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Biomedical subjects

P Sfikakis

Publications and source records attributed to P Sfikakis.

39 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Detection of the Epstein Barr viral genome by an in situ hybridization method in salivary gland biopsies from patients with secondary Sjögren's syndrome.

Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded minor labial salivary glands from 23 patients with Sjögren's syndrome associated with rheumatoid arthritis (secondary Sjögren's syndrome: sSS) and from 11 patients with keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) associated with rheumatoid arthritis but without proven SS were examined by in situ hybridization using the BamH1 V (W) fragment of Epstein Barr viral (EBV) DNA. Minor labial salivary glands from 7 healthy individuals were used as the control. EBV specific DNA sequences were detected in the nuclei of epithelial cells in 16 out of 23 cases with sSS and in 3 out of 11 patients with KCS. None of the 7 salivary gland biopsies from the control group showed a positive hybridization signal. Epithelial cells containing the EBV genome were more frequently detected in areas with tissue destruction and lymphoepithelial lesions. Our results provide evidence for an increased EBV infection load in patients with sSS in comparison with control subjects and suggest that this virus may play a role in the pathogenesis of sSS.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increased levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a membrane-bound molecule that is primarily involved in cell-cell adhesive interactions of the immune system. The levels of soluble ICAM-1 (s-ICAM-1) shed into the circulation were studied in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Serum concentrations of s-ICAM-1 were significantly increased in 61 patients with SLE compared to 51 controls (mean +/- SEM: 564 +/- 30 versus 348 +/- 17 ng/ml, p < 0.0001) and 41% of patients had higher serum levels than the normal cut off value of 584 ng/ml. Among the various clinical manifestations, skin involvement was significantly associated with high serum levels of s-ICAM-1. Individual values of serum s-ICAM-1 concentrations in patients with SLE correlated significantly with two different disease activity indices, as well as with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptors, but not with serum levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies or C4. No significant differences in s-ICAM-1 levels were found between patients receiving immunomodulatory treatment and those who were not. These findings suggest that s-ICAM-1 measurement may serve as an additional serologic marker of disease activity in patients with SLE. Further studies to determine whether increased s-ICAM-1 shedding has any pathogenetic significance or biological role in SLE are warranted.

Adolescent↗