synovial biopsy disclosed thickening of the membrane, intimal histiocytes, and lymphocyte infiltration without pigmentation. X-ray energy spectroscopy demonstrated copper and iron in high concentrations. These findings may contribute to our understanding of the development of the arthropathy in patients with Wilson's disease.

Arthritis↗
PubMed1992

Close association of HLA-B51 in persons with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

The HLA typing profile of 26 Israeli subjects with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) was examined and compared with that of 100 healthy control subjects. HLA-B51 was found in six subjects (23%) with RAS and in nine control subjects (9%) (p < 0.05). HLA-Cw7 was found in six subjects with RAS (23%) and in five control subjects (5%) (p < 0.01). Eleven subjects had first-degree relatives who had RAS. Because a high frequency of HLA-B51 has been found in Behcet's syndrome and aphthous stomatitis is part of this syndrome, it is suggested that in some subjects with RAS the entire syndrome may actually develop in the future.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Rash in systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence and relation to cutaneous and non-cutaneous disease manifestations.

Rash is a common cutaneous sign in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but no data regarding its prevalence or relation to disease manifestations are known, possibly due to the fact that it is a common but non-specific sign. Rash was present in 48/81 (59%) patients with SLE. Patients with rash had more cutaneous symptoms and signs, lymphadenopathy, increased levels of antibodies to double stranded DNA and decreased complement levels. They were also receiving a higher dose of prednisone. There was no difference between patients with and without rash with respect to renal or central nervous system disease. Rash did not correlate with the disease activity index and clinical parameters of disease exacerbation.

Dermatitis↗
PubMed1992

Disease patterns of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus as shown by application of factor analysis.

Clinical and laboratory test data of 77 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were evaluated by factor analysis. Six factors representing disease patterns were extracted: cutaneous symptoms of alopecia, malar rash, rash and photosensitivity; renal involvement; the anticoagulant syndrome of phlebitis and partial thromboplastic time inversely related to platelet count; lymphopenia; viral or fibromyalgia symptoms of headache, nervousness, joint and muscle pain; and serology of anti-DNA antibodies and complement inversely related. Application of factor analysis reveals various clinical presentations of SLE.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Lupus anticoagulant: correlation with magnetic resonance imaging of brain lesions.

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in 21 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with and without lupus anticoagulant (LAC), one lupus-like patient and 5 patients with primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Thirteen patients had white matter focal brain lesions on MRI, 10 of whom had LAC (p = 0.03). We found no correlation between these lesions and neurologic manifestations, nor any clinical or serologic indices of activity of SLE. Our MRI lesions were similar to those described in multiple sclerosis and may indicate a similar pathologic process.

Adolescent↗