Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036421 (PSS)
 10,989 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytokines and cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) may play a role in the inflammatory and fibrotic processes underlying systemic sclerosis (SSc). We compared the immunohistological distribution of cytokines and CAMs in skin biopsies from 12 SSc patients and 14 normal (NL) individuals. Among CAMs, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), which mediates leukocyte-endothelial adhesion, showed increased expression on SSc versus NL endothelium and stratum granulosum. P-selectin was up-regulated in SSc versus NL stratum granulosum. The CD44 lymphocyte homing receptor showed the most striking differences between SSc and NL: its expression was increased in SSc stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, on lymphocytes, and macrophages. Regarding cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression was increased on SSc versus NL endothelium and fibroblasts. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) reactivity was more prevalent in SSc than NL stratum granulosum, whereas IL-8 expression was higher on SSc compared to NL endothelium. Some CAMs, such as VCAM-1 and P-selectin, and cytokines, namely TNF-alpha and IL-8, were more commonly found in skin biopsies taken from early (< or = 1 year's duration) SSc, while others, such as IL-6, showed up-regulation in the late stage of the disease. The results suggest that certain CAMs and cytokines may play a differential role in both the early, inflammatory, and the late, fibrotic stage of SSc.
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PMID:In situ expression of cytokines and cellular adhesion molecules in the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis. Their role in early and late disease. 750 81

Fibrosis of the pulmonary parenchyma is a frequent and serious complication of scleroderma (systemic sclerosis, SSc), resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. During the past decade data have accumulated in support of an inflammatory process affecting the alveoli and distal airways that culminates in irreversible fibrosis in many SSc patients. Recent findings indicate the presence of lung fibroblasts with altered phenotype and biologic activity (myofibroblasts), perhaps arising from the influence of cytokines on resident lung fibroblasts. Acute-phase inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 alpha, TNF-alpha, MIP-1 alpha, IL-8 and RANTES are increased in SSc bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, as is thrombin, a potent mitogen for lung fibroblasts. Chronic-phase inflammatory and fibrogenic cytokines such as PDGF and TGF-beta are also present in increased amounts in SSc BAL fluid. The inciting event(s) and the process(es) leading to the perpetuation of fibrosis in SSc are unknown. Treatment of SSc lung disease has been empiric and generally disappointing, and it is likely that effective treatment awaits a better understanding of the biological events that regulate collagen and other extracellular matrix synthesis.
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PMID:Interstitial lung disease of systemic sclerosis. 765 Apr 24

We investigated the mechanisms and consequences of neutrophil accumulation in the airspace in 11 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and interstitial lung disease. Seven normal subjects served as controls. We measured total neutrophil elastase burden, elastase activity, and alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and we evaluated the in vitro interleukin-8 (IL-8, a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils) secretion by alveolar macrophages (AM). A mild neutrophil alveolitis was observed in patients when compared with control subjects. Total BAL elastase burden was higher in patients than in control subjects and correlated positively with the percentage of neutrophils in BAL. BAL elastase activity was undetectable in control subjects, but it was detected in all patients but one (mean: 257 +/- 87 mU/L). Spontaneous IL-8 secretion by AM was higher in patients with SSc than in control subjects (518 +/- 115 versus 228 +/- 65 ng/ml, p = 0.04) and positively correlated with the percentage of neutrophils in BAL (r = 0.505). We conclude that (1) the neutrophil could participate in the pathogenesis of SSC lung disease through the release of elastase; (2) the AM could contribute to the influx of neutrophils in the alveolus through the release of IL-8.
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PMID:Interleukin-8 and neutrophils in systemic sclerosis with lung involvement. 795 65

The serum IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and soluble IL-2 receptor levels were measured, and the presence of anti-Fc gamma receptor (Fc gamma R) antibodies was investigated in the sera of 18 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). An increase of TNF-alpha was detected in 8 of the 18 cases. II-1 beta was elevated in all the 18 patients. Both IL-2 and IL-4 were elevated in 7 cases. The IL-6 level was elevated in 17 patients, while IL-8 was increased in all cases. The soluble IL-2 receptor level was elevated in 11 patients. Fc gamma R-specific antibodies were detected in the sera of 6 patients, and there was a significant association between anti-Fc gamma R antibody positivity and IL-4 elevation. The presence of anti-Fc gamma R antibodies may influence several cell functions and may contribute to the remarkable variability of cytokine levels in SSc.
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PMID:Serum cytokine and anti-Fc gamma R autoantibody measurements in patients with systemic sclerosis. 872 84

