Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Schifferli

Publications and source records attributed to J Schifferli.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Urticaria and vasculitis: a continuum of histological and immunopathological changes.

Histopathological criteria were used to classify twenty-four patients with chronic urticaria into three groups, which were then studied to establish whether circulating immune complexes (CICs), complement activation and deposition of immunoreactants are confined to patients with urticarial vasculitis. Group I (three patients) had classical urticarial vasculitis, and two of these patients showed hypocomplementaemia with evidence of C3 conversion and deposition of immunoreactants in lesional and uninvolved skin. Ten patients (group 2) with a dense perivascular mixed-cellular infiltrate had normal or raised complement levels and infrequent evidence of C3 conversion. Immunoreactants were detected only in their lesional skin. Eleven patients (group 3) had only a sparse perivascular infiltrate. In this group, complement was normal and immunofluorescence was essentially negative. Cryoglobulins were detected in group I patients only. Monoclonal rheumatoid factor and C1q binding were positive in all group I patients, half the group 2 patients and none of the group 3 patients. This study suggests that urticaria and urticarial vasculitis form a disease continuum, and identifies a group of patients with features intermediate between urticarial vasculitis and ordinary urticaria.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia with false-positive serological tests for syphilis.

Analysis of serum from a patient with cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis showed a mixed cryoglobulin with a monoclonal IgM kappa-antiglobulin component (6.5 mg/ml), strong rheumatoid factor activity (latex titre 1/5000), and positive serological tests for syphilis (fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorbed and Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay). After removal of antiglobulin activity by immunoabsorption with heat-aggregated gammaglobulin all serological test results for treponemal infection became negative. Serological tests for syphilis and rheumatoid factor on the supernatant from whole serum (minus cryoglobulin) remained positive though at a lower titre (latex 1/1250). Cryoglobulin isolated from whole serum retained rheumatoid and TPHA reactivity but was negative in the FTA-ABS test. The IgM and IgG cryoglobulin components purified by gel filtration on Sepharose showed no antitreponemal reactivity even when tested individually. Reducing the concentration of cryoglobulin to 1.5 mg/ml by plasma exchange converted the test results for syphilis to doubtful-positive or negative. These results indicated that high concentrations of antiglobulin activity may be associated with falsely positive specific antitreponemal test results and that this phenomenon depends on the concentration of cryoglobulin in the test sample.

Cryoglobulinemia↗