Minoru Hasegawa

..We propose that this is a useful model for investigating the mechanism of pressure ulcer formation using various transgenic mice...

..Fractalkine expressed on endothelial cells mediates activation and adhesion of leucocytes expressing its receptor, CX(3)CR1. Soluble fractalkine exhibits chemotactic activity for leucocytes expressing CX(3)CR1...

..Here recent data will be reviewed on the pathogenic role of chemokines and their receptors in SSc...

..Thus, altered B cell function may result in tissue fibrosis, as well as autoimmunity, in SSc...

..It is well known that ethnic variations exist in the clinical features and severity of SSc. However, neither the clinical course nor prognostic factors have been thoroughly investigated in the Japanese population...

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..To determine the frequency and clinical association of antiphosphatidylserine-prothrombin complex (PS/PT) antibody (Ab) in systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..As B cells have a variety of functions, further investigation into the pathogenic roles of B cells, as well as trials of B-cell-targeting therapies, may shed new light on the pathogenesis of SSc...

..Thus, the enhanced production of TGF-beta by PBMC may contribute to the disease process in SSc..

..We investigated anti-PS/PT Ab levels in patients with LSc...

..However, a longer-term prospective study in a larger population will be needed to confirm its clinical utility as predictors of outcomes...

..In this review, I summarized the established capillaroscopy findings in connective tissues diseases and tried to apply the findings of dermoscopy to the findings and classification of capillaroscopy...

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..The enhanced production of some cytokines may be related to the pathogenesis of localized scleroderma (LSc)...

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..Thus, our findings indicate that ICAM-1 expression contributes to the development of skin fibrosis in TSK/+ mice, especially via ICAM-1 expressed on skin fibroblasts...

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..The IgE-mediated cutaneous reverse passive Arthus reaction may serve as an experimental model for cutaneous eosinophilic infiltration in vasculitis as well as in other diseases...

..Thereby, B-cell depletion during disease onset suppressed skin fibrosis, indicating that B cells contribute to the initiation of systemic sclerosis pathogenesis in tight-skin mice but are not required for disease maintenance...

..These results suggest that ICAM-1 mediates Th1 cell recruitment irrespective of DNFB or FITC and that L-selectin recruits Th1 cells in Th1-type CHS, whereas it recruits Th2 cells in Th2-type CHS...

..These results indicate that skin wound healing is regulated cooperatively by all selectins and ICAM-1 and may provide critical information for the therapy of skin wounds...

..These results suggest that PSGL-1 contributes to wound healing predominantly as a P-selectin ligand and partly as an E-selectin ligand by mediating infiltration of inflammatory cells...

..These results indicate that low-dose tolerization controls CHS by abrogating ICAM-1 upregulation during the elicitation phase...

..These results suggest that E- and P-selectins synergistically inhibit lung fibrosis by promoting the recruitment of NKT cells...

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..To determine serum concentrations of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and its clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..These results indicate that UV exposure inhibits CHS by abrogating up-regulation of endothelial ICAM-1 expression after Ag challenge at elicitation sites...

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..Thus, VCAM-1 plays a complementary role to ICAM-1 in the cutaneous Arthus reaction by regulating leukocyte accumulation and proinflammatory cytokine production...

..Collectively, P- and E-selectins cooperatively regulate CH response, although their roles may be different depending on the phase of the reaction...

..The antigenic stimulus in SLE may be different from other connective tissue diseases and is more likely to be native chromatin...

..CONCLUSION: Elevated serum PARC levels correlated with PF and more sensitively reflected the PF activity than did serum KL-6 or SP-D levels in SSc. Serum PARC levels may be a useful new serum marker for active PF in SSc...

..CD19 deficiency also inhibited IL-6 production by TSK/+ B cells. Thus, chronic B cell activation resulting from augmented CD19 signaling in TSK/+ mice leads to skin sclerosis possibly through IL-6 overproduction as well as autoimmunity...

..To determine any clinical association of serum levels of hyaluronan in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..This suggests that these adhesion molecules are potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting human pulmonary fibrosis...

..To determine serum concentrations and clinical association of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..To determine serum concentrations of soluble CXCL16 and its clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..Although the ICOS/ICOSL pathway is known to play various roles in adaptive immunity, its roles in innate immunity and tissue fibrosis remain unknown...

..These results suggest that a decrease in CD22 expression may not be associated with BP-specific antibody production...

..To determine serum levels of soluble CD40 (sCD40) and clinical association in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..These results suggest that elevated anti-MSRA autoantibody is associated with the disease severity of SSc and may enhance the oxidative stress by inhibiting MSRA enzymatic activity...

..These results indicate that L-selectin and ICAM-1 contribute cooperatively to the development of Con A-induced hepatitis by regulating leukocyte infiltration and subsequent cytokine production...

..The results suggest that BAFF/BAFF receptor system is critical for the development of skin fibrosis in TSK/+ mice and could be a potent therapeutical target...

..Although abnormalities of various chemokines are detected in systemic sclerosis (SSc), there are few findings concerning Th1 or Th2 chemoattractants...

..These results suggest that elevated serum levels of APRIL are associated with disease severity and activity in AD, and APRIL may have an important role in the pathogenesis of AD...

..Thus, CD19 modulates the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in B cells and plays a critical role as a suppressive molecule in the development of EAE...

..However, the association of this system in systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unknown...

..These results suggest that autoantibody against caspase-3 is generated in SSc and that this Ab is related to the severity of pulmonary fibrosis, vascular damage, and inflammation...

