1,721,271 research outputs found
Diagnosis and classification of autoimmune uveitis
No full textUveitis is the most common ophthalmological finding in the practice of rheumatology and clinical immunology. The condition is frequently idiopathic and defined by the inflammatory status of the uvea, the part of the middle eye that includes the iris, ciliary body and choroid. Anterior uveitis involves the iris and ciliary body, while the posterior form is limited to the retina and choroid. Both forms represent indications for an urgent evaluation by an ophthalmologist as untreated cases may cause blindness. Anterior uveitis is associated with the HLA-B27 allele and is a classification criterion for seronegative arthritis forms such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthropathy, arthritis associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and reactive arthritis. Posterior uveitis is associated with Behcet's disease and HLA-B51. The clinical suspicion is raised by self-reported symptoms in the case of anterior involvement and floaters for posterior uveitis while the diagnosis, in the absence of established criteria, is made by an experienced ophthalmologist
Autoimmunity in 2014
No full textOur PubMed search for peer-reviewed articles published in the 2014 solar year retrieved a significantly higher number of hits compared to 2013 with a net 28 % increase. Importantly, full articles related to autoimmunity constitute approximately 5 % of immunology articles. We confirm that our understanding of autoimmunity is becoming a translational paradigm with pathogenetic elements rapidly followed by new treatment options. Furthermore, numerous clinical and pathogenetic elements and features are shared among autoimmune diseases, and this is well illustrated in the recent literature. More specifically, the past year witnessed critical revisions of our understanding and management of antiphospholipid syndrome with new exciting data on the pathogenicity of the serum anti-beta2 glycoprotein autoantibody, a better understanding of the current and new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, and new position papers on important clinical questions such as vaccinations in patients with autoimmune disease, comorbidities, or new classification criteria. Furthermore, data confirming the important connections between innate immunity and autoimmunity via toll-like receptors or the critical role of T regulatory cells in tolerance breakdown and autoimmunity perpetuation were also reported. Lastly, genetic and epigenetic data were provided to confirm that the mosaic of autoimmunity warrants a susceptible individual background which may be geographically determined and contribute to the geoepidemiology of diseases. The 2014 literature in the autoimmunity world should be cumulatively regarded as part of an annus mirabilis in which, on a different level, the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Boston was attended by over 16,000 participants with over selected 3000 abstracts
Cutting-edge issues in autoimmunity and allergy of the digestive system
No full textAutoimmunity and allergy involving the digestive system may be considered as paradigmatic for numerous common themes of complex diseases secondary to tolerance breakdown. Among gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases, for example, we encounter diseases in which a clear environmental trigger is identified (i.e., celiac disease), serum autoantibodies are most specific (i.e., primary biliary cirrhosis), or in which the disease pathophysiology is clearly understood (i.e., autoimmune gastritis). Similarly, it is intriguing that the gastrointestinal tract and the liver circulation represent the crucial environment for the development of immune tolerance. This issue is dedicated to the discussion of recent concepts while identifying two major common issues, i.e., the need for serum biomarkers and the role of vitamin D. Other common themes characterize the etiology and effector mechanisms of these and other autoimmune diseases and are discussed in each cutting-edge overvie
Autoimmunity in 2015
No full textCompared to the clear trend observed in previous years, the number of peer-reviewed articles published during 2015 and retrieved using the "autoimmunity" key word declined by 4 %, while remaining 5 % of immunology articles. On the other hand, a more detailed analysis of the published articles in leading immunology and autoimmunity journals revealed exciting scenarios, with fascinating lines of evidence being supported by convincing data and likely followed by rapid translational or clinical developments. As examples, the study of the microbiome, the development of new serum or other tissue biomarkers, and a more solid understanding of disease pathogenesis and tolerance breakdown mechanisms have been central issues in the past year. Furthermore and similar to the oncology field, progress in the understanding of single autoimmune condition is becoming most specific with psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis being ideal paradigms with treatment options diverging after decades of common therapies, as illustrated by IL17-targeting approaches. The ultimate result of these advances is towards personalized medicine with an ideal approach being tailored on a single patient, based on a finely tuned definition of the immunogenetics, epigenetics, microbiome, and biomarkers. Finally, experimental reports suggest that cancer-associated immune mechanisms or the role of T and B cell subpopulations should be better understood in autoimmune diseases. While we hailed the 2014 literature in the autoimmunity world as part of an annus mirabilis, we should not be mistaken in the strong stimulus of research in autoimmunity represented by the 2015 articles that will be summarized in this article
Unique topics and issues in rheumatology and clinical immunology
