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PubMedDate not supplied

Expansion of large granular lymphocyte subsets in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

We describe a 9-year-old boy with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and IgM-rheumatoid factor-positive arthritis who presented expansion of two distinct subsets (one CD8dim and the other CD8-) of large granular lymphocytes. Natural killer activity against the K-562 cell line was absent. An increased percentage of CD5+ B cells was also observed. Since patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome are at risk of developing autoimmune disorders - conditions in which increased CD5+ B cells have been observed - the high percentage of CD5+ B cells together with the presence of IgM-rheumatoid factor and anti-platelet antibodies may represent an early manifestation of an autoimmune process. The possible relationship between CD5+ B cells and large granular lymphocyte expansion is discussed.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of cyclosporin on joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis. The Italian Rheumatologists Study Group on Rheumatoid Arthritis.

According to the most recent literature, few antirheumatic drugs can claim disease-controlling properties over the anatomical joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A small number of studies have favored one or another of the available agents, in particular parenteral gold salts, sulphasalazine and methotrexate, but the evidence regarding their efficacy is not convincing when analysed using methodological criteria known to be important in evaluating radiologic evidence of joint damage. The radiologic results in long-standing RA patients have shown that CsA may be of benefit in reducing disease progression. Data from the second year of a clinical trial designed to compare the disease-controlling, anti-rheumatic properties of CsA with those of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in early RA support the hypothesis that CsA may be useful in delaying the appearance of new joint erosion.

Adult↗