Decreased blood levels of B lymphocytes and NK cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) infected with papillomavirus (HPV)

A prospective randomized controlled study of Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii vaccine, Measles Mumps Rubella vaccine and Vitamin D3 in extragenital cutaneous warts

DESIGN

Interventional, prospective, four arm randomized control.

SETTING

Outpatient department, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, AIIMS Jodhpur (Rajasthan), India.

PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred patients.

METHODS

The intervention administered in the groups were normal saline (A), vitamin D₃ (B), MIP (C), and MMR (D). The injections were given into the largest wart at 2-weekly intervals until complete clearance or for a maximum of seven sittings. Post-treatment clearance of the injected wart and the distant wart was compared on the basis of change in wart number, percentage clearance, and mean time to complete clearance. Side effects were recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 197 patients were recruited. The mean percentage improvement in the injected and non-injected warts was 68.4% and 66.8%, respectively. Intention to treat analysis (ITT) showed that complete clearance of lesions in injected wart occurred in placebo, vit D₃ , MMR, and MIP arms in 64%, 66%, 58%, and 55% patients, respectively (p > 0.05), while in the non-injected warts in 62%, 64%, 52%, and 53%, respectively (p > 0.05). The mean time to achieve complete clearance of wart was fastest in MIP at 7.1 weeks followed by MMR at 7.2 weeks, VIT D₃ at 7.4 weeks and in placebo group 7.8 weeks (p > 0.05). Side effects noted were fever, pain, erythema, and swelling which was highest in VIT D₃ group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The efficacy of immunotherapies was comparable to placebo with minimal side effects.

Risk factors analysis and risk assessment model construction of systemic lupus erythematosus patients with infection

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the characteristics of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with infection and non-infection group. Explore the risk factors of infection in SLE patients and establish a risk matrix model to predict the occurrence of co-infection.

METHODS

total of 333 SLE patients without infection, 163 patients suffering from infection, and 132 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. General clinical data and disease activity indicators were collected. The levels of total T, B, CD4⁺T, CD8⁺T, NK, Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells in peripheral blood of HCs, SLE patients (including infected and non-infected group) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The risk assessment model was constructed, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn. 39 SLE patients with infection and 20 patients without infection were randomly selected to evaluate the predictive power of the regression model.

RESULTS

The levels of T, B, CD4⁺T, CD8⁺T, and NK cells in the infected patients were significantly decreased when compared with that of both non-infected patients and HCs (p < .05). The non-infected patients had a higher level of Th17 than that of HCs (p < . 05), but the absolute numbers of Th17 in infected patients was the lowest among the three groups (p < .001). The number of Treg cells in SLE patients was significantly lower than that of HCs (p < .01), and the infected patients had the fewest Treg cells among all these groups (p < . 05). A risk assessment model for SLE with infection was established, p = 1/(1^-e^-y), Y = 1.763-0.004 × Absolute number of CD4 ⁺ T cells-0.005 × Absolute number of NK cells -0.005 × Platelet count(×10¹²/L) + 1.033 × Absolute number of lymphocytes (×10⁹/L) + 0.023 × C-reactive protein (mg/dL), whose predictive sensitivity is 77.5%, and specificity is 78.3%.

CONCLUSION

The new risk assessment model exhibits good predictive ability to assess co-infection risk in SLE patients. T cells, NK cells, and CD4 ⁺ T cells along with other parameters help in differentiating Lupus with infection from Lupus alone.

Low-dose IL-2 therapy limits the reduction in absolute numbers of peripheral lymphocytes in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with infection

BACKGROUND

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disorder characterized by disturbed cellular and humoral immune responses. Dysregulations of immune system and immunosuppressive medications predispose SLE patients to infection. This study aims to investigate the alterations and absolute concentrations of lymphocyte subpopulations in SLE patients with different infection and their responses of low-dose IL-2 therapy.

