Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P14784 (IL-2 receptor)
 3,849 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Humoral and cellular immune mechanisms are thought to be involved in various forms of vasculitis and glomerulonephritis. Recent clinical and experimental results point to a role of cytokines in ANCA-positive vasculitides. In patients with malignant rheumatoid arthritis (MRA) which is characteristically induced by vasculitis in extra-articular lesions, serum soluble IL-2 receptor level was significantly higher than in rheumatoid arthritis patients without vasculitis. In Wegener's granulomatosis, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-2 receptor positive infiltrating cells were observed in the kidneys of these patients, and in these patients, plasma levels of TNF-alpha and soluble IL-2 receptor were markedly increased. These results suggest that in ANCA-positive vasculitis TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta are produced in situ by activated infiltrating mononuclear cells and resident renal cells. In patients with giant cell arteritis and Kawasaki disease, increased levels of leukaemic inhibitory factor (LIF) and TNF-alpha were observed, respectively. These inflammatory cytokines increased in the vascular tissues and circulation may be a result of increased production by infiltrated cells or vascular cells such as endothelial cells or may be a result of endothelial cell lysis.
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PMID:[Cytokines and vasculitis]. 793 78

Levels of soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), soluble CD4 (sCD4) and CD8 (sCD8) were measured by sandwich ELISA as markers for T-cell activation in serial serum samples drawn monthly from 16 patients showing 18 histologically proven relapses of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). Levels of sIL-2R increased from 1162 U/ml (median, 95% CI 843 to 1814 U/ml) at three months before the relapse to 1684 U/ml (95% CI 1254 to 2202 U/ml) at the time of relapse for the whole group (P = 0.10). The 8 major relapses showed a profound rise in sIL-2R levels (P < 0.01). The level of sIL-2R at the moment of relapse correlated with the level of C-reactive protein (r = 0.547, P < 0.05) and with the disease activity score (r = 0.814, P < 0.001). There were no significant changes in levels of sCD4 or sCD8.
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PMID:Serum markers of T-cell activation in relapses of Wegener's granulomatosis. 829 42

Levels of soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R), soluble CD4 (sCD4) and CD8 (sCD8) were measured by sandwich ELISA as markers for T cell activation in serial serum samples from 16 patients showing 18 histologically proven relapses of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). Levels of sIL-2R increased from 1065 U/ml (median, range 373-2345 U/ml) 6 months before the relapse to 1684 U/ml (median, range 486-3404 U/ml) at the moment of relapse for the whole group (P = 0.10). The eight major relapses showed a profound rise in sIL-2R levels, from 1008 U/ml (median, range 686-1553 U/ml) 6 months before the relapse, to 1994 U/ml (median, range 1469-3404 U/ml) at the moment of relapse (P < 0.01). The levels of sIL-2R at the moment of relapse were significantly higher at the eight major relapses than at the time of the 10 minor relapses (P < 0.05). Minor relapses were not accompanied by a significant rise in sIL-2R levels. Titres of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) rose by two or more titresteps or from negative to positive in 15/18 patients during the 6 months period before the relapse. In all seven cases with both a rise of the ANCA titre and an at least 25% increase in sIL-2R levels, the rise in ANCA preceded the rise in sIL-2R by at least 1 month. The level of sIL-2R at the moment of relapse correlated with the level of C-reactive protein (r = 0.488, P < 0.05) and with the disease activity score (r = 0.824, P < 0.002). There were no significant changes in levels of sCD4 or sCD8, although the levels of sCD4 tended to be higher at the time of major relapses. We conclude that major relapses of Wegener's granulomatosis are accompanied by systemic T cell activation. T cell activation, however, does not appear to precede the rise in ANCA titre.
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PMID:Serum markers of T cell activation in relapses of Wegener's granulomatosis. 844 65

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) has two different clinical phases: the initial phase and generalized phase. In patients with generalized WG, both steroids and cyclophosphamide have generally been used. We report a case of generalized WG that was temporarily, but successfully treated with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (S/T) alone. S/T therapy reduced the elevated levels of soluble IL-2 receptor and IL-6 in parallel with improvement of the patient's symptoms and urinary protein excretion. In view of the high incidence of lethal adverse effects of cytotoxic drugs, S/T monotherapy may be worth trying not only for initial phase WG but also for generalized WG with careful follow-up when the patient is not acutely ill.
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PMID:Generalized Wegener's granulomatosis responding to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim monotherapy. 1150 14