Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) is an acquired reversible neuroimmunologic disorder of autonomic ganglia in the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems. Antibodies specific for ganglionic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (gAChRs) impair fast synaptic transmission between preganglionic and postganglionic neurons. Clinical manifestations of AAG reflect peripheral auto...

Neisseria sicca has been reported to cause bacterial meningitis, endocarditis, pneumonia, and spondylitis. Surgical drainage from a Bartholin's gland abscess contained N. sicca in pure culture. Neisseria species recovered from cerebrospinal fluid and gynecologic specimens must be carefully examined to avoid misidentification as meningococci or gonococci.

With the increased use of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) comes an increase in number patients being treated for immune-related adverse events (irAEs). At NCCN 2023 Annual Conference, presenters discussed 3 different types irAEs, namely immune-mediated pneumonitis, major cardiac including myocarditis and myositis/myasthenia gravis overlap syndrome, oral toxicities mucositis sicca syndrome. T...

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease with clinical hallmarks of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes) and xerostomia (dry mouth). The genetic basis of this autoimmune disease is poorly understood. Id3 is an immediate early-response gene in growth regulation and is involved in TCR-mediated T cell selection during T cell development. Here, we show that Id3-deficient mice develop many disea...

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship of the presence of secondary SS with disease activity, duration in RA. METHODS Eighty two patients with RA were submitted to Schirmer test, minor salivary gland biopsy, questionnaire on sicca symptoms, DAS-28 4v determination. RESULTS In this population, 20 (24.3%) patients fulfilled the American-European classification criteria for secondary SS. No relat...