METHODS

A total of 333 patients with SLE without recent infection, 162 patients suffering infection, and age and sex-matched 132 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Of them, 54 SLE patients (including 41 non-infected group and 13 infected group) received a 5-day course of low-dose IL-2 administration at a dose of 0.5 million IU per day. Lymphocyte subpopulations were analyzed by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Patients with SLE had lower levels of lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood such as T, B, NK, CD4 + T, CD8+ T, Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cells, and the reduction in these cells was more obvious in patients with infection (p <.05 to p <.01). Low-dose IL-2 effectively expanded T (p <.001), B (p <.001), CD4 + T (p <.01), CD8 + T (p <.001), Th1 (p <.01), Th17 (p <.1), and Treg cells (p <.01) of SLE patients, these cells were comparable to that of HCs after the IL-2 treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with SLE had insufficiency of circulating lymphocyte subsets. This phenomenon was more obverse in those accompanying infection, suggesting the low concentration of lymphocytes may be used as indicators of high infection risk in SLE patients. Low-dose IL-2 induced expansion of Treg cells and NK cells, which may contribute to the restoration of immune homeostasis in SLE patients.

A Randomized Comparative Study of MIP and MMR Vaccine for the Treatment of Cutaneous Warts

Objectives

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of MMR vaccine and MIP vaccine for resolution of Cutaneous warts (Cw).

Methods

The hospital-based prospective randomized interventional study was done where a total of 60 patients of Cw were divided into two groups of 30 patients each: Group A received 0.1 ml of intralesional injection of MIP vaccine and Group B received 0.5 ml of MMR vaccine. The treatment protocol involved three intralesional injection of vaccines at intervals of 3 weeks (maximum of three injections). The follow-up was done every 4 weeks for at least 24 weeks for the comparison of the two groups. The primary outcomes were the decrease in size of the wart or clearance of primary warts. The secondary outcomes were the improvement in the distant warts and any complications related to the use of vaccines. The data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed using SPSS 17.0 version. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The baseline demographic and wart characteristics were comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05). As compared to MMR, MIP showed an early (9.41 vs 11.71 weeks, P = 0.027), and a significantly higher complete response (90% vs 76.67%) with P < 0.05. The less duration of the warts was significantly associated with the higher complete response (P < 0.05) in both the groups. The common side effects were erythema/inflammation [19 (63.34%)] in Group A and pain during the injection [19 (63.34%)] in Group B with P < 0.0001.

Conclusion

In conclusion, MIP intralesional injections have a quicker response and are more efficacious compared to MMR in the treatment of Cw, though each vaccine carries its own sets of side effects.

Giant Condyloma Acuminata in Indonesian Females with SLE under Immunosuppressant and Steroid Therapy

Introduction. Immunosuppressant and steroid therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) increases the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, one of which is giant condyloma acuminata (GCA). To our knowledge, there is no report evaluating the correlation between immunosuppressive and steroid therapy in patients with SLE and the prevalence of GCA. Case Report. A 42-year-old female was diagnosed with SLE a year ago and has been treated with steroids and immunosuppressive drugs. In the last few months she presented GCA involving the genital area recurring almost every two months. Type 6 and 11 HPVs were identified in vulva, vagina, and cervix. Methods. PubMed, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library literature were searched from inception to July 2015. Authors screened all titles and abstracts and read full text article, and two case-control studies were found relevant. Results. SLE patients in both studies were under immunosuppressive and steroid therapy. Condyloma acuminata was diagnosed at 108 months (latest) and 1 month (earliest) after SLE. Type 6, 11, 16, 42, and oncogenic group of HPV were identified. Conclusions. GCA is a type of HPV infection seldom observed in SLE patients. Therefore, their correlation is still unclear. Period of time since SLE was diagnosed and GCA varies from months to years. A more thorough physical and laboratory examination leading to HPV and other infectious disease is recommended.

