Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024312 (lymphopenia)
 4,859 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We previously demonstrated a marked elevation of the proinflammatory enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in all synovial fluids and some sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since PLA2 was found to induce inflammatory changes in the skin and joints of experimental animals, we tested whether the serum level of PLA2 correlates with the clinical activity of RA. In the group of 51 patients with classical or definite RA, 13 (25%) had high serum levels of PLA2 (over 2 standard deviations above the normal mean). Comparison of clinical disease activity in patients with high levels of PLA2 with those with normal PLA2 levels showed that patients with high PLA2 levels had a significantly higher joint count, more swollen joints, much higher Landsbury index, lower functional class, lower hemoglobin, lymphopenia and higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). To more accurately assess the relationship between the PLA2 level and disease activity in RA, we formulated 2 indices. Clinical index consisted of the Landsbury index, number of swollen joints and duration of morning stiffness. Laboratory index consisted of hemoglobin, absolute number of peripheral blood lymphocytes, platelet count and ESR. Our results showed that both indices correlated strongly with PLA2 activity (p less than 0.0001). The results support the hypothesis that PLA2 plays a pathogenetic role in RA and suggest that serum PLA2 levels may serve as an additional measure of disease activity.
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PMID:Serum phospholipase A2 correlates with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. 319 95

Twelve patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis were treated with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) to a total cumulative dose of 3,000 rads. Post-TLI morbidity/mortality included 8 patients with xerostomia, 4 with weight loss of greater than 10 kg, 3 with loss of 4 or more teeth, 3 with herpes zoster, 4 with bacterial infection that was fatal in 2, 3 with hypothyroidism, 1 with cutaneous vasculitis, and death from myocardial infarction in 1 patient and cardiorespiratory arrest in another. Ten of the patients were reevaluated 15-40 months (mean +/- SE, 30 +/- 2) after completion of TLI, and significant improvement was noted in several disease parameters including number of swollen joints, duration of morning stiffness, and 50-foot walking time. Blood lymphopenia and a decrease in helper T cells (T4) were also noted. These data suggest that changes in immunoregulation induced by TLI can produce longlasting alterations in rheumatoid arthritis, although adverse effects may limit its efficacy.
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PMID:Total lymphoid irradiation therapy in refractory rheumatoid arthritis. Fifteen- to forty-month followup. 660 5