Although the pathological patterns of interstitial pneumonia associated with collagen vascular disease (CVD-IP) resemble those of usual interstitial pneumonia in idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), the clinical features of CVD-IP and IIIP are quite different. We evaluated the differences between these conditions, with regard to the expression of genes in cells obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the levels of mRNA for IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, IL-8, TGF-beta, PDGF-B, and IGF-1, and no significant differences were found between patients with CVD-IP and those with IIP. However, differential display analysis revealed a fragment that can be considered to have been derived from an unknown gene mRNA, and this was found only in patients with pulmonary fibrosis associated with progressive systemic sclerosis. Expression of specific genes may differentiate CVD-IP from IIP.
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PMID:[Pulmonary manifestation of collagen vascular diseases: role of cytokines in interstitial pneumonia associated with collagen vascular diseases]. 875 19

Neutrophil accumulation in the lower respiratory tract of patients with fibrosing alveolitis is thought to be facilitated by IL-8, a neutrophil chemoattractant primarily secreted by mononuclear phagocytes. The aims of this study were: (i) to explore IL-8 secretion by lung and blood mononuclear phagocytes in subjects with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, systemic sclerosis with and without fibrosing alveolitis, sarcoidosis and normal individuals; (ii) to examine IL-8 secretory heterogeneity in alveolar macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes; and (iii) to correlate alveolar macrophage phenotypic profile to IL-8 secretion. We observed that more monocytes secreted IL-8 than autologous macrophages and that there was heterogeneity in the in vitro IL-8 secretion by alveolar macrophages and peripheral blood monocytes. IL-8 secretion by alveolar macrophages was significantly higher in subjects with fibrosing alveolitis compared with subjects without fibrosing alveolitis, due to a higher percentage of IL-8-secreting alveolar macrophages in the fibrotic group both in the absence (P < 0.002) and presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (P < 0.04) and correlated with bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophil percentage. Using the MoAbs RFD1, RFD7 and RFD9, that distinguish subsets of alveolar macrophages, we have been able to identify associations between secretion of IL-8 and smaller cells and the cells identified by the MoAb RFD7. In situ hybridization of the bronchoalveolar lavage cell population revealed that alveolar macrophages are the predominant source of IL-8 in the lung. We conclude that there is an increased number of IL-8-secreting alveolar macrophages in the lungs of patients with fibrosing alveolitis, and IL-8 secretion by these cells is associated with specific phenotypic profile expression.
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PMID:Up-regulation of IL-8 secretion by alveolar macrophages from patients with fibrosing alveolitis: a subpopulation analysis. 909 17

Perivascular infiltrates of inflammatory cells are a hallmark of lesional skin in scleroderma. We have explored the potential for scleroderma fibroblasts to modulate mononuclear leucocyte migration across endothelial cell monolayers in tissue culture, and to regulate expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules. Fibroblasts were grown from skin biopsies of eight patients with active diffuse cutaneous scleroderma and from four healthy controls. Co-culture and conditioned medium transfer experiments examined the effect of soluble fibroblast products on mononuclear leucocyte (U937) cell migration across endothelial cell (1E-7) monolayers grown on tissue culture inserts. Co-culture of scleroderma, but not control fibroblasts, promoted transendothelial migration of U937 cells. Scleroderma fibroblast-conditioned medium had qualitatively similar effects and equivalent results were obtained using Jurkat-6 (T lymphocyte) cells, and with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a patient with diffuse cutaneous scleroderma. Promotion of leucocyte migration does not appear to result from increased endothelial adhesion molecule expression, since fibroblast-conditioned medium did not up-regulate endothelial cell expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) or E-selectin. Moreover, leucocyte migration across cytokine-activated endothelial cell layers in co-culture with fibroblasts was less than across resting cells, although the selective effect of scleroderma fibroblast co-culture persisted. Recombinant monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) or IL-8 increased passage of mononuclear leucocytes across endothelial cell monolayers, whilst anti-MCP-1, but not anti-IL-8 antibodies, significantly reduced the effect of fibroblast conditioned medium. These data suggest that systemic sclerosis (SSc) fibroblasts promote leucocyte migration across endothelial cell monolayers in tissue culture via an MCP-1-dependent mechanism. These findings may be relevant to the perivascular mononuclear leucocyte infiltrates characteristic of early SSc lesions.
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PMID:Scleroderma fibroblasts promote migration of mononuclear leucocytes across endothelial cell monolayers. 982 90