No full textClinicians are facing unexpected issues in everyday practice, and these may become counterintuitive or challenging. Illustrative examples are provided by the hypersensitivity to universally used immunosuppressants such as corticosteroids or antibiotics such as beta-lactam. Secondly, additional issues are represented by the discovery of new pathogenetic mechanisms involved in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis or other chronic inflammatory diseases, genomic susceptibility to enigmatic diseases such as giant cell arteritis, or the shared role of specific mediators such as semaphorins. Third, the therapeutic armamentarium has dramatically changed over the past decade following the introduction of biotechnological drugs, and new mechanisms are being proposed to reduce adverse events or increase the drug effectiveness, particularly on cardiovascular comorbidities. Finally, rare diseases continue to represent difficult cases, as for Cogan's syndrome, with limited literature available for clinical recommendations. For these reason, the present issue of Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology is timely and dedicated to these and other unique topics in clinical immunology and allergy. The aim of this issue is thus to help clinicians involved in internal medicine as well as allergists and clinical immunologists while discussing new pathways that will prove important in the near future
One year in autoimmunity
No full textThe past 12 months have witnessed several critical advancements and new particularly promising lines of evidence on the pathogenesis and clinical management of autoimmune diseases. The aim of the present article is to briefly review such progress in specific conditions as well as in autoimmunity in general by highlighting papers published in the Journal of Autoimmunity and in Autoimmunity Reviews. These data cumulatively support the hypothesis that autoimmunity is multifactorial but that specific diseases cluster together; they also continue to reflect the critical relationships between genetics and environmental triggers
Are Helminths to be Trusted as Allies in the War against Autoimmunity and Chronic Inflammation?
Full text linkHot topics in autoimmune diseases : Perspectives from the 2013 Asian Congress of Autoimmunity
No full textOur understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and possible treatments of autoimmune diseases has significantly increased over the past decade. Nonetheless, numerous major issues remain open and such issues span from epidemiology to clinimetrics and from the role of infectious agents to the search for accurate biomarkers in paradigmatic conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondyloarthropathies. In the case of cardiovascular comorbidities of autoimmune diseases or, more generally, the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, fascinating evidence points to a central role of autoimmunity and metabolic dysfunctions and a possible role of therapies targeting inflammation to ameliorate both conditions. Basic science and translational medicine contribute to identify common mechanisms that underlie different autoimmune diseases, as in the case of tumor necrosis factor alpha, and more recently vitamin D, autoantibodies, T and B regulatory cells, and microRNA. Finally, new therapies are expected to significantly change our approach to autoimmune diseases, as represented by the recent FDA approval of the first oral JAK inhibitor. The present article moves from the major topics that were discussed at the 2013 Asian Congress of Autoimmunity in Hong Kong to illustrate the most recent data from leading journals in autoimmunity and immunology
The worldwide gradient of autoimmune conditions
No full textAmong the numerous consequences of globalization, the dissemination of scientific research allows real-time comparisons of clinical and basic experimental data between different geographical areas. As a result, the field of geoepidemiology is now vigorously supported by multiple lines of evidence. This special issue of Autoimmunity Reviews is dedicated to the 2010 International Congress on Autoimmunity and aims to provide a state-of-the-art representation of what is currently known in the field of geoepidemiology for autoimmune diseases. The obvious implications of these observations is a role for environmental factors. We will herein review selected publications from prominent scientific journals to provide the bases to understand some of the lines of evidence proposed in the subsequent papers of this comprehensive volume. The ultimate goal is thus to define whether geoepidemiology should be considered a new challenge for autoimmunologists
Autoimmunity in 2013
No full textThe peer-reviewed publications in the field of autoimmunity published in 2013 represented a significant proportion of immunology articles and grew since the previous year to indicate that more immune-mediated phenomena may recognize an autoimmune mechanism and illustrated by osteoarthritis and atherosclerosis. As a result, our understanding of the mechanisms of autoimmunity is becoming the paradigm for translational research in which the progress in disease pathogenesis for both tolerance breakdown and inflammation perpetuation is rapidly followed by new treatment approaches and clinical management changes. The similarities across the autoimmune disease spectrum outnumber differences, particularly when treatments are compared. Indeed, the therapeutics of autoimmune diseases are based on a growing armamentarium that currently includes monoclonal antibodies and small molecules which act by targeting molecular markers or intracellular mediators with high specificity. Among the over 100 conditions considered as autoimmune, the common grounds are well illustrated by the data reported for systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis or by the plethora of studies on Th17 cells and biomarkers, particularly serum autoantibodies. Further, we are particularly intrigued by studies on the genomics, epigenetics, and microRNA at different stages of disease development or on the safe and effective use of abatacept acting on the costimulation of T and B cells in rheumatoid arthritis. We are convinced that the data published in 2013 represent a promising background for future developments that will exponentially impact the work of laboratory and clinical scientists over the next years
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