Human disease gene discovery has entered a new era where genome-wide associations (GWA), and high throughput sequencing technologies are providing a first survey of the complex genetic architecture of common diseases. Immune-mediated glomerulonephritis, a shared pathological feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic vasculitis and Goodpasture syndrome, displays a strong genetic co...

AIMS The role of kidney infiltrating T cells in the pathology of lupus nephritis is unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate whether CD4+ T cell responses to a surrogate mesangial antigen can initiate glomerulonephritis. METHODS Ovalbumin (OVA) was deposited in the glomerular mesangium of C57BL/6 (B6) mice using anti-α8-integrin immunoliposomes (α8ILs). This was followed by injection...

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a generalized autoimmune disease affecting multiple end-organs including the kidneys. Glomerulonephritis is a leading cause of death in lupus, both in patients and murine models that develop disease spontaneously. Genetic mapping studies have uncovered several genetic intervals that confer susceptibility to nephritis both in human beings and in mice. This review ...

Transgenic mice overexpressing IFN-gamma in the epidermis develop an inflammatory skin disease resembling cutaneous lupus erythematosus shortly after birth. By 3 months of age, most female transgenics develop a lupus-like syndrome characterised by production of IgG anti-dsDNA, antihistone and antinucleosome autoantibodies. The autoantibodies are nephritogenic, with one-third of females developi...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that is characterized by its chronic course and the involvement of many organs and systems. The most common abnormality in the respiratory system of SLE patients is lupus pleuritis. Less common is parenchymal involvement, which may present as acute lupus pneumonitis (ALP) or chronic interstitial lung disease. Other po...

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often develop glomerulonephritis (i.e., inflammation in the glomeruli of the kidney), commonly referred to as lupus nephritis. Patients with lupus nephritis typically have autoantibodies to the complement classical pathway protein C1q. Whether these anti-C1q antibodies play any role in the development of lupus nephritis has been unclear. In this ...

In 7 years (1981-1988) at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Nairobi the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was made in 67 patients. In 23 of these patients lupus nephritis complicated the SLE. Lupus nephritis was diagnosed through renal biopsy, haematuria and proteinuria in urine with positive lupus erythematosus (LE) cell phenomenon. The histology found in these patients inclu...

Pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) is one of the most common causes of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. The majority of patients with pauciimmune CrGN have circulating antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA). Approximately 10% of systemic vasculitides patients test negative for ANCA. Majority of the ANCA negative pauciimmune CrGN described in the literature have n...

A four-year old boy was admitted to the hospital due to acute thrombocytopenic purpura. Three days later he developed edema, hematuria and hypertension. The diagnosis of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis was based upon the evidence of previous sore throat, hypocomplementemia and increased antistreptolysin O titer. Renal biopsy was contraindicated due to throbocytopenia. An extensive wo...

BACKGROUND Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus seem to belong to different serological and clinical subgroups of the disease. Genetic background can cause the appearance of these subgroups. OBJECTIVE To determine whether Brazilian patients who have systemic lupus erythematosus and Raynaud's phenomenon differ from those who do not. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 373 medical records...