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P H Plotz

Publications and source records attributed to P H Plotz.

132 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
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Inclusion body myositis long after dermatomyositis: a report of two cases.

Dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and inclusion body myositis are rare illnesses which appear to be distinct in clinical and pathologic features, pathogenesis, natural history, and response to therapy. We report two patients who first developed dermatomyositis, and then, after a disease-free interval of many years, developed inclusion body myositis. This may have useful therapeutic implications for patients with dermatomyositis whose illness bocomes refractory to treatment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Abnormalities of the immune system in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

This brief report reviews some of the major studies presenting evidence for altered humoral and cellular immunity in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Clearly, the association of these disorders with other autoimmune diseases, the myriad of myositis-associated autoantibodies, and the phenotypic and functional abnormalities of mononuclear cells from PM/DM patients, all suggest that autoimmune mechanisms are central and pervasive aspects of these diseases. Yet, the current experimental limitations in immunology, as well as the rarity and heterogeneity of the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, combine to limit our understanding of which factors are primary, and which are only secondary epiphenomena, in the complex pathogenesis of these disorders.

Antibody Formation↗
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Pulse therapy for SLE.

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Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
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Clinical significance of low creatine phosphokinase values in patients with connective tissue diseases.

We have noted that values for serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) are frequently low in patients with connective tissue diseases. Geometric mean values were 96.0 units/L among 121 disease-free males and 50.2 units/L among 63 disease-free females. The geometric mean values were 31.7 units/L in 11 males and 35.2 units/L in 49 females with systemic lupus erythematosus; 15.1 units/L in three males and 13.0 units/L in ten females with rheumatoid arthritis; and 41.6 units/L in 19 females with Sjögren's syndrome. Values within the normal range may occur in the face of active myositis in these illnesses. Findings of a low serum CPK values may occur in the absence of steroid treatment. Thus, a low serum CPK value is frequently found in patients with connective tissue diseases and a normal value should not dissuade one from the diagnosis of myositis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Abnormal numbers of cytokine producing cells in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the constitutive pattern of cytokine production in patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). METHODS: PBMC secreting the type 1 cytokines IL-2 and IFN gamma and the type 2 cytokines IL-6 and IL-10 were monitored by ELIspot assay. RESULTS: The frequency of IFN gamma-secreting PBMC was reduced 2-20 fold in patients with PM and DM when compared to normal controls (p < 0.01). This change correlated inversely with disease activity (p < 0.01). PM and DM were also characterized by increased numbers of cells secreting IL-10. Patients with DM had fewer IL-2 (p < 0.03) and more IL-6 (p < 0.006) secreting cells than normal controls or patients with other myopathies. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal patterns of cytokine production characterize patients with PM and DM.

Adult↗