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Objectives: The pro-inflammatory proteins calprotectin (a heterocomplex of S100A8/A9) and S100A12 have been associated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to compare their potential as biomarkers in a prospective study of RA patients starting with infliximab as their first biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). Method: Thirty-nine RA patients were examined and serum samples collected when starting with infliximab and after 3, 6, and 12 months. Calprotectin and S100A12 were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and, together with C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), measured at all time points. A disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) was calculated. Radiographs of the hands, wrists, and feet were taken at baseline and after 3 years, and assessed according to the modified Sharp/van der Heijde (SvH) score. Responsiveness was evaluated according to the European League of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) response criteria based on 28 joints. Results: Both S100 proteins were significantly higher in seropositive than in seronegative patients (p = 0.01). Calprotectin correlated significantly with CRP (ρ = 0.51-0.75), ESR (ρ = 0.32-0.52), and DAS28 (ρ = 0.32-0.62). S100A12 correlated with calprotectin (ρ = 0.62-0.77) and CRP (ρ = 0.32-0.63). The S100 proteins, and especially calprotectin (ρ = 0.23-0.39), showed weak associations with radiographic progression, unlike CRP/ESR. None of the S100 proteins could predict responsiveness. Conclusions: Calprotectin showed the strongest correlation with measures of disease activity and may be better than S100A12 when evaluating disease activity in RA patients. More extensive studies are needed to further compare the predictive value of the S100 proteins relative to radiographic progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is characterized by exocrine secretion dysfunction. Hallmarks of the chronic autoimmune disease are cellular infiltration of the exocrine glands and the presence of serum autoantibodies against Ro and La. The purpose of this study was to perform a detailed characterisation of the serological pattern against the Ro and La autoantigens in terms of antigen specificity and antibody isotype.Methods: Serum samples from 100 patients with primary SS and 100 matched healthy controls were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with recombinant human Ro and La proteins as antigens.Results: There were higher frequencies of Ro and La positive serum in the SS patients than in the control sera, and the titres were higher in the positive sera from SS patients than the controls. The SS patients often had antibodies against two or three of the antigens tested, while the positive control sera often reacted against only one of the autoantigens. The SS patients had a broader immunoglobulin isotype repertoire in their autoantibodies while the controls when positive usually had one antigen specific isotype.Conclusion: We found a distinct and significant difference in the serum antibody specificity and immunoglobulin isotype pattern between SS patients and matched controls. This variance may point to different mechanisms by which these autoantibodies are generated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method is presented for constructing β-expectation tolerance limits (TLs) for longitudinal data with error components regression structure. The TLs are mainly intended for small samples where the variation between and within subjects is large. In such cases the new method is superior to existing methods, which are based on a cross-sectional approach and which do not utilize the longitudinal structure of the data. Simulation studies show that the mean length of the TLs can be much reduced by using the new approach, while at the same time the β-expectation property is maintained. The gain from using the longitudinal approach furthermore increases with the β-expectation level. The results are demonstrated on data consisting of measurements of glutamate concentrations in brains from rats. Here, the cross-sectional approach due to Wilks give 90-99% TLs, which are up to 101-230% wider than are those obtained with the new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune and rheumatic disorder. Most patients have mild to moderate complaints and this may explain the great discrepancy in prevalence found in population studies compared to studies performed in the clinic. However, there is no straightforward and simple diagnostic test for Sjögren's syndrome, although several classification criteria have been designed. Initiatives have been taken to propose a new set of classification criteria in a joint effort by research groups in Europe and USA. A large number of autoantibodies have been reported in Sjögren's syndrome where, in some cases, the antibodies are correlated with the extent and severity of disease. The finding of serum autoantibodies directed against the muscarinic M3 receptor is an important advance in understanding the pathogenesis of not only the impaired glandular function but also associated features of autonomic dysfunction in some patients. The treatment of primary Sjögren's syndrome is still mainly symptomatic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study an ELISA assay was used to quantify the levels of antibodies against the recombinant Ro 52 kD, Ro 60 kD, and La 48 kD proteins in plasma and saliva of 17 Sjögren's syndrome patients. The levels of total IgG, IgA, and IgM were also quantified. About one third of the patients had salivary enrichment of IgA and IgM against the Ro 52 kD, Ro 60 kD, and La 48 kD antigens and IgG against La 48 kD, while no enrichment of IgG against Ro 52 kD and Ro 60 kD was found. Most correlations between plasma and saliva levels of