Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P02749 (beta2-glycoprotein I)
 836 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Systemic autoimmune diseases, which comprise a family of conditions which share common pathogenetic mechanisms, are frequently associated to cardiac involvement and to a high prevalence of ischemic coronary events often occurring at a younger age than in normal population. A large increase in mortality is related to premature atherosclerosis with coronary artery disease and stroke in patients with connective tissue diseases. Coronary heart disease is responsible for 40-50% of the death of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, a growing body of evidence supports the view that autoimmune mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Inflammatory heart disease is a rising concern worldwide. Similar mechanisms link autoimmune diseases, including the association of increased disease with proinflammatory cytokines and the importance of regulatory mechanisms in the control of chronic inflammation. The role of the immune system in modulating atherosclerosis has recently been well documented. Studies have revealed that cellular and humoral immunity plays crucial roles in atherogenic plaque formation. This includes macrophages, CD4+ T cells and dendritic cells as well as autoantigens such as oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), heat shock proteins and beta2-glycoprotein I. The inflammatory component is not localized to the "culprit" plaque, but it is diffused to the entire coronary vascular bed, and involves also the myocardium. The aim of the conference (2nd conference on heart, rheumatism and autoimmunity) was to focus the attention of the participants on some pathogenetic, clinical and therapeutic aspects at the boundary between cardiology and rheumatology and to encourage the debate among clinicians and basic researchers with different backgrounds and experiences.
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PMID:2nd conference on heart, rheumatism and autoimmunity, Pescara, Italy, May 19-20, 2005. 1633 12

Endothelial dysfunction is considered an important marker in atherosclerosis, having a prognostic value. Antiphospholipid antibodies are considered prothrombotic and have recently been reported to be associated also with atherosclerosis. This study was conducted to investigate a possible association of endothelial dysfunction with various antiphospholipid autoantibodies in healthy subjects and patients with cardiovascular disease. In a single-center, prospective study, 2 groups were included. The study group included patients with cardiovascular diseases (coronary disease and/or cerebrovascular disease) and healthy subjects without apparent heart disease who were referred to the endothelial function laboratory for the assessment of endothelial function. Flow-mediated dilatation, which indicates endothelial function, and nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilatation, which indicates smooth-muscle function, were measured. The 2 groups were evaluated for autoantibodies, including anticardiolipin (aCL; immunoglobulin G [IgG], immunoglobulin M [IgM], and immunoglobulin A [IgA]), antinuclear antibody, anti-beta2-glycoprotein I (IgG, IgM, and IgA), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein. One hundred seven subjects were included in the study: 45 patients (42%) and 62 healthy controls (58%). Flow-mediated dilatation was significantly lower in patients compared with healthy controls (8.0 +/- 9.5% vs 8.0 +/- 13.5%, p = 0.012). In addition, nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilatation was nonsignificantly lower in patients than in healthy controls (8.0 +/- 13.4% vs 11.0 +/- 16.7%, p = 0.084). The mean levels of anti-beta2-glycoprotein I (IgG, IgM, and IgA), aCL (IgM and IgA), antinuclear antibody, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein were not different between groups. However, the mean level of IgG aCL was significantly higher in patients than in healthy controls. In conclusion, in accordance with previous reports of an association between aCL and atherosclerosis, patients with cardiovascular disease had endothelial dysfunction and elevated levels of aCL.
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PMID:Anti-cardiolipin antibodies and endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease. 1839 39