The chemokine is a new class of cytokine. Now, more than 30 members of chemokine superfamily and 15 members of chemokine receptors (CXCR1-4, CCR1-8, CX3CR, CCR) have been identified. They were shown to be involved in the inflammatory response. The chemokine is classified into four subgroups (CXC, CC, C and CX3C). The local production of IL-8, MCP-1 and RANTES in rheumatoid inflamed joints has been reported. The predominance of several chemokines in other collagen diseases, such as SLE, systemic sclerosis and myositis is also described. Therefore, the inhibition of chemokines or chemokine receptors might be novel targets for various human disease, including collagen diseases.
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PMID:[Chemokines and Chemokine receptors in collagen diseases]. 1007 91

The treatment of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) is still unsatisfactory. We report on clinical, laboratory and immunological findings in 26 patients with PSS (6 males, 20 women) treated with extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) for 8 cycles in a nonrandomized, uncontrolled study. ECP was performed on two consecutive days once a month. 8-methoxypsoralen concentrations in plasma and buffy coat were monitored by HPLC. We performed a standardized examination programme and determined parameters of inflammation and immune function. Global assessment revealed a partial remission in 18 patients, a stable disease in 8 patients and a slight progression in one patient. In the peripheral blood count a significant increase of CD3-positive NK cells was noted (p=0.03) although the leukocyte count decreased from 2,255 to 1,156 cells/microl. There was a non-significant decrease of elastase (102. 9 vs. 90.4 ng/ml), sulfidoleukotriens (2,255.4 vs. 1,688.9 pg/ml), ICAM-1 (301.9 vs. 276.6 ng/ml), soluble IL-2 receptor (609.0 vs. 422. 3 U/ml), and IL-10 (164.7 vs. 138.7 pg/ml). IL-6 and IL-8 did not show significant changes. The ECP treatment of patients with PSS shows immunomodulatory effects changing levels of pro-inflammatory and cytokine substances. Even after 8 cycles partial remission or stable disease is seen in patients as shown by global assessment and certain clinical symptoms. On the other hand, sufficient data on the long-term outcome are still missing.
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PMID:[Progressive systemic sclerosis - treatment results of extracorporeal photopheresis]. 1050 79

The aim of this study was to develop new biocompatible coatings for bone implants by the alternating deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Polyelectrolyte films were built up with different terminating layers on which SaOS-2 osteoblast-like cells and human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were grown. The terminating layer was made of one of the following polyelectrolytes: poly(ethylene imine) (PEI), poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), poly(L-glutamic acid) (PGA), or poly(L-lysine) (PLL). Cell adherence, viability, stability of osteoblast phenotype, and inflammatory response were studied. Adherence and viability were good on all terminating layers except the PEI-terminating layer, which was cytotoxic. Maintenance of osteoblast phenotype marker expression was observed on PSS- and PGA-terminating films for both cell types, whereas downregulation, associated with the induction of Interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion, was detected on PEI and PAH for both cell types and on PLL for PDL cells. These results suggested a good biocompatibility of PSS- and PGA-ending films for PDL cells and of PSS-, PGA-, and PLL-terminating films for SaOS-2 cells. As a result, polyelectrolyte multilayer films could emerge as new alternatives for implant coatings.
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PMID:Viability, adhesion, and bone phenotype of osteoblast-like cells on polyelectrolyte multilayer films. 1194 25


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