One of the proposed mechanisms of vascular damage in connective tissue disease is the direct action of a cytotoxic serum factor inducing endothelial cell damage. The nature of this serum factor is unclear, but has been suggested to be a lipoprotein. Sera from patients with (1) systemic necrotising arteritis (polyarteritis nodosa, Wegener's granulomatosis, and necrotising arteritis associated wi...

HART, F. D., GOLDING, J. R. (1960): Rheumatoid Neuropathy, Brit. med. J., i, 1594. HINGORANI, K., and GRAHAM, G. S. (1963): Smallbowel Necrosis due to Arteritis in Rheumatoid Disease, Ann. phys. Med., 7, 68. HEPTINSTALL, R. H., and SOWRY, G. S. C. (1952): Peripheral Neuritis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Brit. med. J., i, 525. KEMPER, J. W., BAGGENSTROSS, A. H., and SLOCUMB, C. H. (1957): Th...

Tocilizumab (TCZ) is a humanized anti-human IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody that suppresses the signaling of IL-6, which important for inflammation and immune activation. In Japan, use TCZ treatment rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Castleman's disease, juvenile idiopathic arteritis, Takayasu's arteritis / giant cell etc. has been approved. inhibition leukocyte infiltration into inflamed area. addit...

689–90. 16 Corrao S, Salli L, Arnone S, Scaglione L, et al. Echodoppler abnormalities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis without clinically evident cardiovascular disease. Eur J Clin Invest 1996;26:293–7. 17 Slack D, Waller B. Acute congestive heart failure due to the arteritis of rheumatoid arthritis. Early diagnosis by endomyocardial biopsy. Angiology 1986;6:477–81. 18 Banks MJ, Flint EJ, ...

Thrombocytosis may occur in association with autoimmune, collagen, and malignant diseases (Levin and Conley, 1964; Bean, 1965; Selroos, 1972; Davis and Mendez Ross, 1973). In rheumatoid arthritis a positive correlation has been found between the platelet count and disease activity (Bean, 1965; Selroos, 1972; Hryszko et al., 1975; Hemandez, 1975; Hutchinson et al., 1976). Thrombosis is infrequen...

Factor VIII related antigen, an endothelial cell product, was markedly raised in systemic necrotising arteritis, reflecting disease activity, but was not raised in active cutaneous vasculitis. In rheumatoid arthritis high levels were only found in systemic vasculitis or Felty's syndrome, but in other connective tissue diseases increased levels were more frequently detected and usually related t...