Frequency of dental caries in active and inactive systemic lupus erythematous patients: salivary and bacterial factors

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine dental caries frequency and to analyze salivary and bacterial factors associated with active and inactive systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) patients. Also, a proposal to identify dental caries by a surface, teeth, and the patient was developed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional, blinded study that included 60 SLE patients divided into two groups of 30 subjects each, according to the Activity Index for Diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLEDAI). The decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and Integrative Dental Caries Index (IDCI) were used for analyzing dental caries. The saliva variables recorded were: flow, pH, and buffer capacity. The DNA copies of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus were estimated by real-time PCR.

RESULTS

The caries frequency was 85% for SLE subjects (73.3% for inactive systemic lupus erythematous (ISLE) and 100% for active systemic lupus erythematous (ASLE)); DMFT for the SLE group was 12.6 ± 5.7 and the IDCI was (9.8 ± 5.9). The ASLE group showed a salivary flow of 0.65 compared with 0.97 ml/1 min from the ISLE group; all variables mentioned above showed a statistical difference (p < 0.05). The salivary pH was 4.6 (6.06 for ISLE and 3.9 for ASLE). The DNA copies of S. mutans and S. sobrinus were high; all variables mentioned above show a significant statistical difference (p < 0.05) between groups.

CONCLUSION

SLE patients had high DMFT and IDCI scores that were associated with a decrease in salivary flow, pH, and buffer capacity. There were high counts of S. sobrinus and S. mutans species, and IDCI is a useful tool to provide more detail about dental caries in epidemiological studies.

Multiple HPV-Induced Squamous Cell Carcinomas on the Fingers of a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case and Review

Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is documented to be involved in the development of epithelial malignancies, mostly in cervical cancer. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have an increased prevalence of such an infection. We report the case of a 55-year-old female SLE patient who developed multiple in situ squamous cell carcinomas on her fingers, after chronic HPV infection. HPV-33 DNA was isolated from the lesions. The purpose of this case presentation is to raise awareness about HPV-induced malignancies for this high-risk group and propose an early HPV vaccination to efficiently prevent such comorbidities.

Viruses as potential pathogenic agents in systemic lupus erythematosus

Genetic and environmental factors appear to contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Viral infections have been reported to be associated with the disease. A number of exogenous viruses have been linked to the pathogenesis of SLE, of which Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has the most evidence of an aetiological candidate. In addition, human endogenous retroviruses (HERV), HRES-1, ERV-3, HERV-E 4-1, HERV-K10 and HERV-K18 have also been implicated in SLE. HERVs are incorporated into human DNA, and thus can be inherited. HERVs may trigger an autoimmune reaction through molecular mimicry, since homology of amino acid sequences between HERV proteins and SLE autoantigens has been demonstrated. These viruses can also be influenced by oestrogen, DNA hypomethylation, and ultraviolet light (UVB) exposure which have been shown to enhance HERV activation or expression. Viral infection, or other environmental factors, could induce defective apoptosis, resulting in loss of immune tolerance. Further studies in SLE and other autoimmune diseases are needed to elucidate the contribution of both exogenous and endogenous viruses in the development of autoimmunity. If key peptide sequences could be identified as molecular mimics between viruses and autoantigens, then this might offer the possibility of the development of blocking peptides or antibodies as therapeutic agents in SLE and other autoimmune conditions.

