Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024141 (systemic lupus erythematosus)
 44,322 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Abnormal polyclonal B cell activation has been demonstrated in patients with endometriosis. To determine whether the noted B cell abnormalities were primarily a feature of the disease endometriosis or its manifestations of infertility and pregnancy wastage, we investigated antibody profiles in 26 female patients with unexplained infertility (group A) and 24 patients with unexplained pregnancy wastage (group B) but without documented endometriosis. Group A and B patients exhibited an unusual incidence of gammopathies (10 of 26 patients in group A and 11 of 24 in group B), with a majority representing immunoglobulin M gammopathies. Mean immunoglobulin M values were significantly elevated in both groups (p less than 0.03 and p less than 0.05, respectively, Student t test), whereas immunoglobulin G was significantly increased only among group B patients (p less than 0.05, Student t test). Lupus anticoagulant by tissue thromboblastin inhibition test was abnormally elevated in 2 of 26 group A and 2 of 24 group B patients. Activated partial thromboplastin time values were abnormal in only 3 of 26 group A and 2 of 24 group B women. Immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, and immunoglobulin A autoantibodies to two phospholipid antigens, five histones, and four polynucleotide autoantibodies were detected in 23 of 26 (88%) group A patients and 17 of 24 (70.8%) group B patients. We conclude that some patients with unexplained infertility and pregnancy wastage suffer from polyclonal B cell activation. It is therefore tempting to speculate that autoantibody abnormalities may be causally related to infertility and pregnancy loss.
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PMID:Reproductive failure because of autoantibodies: unexplained infertility and pregnancy wastage. 250 21

A 28-year-old, 16 week primigravida presented with an acute anteroseptal myocardial infarction and a past history of recurrent venous thromboembolism and primary infertility. Although she lacked other clinical features of systemic lupus erythematosus, she had a circulating 'lupus' anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, a weakly positive anti-nuclear antibody and thrombocytopenia. She died suddenly despite corticosteroid therapy and autopsy revealed coronary arteritis and thrombosis.
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PMID:Coronary artery vasculitis and myocardial infarction associated with antiphospholipid antibodies in a pregnant woman. 250 49

The present study was conducted to elucidate the clinical significance of autoantibodies in infertility. Among 203 cases of infertility, 27 cases (A group) were positive for antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and 18 cases (B group) were positive for antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) regardless of the presence of ANA. The progress of pregnancy over time in the study period was clarified in 13 cases in A group and 12 cases in B group. Although only luteal support was given to the A group, appropriate for gestational age babies were obtained in all cases except 3 cases in which there occurred early abortion. In B group, babies were obtained successfully in 8 cases by steroid-aspirin therapy, but intrauterine fetal death occurred in the second trimester in 2 cases, and in the other 2 cases early abortion occurred. In cases positive for the antibody (beta 2(-)ACA) to cardiolipin, fetal distress did not occur in any of the 3 cases. On the other hand, in cases positive for the antibody (beta 2(+)ACA) to the cardiolipin-beta 2-glycoprotein I complex and/or lupus anticoagulant (LA), marked fetal distress occurred in all except one of the 7 cases. In conclusion, there was little correlation between ANA, beta 2(-)ACA and infertility, suggesting that the cause of infertility is the induction of placental circulating disorder by beta 2(+)ACA and LA.
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PMID:[Effect of autoantibodies on women with infertility]. 784 38

Infertile women are treated with various regimens for ovulation induction. The ultimate end-result of these treatments is a significant rise in levels of serum gonadotropins and estradiol--the most potent natural estrogen. Estrogens may affect diverse biologic functions, including immune and inflammatory reactions. A role for estrogens in the development or exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been suggested by many studies. In this report, we present 3 cases of otherwise healthy women who received ovulation induction agents and subsequently developed full-blown SLE. The possible association between this treatment and SLE is discussed.
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PMID:Systemic lupus erythematosus induced by ovulation induction treatment. 757 34

