Autoimmune Diseases
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Symptoms and Severity of COVID-19 in Patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: Experience of a University Medical Center

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Autoimmune Diseases publishes original research articles and review articles on all aspects of autoimmunity. Articles focus on the basic biology and mechanism of the disease, and medical treatment of autoimmune diseases.

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Autoimmune Diseases maintains an Editorial Board of practicing researchers from around the world, to ensure manuscripts are handled by editors who are experts in the field of study.

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Review Article

A Comprehensive Review on the Role of Interleukin-40 as a Biomarker for Diagnosing Inflammatory Diseases

Interleukins are a group of proteins that have a wide range of complex functions and are believed to be involved in several diseases and conditions. In particular, interleukin-40 (IL-40) is a recently identified cytokine associated with B cells that was first introduced by Catalan et al. in 2017. This cytokine has several roles in the body, including functioning in the formation of B cells in the bone marrow, IgA production, and expression in the intestinal microbiome. Moreover, IL-40 appears to be involved in numerous autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, primary Sjogren’s syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, type 2 diabetes, Graves’ disease, and hepatic cell carcinoma. Our understanding of this molecule is quite restricted due to its novelty. However, because of its inflammatory characteristics, there is a high probability that it contributes to a variety of inflammatory disease complications. The aim of the present review is to highlight all available data on the importance of assessing IL-40 levels in human diseases up to now, which could be used as a diagnostic biomarker for the onset or progression of numerous inflammatory diseases.

Research Article

The Increasing Level of DKK-1 as a New Bone Formation Factor in Patients with Early Spondyloarthritis

The role of dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) in radiographic development may become a robust marker for early spondyloarthritis (SpA) diagnosis. This study aimed at determining the serum DKK-1 profile in patients with SpA and investigating its relationship with SpA progression. Supported by analyzing the BMD data which aims to affirm the potential of DKK-1 as a biomarker for early diagnosis of SpA, this research may become the early study to produce a robust tool to diminish the fatal impacts in SpA. This cross-sectional study included patients with SpA using ASAS 2010 criteria from Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Indonesia. Collected data included patients’ general characteristics, disease duration, disease activity using ASDAS-CRP and ASDAS-ESR, serum DKK-1 levels, and BMD. The patients were classified as early SpA if the disease duration was ≤5 years and established SpA if the disease duration was >5 years, while the low BMD was indicated by Z score ≤ −2.00. The correlation was tested using the Spearman or Pearson test. The differences in patients’ characteristics among early and established SpA and also between low and normal BMD were tested using the unpaired T-test or the Mann–Whitney test. The serum DKK-1 levels in early SpA (7365 ± 2067 pg/dL) were significantly higher than those in established SpA (5360 ± 1054 pg/dL). Serum DKK-1 levels were also associated with disease duration (r = −0.370, ) and BMD at the total hip (r = 0.467, ). The differences in all patients’ clinical parameters were not found between patients with low BMD at any site and patients with normal BMD unless in the BMI (). Our findings found DKK-1 as a potential diagnostic marker for early SpA. Early diagnosis may lead to rapid treatment to delay disease progression and prevent future impairment.

Research Article

Interference of Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) in Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IIFA)-Based Perinuclear Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (pANCA) Interpretation

Background. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) based on antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) testing is a commonly employed test for diagnosing autoimmune vasculitis. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) can give rise to a false interpretation of perinuclear-ANCA (pANCA) in ethanol-fixed granulocyte substrates. Analytical interference could frequently occur in setups where ethanol-fixed substrates are used alone. Here, we intend to investigate this ANA interference in pANCA interpretation. Methods. In this retrospective study, we studied anti-MPO-negative but ANA-positive and pANCA (IIFA based) samples. We also correlated immunoblot results (where data were available) and checked the association between grades of blot positivity (an indicator of the concentration of ANA) and frequency of pANCA interpretation. Data were analyzed by appropriate statistical techniques (Chi-square and kappa statistics). Results. About 19.2% of ANA blot (ENA-blot) positive samples displayed a pANCA positive pattern in the ethanol-fixed substrate, while this positivity in ENA-blot negatives was 6.5%. In positive ANA-IIFA samples, about 14.7% yielded pANCA patterns (on ethanol fixed substrates). Out of this, nuclear homogenous pattern yielding samples gave the highest frequency pANCA, that is, in 31.5% followed by speckled (11.1%), DFS (10.3%), and centromere (6.7%).The association of the nuclear homogenous pattern was statistically significant. Conclusions. ANA-positive results may interfere with the interpretation of pANCA as observed in ANA-IIFA and ENA-blot positive samples. ANA-IIFA patterns like nuclear homogenous may strongly associate this pANCA interpretation. This can help laboratories perform ANCA testing more effectively, ruling out ANA interference in ANCA screening.

