[No abstract available

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been defined as an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis that may affect as many as 30% of psoriasis patients. Epidemiological study reported strong familial clustering of PsA although the precise etiology of PsA is poorly understood. Recently, a genomewide linkage scan in PsA revealed a LOD score of 2.17 on chromosome 16q and provided strong evidence for a paternal imprinting effect. That region surrounds a psoriasis susceptibility locus including the CARD15 gene which has convincingly been shown to confer susceptibility to Crohn's disease. The existence of a common susceptibility gene for psoriasis/PsA and Crohn disease was recently demonstrated by evidence of association of CARD15 polymorphisms with PsA. To confirm these results in an independent population, we analyzed a data set of 193 Italian PsA patients and 150 controls for CARD15 polymorphisms (R702W, G908R and leu1007finsC) previously demonstrated associated with PsA. Here we report no evidence for association in the examined population for CARD15 polymorphisms, suggesting that the positive association previously reported in a genetically isolated population was the result of a linkage disequilibrium due to a founder effect.

A depletion of natural killer (NK) cells seems to play a role in the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) whereas the possible involvement in this disease of T cell receptor (TCR) gamma/delta positive T cells is still debated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) that express NK surface markers CD16 and CD56 or gamma/delta TCR antigen in 58 SLE patients, investigating the possible role of these cell subsets involved in non-MHC-restricted cytotoxicity and their relationship with the main clinical and laboratory parameters. SLE patients had, with respect to controls, considerably decreased values of NK cells (P<0.0004 in percentage and P<0.00004 as absolute number), of non-MHC-restricted T cytotoxic lymphocytes (P<0.007 and P<0.0015, respectively) and of T cells expressing gamma/delta TCR (P<0.02 and P<0.004, respectively). The absolute numbers of these cell subsets positively correlated to each other (P<0.009). gamma/delta T cells inversely correlated with higher ESR values, both percentually (P<0. 006; r=-0.367) and in absolute number (P<0.009; r=-0.350). Moreover, the percentage values of this cell subset inversely correlated with higher levels of CRP (P<0.05; r=-0.256) while SLE patients with anti-SSB/La antibodies had lower values of T lymphocytes bearing gamma/delta TCR, both as percentage (P<0.008) and as absolute number (P<0.02). Our study indicates that non-MHC-restricted cytotoxicity, shared by NK, NK-like and gamma/delta T cells, may be down-regulated in SLE patients, owing to a significant reduction of these PBMC subsets. These specific cell subset impairments seem to affect only some aspects of the disease, suggesting a weakening of the regulatory properties of these cells in the control of different immunological and inflammatory features of SLE, that could be of importance in its clinical expression.

The aim of our study was to evaluate a quantitative ultrasound technique for measuring bone tissue at the proximal phalanxes of the non-dominant hand. We correlated the mean value of the amplitude-dependent speed of sound (AD-SoS) measured at the distal metaphysis of the last four proximal phalanxes with age, months since menopause and bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine in 264 women. We further assessed the ability of the AD-SoS to discriminate between normal and osteoporotic subjects with documented vertebral fractures. We found a positive correlation between the AD-SoS and the lumbar spine BMD, whereas the AD-SoS negatively correlated with age and months since menopause. The AD-SoS showed a higher correlation with age changes and months since menopause than BMD. The AD-SoS was significantly higher in healthy females than in osteoporotic ones (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed for age-adjusted values that AD-SoS decrease is significantly associated to the presence of fracture. Our results suggest that AD-SoS is valuable in assessing age and menopause related bone loss and is useful for diagnosing osteoporosis.

Objectives: To compare the pattern of interleukin (IL) 13 production in synovial fluid (SF) and serum of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) with that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA), investigating its relation to the proinflammatory cytokine IL12. Methods: SF and serum IL13 levels were determined in 35 patients with PsA, 36 with RA, and 15 with OA. The main clinical and laboratory variables, including number of painful and/or swollen joints, Ritchie index, morning stiffness, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, level of C reactive protein, level of rheumatoid factor, and SF analysis, were also evaluated. Results: SF IL13 levels were significantly higher in patients with PsA (p<0.02) or RA (p<0.012) than in patients with OA, with no significant difference between the former two. SF IL12 levels were significantly higher in patients with PsA (p<0.023) than in those with OA. Serum IL13 (p<0.0001) and IL12 (p<0.02) levels were lower in patients with PsA than in those affected by RA. Only patients with PsA had higher IL13 levels in SF than in serum (p<0.002). The IL13 SF/serum ratio was higher in the PsA group than in the group with RA (p<0.005) or OA (p<0.026). SF IL13 levels correlated with serum IL13 levels (p<0.0001) in RA and with SF IL12 levels (p<0.03) in PsA. Conclusions: In PsA, there appears to be localised production of IL13, in balance with IL12, in the inflamed joints. The distinct IL13 secretion profiles in PsA, RA, and OA may be related to the clinical pictures, reflecting the different pathogenic mechanisms involved in inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases