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Biomedical subjects

R Caporali

Publications and source records attributed to R Caporali.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Differences in synovial fluid cytokine levels between juvenile and adult rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quantitative or qualitative differences in synovial fluid (SF) cytokine levels among patients with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), antinuclear antibody positive pauciarticular JRA, or adult RA. METHODS: SF levels of interleukin 1alpha (IL-1alpha), IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) IL-11, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNFR1), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), all measured by immunoassays, and of IL-6, measured with a bioassay using B9 cells, were evaluated in 11 patients with systemic JRA, 24 with pauciarticular JRA, and 22 adult patients with RA. RESULTS: SF IL-6 levels were significantly higher in patients with systemic JRA than patients with pauciarticular JRA (p = 0.003) or RA (p = 0.002). IL-1alpha was detectable in 12/24 SF samples from pauciarticular JRA, in 2/22 SF from RA, and in no sample from systemic JRA (p = 0.004 vs RA; p = 0.005 vs systemic JRA). SF IL-11 levels were significantly higher in patients with RA than patients with systemic JRA (p = 0.012) or pauciarticular JRA (p = 0.005). We found no significant differences in SF levels of IL-1beta, IL-1Ra, TNF-alpha, sTNFR1, or LIF. CONCLUSION: In systemic JRA, SF levels of IL-6 are significantly higher than in pauciarticular JRA or in RA; IL-1alpha is present in a significant proportion of patients with pauciarticular JRA, but not in those with RA or systemic JRA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Identification of autoantibodies to the I protein of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex in patients with systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the presence of autoantibodies to the 1 protein (polypyrimidine-tract binding protein) of the heterogeneous nuclear RNPs (hnRNP) in different connective tissue diseases. Antibodies to other hnRNP proteins (A1, A2, and B) have been previously found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). METHODS: Sera from 101 patients with various connective tissue diseases and 25 normal controls were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting, for their reactivity to highly purified recombinant hnRNP I. Moreover, reactivity to cellular hnRNP I protein was investigated by immunoblotting using a partially purified preparation of hnRNP proteins (including A1, A2, B, and I), and by indirect immunofluorescence. For the analysis of the fluorescence pattern, affinity-purified antibodies to hnRNP I; obtained from a selected patient, were tested on HEp-2 cells. RESULTS: By immunoblotting, antibodies reacting to recombinant hnRNP I were found in 22 of 40 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), 3 of 32 with RA, 0 of 23 with SLE, and 0 of 6 with MCTD. Antibodies to recombinant hnRNP I were more frequently found in patients with pre-SSc or limited SSc (15 of 24) than in those with intermediate or diffuse SSc (7 of 16). In indirect immunofluorescence studies, affinity-purified anti-hnRNP I autoantibodies gave a diffuse nucleoplasmic staining. Using an hnRNP preparation from nuclear extracts, anti-hnRNP I reactivity was detectable in SSc sera, while it was not detectable in RA, SLE, and MCTD sera reacting with hnRNP A/B proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Human autoimmune sera show distinct patterns of anti-hnRNP reactivity, i.e., anti-A/B in SLE and RA sera, and anti-I in SSc sera. This suggests that A/B proteins and the I protein may be involved in different dynamic hnRNP complexes that elicit different autoimmune responses. From a clinical perspective, anti-hnRNP I antibodies are frequently associated with pre-SSc features, suggesting an early appearance of these antibodies during the course of the disease.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1996

Neurological disorders, other than stroke, associated with antiphospholipid antibodies in childhood.

We report the results of a systematic study on the association of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) with some neurological disease other than stroke in a childhood population. Patients affected by migraine, benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) or unilateral movement disorders, such as hemichorea and hemidystonia with acute-subacute onset, were screened for aPLs. None of them had clinical or serological evidence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or other connective tissue disease. Moderate to high levels of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and/or positive Lupus Anticoagulant (LA) were demonstrated in 6 out of 17 patients with migraine, in 3 out of 4 patients with BIH and in all of the 5 patients showing unilateral movement disorders. The association between aPLs and these neurological conditions, usually regarded as cryptogenic, may suggest a possible pathogenetic mechanism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Anticardiolipin antibodies in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

UNLABELLED: Anticardiolipin antibodies were determined in 29 diabetic children and adolescents, aged 3.9-26.8 years, with disease duration from 1 month to 19 years. Anti-islet cell antibodies (ICA-IgG and CF-ICA), anti-insulin antibodies (IAA), antithyroid antibodies and non organ-specific (NOSA) antibodies were also determined. Patients were grouped according to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) duration: group I (n = 11) < 6 months, and group II (n = 18) > 5 years. Eleven of group II patients showed precocious signs of micro-angiopathic complications. Forty-two age- and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls. IgG and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were evaluated by ELISA and their results expressed as arbitrary units (AU). IgG anticardiolipin antibodies were found in 7 patients (24%), while IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were absent in all. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies were more frequent in IDDM patients than in controls (P < 0.005) and group I (in 6 out of 11 patients; 54.5%) than in group II (in 1 out of 18 patients; 5.5%) (P < 0.025). In five out of six group I patients with IgG anticardiolipin antibodies, ICA-IgG and/or CF-ICA were also found. No correlation was observed between anticardiolipin and other auto-antibodies, micro-angiopathic complications, and HLA typing. CONCLUSION: Anticardiolipin antibodies may reflect an abnormal immunological response in the early stage of diabetes mellitus and represent a transient auto-immune phenomenon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Autoantibodies to human nuclear lamin B2 protein. Epitope specificity in different autoimmune diseases.

