SummaryType 1 IFN is thought to be implicated in the autoimmune process of SLE. Plasmacytoid dendric cells (DC), which are natural IFN-a a a a producing cells, play a pivotal epipathogenic role in SLE. The present study was undertaken to investigate the phenotypic characteristics of peripheral blood DC in SLE patients in comparison with those of healthy controls. Samples from 20 SLE patients and 18 healthy controls were studied. Three-colour flow cytometry was performed to identify myeloid DC, as CD11c

COX plays an important role in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. To determine the role of COX in Sjögren's syndrome (SS), we examined COX expression in the salivary glands of SS patients. We examined 15 patients with SS and two normal subjects. Labial salivary gland tissue samples were analysed immunohistochemically using anti‐COX‐1 and COX‐2 antibodies. All biopsy samples from 15 patients with SS were stained for COX‐1. In contrast, COX‐1 immunostaining was not detected in normal salivary gland tissues. Co‐expression of COX‐1 and CD68 was confirmed by mirror section technique and double antibody immunostaining. This finding indicated that COX‐1‐expressing cells in SS salivary glands were infiltrating macrophages. In contrast to COX‐1 staining, only a little COX‐2 immunostaining was observed in salivary gland tissues from SS patients. These data suggest that COX‐1 expression on infiltrating macrophages may contribute to the inflammatory process of salivary glands in SS.

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We report two cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with atypical mycobacteriosis. Opportunistic infections are critical complications for rheumatic diseases. The use of steroids or immunosuppressants may increase the risk of opportunistic infections. However, these reports are rare in that they demonstrate atypical mycobacterial infections as complications of RA, even though no immunosuppressive agents were used. We discuss the characteristics of atypical mycobacterial infections of the lung in RA.

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