The degree of defective neutrophil Chemotaxis in patients with Down's syndrome (DS) and its relationship to the severity of periodontal disease were studied. Fourteen patients with DS and 14 healthy controls were examined. Oral hygiene, gingival inflammation, and pocket depths were measured in clinical surveys. Bone loss was evaluated on the oral radiographs. Neutrophil Chemotaxis was measured by the agarose plate method and the Boyden chamber method. The chemotactic index of the agarose plate method and the mean numbers of migrated cells of the Boyden chamber method were correlated with statistical significance (rs = 0.066, P < 0.01). DS patients showed significantly lower Chemotaxis than healthy volunteers with both methods. No difference was shown between the two groups in the random migration of the neutrophils. From the oral radiographie analysis, the DS patients exhibited various prevalence of bone loss which was inversely proportional to the chemotactic index and a significant correlation between them was shown (rs = ‐0.612 P < 0.05). A significant correlation was also found between the age of the patient and the prevalence of bone loss (rs = 0.591 P < 0.05). These results indicate that defective neutrophil Chemotaxis influences the progression of periodontal disease in DS patients.

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease which may be caused by development of the autoantibodies. On the other hand, SLE is a high-risk group ofatherosclerosis, so it is possible that some of autoantibodies in SLE are the result of atherosclerosis-related diseases such as cerebral infarction (CI), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM).ObjectivesIn the present study, we have comprehensively screened autoantigens in the sera of patients with SLE by the protein array method. We then selected and identified autoantigens specific for cerebral infarction (CI), CVD and/or diabetes mellitus (DM).Methods1) Protein array screening Initial screening was performed using ProtoArrays. A total of 11 sera, 6 from patients and 5 from healthy donors, were used to detect antigens recognized specifically by IgG antibodies in the sera of patients. 2) Peptide synthesis Three epitope sites in the candidate antigen proteins were predicted using the program ProPred. N-terminal biotinylated 15mer peptides were synthesized and used in the second and third screening. AlphaLISA (Amplified Luminescence Proximity Homogeneous Assay) To evaluate the serum antibody levels, AlphaLISA was used.ResultsAfter the initial screening using protein array, we identified 67 antigens in sera of patients with SLE. In the second screening, 170 peptides derived from amino acid sequences of 67 antigens were synthesized and used as antigens for analysis of serum antibody levels by AlphaLISA. The antibody levels for ten peptides were significantly higher in the sera of patients with SLE than in those of healthy donors. Further AlphaLISA analysis of sera of patients with CI, CVD or DM revealed that the serum antibody levels for four peptides derived from SOSTDC1, CTNND1, CLDND1 and CCNG2 were elevated in patients as compared to those of healthy donors.ConclusionsSerum antibody levels against peptide antigens of SOSTDC1, CTNND1, CLDND1 and CCNG2 are useful markers for diagnosis of the progression of CI, CVD and/or DM.ReferencesRahman A, Isenberg DA (2008) Systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med 358: 929-939.Skaggs BJ, Hahn BH, McMahon M (2012) Accelerated atherosclerosis in patients with SLE - mechanisms and management. Nat Rev Rheumatol 8: 214-223.Ward MM (1999) Premature morbidity from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in women with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 42: 338-346.Machida T, Kubota M, Kobayashi E, Iwadate Y, Saeki N, et al. (2015) Identification of stroke-associated-antigens via screening of recombinant proteins from the human expression cDNA library (SEREX). J Translat Med, in press.Kim CW, Song H, Kumar S, Nam D, Kwon HS, et al. (2013) Anti-inflammatory and antiatherogenic role of BMP receptor II in endothelial cells. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 33:1350-1359.AcknowledgementsThis work was partly supported by Grants-in-Aid of Japan Science and Technology Agency(Exploratory Research No. 14657335) and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and a grant fromSEISHIN Medical Researc...

CRP, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and haptoglobin were studied in 13 septic shock neonates. Endotoxin was recovered from eight infants. Serum cortisol concentration from infants with endotoxemia (917 +/- 596 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that from infants without endotoxemia (398 +/- 239 ng/ml). Serum cortisol correlated well with immature neutrophil counts defined as the unit "band/neutrophil". Increased cortisol level and immature neutrophil counts preceded the elevation of CRP, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and haptoglobin in four extremely premature neonates. We conclude that positive interactions between endotoxin, cortisol and acute phase protein synthesis are present in the initial period of infection, and delayed acute phase protein synthesis is suspected in extremely premature neonates.

Quadriceps muscle atrophy following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be caused by tourniquet-induced ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury, which is often accompanied by oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against IR injury, whereas n-6 LCPUFAs, particularly arachidonic acid (AA), exhibit pro-inflammatory effects and promote IR injury. This study aimed to examine whether preoperative serum EPA + DHA levels and the (EPA + DHA)/AA ratio are associated with oxidative stress immediately after TKA. Fourteen eligible patients with knee osteoarthritis scheduled for unilateral TKA participated in this study. The levels of serum EPA, DHA, and AA were measured immediately before surgery. Derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) were used as biomarkers for oxidative stress. The preoperative serum EPA + DHA levels and the (EPA + DHA)/AA ratio were found to be significantly negatively correlated with the serum d-ROM levels at 96 h after surgery, and the rate of increase in serum d-ROM levels between baseline and 96 h postoperatively. This study suggested the preoperative serum EPA + DHA levels and the (EPA + DHA)/AA ratio can be negatively associated with oxidative stress immediately after TKA.

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