Recent advances in understanding autoimmune thyroid disease:the tallest tree in the forest of polyautoimmunity

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is often observed together with other autoimmune diseases. The coexistence of two or more autoimmune diseases in the same patient is referred to as polyautoimmunity, and AITD is the autoimmune disease most frequently involved. The occurrence of polyautoimmunity has led to the hypothesis that the affected patients suffer from a generalized dysregulation of their immune system. The present review summarizes recent discoveries unravelling the immunological mechanisms involved in autoimmunity, ranging from natural autoimmunity to disease-specific autoimmunity. Furthermore, the clinical grounds for considering AITD in a setting of polyautoimmunity are explored. A better understanding of these may pave the way for designing new treatment modalities targeting the underlying immune dysregulation when AITD appears in the context of polyautoimmunity

Surface complement C3 fragments and cellular binding of microparticles in patients with SLE

OBJECTIVES: To examine microparticles (MPs) from patients with SLE and healthy controls (HCs) by determining the cellular origin of the MPs, quantifying attached fragments of complement component 3 (C3) and assessing the ability of MPs to bind to circulating phagocytes and erythrocytes. These features may be relevant for clearance of MPs in SLE pathogenesis. METHODS: Attached C3 fragments (C3b, iC3b, C3d), membrane integrity and cell surface markers of MPs from 18 patients with SLE and 11 HCs were measured by adding specific antibodies, 7-aminoactinomycin D (7AAD) and annexin V. MPs from all subjects were labelled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester and allowed to bind to autologous phagocytes and erythrocytes in the presence of autologous serum, and the binding to individual cell populations was assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The proportion of MPs bearing C3 fragments was higher in patients with SLE than in HCs (p=0.026), but the amount of opsonising C3b/iC3b molecules was lower (p=0.004). The C3b/iC3b level correlated with the concentration of circulating C3 (r(s)=0.53, p=0.036). Phagocytes and erythrocytes from patients and HCs bound autologous MPs, and granulocytes from patients bound 13% more MPs than those from HCs (p=0.043). The presence of erythrocytes inhibited the MP binding to granulocytes by approximately 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Our demonstration of altered composition of C3 fragments on MPs from patients with SLE, including decreased numbers of opsonising C3 fragments, and competitive binding of MPs to circulating phagocytes and erythrocytes corroborates the hypothesis of defective clearance of apoptotic material in SLE, and indicates that differences in both MP opsonisation and binding of MPs to cells are important in the pathogenesis of SLE

Unges mobilitets- og aktivitetsmønstre:undersøgelse baseret på GPS registrering og web-dagbog

I dette paper beskrives de metodemæssige muligheder, der ligger i at benytte den nyeste teknologi til dataindsamling og databehandling i adfærdsstudier. Paperet er skrevet med udgangspunkt i et afgangsprojekt med titlen ”Metodestudie i undersøgelse af aktivitets- og bevægelsesmønstre med GPS og turdagbog” på civilingeniøruddannelsen i Plan&Miljø ved Aalborg Universitet i 2006. Ved at kombinere bærbare GPS-enheder og en webbaseret turdagbog er der udviklet en ny metode for dataindsamling, som ikke tidligere har været anvendt i Danmark. Metoden blev anvendt i praksis til at indsamle data om aktiviteter og ture for 58 deltagere. Dataindsamlingen fungerede godt i praksis, og metoden er generelt meget brugervenlig, da GPS’en automatisk registrerer positioner og tider. Dermed flyttes fejlkilderne fra deltagerne til det tekniske udstyr. Det konkluderes, at kombinationen af bærbar GPS-enhed og webbaseret turdagbog en god metode til at indsamle data om adfærd i tid og rum. Den anvendte metode til dataindsamling gav et præcist billede af respondenternes færden og aktiviteter, idet de to former for registreringer supplerer hinanden. Brugen af positioneringsteknologi kan være med til at sikre pålidelige data, der indenfor mange former for planlægning kan anvendes som analyse- og beslutningsgrundlag. GPS teknologi gør det muligt at indsamle utrolig store datamængder, men der ligger en stor udfordring i at udvikle metoder til automatisk at behandle, fortolke og visualisere data. Som følge af projektets empiriske indgangsvinkel og deraf følgende forsøgsarbejde skal der rettes en tak til elever og personale fra Aalborg Katedralskole. Erik Jensen, EDB-medarbejder ved Aalborg Universitet skal have stor tak for at have programmeret den webbaserede turdagbog, der er et væsentligt element i projektet. Der rettes desuden tak til Spar Nord fonden og Det Obelske Familiefond, der har finansieret anvendt udstyr mm