Article
Immunology
Hiroshi Koga, Kwesi Teye, Arisa Sugawara, Masahiro Tsutsumi, Norito Ishii, Takekuni Nakama
Summary: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease with a prominent role of T helper 2 (Th2) cells. IL-9 is elevated in the serum and lesions of BP, and could be a biomarker of BP.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Zhao-Qing Li, Tong-Xin Li, Miao Tian, Ze-Sheng Ren, Chen-Yi Yuan, Rui-Kun Yang, Su-Juan Shi, Hui Li, Zhen-Zhen Kou
Summary: Glial cells play a crucial role in the occurrence of neurologic autoimmune disorders, and may provide a novel avenue for research and therapy.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Brian Lichtenstein, Ying Zheng, David Gjertson, Kathie G. Ferbas, Anne W. Rimoin, Otto O. O. Yang, Grace M. Aldrovandi, Joanna M. Schaenman, Elaine F. Reed, Jennifer A. Fulcher
Summary: This study found the presence of autoantibodies against endothelial cells, angiotensin II receptors, and various structural proteins in COVID-19 patients, but the correlation between these autoantibodies and disease severity is not fully defined.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Emma Treco, Eunice Huan, Afshin Varzavand, Janet A. Fairley, Kelly N. Messingham
Summary: The study found that sCD48 is elevated in Bullous pemphigoid (BP) patients and that patients with mild-moderate disease have higher levels of sCD48 than those with severe disease. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between sCD48 and disease activity, serum BP180 IgE, and peripheral eosinophil numbers.
EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Aurore Abel, Estibaliz Lazaro, Mamy Ralazamahaleo, Emma Pierrisnard, Benoit Suzon, Fabrice Bonnet, Patrick Mercie, Julie Macey, Moustapha Agossou, Jean-Francois Viallard, Christophe Deligny, Etienne Riviere
Summary: Antisynthetase syndrome (ASyS) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of anti-PL7 or anti-PL12 autoantibodies. This study aimed to determine the clinical, biological, radiological, and evolutive profiles of ASyS patients with these autoantibodies. The findings suggest the need for close monitoring and appropriate treatment due to the high mortality and occurrence of cardiovascular events, neoplasms, and lung fibrosis in these patients.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Marina Alexandre, Gerome Bohelay, Thomas Gille, Christelle Le Roux-Villet, Isaac Soued, Florence Morin, Frederic Caux, Sabine Grootenboer-Mignot, Catherine Prost-Squarcioni
Summary: In this study, the effectiveness of omalizumab (OMZ) in patients with refractory bullous pemphigoid and mucous membrane pemphigoid was evaluated. The results showed that OMZ induced a rapid improvement in symptoms, allowed disease control, and reduced concomitant therapies. This is the largest retrospective study on the use of OMZ in the treatment of bullous pemphigoid and mucous membrane pemphigoid.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Marcella Willemsen, Nicoline F. Post, Nathalie O. P. van Uden, Vidhya S. Narayan, Saskia Chielie, E. Helen Kemp, Marcel W. Bekkenk, Rosalie M. Luiten
Summary: Studies have shown differences in immune cell profiles between patients with segmental vitiligo (SV) and non-segmental vitiligo (NSV), with increased systemic immune activation and decreased regulatory T cells in NSV but not in SV. SV patients also show less involvement of B-cell immunity compared to NSV patients. This indicates distinct immune pathways in the pathogenesis of SV and NSV.
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Hideaki Tsuji, Nobuo Kuramoto, Tsuneo Sasai, Mirei Shirakashi, Hideo Onizawa, Koji Kitagori, Shuji Akizuki, Ran Nakashima, Ryu Watanabe, Akira Onishi, Kosaku Murakami, Hajime Yoshifuji, Masao Tanaka, Motomu Hashimoto, Koichiro Ohmura, Akio Morinobu
Summary: Specific SSc-related autoantibodies are associated with the morbidity and mortality of SRC. Anti-topoisomerase I, anti-RNAPIII, and anti-U1-RNP are associated with the development of SRC, while anti-topoisomerase I is associated with 1-year mortality of SRC.
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Dimitrios P. Bogdanos, Athanasios Gkoutzourelas, Vasilios Papadopoulos, Christos Liaskos, Eleni Patrikiou, Christina Tsigalou, Athanasios Saratziotis, John Hajiioannou, Thomas Scheper, Wolfgang Meyer, Lazaros Sakkas, Christos Papandreou
Summary: This study found a high prevalence of anti-Ro52 antibodies in patients with ovarian cancer, which was associated with better overall survival. The epitope specificity of these antibodies in ovarian cancer patients differed from that in SLE and SjS ARDs patients, suggesting a unique stimulus for autoantibody production in ovarian cancer.
CLINICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Kaan Yilmaz, Onur Dikmen, Nina Van Beek, Jens U. Marquardt, Martha M. Kirstein, Detlef Zillikens, Enno Schmidt
Summary: This study found that oesophageal direct immunofluorescence samples are not very effective for the diagnosis of mucous membrane pemphigoid, with lower positivity rates and antibody responses compared to oral and cutaneous tissue samples.