The nuclear lamina of mammalian cells consists of three major proteins, lamins A, C, and B, and a fourth minor protein, lamin B2. Lamins belong to the family of intermediate filaments and are highly similar both in structure and primary sequence. They are organized in three well-defined domains: 1) a central alpha-helical rod, which is a secondary structure shared by all types of intermediate filaments, formed by three alpha-helices (coils 1A, 1B, and 2) and surrounded by 2) an amino-terminal head and 3) a carboxyl-terminal tail. Autoantibodies toward major lamin have been described previously in sera from patients with different autoimmune diseases. We chose an epitope mapping approach to further characterize the autoimmune response to nuclear lamin. Different lamin B2 domains were expressed as fusion proteins with the glutathione S-transferase and then used in immunoblotting experiments to analyze sera from patients with autoimmune diseases (chronic active hepatitis, SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica) and from healthy subjects. At a 1:1000 dilution, none of the control sera recognized any of the recombinant polypeptides. Conversely, reactive sera were present in all groups of patients. The ability to recognize a protein domain seemed to differ with the pathology. Most chronic active hepatitis sera were reactive to two or more lamin domains and reacting SLE sera always gave positive signals to coil 2 and/or coil 1B. Coil 2 was preferentially recognized by rheumatoid arthritis sera. Polymyalgia rheumatica sera differed from all of the others because of their low reactivity to the rod domain and preference for the C terminus, a lamin-specific domain.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1994

Anticardiolipin antibodies in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and the clinical significance of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACLs) in a group of children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). DESIGN: Cross-sectional and longitudinal study. SETTING: Pediatric Clinic, University of Pavia, Italy. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty children (aged 4.9 to 16.5 years) with SLE. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-six (87%) of the 30 patients were initially positive for either IgG or IgM ACLs; 24 (80%) of 30 had IgG ACLs, and 15 (50%) of 30 had IgM ACLs. The cross-sectional analysis showed a trend for IgG ACLs to be positively associated with autoimmune cytopenia and negatively associated with renal disease. The levels of ACLs, particularly of the IgG isotype, tended to correlate with SLE activity as expressed by the complement fraction C3, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or the SLE Activity Measure, but not by the SLE Disease Activity Index or the anti-DNA antibodies. Serial determinations of ACL levels in 20 patients revealed frequent fluctuations. High levels of IgG ACLs (> 50 arbitrary units) were observed in nine patients; all nine had active disease and eight had one or more clinical features that have been previously associated with antiphospholipid antibodies: neuropsychiatric manifestations in six patients, autoimmune cytopenia in two patients, and avascular necrosis of bone in one patient. Only one patient experienced an overt episode of vascular thrombosis; IgG ACLs were positive at a medium level 6 months before the thrombotic event, but their level was unchanged when the thrombosis was discovered; the lupus anticoagulant test was positive at time of the thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that in pediatric SLE, ACLs are frequently found, high levels of IgG ACLs are often associated with central nervous system involvement, and ACLs have a low predictive value in the development of vascular thrombosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Long term treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica with deflazacort.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long term efficacy and tolerability of deflazacort, a corticosteroid reputed to have only minor side effects, in the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS: In a prospective open study, deflazacort was administered at an average initial dose of 21.8 mg/day for a mean period of 19 months in 40 patients with PMR. RESULTS: A highly significant improvement of clinical and laboratory parameters occurred one month after therapy onset. This improvement persisted for the whole study period. Laboratory parameters of tolerability did not change during the study. Mild to moderate steroid-related side effects occurred in 57.9% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Deflazacort is effective in the treatment of PMR. Its long term safety profile may be superior to that of other corticosteroids.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[FDDF (fast dissolving dosage form) piroxicam for sublingual administration in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis].

Open non-comparative study for the evaluation of the efficacy and tolerance of piroxicam FDDF for sublingual administration in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Thirty patients (6 males and 24 females) suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in the active phase have been treated. All the patients had to fulfil the criteria for the rheumatoid arthritis classification proposed by the American Rheumatism Association (ARA). The efficacy of therapy has been evaluated, after 2, 4 and 6 week of treatment, through the changes in: the number of painful or tender joints on motion, the number of swollen joints, grip strength, ESR. Also day pain, night pain, duration of morning stiffness and functional index have been evaluated. As regards the functional index, activities as dressing, arising, eating, walking, taking care of hygiene, bending, standing and sitting have been considered. The study sample was composed by 30 patients, with a mean age of 59.73 years, suffering from rheumatoid arthritis from 4.76 years. As regards efficacy parameters, day pain, which is recorded on a 21 compartment visual analogue scale, was initially of 8.13 (+/- 3.73), and after 2 weeks of therapy decreased of about 1 point and after 4 weeks was of 6.57 (+/- 3.73). This improvement was already statistically significant at the first control (p = 0.01). At the first control also morning stiffness resulted improved in a statistically significant way (p < 0.0001). As regards functional index a statistically significant improvement was observed in the disability of walking and of picking up objects after 2 weeks; after 4 weeks a significant improvement was observed in the disability of arising and of bending. These changes in functional ability probably depend upon the kind of joint involved and the duration of these lesions. Also the grip strength resulted statistically improved at the 2 control. As regards objective values, there was a statistically significant improvement in tender and swollen joints after only 2 weeks. As regards ESR, which is an index of disease activity, was initially of 40.73 (+/- 16.75) in mean; at the end of the 6th week it was of 34.72 (+/- 15.13): this reduction was statistically significant. No improvement was observed in night pain, normally the pain form which is more difficult to cure. As regards toleration, only 2 patients reported side-effects: the first reported epigastralgia and the second oral burning Both side-effects lasted 1 day and, according to the physician, their relation with the study drug is not sure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Administration, Sublingual↗