This study aimed to characterize energy expenditure patterns using the tri-axial accelerometer and to identify the association of energy expenditure with clinical parameters in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Estimates of energy expenditures represented by total activity calorie (TA), physical activity calorie (PA), total activity calorie per body weight (TABW), and physical a...

INTRODUCTION Nowadays it is described a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), which is associated with some clinical manifestations and increased inflammatory activity. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between vitamin D insufficiency with SLE and inflammatory markers. METHODS Cross-sectional study, in which have been evaluated 45 SLE patients and 2...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of arterial stiffness in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and its relationship with antiphospholipid antibody (aPL). METHODS Measurement of brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid arterial stiffness, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was performed in 51 patients with ...

OBJECTIVE SLE is an autoimmune disorder characterized by abnormal complement activation. Numerous new biomarkers have recently been used to diagnose or monitor disease activity in patients with SLE. We checked the levels of erythrocyte-bound C4d (E-C4d), an activation-derived fragment of C4 that is deposited on the erythrocytes, under different conditions of SLE in order to correlate these leve...

BACKGROUND Immunoglobulin M (IgM) autoreactivity to malondialdehyde (MDA) protein modifications is part of the natural antibody repertoire in health and may have beneficial functions. In contrast, IgG anti-MDA are increased in chronic inflammation and autoimmunity and may instead have pathogenic properties. METHODS Herein, we investigated serum IgG anti-MDA levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbe...

BACKGROUND Severe deficiency of ADAMTS13 activity leads to von Willebrand factor (VWF) ultralarge multimers with high affinity for platelets, causing thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Other pathological conditions with moderate ADAMTS13 activity exhibit a thrombotic risk. We examined the ADAMTS13 activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its value as a thrombotic biomarker. METHOD...

BACKGROUND Serum bilirubins play an important role in controlling oxidative stress; there is increased oxidative stress during activity of rheumatic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). OBJECTIVE To study bilirubin levels in SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) patients and relate them to disease activity. METHODS We analyzed levels of total bilirubins (TB), direct bilirubins ...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by dysregulation of cytokines, apoptosis, and B- and T-cell functions. The tolerogenic peptide, hCDR1 (Edratide), ameliorated the clinical manifestations of murine lupus via down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis, up-regulation of the immunosuppressive cytokine TGF-beta, and the induction of regulato...

OBSErve Germany was the first observational study of belimumab as add-on treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in routine clinical care in Germany, retrospectively collecting data from 102 SLE patients, 6 months before and after belimumab initiation. Most patients had moderate or severe SLE and several SLE manifestations. After 6 months of belimumab treatment, 78% of patients showed ...

Objective. Siglecs are sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins expressed on the surface of immune cells, which participate in the discrimination of self and non-self. We investigated myeloid CD33-related Siglec expression in a cohort of patients with SLE. Methods. Cell surface expression of Siglec-5/14, Siglec-9 and Siglec-10 on peripheral myeloid subsets were analysed from 39 SLE pat...