ACTA DERMATO-VENEREOLOGICA
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Wenjing Kuang, Hua Qian, Qiyue Zhang, Wei Li, Takashi Hashimoto, Xin Zeng, Xiaoguang Li
Summary: In this study, a unique case of mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), specifically anti-laminin (LM) gamma 1 pemphigoid, was reported. The findings suggest that LM gamma 1 is another autoantigen of MMP, and IgA autoantibodies against LM gamma 1 may play a pathogenic role.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Xinyi Chen, Wenlin Zhao, Hongzhong Jin, Li Li
Summary: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) patients with mucosal involvement tend to have more serious conditions and their disease is more difficult to control. Potential risk factors for mucous involvement include earlier age at onset, drugs, cancer, and blood/serum biomarkers. Understanding these risk factors may benefit earlier diagnosis and the development of novel treatments.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medical Laboratory Technology
Yanting Jiang, Xi Li, Wei Zhou, Min Jin, Sihui Li, Yuehong Lao, Haiqing Zhu, Jian Wang
Summary: The study showed that serum ferritin levels were significantly higher in SSc patients compared to healthy controls, and elevated ferritin levels were associated with skin diffuse cutaneous SSc, fingertip arthralgia, and cardiac involvement. Additionally, abnormal liver function, myocardial involvement, inflammatory status, and autoantibody production were correlated with elevated serum ferritin levels in SSc patients, with cardiac involvement, ALT, and ESR being identified as independent factors affecting ferritin levels in SSc.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hui Fang, Shuai Shao, Ke Xue, Xu Yuan, Pei Qiao, Jieyu Zhang, Tianyu Cao, Yixin Luo, Xiaocui Bai, Wenjing Li, Caixia Li, Hongjiang Qiao, Erle Dang, Gang Wang
Summary: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) patients exhibit abnormal neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in circulation, which are closely correlated with disease severity. The study demonstrates that neutrophils from BP patients display enhanced spontaneous NETs formation. Moreover, elevated levels of NETs in patients boost autoantibody production.
Article
Dermatology
Adele Salemme, Luca Fania, Alessandra Scarabello, Marzia Caproni, Angelo Valerio Marzano, Emanuele Cozzani, Claudio Feliciani, Clara De Simone, Manuela Papini, Rosanna Rita Satta, Aurora Parodi, Feliciana Mariotti, Stefania Lechiancole, Giovanni Genovese, Francesca Passarelli, Francesca Festa, Barbara Bellei, Alessia Provini, Donatella Sordi, Sabatino Pallotta, Damiano Abeni, Cinzia Mazzanti, Biagio Didona, Giovanni Di Zenzo
Summary: This study clinically and immunologically characterized a large cohort of GABP patients and found that they exhibit peculiar features, including a noninflammatory phenotype, reduced humoral responses to BP180 and BP230 antigens, and IgG reactivity targeting multiple BP180 epitopes.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Nandakumar S. Narayanan, Faheem Sheriff, John M. Boyce
Article
Dermatology
Kelly N. Messingham, Michael P. Cahill, Samuel H. Kilgore, Ananya Munjal, Patrick M. Schlievert, Janet A. Fairley
Summary: This study explored the potential role of Staphylococcus aureus in bullous pemphigoid and found a high colonization rate of the bacteria in the lesions. The presence of the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 in the lesional isolates suggests a possible link between S. aureus colonization and the development of bullous pemphigoid. Antibiotic treatment can eliminate S. aureus and improve clinical outcomes. It highlights the importance of early implementation of antibiotics in these patients, especially those with high-dose immunosuppression.
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jordan L. Schultz, Alivia N. Brinker, Jia Xu, Sarah E. Ernst, Fariba Tayyari, Adam J. Rauckhorst, Lei Liu, Ergun Y. Uc, Eric B. Taylor, Jacob E. Simmering, Vincent A. Magnotta, Michael J. Welsh, Nandakumar S. Narayanan
Summary: This 12-week pilot study in people with PD suggests that terazosin may engage its target and increase ATP levels in the brain and blood. However, mild dizziness/lightheadedness was more common in the terazosin group, leading to dropouts in some participants. Further studies are needed to explore the disease-modifying potential of terazosin.
PARKINSONISM & RELATED DISORDERS
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Samuel J. Connell, Ali Jabbari
Summary: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. The immune system mistakenly targets hair follicles, resulting in the infiltration of lymphocytes. The mechanisms behind this immune response and the relationships between immune cells and inflammation are not fully understood. Further research into the pathogenesis of Alopecia areata is crucial for the development of targeted therapeutics.
AUTOIMMUNITY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Matthew A. Weber, Mackenzie M. Conlon, Hannah R. Stutt, Linder Wendt, Patrick Ten Eyck, Nandakumar S. Narayanan
Summary: Dopamine in the prefrontal cortex has an inverted U-shaped relationship with cognitive function, with optimal dopamine and D1DR signaling being required for peak cognitive function. The relationship explains 10% of the variance in working memory performance. Prefrontal D1DR signaling has a stronger effect, explaining 26% of the variance. These findings provide insights into the dynamics of prefrontal dopamine and have implications for pharmacological interventions and the pathophysiology of brain diseases.
