Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0039483 (giant cell arteritis)
 3,204 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, purified or in whole serum, exhibits microheterogeneous forms when studied by crossed immunoaffinoelectrophoresis with free concanavalin A (Con A) in the first dimension. alpha 1-antichymotrypsin purified from the serum of a single healthy donor was separated into three forms by affinity chromatography on a Con A-Sepharose 4B column: a Con A non-reactive form, a Con A weakly reactive form and a Con A reactive form. Some of their physico-chemical properties are compared. The complete primary structure of the glycans of each form was determined by high resolution 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The results indicated the presence of diantennary and triantennary type glycanic structures which occur frequently in serum glycoproteins. From deglycosylation experiments it is concluded that alpha 1-antichymotrypsin carries four oligosaccharide side chains. The Con A non-reactive form contains four triantennary glycans, the weakly reactive form contains three triantennary and one diantennary glycans and the Con A reactive form possesses on average one triantennary and three diantennary glycans. Significant variations in the relative ratios of the microheterogeneous forms were detected in various inflammatory syndromes. There is an increased proportion of Con A non-reactive form in patients developing a systemic disease (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, temporal arteritis). In contrast, the proportion of Con A non-reactive form decreased in patients with acute septic inflammation whereas no variation appeared in patients with metastatic breast cancer. We also studied the variations of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin microheterogeneity in sera from patients with giant-cell arteritis and/or polymyalgia rheumatica before and during treatment with glucocorticoids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Glycoforms of serum alpha 1-antichymotrypsin studied by immunoaffino-electrophoresis. From the fundamental aspect to clinical applications]. 175 31

Forty-four patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and/or giant cell arteritis (PMR/GCA) were followed from presentation, through remissions and relapses for a median duration of 36 months. Clinical disease activity, ESR, CRP and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1-ACT) were measured. Before treatment ESR, CRP and alpha 1-ACT were all significantly raised, compared with age- and sex-matched controls. On clinical remission with prednisolone treatment, ESR and CRP fell to control levels but alpha 1-ACT behaved quite differently, remaining raised for 18 months or until prednisolone treatment could be withdrawn. At 18 month follow-up of PMR/GCA, and alpha 1-ACT level of < or = 0.7 g/l was associated with a reduced risk of subsequent relapse (P = 0.006). At clinical relapse during treatment, ESR was not raised compared with controls, and CRP, although significantly higher than controls (P = 0.015), remained less than 6 mg/l in the majority of patients. The three laboratory investigations were, therefore, of limited value in confirming relapses of PMR/GCA during prednisolone treatment, but alpha 1-ACT may be useful as an indicator of underlying disease activity and hence as a guide to the speed that the prednisolone dosage should be reduced.
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PMID:Alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. 820 3

The most useful investigation in supporting the clinical diagnosis of PMR/GCA is elevation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or viscosity. Acute phase proteins, particularly CRP, are also elevated but in most cases are not more helpful than the ESR in either diagnosis or follow-up. The definitive investigation is the demonstration of giant cell arteritis histologically, usually from temporal artery biopsy. Elevation of alkaline phosphatase of liver origin is seen in one-third to one-half of patients and may lead to delay in diagnosis. Measurements of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and IL-1 beta may be helpful in diagnosis and management but more studies are required.
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PMID:Laboratory investigations useful in the evaluation of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA). 1094 56