antigen specific antibodies were highly significant, as were most correlations between focus score and levels of antigen specific antibodies in plasma and saliva. In total, the results support the hypothesis that autoantibodies are produced in the salivary glands. The strong correlation between focus score and plasma and saliva levels of autoantibodies, indicates that the local autoantibody production is a consequence of local inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the influences of age on clinical manifestations and serological abnormalities in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). The 67 patients included were diagnosed according to the preliminary European classification criteria for pSS, and disease manifestations were assessed according to a newly developed quantitative and qualitative classification model. We found that the age at diagnosis correlated to the presence of autoantibodies anti-SSA/SSB (r=-0.31, <0.02), rheumatoid factor (RF) (r=-0.33, p<0.01) and serum levels of IgG (r=-0.27, p<0.05). Young patients diagnosed before 45 years of age had the highest positivity of the autoantibodies anti-SSA/SSB (62.5%), RF (62.5%) and high levels of s-IgG (68.8%), while the corresponding values for old patients diagnosed after 60 years of age were anti-SSA/SSB: 20.8%, RF: 20.8%, and high s-IgG: 29.2%. None of these parameters correlated to age at onset nor disease duration. By applying a model for evaluating disease manifestations, no correlation between the global index nor the indices for subgroups of disease manifestations was found to age at onset, age at diagnosis, nor disease duration. We conclude that there is a significant influence of age on serological abnormalities in pSS, but not on disease manifestations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of the gerontological and geriatric population studies in Goteborg, Sweden, 473 elderly persons were examined using pure-tone audiometry in two recent cohorts. The aim of this study was to present cross-sectionally acquired hearing data in these contemporary groups aged 70 and 75. Another objective was to compare hearing function at the same age over the last two decades (time-lag study) in three 70-year-old cohorts and three 75-year-old cohorts. The largest time-lags were 14 years (75-year-olds) and 21 years (70-year-olds). The most recently tested cohort of 70-year-olds, studied in 1992, demonstrated median pure-tone averages (PTA: 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz) of 20.2 dB HL in the left ear of men and 18.2 dB HL in women. The left median pure-tone thresholds at 4 kHz were 56.0 dB HL in men and 34.7 dB HL in women. Hearing acuity in 70-year-olds was not demonstrated to have changed in any consistent fashion over a 21-year time-lag. For the most recently evaluated 75-year-olds, the median PTA in the left ear was 27.3 dB HL in men and 21.6 dB in women. The left median 4 kHz threshold was 67.3 in the male group and 45.5 dB HL in the female group. Hearing in 75-year-olds over a time-lag of 14 years demonstrated somewhat better pure-tone thresholds predominantly in the men's better ear in the earliest cohort when compared to the cohort tested in 1990-91. However, there were no consistent differences of pure-tone thresholds between these age cohorts, except for the intermediate cohort 2, in which the men had generally worse hearing. Thus, there was no apparent evidence of changes of the auditory function in elderly of the same age over the last two decades. Gender-specific dissimilarities in annual pure-tone threshold deterioration between the ages of 70 and 75 were found and are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression of the mucosal lymphocyte integrin α[sup E]β[sub 7] and its ligand E-cadherin was analyzed in sialadenitic lesions of patients with Sjögren's syndrome in order to assess the potential interactions between the mucosal and the systemic immunological compartments. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the inflammatory infiltrates in the salivary gland tissues in Sjögren's syndrome patients revealed presence of α[sup E]β[sub 7]-integrin-expressing lymphocytes, in 18 of 20 biopsies examined. The ligand for α[sup E]β[sub 7], E-cadherin was also found in 18 of 20 salivary gland biopsies analysed. These results suggest homing of lymphocytes derived from the gut epithelium through the blood stream to inflamed salivary gland tissue followed by in situ interaction with E-cadherin expressing cells, the ligand for α[sup E]β[sub 7] expressing T lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression of the mucosal lymphocyte integrin alphaEbeta7 and its ligand E-cadherin was analyzed in sialadenitic lesions of patients with Sjögren's syndrome in order to assess the potential interactions between the mucosal and the systemic immunological compartments. Immunohistochemical evaluation of the inflammatory infiltrates in the salivary gland tissues in Sjögren's syndrome patients revealed presence of alphaEbeta7-integrin-expressing lymphocytes, in 18 of 20 biopsies examined. The ligand for alphaEbeta7, E-cadherin was also found in 18 of 20 salivary gland biopsies analysed. These results suggest homing of lymphocytes derived from the gut epithelium through the blood stream to inflamed salivary gland tissue followed by in situ interaction with E-cadherin expressing cells, the ligand for alphaEbeta7 expressing T lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study related to the evaluation of calprotectin, S100A12 protein and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-resistant S100A12 complexes (ERAC) in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). As per the study, 141 patients who fulfill pSS criteria by the American–European Consensus Group were used. The study discusses the correlation between calprotectin and S100A12 with neutrophil.