..To determine the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-p53 antibody in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..These results indicate the lack of anti-HDAC-3 autoantibody in SSc patients, which is produced in healthy individuals as well as DM and SLE patients, suggesting that this autoantibody might function as protective Ab...

..To determine the serum concentrations and clinical association of polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocyte (PMN) elastase in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..Thus, this study is the first to reveal a critical role of B cells and novel mechanisms in wound healing...

..To determine serum levels of interleukin 27 (IL-27) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and relate the results to the clinical features of SSc...

..Our objective was to assess the changes and red blood cell velocity in finger nail-fold capillaries using nail-fold video capillaroscopy (NVC) in patients with adult-onset DM...

..To determine levels of serum soluble OX40 (also termed CD134, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily) and their clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..To investigate the distribution of anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (anti-ARS) antibodies among patients with autoimmune diseases, and to analyze the clinical features of patients with dermatomyositis (DM) with anti-ARS antibodies...

..The results of the present study indicate that anti-topo II alpha Ab represent one of the autoantibody specificities detected on SSc patients and may be regarded a serological marker of pulmonary fibrosis in Japanese patients with SSc...

..Fractalkine (FKN) induces activation and adhesion of leukocytes expressing its receptor, CX(3)CR1. FKN is released from the cell surface through proteolytic cleavage as soluble FKN (sFKN)...

..Localized scleroderma (LSc) is characterized by cutaneous fibrosis and various autoantibodies...

..To determine serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-related weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and its clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..To clarify the association of clinical and prognostic features with dermatomyositis (DM)-specific autoantibodies (Abs) in adult Japanese patients with DM...

..These results suggested that altered NK cell function contributes to immunological abnormalities in SSc...

..These results suggest that both a Th1 chemoattractant MIG and Th2 chemoattractants, TARC and MDC, cooperatively play a role in the development of ABD...

..CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a shift from Th2 to Th1 response correlates with improvement in skin fibrosis in SSc, and that IL-12 level is a serologically useful marker for disease activity and prognosis...

..Our purpose was to determine the serum levels and frequency of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and confirm the clinical importance of these antibodies in patients with autoimmune blistering disease (ABD)...

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..Thus, chronic B cell activation resulting from augmented CD19 signaling leads to skin fibrosis possibly through IL-6 overproduction, as well as autoantibody production, in tight-skin mice and SSc patients...

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..The relationship between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms and dysmotility was examined in endoscopically confirmed patients suspected of having reflux esophagitis...

..To determine phenotypic and functional abnormalities of blood B cell subsets in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..This case suggests a role for anti-topo I in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis and an effect of corticosteroids on skin sclerosis and autoantibody production...

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..The aim of this study was to develop a new algorithm for integrating a dynamic esophageal transit study and to apply the method to patients with SSc...

..To determine serum concentrations of lymphotactin, a Th1 chemokine, and their clinical association in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)...

..To examine serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein (IGFBP-3), a major carrier protein for IGF-1, in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc); and to relate the results to clinical features in SSc...

..This case is very rare because such a case was not reported previously...

..By contrast, KL-6 showed higher specificity than SP-D. Combined use of these 2 serum markers would be more helpful to diagnose and monitor the PF activity in patients with SSc than single use of each marker...

..We investigated serum IL-23 levels and their clinical association in patients with SSc...

..This review focuses on recent data demonstrating the roles of B cells in autoimmune diseases as well as the current studies concerning the treatment of autoimmune diseases by Rituximab...

..CONCLUSION: These results suggest that BAFF and its signaling in B cells contribute to B cell abnormalities and disease development in patients with SSc...

..She was diagnosed as SSD with pulmonary hypertension. This is the first case of SSD with anticentriole antibody to develop pulmonary hypertension...

..By contrast, serum BAFF levels were not significantly elevated in patients with pemphigus or pemphigoid. These results suggest that BAFF may be contributing to autoimmunity and disease development in localized scleroderma...

..CONCLUSION: Patients with SSc exhibited elevated sCD40L levels that may correlate with disease activity. These results suggest that CD40/CD40L interactions may be potential therapeutic targets in SSc...

..Thus, mouse and human CD20 share similar patterns of expression and function. These studies thereby provide an animal model for studying CD20 function in vivo and the molecular mechanisms that influence anti-CD20 immunotherapy...

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..CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that anti-LPL autoantibody contributes to elevated serum triglyceride levels by inhibiting LPL enzyme activity in patients with SSc...

..These observations resolve longstanding questions regarding the physiological importance of CD22 ligand binding in the regulation of B cell function in vivo...

..We recognized no adverse events. We propose that oral sildenafil may be beneficial as a selective pulmonary vasodilator and as long-term treatment in SSc patients with isolated PAH...

..0019). Serum IL-10 level was significantly associated with the number of rs2834167A allele (P=0.007). These findings suggested that signaling through IL-10R2 may play a causative role in dcSSc...

..Here recent data will be reviewed on the potential role of chemokines and their receptors in SSc...

..Therefore, we administered psoralen-UVA (PUVA) therapy and achieved the desired therapeutic effect. As far as we know, this is the first case of psoriasiform skin eruption as a manifestation of acute GVHD...

..We investigated serum levels of a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), a close homolog to BAFF, and its clinical association in patients with SSc as well as its correlation with BAFF...

..CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that anti-topo IIalpha is a major autoantibody in localized scleroderma, and is distinct from anti-topo I antibody in SSc...