The generation of autoantibodies and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus has been associated with the use of certain drugs in humans. Early reports suggested that procainamide and hydralazine were associated with the highest risk of developing lupus, quinidine with a moderate risk and all other drugs were considered low or very low risk. More recently, drug-induced lupus ha...

ally 4 different kinds of lupus, of which SLE is the most common form. In addition to SLE, there is discoid lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus erythematosus, and neonatal lupus. Discoid, or cutaneous, lupus is limited to the skin, where it manifests as a variety of different rashes.1 Drug-induced lupus, which appears similar to SLE, usually dissipates within several weeks of discontinuatio...

There is increased interest in using microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarkers in different diseases. Present in body fluids, it is controversial whether or not they are mainly enclosed in exosomes, thus we studied if urinary miRNAs are concentrated inside exosomes and if the presence of systemic lupus erythematosus with or without lupus nephritis modifies their distribution pattern. We quantified speci...

Correspondence to Dr Will Pendergraft; [email protected]. edu Kidney involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) portends a worse prognosis; thus, early and accurate detection of lupus nephritis is key. Unfortunately, current clinical markers, including creatinine clearance, autoantibodies, serum complement levels, urine sediment and proteinuria, do not always reliabl...

BACKGROUND Patients with lupus nephritis could progress to end-stage renal disease (10-22%); hence, kidney transplants should be considered as the treatment of choice for these patients. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical outcomes after kidney transplants in patients with chronic kidney diseases secondary to lupus nephritis, polycystic kidney disease and diabetes nephropathy at Pablo Tobon Ur...

OBJECTIVE Previous studies have shown that inhibiting T cell DNA methylation causes a lupus-like disease by modifying gene expression. T cells from patients with lupus exhibit diminished levels of DNA methyltransferase (MTase) enzyme activity, hypomethylated DNA, and changes in gene expression similar to those exhibited by T cells treated with methylation inhibitors, suggesting that DNA hypomet...

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus has rarely been described in pediatric lupus population and the real prevalence of childhood-onset bullous systemic lupus erythematosus has not been reported. From January 1983 to November 2013, 303 childhood-onset SLE (c-SLE) patients were followed at the Pediatric Rheumatology Unit of the Childreńs Institute of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicin...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the etiologies of urinary bladder involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the clinicoradiologic features of gastrointestinal tract manifestations and clinical outcomes in patients with lupus cystitis accompanied by gastrointestinal manifestations. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review on 413 patients with SLE. Patients were select...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW A combination of systemic autoimmunity and tissue response to immune injury underlie renal involvement in lupus erythematosus. In this review, we discuss recent literature investigating pathogenetic mechanisms of lupus glomerulonephritis. RECENT FINDINGS In lupus glomerulonephritis, glomerular immune complexes were believed to be the primary mediators of renal disease. Recen...

OBJECTIVES To determine the serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) levels in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients and to evaluate the association between IL-17 and clinical manifestations, disease activity, laboratory findings and treatment. METHODS We included 67 consecutive childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus patients [61 women; median age 18 years (range 11-31)], 55 first-d...