A recent case study revealed that an infant from a donor egg developed neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) and a congenital heart block, which may have been due to the presence of antibodies to Ro and La in the birth mother—not the genetic mother. The results suggest that a gestational mother with a history of autoimmune disease is sufficient to trigger the pathology of NLE…
LONDON (Reuters)—Britain’s healthcare cost watchdog has finally approved GlaxoSmithKline’s lupus drug Benlysta (belimumab) for limited use, after rejecting it since 2011 on the grounds that it failed to offer good value for money. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said on Tuesday that the drug would be made available under a managed…
A recent study found that plasmacytoid dentricitic cells (pDCs) control the differentiation of immature B cells into regulatory B (Breg) cells or plasmablast, depending on the concentration of IFNα. For patients with SLE, researchers found that immune regulatory feedback between pDCs and Breg cells is dysfunctional, with the exception of patients who respond to rituximab…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Sifalimumab, an anti-interferon alpha monoclonal antibody, may lead to some improvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a new trial. In a paper online on March 23 in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Dr. Munther Khamashta of King’s College London and colleagues note that treatment of SLE presents a…
A new study has found that treating patients who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with vitamin D decreases cardiovascular risk in these patients—specifically by modifying the body’s endothelial repair mechanisms. Researchers found myeloid angiogenic cells in this patient population presented with a global impairment, including decreased migration and angiogenic capacity…
SAN FRANCISCO—Rheumatologists have to look no further than the American College of Rheumatology guidelines to know that the options for patients with lupus nephritis are sometimes not very appealing. The first-line choices are either mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) plus glucocorticoids or cyclophosphamide (CYC), also with glucocorticoids—and all of their attendant side effects. The problem: evidence, said…
SAN FRANCISCO—A 40-year-old woman shows up in the clinic with scarring alopecia, with an area of hyperpigmentation on the rim of her scalp, extending from just behind the temple to behind her ears. An examination with a dermatoscope shows hyperkeratotic follicular plugging. The case—in this example, the discoid form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DLE)—is one…
New research examines how the generation of reactive oxygen species and neutrophil extracellular traps may break down the protective mechanisms of mitochondrial DNA, resulting in NETosis in people with autoimmune disease. They found oxidized mitochondrial DNA may contribute to inflammation in such diseases as systemic lupus erythematosus by upregulating type I interferon signatures…
SAN FRANCISCO—A 40-year-old woman shows up in the clinic with scarring alopecia, with an area of hyperpigmentation on the rim of her scalp, extending from just behind the temple to behind her ears. An examination with a dermatoscope shows hyperkeratotic follicular plugging. The case—in this example, the discoid form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DLE)—is one…
A recent study on systemic lupus erythematosus examined the effects of metabolic modulators on the disease’s abnormal T cell metabolism. Using a combination therapy of metformin and 2-deoxy-D-glucose, researchers were able to normalize CD4+ T cell functions and restore defective IL-2 production in mice…