Autoimmune diseases encompass a wide range of organ-specific and systemic disorders with a complex etiology. An intricate interplay of genetic, environmental, as well as immunological factors leads to the development of these debilitating diseases. In the absence of infections, regulatory processes inhibit immune responses towards antigen. Moreover , the immune system has multiple levels of neg...

The aim of this study was to determine whether inflammation is related to cancer development, and whether the incidence of cancer is increased and occurs in a site-specific manner in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).This study included a nationwide dynamic cohort of patients with various newly diagnosed SARDs from 1997 to 2010 with follow-up until 2012.This study inc...

Hyaluronidase has been shown to increase the rate of spread of intradermally injected solutions in animals (Chain and Duthie, 1939, 1940) and the whole subject of spreading factors was reviewed by Duran-Reynals (1942). Holborow and Keech (1951) studied the effects of hyaluronidase in accelerating the rate of spread of a solution of haemoglobin injected intradermally in normal human subjects and...

Systemic autoimmune and rheumatic diseases (SAIRDs) are thought to develop due to the failure of autoimmune regulation and tolerance. Current therapies, such as biologics, have improved the clinical results of SAIRDs; however, they are not curative treatments. Recently, new discoveries have been made in immune tolerance and inflammation, such as tolerogenic dendritic cells, regulatory T and B c...

Paraneoplastic symptoms, caused by a malignancy, but not directly related to invasion by the tumor or its metastases, are the result of a wide variety of tumor-derived biologic mediators like hormones, peptides, antibodies, cytotoxic lymphocytes, autocrine and paracrine mediators. Systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma o...

The following guideline presents a series of recommendations based on published medical literature for use of the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test and tests for specific autoantibodies to nuclear antigens in the diagnostic evaluation, prognostic assessment, and monitoring of patients with systemic rheumatic diseases. The guideline emphasizes the need for clinical evaluation to improve the useful...