NK cell autoreactivity and autoimmune diseases

Increasing evidences have pointed out the relevance of natural killer (NK) cells in organ-specific and systemic autoimmune diseases. NK cells bear a plethora of activating and inhibiting receptors that can play a role in regulating reactivity with autologous cells. The activating receptors recognize natural ligands up-regulated on virus-infected or stressed or neoplastic cells. Of note, several autoimmune diseases are thought to be linked to viral infections as one of the first event in inducing autoimmunity. Also, it is conceivable that autoimmunity can be triggered when a dysregulation of innate immunity occurs, activating T and B lymphocytes to react with self-components. This would imply that NK cells can play a regulatory role during adaptive immunity; indeed, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), comprising the classical CD56⁺ NK cells, have a role in maintaining or alternating tissue homeostasis secreting protective and/or pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, NK cells display activating receptors involved in natural cytotoxicity and the activating isoforms of receptors for HLA class I that can interact with healthy host cells and induce damage without any evidence of viral infection or neoplastic-induced alteration. In this context, the interrelationship among ILC, extracellular-matrix components, and mesenchymal stromal cells can be considered a key point for the control of homeostasis. Herein, we summarize evidences for a role of NK cells in autoimmune diseases and will give a point of view of the interplay between NK cells and self-cells in triggering autoimmunity.

Baseline immune biomarkers as predictors of MBSR(BC) treatment success in off-treatment breast cancer patients

Researchers focused on patient-centered medicine are increasingly trying to identify baseline factors that predict treatment success. Because the quantity and function of lymphocyte subsets change during stress, we hypothesized that these subsets would serve as stress markers and therefore predict which breast cancer patients would benefit most from mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)-facilitated stress relief. The purpose of this study was to assess whether baseline biomarker levels predicted symptom improvement following an MBSR intervention for breast cancer survivors (MBSR[BC]). This randomized controlled trial involved 41 patients assigned to either an MBSR(BC) intervention group or a no-treatment control group. Biomarkers were assessed at baseline, and symptom change was assessed 6 weeks later. Biomarkers included common lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood as well as the ability of T cells to become activated and secrete cytokines in response to stimulation with mitogens. Spearman correlations were used to identify univariate relationships between baseline biomarkers and 6-week improvement of symptoms. Next, backward elimination regression models were used to identify the strongest predictors from the univariate analyses. Multiple baseline biomarkers were significantly positively related to 6-week symptom improvement. The regression models identified B-lymphocytes and interferon-γ as the strongest predictors of gastrointestinal improvement (p < .01), +CD4+CD8 as the strongest predictor of cognitive/psychological (CP) improvement (p = .02), and lymphocytes and interleukin (IL)-4 as the strongest predictors of fatigue improvement (p < .01). These results provide preliminary evidence of the potential to use baseline biomarkers as predictors to identify the patients likely to benefit from this intervention.

The impact of glucocorticoids and anti-cd20 therapy on cervical human papillomavirus infection risk in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

To identify the prevalence and factors associated with cervical human papillomavirus infection in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

METHODS

This cross-sectional study collected traditional and systemic lupus erythematosus-related disease risk factors, including conventional and biologic therapies. A gynecological evaluation and cervical cytology screen were performed. Human papillomavirus detection and genotyping were undertaken by PCR and linear array assay.

RESULTS

A total of 148 patients were included, with a mean age and disease duration of 42.5±11.8 years and 9.7±5.3 years, respectively. The prevalence of squamous intraepithelial lesions was 6.8%. The prevalence of human papillomavirus infection was 29%, with human papillomavirus subtype 59 being the most frequent. Patients with human papillomavirus were younger than those without the infection (38.2±11.2 vs. 44.2±11.5 years, respectively; p = 0.05), and patients with the virus had higher daily prednisone doses (12.8±6.8 vs. 9.7±6.7 mg, respectively; p = 0.01) and cumulative glucocorticoid doses (14.2±9.8 vs. 9.7±7.3 g, respectively; p = 0.005) compared with patients without. Patients with human papillomavirus infection more frequently received rituximab than those without (20.9% vs. 8.5%, respectively; p = 0.03). In the multivariate analysis, only the cumulative glucocorticoid dose was associated with human papillomavirus infection.

CONCLUSIONS

The cumulative glucocorticoid dose may increase the risk of human papillomavirus infection. Although rituximab administration was more frequent in patients with human papillomavirus infection, no association was found. Screening for human papillomavirus infection is recommended in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.