Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J L Decker

Publications and source records attributed to J L Decker.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Effect of plasmapheresis on T anc B lymphocyte functions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a double blind study.

Nine patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus entered a double-blind randomized trial to study the therapeutic effect of vigorous versus sham reinfusion plasmapheresis. Four of them received real plasmapheresis while five received sham reinfusion plasmapheresis. In the present communication we report the effects of these procedures on T lymphocytes in peripheral mononuclear cells, proliferative response to mitogens, allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction and cell-mediated lympholysis, as well as the effect of plasmapheresis on the spontaneous and pokeweed mitogen induced immunoglobulin secreting cells in peripheral blood. Several mononuclear cell functions were abnormal at the beginning of the study but no significant changes related to plasmaphersis occurred in any of the parameters studied.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1981

Ineffectiveness of levamisole in systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled trial.

Twenty-six patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus partially controlled by prednisone 30 mg daily or less were randomly selected to receive levamisole 150 mg weekly or placebo. Many patients showed increased disease activity over the 6-month trial period, and most required increased steroid dosage. Those on levamisole did no better than those on placebo.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Presence of autoantibody for phospholipase inhibitory protein, lipomodulin, in patients with rheumatic diseases.

The activity of phospholipase inhibitory protein, lipomodulin, partially purified from rabbit neutrophils, was markedly decreased after treatment with sera from patients with rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and dermatomyositis. The decrease of the protein's inhibitory activity on phospholipase A2 paralleled the amount of [35S]methionine-labeled lipomodulin precipitated by the sera. Absorption of patients' sera with anti-human IgM (mu chain) or protein A-agarose, but not with anti-human IgG (gamma chain), decreased their ability to decrease the activity of lipomodulin on phospholipase A2 or to precipitate the radioactive lipomodulin. The IgM fraction of patients' sera could precipitate [35S]methionine-labeled lipomodulin (40,000 daltons) which comigrated with highly purified lipomodulin on gel electrophoresis with sodium dodecyl sulfate. All of these observations suggest that the sera of many patients with rheumatic diseases contain autoantibody against lipomodulin. A monoclonal antibody against lipomodulin was also obtained. Stimulating human fibroblasts with bradykinin in the presence of monoclonal antilipomodulin antibody markedly enhanced arachidonic acid release due to the activation of phospholipase(s) in the intact cells, and this stimulatory effect was blocked by adding purified lipomodulin. These findings suggest that lipomodulin regulates the activity of phospholipase(s) on the cell surface and that autoantibodies against lipomodulin may play a role in certain symptoms of rheumatic diseases, especially by the formation of prostaglandins and other metabolites of arachidonic acid.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Lymphocytapheresis.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1980

An epidemiologic study of households exposed to canine systemic lupus erythematosus.

To determine whether exposure to canine lupus is a risk for human lupus, we studied 83 members of 23 households exposed to 19 dogs with high titer antinuclear antibodies and compared these contact households to 50 members of 18 control households matched for dog age, sex, and primary veterinarian. No differences were found between contacts and controls in titer of antinuclear, antiDNA, antiRNA, and antilymphocyte antibodies, frequency of positive rheumatoid factor, or elevated serum immunoglobulins. Further analysis of subgroups by age, sex, and intensity of dog exposure did not reveal any serologic differences between contacts and controls. No cases of lupus were identified in either group. Three contact households and no controls reported a family history (remote from the household) of lupus. This study did not detect any clinical or serologic effect of human household exposure to dogs with high titer antinuclear antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Histocompatibility alloantigens in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Evidence for the influence of multiple genes in the major histocompatibility complex.

The frequency of HLA-A, B, and Cw antigens as well as the antigens expressed preferentially on B cells and monocytes (DRw and Ia-like) was examined in a normal population and two related disease populations, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. HLA antigens distinguishing the two disease populations were found. Psoriatic patients demonstrated an increase in frequency of HLA-A1, B17, and B13. Patients with psoriatic arthritis demonstrated an increased frequency of HLA-A26, B38, and DRw4. Antigens showing a common increase in frequency in the two disease populations were HLA-Cw6, DRw7, and Ia744. These results demonstrate genetic differences as well as similarities in the two populations of patients with the common clinical feature of psoriasis. In addition to the above analysis, we examined the association of individual alloantigens elevated in frequency in the diseased population. These same alloantigens were examined for association in the normal population. This analysis revealed HLA antigen associations in the two disease groups that differed from the association of several antigens in the normal population. The results suggest that at least two genetic factors, one mapping in the HLA-A, C-B region and one mapping in the HLA-B-DRw region are associated with the disease states. Thus, multiple factors controlled by genes in the major histocompatibility complex appear to contribute to the disease entities under investigation.

