C S Lau

..To study the profile of sex hormones in male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

..However, the functional characteristics of directly isolated peripheral circulating blood pDCs in SLE have not been evaluated previously...

..However, whether DC abnormalities occur during their development in the bone marrow (BM) or in the periphery is not known...

..But are these ethnic and geographical differences real? If yes, they may provide investigators insight into the underlying pathoaetiology of this condition and pave the way to future research directions in lupus...

..36, OR=1.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.93-1.21). Our study indicates that some of the susceptibility genes for this disease may be population specific...

..44 x 10⁻⁹, odds ratio=1.49). Cross-population confirmation establishes the involvement of this locus in SLE and indicates that distinct alleles are contributing to disease susceptibility...

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..Prospective randomized studies with well-defined treatment protocols are needed to delineate the optimal treatment strategy for LN...

..To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of arterial calcification in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)...

..Impaired coronary artery reserve has previously been demonstrated in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Both micro- and macrovascular factors are probably contributory to the underlying pathogenesis...

..Results of previous studies on the level of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are involved in vascular repair, in scleroderma (SSc) patients have been controversial...

..To document intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IpsO) as a recognised clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a possible new clinical entity with its apparent association with ureterohydronephrosis...

..26 x 10(-3)), but not vice versa (P=0.55). These findings suggest that multiple independent genetic variants may be present within the gene locus, which exert their effects on SLE pathogenesis through different mechanisms...

..However, there was no improvement in salivary flow rates and dry eye symptoms. SS patients had lower SF-36 scores, but these did not improve after treatment with cevimeline...

..To examine the clinical manifestations of non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections with those of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infections in SLE patients...

..To study the clinical characteristics, treatment outcome, and complications of patients with adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) in our local Chinese population...

..To evaluate high-resolution CT (HRCT) parameters of inflammation and fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), for correlation with lung function, skin scores and exercise tolerance...

..5, 95% CI 2.1-27.3, P = 0.01). Timely debridement of necrotic tissue is important for reducing mortality...

..To review the current literature on the safety of using exogenous estrogens in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

..Significantly deranged liver function was found in one patient...

..It is negatively associated with urine protein excretion although it is unrelated to the type of renal pathology per se. Plasma AM may play a role to suppress the activity of lupus nephritis...

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..62-1.78, P=0.848). The frequency of non-ht1 was significantly increased in patients with serositis (P<0.0001, OR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.55-3.80). In conclusion, the high expression promoter genotype is associated with SLE in Chinese...

..More grants and funding are being sought for basic and clinical researches in SLE and subsidising patients to receive newer and less toxic treatment options...

..Finally, certain environmental factors are probably required to trigger the disease...

..Thus the production of anti-MBL antibodies is likely to be a specific antigen-driven process. Its role in lupus pathogenesis remains to be elucidated...

..Seizure and cerebrovascular disorders were the most common NP features. The presence of antiphospholipid antibodies was significantly associated with NP manifestations, especially cerebrovascular disorders...