Research Article

The Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Silk Cocoon on Hypothalamic-Pituitary –Gonadal Axis in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Rats

Background. Diabetes mellitus impairs the reproductive system by damaging the glands and changing their function and hormone secretions. Given the previous studies on medical properties of silk cocoon, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of silk cocoon on pituitary-gonadal axis hormones and the testis changes in diabetic male rats. Methods. In this experimental study, 35 male rats were divided into 5 equal groups. Control (C), nontreated diabetic rats (DNT1), and experimental diabetic rats treated (DT1) with a silk cocoon extract at concentrations of 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg for 56 days. Diabetes was induced by an injection of streptozotocin. Blood sampling was performed by the tail and heart after fasting. Body weight, serum levels of glucose, prolactin, leptin, inhibin A, IGF-2, activin A, insulin, LH, testosterone, FSH, and GnRH were measured along with the testis weight and diameter as the outcome of the study. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20. Results. Investigation of hormonal factors indicated that all diabetic groups had higher prolactin, inhibin A levels than those in C group and lower leptin, IGF-2, activin A, insulin, LH, testosterone, FSH, and GnRH levels than controls. Silk cocoon treatment significantly decreased prolactin and inhibin in comparison of DNT1 group. While there was a significant increase in leptin, IGF-2, activin A, insulin, LH, testosterone, FSH, and GnRH levels compared with DNT1 (). A significant decrease in both the testis weights and diameters was observed in diabetic male rats compared to controls (). While silk cocoon treatment improved gonadal weight, the diameter of tunica albuginea, and seminiferous tubules as long as increased in numbers of spermatocytes and Sertoli-Leydig cells. Spermatogonia, spermatocyte, spermatid, spermatozoid, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cell count were significantly lower in the DNT1 group in comparison with the control group, while all groups receiving the highest dose of SC800 mg/kg daily had a higher count of cells than the DNT1 group. Conclusion. It seems that silk cocoon treatment decreases the effects of diabetes on hypothalamic-pituitary–gonadal axis.

Research Article

Autoimmune Diseases Induced or Exacerbated by COVID-19: A Single Center Experience

The association between infectious diseases and autoimmunity has long been reported. Specifically, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this relation was further emphasized. The interplay between the two disease processes remains interesting, yet incompletely defined. Herein, we report a case series of six patients presenting with autoimmune phenomena first developed or exacerbated following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We describe the disease course and discuss the possible mechanisms underlying the association between autoimmunity and COVID-19.

Research Article

A Rare Manifestation of Bullous Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Children: A 10-year Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus (BSLE) is an uncommon cutaneous presentation that occurs even less frequent in the pediatric population. A retrospective review was performed from January 2012 to December 2021 in all pediatric patients (aged <18 years) who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for BSLE to evaluate the clinical characteristics, extracutaneous involvement, histopathologic features, immunofluorescence patterns, serological abnormalities, internal organ involvement, treatments, and outcomes. Among 1,415 patients with SLE, five patients were validated for the diagnosis of BSLE, accounting for 0.35%. The mean age at diagnosis was 12.2 years (standard deviation, 1.92). The clinical features of BSLE in the study population were generalized tense bullae and large extensive vesicles on the lips and perioral and mucosal areas. Pediatric BSLE in the study population revealed high SLE disease activity with multiple organ involvement. Hematologic abnormalities, serositis, and renal involvement were found in all patients, while polyarthritis (40%) and neurological abnormalities (40%) were less frequently observed. Systemic corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, immunosuppressants, antimalarials, and dapsone were prescribed in the study population. The cutaneous lesions subsided in all patients with a median clearance duration of 14 days (range, 5–56 days). BSLE in the pediatric population has auxiliary manifestations with high disease activity. Multiple organ involvement, especially hematologic abnormalities, serositis, and renal involvement, was frequently found in the study population. Although cutaneous lesions in BSLE subsided in all patients, involvement of other organs, especially renal impairment, required aggressive treatment, and long-term follow-up.

Autoimmune Diseases
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Acceptance rate-
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CiteScore4.600
Journal Citation Indicator0.400
Impact Factor4.0
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