Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0409974 (lupus)
 22,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Primary pulmonary cryptococcal granuloma is not common in Sichuan. The diagnosis of this disease is difficult to make because the patient has no characteristic symptoms and the chest X-ray findings of the mass are not easily differentiated from carcinoma of the lung. The incidence of this disease is apparently increasing. Pulmonary cryptococcosis may be disseminated hematogenously to the meninges and cryptococcal meningitis is very difficult to treat. If the pulmonary lesion is localized, the patient's general condition is good with no evidence of systemic lupus erythematosis, diabetes, leukemia or lymphoma, partial resection of the lung is indicated. But, if the patient has a history of recent cryptococcal meningitis, surgery must be deferred. Four cases of primary pulmonary cryptococcal granuloma have been treated surgically supplemented with medical therapy in the First Affiliated Hospital from 1986 to 1987. Follow-up of more than one year showed good results in each case.
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PMID:[Surgical treatment of primary pulmonary cryptococcal granuloma--report of 4 cases]. 259 37

The salmonella group of bacteria consists of at least 1700 subtypes and causes widespread gastroenteric disease throughout the world, there being approximately two million cases yearly in the United States alone. An uncommon but interesting complication is the hematogenous lodgment of organisms in other sites of the body with resultant localized abscess formation, often months or years later. We present a review of 15 cases seen in our affiliated hospitals over a nine-year period. Remote salmonellosis most often occurs in patients with underlying systemic disease, such as lupus, malignancy, diabetes, and sickle cell disease, or in association with therapy that suppresses host resistance including steroids and cancer chemotherapy. The most frequent sites of involvement are bone marrow, joints, meninges, pleura, and blood vessels, or in an area of locus minoris resistentiae. The latter include scars, hematomas, fracture sites, prosthetic devices, and neoplasms. Our experience would suggest that these infections, which can remote both in location and time from the original gastrointestinal episode, are perhaps more frequent today than is generally realized. Diagnosis is often delayed because of lack of familiarity with this entity. Treatment consist of either drainage or excision of infected tissue often combined with long-term antibiotics.
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PMID:Remote salmonellosis: surgical masquerader. 707 24

The purpose of study was to determine the nature, outcomes and associated risk factors of invasive fungal infection (IFI) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and compare the incidence of IFI in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 1155 patients with SLE and 2004 patients with RA were retrospectively reviewed between 1992 and 2007. Twelve cases of IFI patients were identified in SLE patients (6 Aspergillus spp.; 5 Cryptococcus spp.; 1 Candida spp.). The incidence of IFI was significantly higher in patients with SLE than RA (1.04 vs. 0.15%). Among 12 patients with SLE, 10 had high Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores (>or=8). The most commonly involved organ was the lung (n = 6), followed by the meninges (n = 4). Most of SLE patients with IFI (91.7%) had taken steroids prior to IFI. Three SLE patients resulted in death. Notably, these patients were all infected with Aspergillus spp. The mortality was associated with the presence of leukopenia, high anti-DNA antibodies and high SLEDAI. Collectively, IFI is more common in patients with SLE than in patients with RA. High disease activity in patients with SLE might contribute to increased risk of IFI. In addition, mortality was associated with aspergillus infection, leukopenia and high anti-DNA antibodies.
Lupus 2009 Jun
PMID:Invasive fungal infections in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: experience from affiliated hospitals of Catholic University of Korea. 1943 70

Recently, we demonstrated that treatment with all- trans-retinoic acid (tRA) induced a paradoxical effect on immune activation during the development of autoimmune lupus. Here, we further describe its negative effects on mediating neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Female MRL/lpr mice were orally administered tRA or VARA (retinol mixed with 10% tRA) from 6 to 14 weeks of age. Both treatments had a significant effect on brain weight, which correlated with histopathological evidence of focal astrogliosis, meningitis, and ventriculitis. Infiltration of CD138- and Iba1-positve immune cells was observed in the third ventricle and meninges of treated mice that co-labeled with ICAM-1, indicating their inflammatory nature. Increased numbers of circulating plasma cells, autoantibodies, and total IgG were also apparent. IgG and C3 complement deposition in these brain regions were also prominent as was focal astrogliosis surrounding the ventricular lining and meninges. Using Fluoro-Jade staining, we further demonstrate that neuroinflammation was accompanied by neurodegeneration in the cortex of treated mice compared with vehicle controls. These findings indicate that vitamin A exposure exacerbates the immunogenic environment of the brain during the onset of systemic autoimmune disease. Vitamin A may therefore compromise the immuno-privileged nature of the central nervous system under a predisposed immunogenic environment.
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PMID:All- Trans-Retinoic Acid Augments the Histopathological Outcome of Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in Lupus-Prone MRL/lpr Mice. 2785 24