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The antiribosomal P antibody (anti-P) is detected predominantly in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)1 and associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric manifestations (psychosis, mood disorders, cognitive decline, seizures and aseptic meningitis).2 3 A causal link between anti-P and the neuropsychiatric problems remains to be verified. Recently, anti-P has increasingly been associated with memory impairments. By passive transfer of anti-P into the brain of animals, previous experiments have revealed that hippocampus neurons are prime targets of anti-P, and spatial memory is impaired by the transferred anti-P.4 5 However, it remains unknown whether anti-P affects on the social memory (the memory of familiar conspecifics). Recently, the ventral CA1 region of hippocampus (vCA1) has been found to play a necessary and sufficient role in social memory.6 We, therefore, directly injected anti-P IgG (1.7 mg/mL, 0.5 µL) isolated from SLE patient sera, or control IgG from normal individuals or vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid) …

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a progressive disease of which spinal fusion is the clinical and pathological hallmark. Thalidomide has some efficacy in treating axial inflammation in AS.1 Here, we report clinical responses and changes of serum macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) in Chinese male patients with active AS taking thalidomide. This study enrolled 29 male patients with active AS, whose Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) was 3 or above.2 A total of 16 patients not intending to have children within the next 2 years took thalidomide (75 mg every night postoperatively) and diclofenac sodium (50 mg 3 times a day postoperatively) for 12 weeks; other patients took diclofenac sodium (50 mg 3 times a day postoperatively) alone. There were no …