Autoimmune diseases are thought to be initiated by exposures to foreign antigens that cross-react with endogenous molecules. Scleroderma is an autoimmune connective tissue disease in which patients make antibodies to a limited group of autoantigens, including RPC1, encoded by the POLR3A gene. As patients with scleroderma and antibodies against RPC1 are at increased risk for cancer, we hypothesi...

Cutaneous larva migrans is a self-limited cutaneous eruption caused by larva of roundworms that do not normally parasitize humans. Ankylostoma brazielensis, the dog and cat hookworm, is the most common agent. The disease is found in tropical and subtropical regions and may be seen in travelers from these regions. We report a case of a 37-year-old Iranian man who had cutaneous larva migrans afte...

Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Sahara Hospital, Lucknow, India, 226010 [email protected] Scleroderma or progressive systemic sclerosis is diagnosed clinically by typical features of skin thickening, Raynaud’s phenomenon and visceral organ involvement, and serologically by distinct autoantibody subsets. These differentiate the disease into the ‘limited’ and ‘diffuse’ vari...

Localized scleroderma is a connective tissue disorder generally involving de entire dermis and usually limited to the subcutaneous tissue; however, it may progress to large indurated plaques, growth retardation, muscle atrophy, and even to flexion deformities or poorly healing ulcers. Unilateral generalized morphea is an extremely rare variant of localized scleroderma which has seldom been repo...

Background Cardiac involvement is a leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in patients with scleroderma. Identification of this offers the opportunity for earlier and more stratified therapeutic intervention. Published data on the prognostic significance of left and right ventricular impairment and myocardial fibrosis in this cohort are limited. The study objective was to determine ...

BACKGROUND Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by vascular alterations and autoimmune activation leading to widespread organ fibrosis. At the early stage of disease when organ involvement and extent of disease are emerging, mast cells may have some role, as implied by both symptoms and histologic evidence. CASE PRESENTATION A female patient diagnosed with cu...

Scleroderma, or progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), an autoimmune rheumatic condition affecting the connective tissues, has a profound impact on oral health. Common orofacial findings include xerostomia, gastroesophageal reflux disease and limited mouth opening. This review article describes scleroderma, or PSS, and its various manifestations. The features of CREST syndrome and morphea are re...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) involvement in the disease expression and poor prognostic clinical features (pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension) in patients diagnosed with systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a multiethnic population. METHODS SSc patients followed up between 2008 and 2011 were included, and clinical data were obtained ...

The treatment of systemic sclerosis-related digital ulcers is challenging. Although the only effective drugs are prostacyclin analogs, their use is limited by vasodilation-related adverse reactions. In this study, we assessed the local iontophoresis administration of three soluble guanylate cyclase (A-350619 [3-[2-[(4-chlorophenyl)thiophenyl]-N-[4-(dimethylamino)butyl]-2-propenamide hydrochlori...