Expression of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins on mononuclear cells from children and adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus

Para verificar a expressão das proteínas Fas e Bcl-2 em linfócitos e suas correlações com a atividade da doença foram avaliados 38 pacientes com lúpus eritematoso sistêmico de início na infância e 25 controles sem doença autoimune. Observou-se que as porcentagens de linfócitos T CD3+ e CD8+ e linfócitos B que expressavam a proteína Fas e a intensidade média de fluorescência da proteína Bcl-2 nos linfócitos T CD3+, CD4+ e CD8+ dos pacientes com lúpus foram significativamente maiores quando comparadas aos controles. Os pacientes com doença ativa apresentavam porcentagens de linfócitos B que expressavam a proteína Fas significativamente maiores que os pacientes com doença inativa e os controles e houve correlação direta entre estas porcentagens e o SLEDAI (p=0.02, r=0.38)In order to verify the expression of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins on lymphocytes and their relationship with disease activity 38 patients with juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus and 25 healthy controls were studied. The measurements showed that percentages of lymphocytes T CD3+ and CD8+ and B lymphocytes positively stained for Fas antigen and mean fluorescence intensity of Bcl-2 on CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from lupus patients were significantly increased compared to healthy controls. Lupus patients with active disease presented percentages of lymphocytes B positive for Fas antigen significantly higher compared to patients with inactive disease and healthy controls and there was a statistically significant direct correlation between these percentages and SLEDAI score (p=0.02, r=0.38)

Aneurisma micótico abdominal e embolia cerebral associados à endocardite infecciosa em paciente com doença valvar reumática crônica Abdominal mycotic aneurysm and cerebral embolic event associated with infective endocarditis in a patient with chronic rheumatic valvar disease

Relatamos o caso de uma menina com doença valvar crônica devido à febre reumática que apresentou endocardite infecciosa e duas complicações: acidente vascular cerebral devido à embolia e aneurisma micótico da artéria mesentérica superior.<br>We report the case of a girl with chronic rheumatic valvar heart disease who developed infeccious endocarditis and two complications, ischemic stroke due to cerebral embolic event and mycotic aneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery

Osteomielite crônica multifocal recorrente da mandíbula: relato de três casos Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis of the mandible: report of three cases

OBJETIVO: Relatar três casos de osteomielite crônica multifocal recorrente de mandíbula. A osteomielite crônica multifocal recorrente é uma doença inflamatória, com acometimento de um ou mais ossos, sem patógenos isolados nas áreas afetadas, sendo o envolvimento da mandíbula raramente descrito na literatura. DESCRIÇÃO: Caso 1 - paciente feminina, com 13 anos, após tratamento dentário evoluiu com dor mandibular e febre. A paciente foi tratada com antibióticos por osteomielite, evoluindo com aumento progressivo da mandíbula e pustulose palmoplantar. A cintilografia óssea mostrou hipercaptação difusa da mandíbula. A redução da tumoração mandibular foi evidenciada com a indometacina e sessões de câmara hiperbárica. Caso 2 - paciente feminina, com 9 anos, apresentou dor e edema em região de mandíbula direita recorrente por três anos. O diagnóstico de osteomielite foi realizado e introduzido amoxicilina. Após três meses, a tomografia computadorizada mostrou osteólise mandibular difusa. Indometacina e câmara hiperbárica foram introduzidas, porém a paciente apresentou recidiva e foi tratada com prednisona, rofecoxib e metotrexato. Caso 3 - paciente masculino, com 10 anos, apresentou pustulose palmoplantar e aumento difuso da mandíbula recorrente. A tomografia computadorizada de mandíbula evidenciou osteólise mandibular, e a cintilografia óssea, hipercaptação difusa. O paciente foi tratado com prednisona. O rofecoxib foi substituído após duas recidivas. COMENTÁRIOS: A osteomielite crônica multifocal recorrente da mandíbula pode apresentar um curso doloroso prolongado, com intervalos de atividade e remissão do processo inflamatório. O seu reconhecimento é importante para evitar uma antibioticoterapia prolongada e procedimentos invasivos desnecessários.<br>OBJECTIVE: To report three cases of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis of the mandible, an inflammatory disease affecting one or more bones with absence of isolated microorganisms in affected areas. DESCRIPTION: The first case is a 13 year-old female presenting with pain and fever after dental treatment. The patient received antibiotic treatment for osteomyelitis, but developed progressive enlargement of the mandible and palmoplantar pustulosis. Bone scintigraphy showed intense and diffuse uptake in the mandible. The swelling decreased after indomethacin and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Case 2 is a 9 year-old female patient with recurrent pain and edema of the right mandible for three years. The diagnosis of osteomyelitis was established and amoxicillin introduced. After three months, tomography showed diffuse mandible osteolysis. Indomethacin and hyperbaric oxygen therapy were introduced, however the patient presented a relapse and was treated with prednisone, rofecoxib and methotrexate. Patient 3, a 10 year-old male, had palmoplantar pustulosis and recurrent enlargement of the mandible. Tomography showed diffuse mandible osteolysis and scintigraphy revealed intense and diffuse uptake in the mandible. The patient was treated with prednisone. Rofecoxib was replaced after two relapses. COMMENTS: Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis of the mandible is often associated with prolonged pain periods and periods of activity and remission of the inflammatory process. Its recognition is important to prevent the patient from being submitted to prolonged antibiotic therapy and unnecessary invasive procedures

Understanding systemic lupus erythematosus physiopathology in the light of primary immunodeficiencies

Introduction Associations between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) were analyzed to gain insight into the physiopathology of SLE. Some PIDs have been consistently associated with SLE or lupus-like manifestations: (a) homozygous deficiencies of the early components of the classical complement pathway in the following decreasing order: in C1q, 93% of affected patients developed SLE; in C4, 75%; in C1r/s, 57%; and in C2, up to 25%; (b) female carriers of X-linked chronic granulomatous disease allele; and (c) IgA deficiency, present in around 5% of juvenile SLE. Discussion In the first two groups, disturbances of cellular waste-disposal have been proposed as the main mechanisms of pathogenesis. On the other hand and very interestingly, there are PIDs systematically associated with several autoimmune manifestations in which SLE has not been described, such as autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), immunedys-regulation polyendocrinopathy enteropathy X-linked (IPEX), and autoinumme lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), suggesting that mechanisms considered as critical players for induction and maintenance of tolerance to autoantigens, such as (1) AME-mediated thymic negative selection of lymphocytes, (2) Foxp3+ regulatory T cell-mediated peripheral tolerance, and (3) deletion of auto-reactive lymphocytes by Fas-mediated apoptosis, could not be relevant in SLE physiopathology. The non-description of SLE and neither the most characteristic SLE clinical features among patients with agammaglobulinemia are also interesting observations, which reinforce the essential role of B lymphocytes and antibodies for SLE pathogenesis. Conclusion Therefore, monogenic PIDs represent unique and not fully explored human models for unraveling components of the conundrum represented by the physiopathology of SLE, a prototypical polygenic disease