Recent researches suggest that imbalance in apoptotic process may lead to susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-18, has important role in autoimmune process in lupus. There are cumulative data on the pro-apoptotic role of IL-18, in the Fas-mediated apoptosis. Soluble Fas (Apo/1-CD95) is a marker of apoptosis that appears to increase in serum of SLE patients. Previous studies demonstrated increasing serum concentrations of soluble Fas (sFas) and IL-18 in SLE. To assess the correlation between serum concentrations of sFas and IL-18 in SLE patients, 114 SLE patients were selected randomly at the different stages of disease activity according to SLEDAI2K. IL-18 and sFas serum concentrations were compared in patients and fifty randomly selected healthy volunteers. The correlations of IL-18 and sFas serum concentrations with SLEDAI2K and with each other were evaluated in patients. There were a significant difference between serum concentrations of sFas and IL-18 in the case and control groups (P = 0.001). There was a significant correlation between serum concentrations of sFAS and IL-18 in SLE patients (P< 0.0001, r = 0.411). The elevations of IL-18 and sFas(Apo/1-CD95) serum concentrations in SLE patients are significantly correlated.

Introduction: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most severe signs of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rapid diagnosis of kidney damage remains an important concern for LN. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and interleukin 17 (IL-17) with SLE severity, renal involvement, and other clinical manifestations in lupus patients. Patients and Methods: In order to determine a better biomarker for the detection of renal damage, this study evaluated the ability of serum TWEAK (sTWEAK) and IL-17 in lupus patients with (n=25) and without (n=25) nephritis and healthy controls (n=39). Moreover, it compared the levels of these cytokines with disease activity and chronicity as well as traditional serum markers including complement C3 and C4, creatinine, and proteinuria in lupus patients. Results: Increased levels of sTWEAK and IL-17 were observed in SLE and LN groups compared to healthy controls and non-LN groups, respectively. Significant positive associations were observed between serum TWEAK and IL-17 levels and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI), proteinuria, nephritis activity index, and some clinical manifestations (P<0.05). Discriminating the ability of the studied cytokines were not better than the utility of any markers individually. Conclusion: The serum levels of TWEAK and IL-17 in the SLE and LN groups were significantly higher than the control group and both markers were indicative of the renal disease severity; therefore, they could possibly indicate renal involvement in the lupus patients.

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Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with lifelong disability in adults. Given the high prevalence of Mediterranean fever and its overlapping and modulatory effects on autoimmune diseases, we analyzed molecular mutation in exon 2 of MEFV gene in patients with refractory RA and healthy subjects as a control group. Methods: Thirty four patients with refractory RA and fifty healthy controls were conducted in this study and their DNA samples were analyzed. We studied the most common exon 2 variation on MEFV gene which known as E148Q. At the end of this study, we compared the results of both groups. Results: The mean age of patients with refractory RA were 43.8 ± 7.7 years and disease duration was 49.8 ± 7.36 months. The mean of DAS 28 (Disease Activity score) of patients with refractory RA was 4.2 ± 0.51. The mean ages of healthy control cases were 45.4 ± 8.27 years. The mutation frequency of exon 2 MEFV variant was 6 (17.6%) of 34 and 5 (10%) of 50 in the refractory RA patients and healthy subjects, respectively. According to results no significant difference were observed between two groups (P=0.405). Conclusion: Overall mutation rate of E148Q gene has not increased in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis and this mutation possibly has no effect on disease severity.