Article Abstract:
It appears that several genetic variations of an immune protein in the blood called complement are associated with rheumatoid arthritis among Koreans. Researchers analyzed blood samples from 65 Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 255 healthy Korean volunteers (control group). Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were either rheumatoid factor positive or negative had higher levels of the complement type C4AQ0 than the control group. C4B5 levels were higher among patients who were rheumatoid factor positive than the control group. Patients who carried the C4B5 type also tended to carry the HLA-DR4 immune complex.
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Article Abstract:
Genes coding for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and immunoglobulins may influence the production of anticentromere antibody (ACA), a key autoantibody in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Researchers genetically analyzed 105 Japanese patients with the autoimmune connective tissue disease SSc and 47 healthy Japanese. Immunoglobulin genes were not directly associated with SSc, but heavy chain (GM) immunoglobulins were less common in SSc patients with ACA and light chain (KM) immunoglobulins were more common in ACA-positive patients with SSc.
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Article Abstract:
The TNFa13 microsatellite polymorphism is associated with systemic sclerosis in Japanese patients. This is unusual because this polymorphism is rare in white people. Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that causes skin and other tissues to become hard.
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