Infertility is defined as a reproductive disorder in which pregnancy is established, but normal fetal growth can never be achieved due to pregnancy loss. The pathogenesis of this disorder must be understood accurately to obtain optimal results in its management. Although genetic, anatomic and hormonal factors have been implicated as to its cause, a substantial proportion of cases remain unexplained. Recently, an immunologic etiology for this disorder has been proposed for many couples with infertility due to unexplained causes. Author has evaluated patients with infertility according to two immunologic aspects, namely "autoimmune" and "alloimmune", and assessed them pathophysiologically and clinically. [Autoimmune abnormality] Autoimmune diseases, especially SLE, have been associated with pregnancy loss, with autoantibody abnormalities being speculated to be causally related to this reproductive disorder. Especially among various autoantibodies, author noticed an antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) that has been associated with micro-thrombosis, and performed the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pathophysiological evaluations performed were as follows: 1. Inhibitory effect of aPL on prostacyclin production in cultured vascular endothelial cells. 2. Existence of aPL in the elute from placental tissue. Clinical evaluations were as follows: 1. Frequency of aPL positivity among patients with infertility. 2. Correlation between frequency of aPL positivity at the placental site and the outcome of pregnancy. 3. Correlation between the selected modes of medical therapy (e.g., administration of prednisolone, aspirin, etc.) in aPL-positive cases and the outcome of pregnancy. Based on the results of the above evaluations, it was suggested that IgG-aPL can be considered a useful diagnostic and prognostic variable in women with infertility. Moreover, it was considered that the inhibition of prostacyclin production due to aPL might disturb utero-placental circulation by vasoconstriction and local vascular thrombosis in the placenta and thus lead to pregnancy loss. It was confirmed that the combination of immunosuppressive and anticoagulant therapy is, to a certain extent, an effective treatment for aPL-positive pregnant women. [Alloimmune abnormality] When normal pregnancy is viewed from an immunological standpoint, there arises a basic question of how the fetus escapes immunological rejection despite being allograft. Explanations have been based on various mechanisms of maternal immunity and some experiments were therefore attempted to elucidate the immunological mechanisms. Points of evaluation were as follows: 1. Blocking activity of serum utilizing the mixed lymphocyte reaction with lymphocytes of the husband as stimulators and those of the wife as responders. 2. Detection of HLA-class II antibody, cold-B cell antibody, and anti-idiotype antibody as blocking antibodies in the serum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:[Pathogenesis on infertility; its immunological aspects]. 837 Oct 5

This study was undertaken to investigate the role of autoantibodies in association with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer failure. Anticardiolipin, lupus anticoagulant, anti-deoxyribonucleic acid and antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor and antithyroid antibody concentrations were measured. The study group comprised 50 IVF patients with three or more previously failed cycles after embryo transfer. The control group comprised 80 computer-matched women: 40 who had conceived and delivered following three or less IVF and embryo transfer cycles, and 40 who were healthy nulligravidas. The incidence of autoantibodies in the study group was 22.0%, compared with 2.5% in the IVF control group (P < 0.05) and 7.5% in the nulligravida group (P < 0.05). In the study group, no statistical difference was found between the patients with unexplained infertility and those with mechanical infertility (23.0 and 20.8% respectively). The high occurrence of autoantibodies found in patients who failed at least three IVF and embryo transfer cycles could imply that these autoantibodies may be one of the possible causes of IVF failure in either mechanical or unexplained infertility. Further investigations are required to indicate the autoantibody profile as part of the work-up after three or more failed IVF and embryo transfer attempts.
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PMID:Autoimmune disorders: another possible cause for in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer failure. 856 70

Reproductive life table analysis indicates that the majority of reproductive failures result from post fertilization failures, whether before or after implantation. It is important to have a set of tests to clarify the diagnosis of the reproductive failure so that appropriate therapy can be instituted. To determine the frequency of abnormal immunologic tests among women experiencing reproductive failure, 108 patients were evaluated for the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APA); lupus anticoagulant (LA); thyroid-thyroglobulin and microsomal antibodies (TGT); embryotoxic factor (ETA); and systemic CD56+/CD16- cells. The frequency of abnormal results obtained from testing for APA, LA, TGT, ETA, and CD56+/CD16- cells among 108 patients with diagnoses of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL)(n = 45), unexplained infertility (n = 45) including IVF failure (n = 10), endometriosis (n = 10), premature ovarian failure (n = 5), and polycystic ovaries (n = 3) were compared with 15 normal controls. Seventy of one hundred eight (65%) women experiencing reproductive failure had at least one positive test, compared to 1 of 15 (7%) controls (P = 0.0001). Presence of phospholipid antibodies was the most frequently abnormal result followed by elevated CD56+/CD 16 cells. The prevalence of a particular abnormal test varied among the diagnoses. The most frequent abnormal test among women with RPL was an increased percentage of CD56+/CD16- cells (40%), followed by APAs (29%), TGT (9%), and ETA (7%). The most frequent abnormal result among women with unexplained infertility was the presence of APAs (42%), followed by CD56+/CD16- cells (16%), ETA (16%), and TGT (9%). APA, CD56+/CD16- cells, ETA, and TGT are useful tools to assist in the diagnosis of reproductive failure.
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PMID:Laboratory evaluation of women experiencing reproductive failure. 873 63