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annette Klomp, Ryotaro Omichi, Yoichiro Iwasa, Richard J. Smith, Yuriy M. Usachev, Andrew F. Russo, Nandakumar S. Narayanan, Amy Lee
Summary: Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels play a critical role in the development and function of the nervous system. Mutations in the CACNA2D4 gene, which encodes the alpha(2)delta-4 auxiliary subunit of these channels, are associated with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. This study investigates the behavioral phenotypes of alpha(2)delta-4 knockout mice and reveals unexpected roles of alpha(2)delta-4 in sensorimotor gating and motor function.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Travis Larson, Vaibhav Khandelwal, Matthew A. Weber, Mariah R. Leidinger, David K. Meyerholz, Nandakumar S. Narayanan, Qiang Zhang
Summary: Interval timing is a crucial executive process that is impaired in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Studying interval timing tasks in animal models of AD can provide insights into the human disease. This study evaluated the interval timing performance of P301S transgenic mice, a model of tauopathy, and found that they consistently underestimated temporal intervals. This finding may have relevance to human tauopathies such as AD.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Emma Treco, Eunice Huan, Afshin Varzavand, Janet A. Fairley, Kelly N. Messingham
Summary: The study found that sCD48 is elevated in Bullous pemphigoid (BP) patients and that patients with mild-moderate disease have higher levels of sCD48 than those with severe disease. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between sCD48 and disease activity, serum BP180 IgE, and peripheral eosinophil numbers.
EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jacob E. Simmering, Michael J. Welsh, Jordan Schultz, Nandakumar S. Narayanan
Summary: This study found that men using terazosin and closely related alpha 1-adrenergic receptor antagonists had a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared to those using tamsulosin or 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Gail I. S. Harmata, Aubrey C. Chan, Madison J. Merfeld, Rebecca J. Taugher-Hebl, Anjit K. Harijan, Jason B. Hardie, Rong Fan, Jeffrey D. Long, Grace Z. Wang, Brian J. Dlouhy, Amal K. Bera, Nandakumar S. Narayanan, John A. Wemmie
Summary: Individuals differ in their sensitivity to acute alcohol intoxication, and alcohol effects are complex and may be related to acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). This study found that ASIC1A plays a role in the intoxicating effects of alcohol, and its absence affects the electrophysiological responses and behavior. These findings suggest that ASICs might contribute to the intoxicating effects of alcohol and AUD in humans.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Janet A. Fairley, Tyler P. Crowe, Maryam Fakhimi, Samuel J. Palmer, Mark A. Greiner, John W. Hellstein, Douglas J. Van Daele, Kelly N. Messingham
Summary: Mucous membrane pemphigoid is a diverse autoimmune disease with multiple autoantigens. A study evaluated the reactivity to different antigens in 70 patients and found that BP180 was the most common autoantigen. Reactivity to dermal antigens predicted a more severe disease and decreased response to rituximab. Confirmation of laminin 332 reactivity is important due to an increased risk of solid tumors. Ocular mucosae should be monitored in patients with IgA positivity.
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Arun Singh, Rachel C. Cole, Arturo Espinoza, Jan R. Wessel, James F. Cavanagh, Nandakumar S. Narayanan
Summary: Cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease is associated with abnormal low-frequency cortical rhythms in the mid-frontal region. These rhythms can predict cognitive impairment in PD and may serve as potential biomarkers and targeted therapies for cognitive symptoms.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY NEUROSURGERY AND PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Shana Harris, Nandakumar S. S. Narayanan, Daniel Tranel
Summary: Black patients are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at a lower rate than White patients, and the reasons for this disparity are unknown. Practitioner bias surrounding facial expressivity in Black patients may lead to misinterpretation of hypomimia as higher levels of facial expressivity and negative personality traits. This bias in the evaluation of hypomimia could significantly impact referral decisions and diagnosis rates. Exploring these differences is crucial for addressing healthcare disparities and improving detection of Parkinson's disease in Black patients.
NPJ PARKINSONS DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Rachel C. Cole, Arturo Espinoza, Arun Singh, Joel Berger, James F. Cavanagh, Jan R. Wessel, Jeremy D. Greenlee, Nandakumar S. Narayanan
Summary: This study investigates the corticostriatal mechanisms underlying novelty-response deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The results suggest that novel auditory stimuli trigger specific low-frequency rhythms, where 1-4 Hz delta rhythms are associated with slowing response and 4-7 Hz theta rhythms are attenuated in PD patients. Moreover, subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons show response modulation and coherence with midfrontal 1-4 Hz activity, indicating the involvement of hyperdirect frontobasal ganglia circuits in evaluating new information.
Meeting Abstract
Dermatology
K. A. Messingham, M. Cahill, S. Kilgore, A. Munjal, P. Schlievert, J. Fairley
JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY
(2021)