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Objectives PsA is one of the most serious comorbidities associated with psoriasis. While the early intervention in PsA is demanded, risk factors of PsA development are not well-known. This is the first prospective study to evaluate the clinical significance of nailfold capillary (NFC) changes in patients with psoriasis. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study in a population of 449 psoriasis patients who had not been treated with systemic therapy or topical finger therapy. NFCs were observed by dermoscopy and capillaroscopy, and the correlation of NFC abnormalities, including nailfold bleeding (NFB) and enlarged capillaries, with the prevalence of PsA, incidence of new PsA, and serum levels of TNF-a, IL-17A and IL-23 were analysed. Results Detailed examination at the time of inclusion revealed that of 449 patients, 236 had Psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) and 213 had PsA. Both NFB and enlarged capillaries were significantly more frequent in patients with PsA (34.7% vs 84.5%, P  < 0.0001; 25.4% vs 100%, P  < 0.0001). In addition, PsV patients were prospectively observed before they developed PsA (mean 21 months, 95% CI 2, 77 months). Multivariate analysis suggested that the appearance of NFB and enlarged capillaries was a predictor of PsA development (HR 2.75, 95% CI 1.38, 5.47 and HR 4.49, 95% CI 2.25, 8.96, respectively). The degree of NFC abnormalities also correlated with the severity of PsA and serum cytokine levels. Conclusions NFC abnormalities were suggested to be a predictor of PsA in psoriasis patients, and at the same time, its degree could be an indicator of disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that involves multiple immune cell subsets. We analyzed immune cell subsets in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in order to identify the cells that are significantly associated with SLE disease activity and treatment. The frequencies of various subsets of CD4+ T cells, B cells, monocytes and NK cells in PBMC were assessed in 30 healthy controls (HC), 30 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 26 SLE patients using flow cytometry. The correlations between subset frequencies in SLE and clinical traits including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) were examined. Changes in subset frequencies after the treatment in SLE patients were investigated. We focused on CD25+LAG3+ T cells and investigated their characteristics, including cytokine secretion, mRNA expression and suppression capacity. We assessed correlations between CD25+LAG3+ T cells and SLEDAI by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. CD25+LAG3+ T cells were significantly increased in SLE whereas there were few in RA and HC groups. CD25+LAG3+ T cell frequencies were significantly correlated with SLEDAI and were increased in patients with a high SLEDAI score (> 10). CD25+LAG3+ T cells produced both IL-17 and FOXP3, expressed mRNA of both FOXP3 and RORC and lacked suppressive capacity. CD25+LAG3+ T cells were associated with disease activity of SLE. CD25+LAG3+ T cells had features of both CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (CD25+ Treg) and Th17. CD25+LAG3+ T cells could be associated with the inflammatory pathophysiology of SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is associated with the infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells into various organs. Nephropathy of IgG4-RD is generally interstitial nephritis and glomerulonephritis is rare. We describe a case of membranous nephropathy (MN) without interstitial nephritis associated with IgG4-RD symptoms including lymphadenopathy and pulmonary and pleural lesions. Treatment with steroids improved these clinical symptoms, but withdrawal of steroids induced the repeated relapse of MN. Finally, flaring of MN was prevented by the combination of steroids and cyclosporine. This is the first report of the successful treatment of MN associated with IgG4-RD by this combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that involves multiple immune cell subsets. We analyzed immune cell subsets in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in order to identify the cells that are significantly associated with SLE disease activity and treatment. The frequencies of various subsets of CD4 + T cells, B cells, monocytes and NK cells in PBMC were assessed in 30 healthy controls (HC), 30 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 26 SLE patients using flow cytometry. The correlations between subset frequencies in SLE and clinical traits including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) were examined. Changes in subset frequencies after the treatment in SLE patients were investigated. We focused on CD25 + LAG3 + T cells and investigated their characteristics, including cytokine secretion, mRNA expression and suppression capacity. We assessed correlations between CD25 + LAG3 + T cells and SLEDAI by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. CD25 + LAG3 + T cells were significantly increased in SLE whereas there were few in RA and HC groups. CD25 + LAG3 + T cell frequencies were significantly correlated with SLEDAI and were increased in patients with a high SLEDAI score (> 10). CD25 + LAG3 + T cells produced both IL-17 and FOXP3, expressed mRNA of both FOXP3 and RORC and lacked suppressive capacity. CD25 + LAG3 + T cells were associated with disease activity of SLE. CD25 + LAG3 + T cells had features of both CD25 + FOXP3 + regulatory T cells (CD25 + Treg) and Th17. CD25 + LAG3 + T cells could be associated with the inflammatory pathophysiology of SLE.

Background: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a role in the suppression of inflammation in autoimmune diseases, and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG3) was reported as a marker of interleukin (IL)-10-producing Tregs. We aimed to clarify the function of human IL-10-producing CD4 + CD25 - LAG3 + T cells (LAG3 + Tregs) and their association with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: LAG3 + Tregs of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured with B cells and follicular helper T cells to examine antibody suppression effects. The frequency of LAG3 + Tregs was evaluated in peripheral blood samples from 101 healthy donors and 85 patients with RA. In patients treated with abatacept, PBMC samples were analyzed before and after treatment. Naive CD4 + T cells were sorted and cultured in the presence of abatacept, followed by flow cytometric analysis and function assays., Results: LAG3 + Tregs produced high amounts of IL-10 and interferon-γ, and they suppressed B-cell antibody production more strongly than CD25 + Tregs. Cell-to-cell contact was required for the suppressive function of LAG3 + Tregs. The frequency of LAG3 + Tregs was lower in patients with RA, especially those with higher Clinical Disease Activity Index scores. LAG3 + Tregs significantly increased after 6 months of abatacept treatment, whereas CD25 + Tregs generally decreased. Abatacept treatment in vitro conferred LAG3 and EGR2 expression on naive CD4 + T cells, and abatacept-treated CD4 + T cells exhibited suppressive activity., Conclusions: IL-10-producing LAG3 + Tregs are associated with the immunopathology and therapeutic response in RA. LAG3 + Tregs may participate in a mechanism for the anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects of targeted therapy for costimulation.