Arthritis↗
PubMed1979

Immune interferon in the circulation of patients with autoimmune disease.

The observation that type II, or immune, interferon could be produced by peripheral-blood leukocytes in vitro on an immune-specific basis suggested that it also might be produced in vivo in various autoimmune disorders. We found immune interferon in the serums of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma and Sjögren's syndrome. Among 28 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, 71 per cent of those with active and 21 per cent of those with inactive disease showed interferon in their serums. Serial serum samples showed a good correlation between interferon titers and disease activity. Moreover, interferon titers correlated positively with antibodies to DNA and negatively with serum levels of the third component of complement. It is possible that the production of interferon may contribute to immunologic aberrations in auto-immune diseases and also protect the already compromised host from viral infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Mortality in lupus nephritis.

The principal causes of death of 68 patients with lupus glomerulonephritis were reviewed. Renal failure (40%), vascular events (25%), and infections (16%) were the predominant causes. Diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis was associated with an increased frequency of renal failure. A bimodal pattern of early deaths due to active lupus and sepsis and late deaths from vascular events was found superimposed on a constant rate of death from renal failure.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1979

Lymphocyte depletion by continuous flow cell centrifugation in rheumatoid arthritis: clinical effects.

Four patients with active, severe rheumatoid arthritis were subjected to the removal of circulating lymphocytes (lymphapheresis) for a 6-week period by use of a continuous flow cell centrifuge. Repetitive venous access was gained through forearm arteriovenous fistulae. In all patients the Ritchie-Camp articular index declined rapidly in the first week and more slowly therafter for a total mean drop of 61% below the initial value. The index continued to decline after lymphapheresis but exacerbation of disease activity developed at an average of 19 weeks. No significant untoward effects of the procedure were observed; occasional transfusions were required to compensate for the small, unavoidable erythrocyte loss.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

A controlled study of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The immunogenicity and potential for disease modification of pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in systemic lupus erythematosus were evaluated in a controlled, double-blind study. Forty patients were randomly chosen to receive an intramuscular injection of either vaccine or placebo. Changes in mean antibody concentrations (nanograms antibody nitrogen per milliliter serum) to 12 type-specific pneumococcal capsular antigens from prevaccination to one month after vaccination were 177 to 1045 in the vaccine (P less than 0.001) and 164 to 153 in the placebo-treated patients. In the month after vaccination, neither vaccine nor placebo-treated patients had a significant change in lupus disease activity as assessed by a composite clinical, laboratory, and serologic index. We conclude that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus can be successfully immunized with pneumococcal vaccine without detectable alterations of the underlying disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Avascular necrosis in systemic lupus erythematosus. Silent symmetric osteonecroses.

The symptomatic joint disease secondary to avascular necrosis of bone (ANB) in 31 of 375 (8 per cent) patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was characterized by polyarticular (90 per cent) and symmetric (83 per cent) involvement. Progressive deterioration requiring orthopedic intervention occurred in 11 (35 per cent) patients. No distinguishing clinical or treatment differences were found comparing patients with symptomatic ANB and selected cortico-steroid-treated, asymptomatic, control subjects with SLE. Complete roentgenographic surveys revealed symmetric, polyarticular abnormalities of subchondral and cortical bone consistent with ANB in eight of 31 (26 per cent) of the control subjects. A positive correlation was found between roentgenographic ANB and disease treatment with high doses of corticosteroids. The study suggests that ANB may be present in excess of 30 per cent of the patients with SLE and is most often subclinical, asymptomatic and nonprogressive.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Fever in systemic lupus erythematosus.

The frequency, causes, clinical and laboratory features, and outcome of febrile episodes in 160 hospitalized patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were reviewed. Eighty-three febrile episodes were identified in 63 patients and were ascribed to active lupus erythematosus alone (60 per cent), infections (23 per cent) and miscellaneous causes (17 per cent). Bacteremia was present in nine of the 19 infectious episodes and resulted in a fatal outcome in a third of the patients. Leukocytosis, neutrophilia, shaking chills and normal levels of anti-DNA antibodies were associated with infection in febrile patients with lupus erythematosus.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