Active clinical trials for "Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic"

Previous experimental data strongly suggest that B lymphocytes have intrinsic abnormalities during lupus in mice spontaneously affected by the disease. This study tries to define these abnormalities by looking at the gene expression profile of purified B lymphocytes from patients with non active systemic lupus , compared with the gene expression profile of purified B lymphocytes from healthy donnors.

To explore the hypothesis that leg ulcers are associated with hypercoagulable states, the CLUE study will evaluate patients with connective tissue disease associated leg ulcers, to identify risk factors (especially hypercoagulability and immunologic characteristics), characterize pathogenesis, predict response to therapy, and assess the impact of lower extremity ulcers on quality of life.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the side effects of cyclophosphamide in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Han Chinese and the genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes and pharmacokinetics of cyclophosphamide.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder. It mainly involves the skin, the joints, the nervous system and the kidney and may be life threatening. SLE is associated with production of autoantibodies and perturbations in regulatory T cells and T helper lymphocytes producing interleukin (IL)-17 (Th17 cells). Treatments include corticosteroids, hydroxychloroquine and immunosuppressive agents. Immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D supplementation in VITRO was recently described, notably the expansion of Treg able to suppress inflammatory responses mediated by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and the decrease of Th17 cells.

This study will examine families in which one sibling of a sibling pair, or twin pair, has developed a systemic rheumatic disease and one has not, to see if and how the two differ in the following: Blood cell metabolism; Types of cells in the blood; Environmental exposures or genetic factors that might explain why one developed disease and the other did not. Families in which one sibling has developed a systemic rheumatic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, or myositis, and the other has not, are eligible for this study. The siblings may or may not be twins, but must be of the same gender and be within a 5-year age difference. Biological parents, or, in some cases, children, will also be included in the study. Normal, healthy volunteers will serve as control subjects. Participants will undergo some or all of the following tests and procedures: Medical history and physical examination. Participants will also be asked permission to obtain medical records for review. Questionnaires about environmental exposures at work, at home, and elsewhere. Probands (participants with rheumatic disease) and their healthy siblings will also answer questions about infections, vaccinations, medications or dietary supplements, sun exposure, and stressful events during the year before disease diagnosis in the affected sibling. Blood and urine collection for the following tests: Routine blood chemistries and other studies to rule out certain diseases or medical problems; Evidence of past toxic exposures and certain infections; Presence of cells from the mother in the child s blood and vice versa. (Recent studies suggest that during pregnancy or delivery, cells from the mother and baby may be exchanged and circulate in the body for many years, possibly causing problems); In twin or sibling pairs, presence of certain genes that may be more common in patients with systematic rheumatic diseases as compared with their unaffected siblings and normal volunteers; In identical twins, comparison of their blood cell metabolism to see if and how the metabolism differs in people with rheumatic disease. Participants may be asked for permission to have some of their blood and urine samples stored and to obtain previously collected blood or tissue biopsy specimens that are no longer needed for clinical care, for research purposes. They may also be asked to give additional blood or urine samples. Participants will be followed every year for 5 years (either in person or by questionnaire) to evaluate any changes in their condition. The final 5-year evaluation will repeat some of the questionnaires and procedures described above.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to study the effects of GL701 on bone mineral density in women with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are also receiving treatment with glucocorticoids (e.g., prednisone).

This study is designed to explore the expression of cell-surface markers in the following seven disease areas: (a) systemic lupus erythematosus, (b) Sjogren's syndrome, (c) multiple sclerosis, (d) systemic sclerosis, (e) Crohn's disease, (f) ulcerative colitis and (g) inflammatory myositis.

This randomized double blind clinical trial performed on 68 patients (32 in intervention and 36 in control group) diagnosed with SLE. The patients in intervention group were given daily dose of 1000mg of aqueous green tea extract (of 6 gram of dried green tea leaf) in form of two capsules ( 500 mg). Also in control group, the patients were given daily dose of 1000mg of cellulose in form of two capsules ( 500 mg) Variables include SLE disease activity, some biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress and anthropometric indicators at baseline and end of the study. The investigators used SLEDAI (systemic lupus erythematous disease activity index ) questionnaire for evaluating the clinical signs of the disease. The questionnaires filled out at baseline and after 3 month.

People with inflammatory diseases treated with immune-suppressing medication are recommended to have regular blood-tests to monitor for potential side-effects of this treatment on their blood count, liver and kidneys. However, it is not clear that monitoring is needed as frequently as currently recommended in the long-term, with side-effects being rare after one year of treatment. A study is currently underway to determine the optimal blood-test monitoring strategy which is cost-effective but still safe. Any changes in the monitoring strategy must be acceptable to patients and the healthcare professionals (HCP) that treat them. This study aims to measure how often patients' with common inflammatory conditions on long-term immune suppressing medication attend their monitoring blood tests as currently recommended, and uncover patients' and HCP views and experiences of the current blood-test monitoring strategy, and the acceptability of potential changes to this in the future. Firstly, patients with an inflammatory condition on long-term immune suppressing treatment will be invited to complete a questionnaire which will ask about their demographic information, medical condition(s), immune-suppressing treatment, adherence to the monitoring blood tests and willingness to take part in an interview. Then, both patients and HCPs who care for such patients will be invited to take part in a single, semi-structured interview. Interviews will be face-to-face, by telephone or video-call, last up to one hour and digitally audio-recorded. Patient interviews will explore their perceptions of risk, benefits and experiences of current testing, and views on the new testing frequencies emerging from the study prior. HCP interviews will explore their perceptions of current testing including, the practicalities, usefulness, risks and benefits of the blood tests, and views on the new testing frequencies emerging from the study prior. The findings will shape the recommendations for a new monitoring strategy, ensuring it is acceptable to patients and HCPs.

Cognitive impairment occurs in as many as 80% of lupus patients and affective disorders, depression and anxiety, are also common. Both of these problems contribute significantly to disease burden and disability. Associations between serum anti-NMDAR Aab and cognitive and behavioral changes in human SLE have remained controversial, however, elevated titers of these Aabs in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) correlate with severe central nervous system manifestations, such as coma and psychosis. The aim is to study the progression of disease (cognitive and behavioral impairment) over a 2 year period in SLE subjects with neuropsychologic and behavioral testing and correlates of disease progression using resting FDG-PET and serum Anti-NMDAR Aab. The correlations between hippocampal hypermetabolism, Anti-NMDAR Aab and memory impairment observed in the cross-sectional studies will be validated by baseline measurements in the proposed studies.