Lupus anticoagulant (LAC), a serum antiphospholipid autoantibody, is believed to be one of the causes of infertility or fetal loss. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of LAC in the pathogenesis of hypertension during pregnancy. In this study, 20 pregnant women with hypertension were classified into two groups: 14 patients who did not have hypertension before the pregnancy but developed it during the pregnancy (pregnancy-induced hypertension; Group A) and 6 patients who had hypertensive or renal disease before the pregnancy, and developed further hypertension during the pregnancy (pregnancy-aggravated hypertension; Group B). A LAC coagulation assay was performed, and the presence of LAC in each group was compared. All 14 patients in group A were LAC-negative. In contrast, 3 of the 6 patients in group B were LAC-positive, and had clinical autoimmune diseases. The incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension was also examined in 15 pregnancies from 9 LAC-positive women who had a history of repeated fetal loss but no systemic autoimmune disease (Group C). None of these 15 pregnancies had hypertensive complications, even when they reached term. In the placentas of LAC-positive women, no characteristic changes other than fibrinoid degeneration and microscopic infarction were observed upon histological examination. These results suggest that LAC does not relate with the onset of hypertension during pregnancy.
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PMID:Relationship between lupus anticoagulant (LAC) and pregnancy-induced hypertension. 874 66

Routine screening for circulating antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL), namely the lupus anticoagulant (LA) and anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), was carried out in a total of 1273 women aged < 45 years. Of them, 822 were experimental subjects and 451 were controls. The former comprised the following three study groups: 498 infertile patients (group 1), 284 spontaneous recurrent aborters (group 2), and 40 patients with repeated failure of embryo transfer (group 3). Controls included five groups of women: 125 normal healthy women who had never been pregnant (group 4), 125 normal healthy parous women with no previous abortion (group 5), 52 women in labour after normal pregnancies at term (group 6), 49 infertile patients achieving a livebirth with their first in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (group 7), and 100 female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (positive controls, group 8). aPL positivity in the eight groups studied was as follows: 24, 9.2, 10, 0.8, 0, 0, 0 and 42% respectively for groups 1 to 8. There were no differences within groups 1 and 3 regarding incidence of aPL when patients were grouped according to infertility aetiological factors and indications of IVF respectively. Twenty-six out of 284 recurrent aborters (9.2%) tested positive for aPL, and the LA and/or a CL were identified as the aetiological factor in 12% of patients (24/199) with supposedly unexplained recurrent abortion. Incidence of positive sera for aPL in group 1 was similar to that observed in control groups 4, 5 and 6. On the contrary, incidence of aPL positivity in groups 2 and 3 was significantly higher than in control groups 4, 5 and 6 and among infertile women (group 1). The difference between groups 3 and 7 almost reached statistical significance. Interestingly, there was no difference between groups 2 and 3, but groups 2 and 7 resulted probably different regarding incidence of aPL positive sera. As expected, the highest incidence of patients testing positive for aPL was found in group 8. Seven infertile patients having circulating aPL and becoming pregnant spontaneously or after specific infertility treatment, successfully carried to term in spite of the fact that they did not receive immunotherapy. Among recurrent aborters, the live-born baby rate was significantly higher after treatment with low-dose aspirin than prior therapy. It is concluded that the presence of circulating aPL may be associated with recurrent abortion but with infertility. In addition, our results favour a possible role of aPL in failure of implantation after IVF embryo transfer.
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PMID:Antiphospholipid antibodies and human reproductive failure. 894 47

We report on four women with systemic lupus erythematosus who developed two types of complications after ovulation-induction therapy for primary or secondary infertility. Primary infertility was associated with endometriosis in one patient. Three had previously known systemic lupus erythematosus. All had inactive disease at onset of ovulation-induction therapy. Three patients developed symptoms consistent with moderate lupus flare a few weeks after the onset of ovulation-induction therapy. One patient developed inferior vena cava and unilateral left renal vein thrombosis. No patient became pregnant. A high oestrogen level induced by ovulation-induction therapy may explain the occurrence of lupus flare in patients with prior inactive lupus. All our patients had prior asymptomatic antiphospholipid antibodies. One patient developed a major thrombotic event. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies increases the thrombotic risk related to ovulation-induction therapy. We conclude that ovulation-induction therapy should be restricted to patients with long-standing inactive systemic lupus erythematosus. A preventive increase of the corticosteroid dosage should be proposed in addition to heparin or antiaggregant therapy for those with prior asymptomatic antiphospholipid antibodies, or with heparin therapy for those with prior antiphospholipid antibody-related events.
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PMID:Risks of ovulation-induction therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus. 894 13


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