Browsing by Author "FIGUEROA, F"

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    ANTICARDIOLIPIN ANTIBODIES IN ACUTE RHEUMATIC-FEVER
    (J RHEUMATOL PUBL CO, 1992) FIGUEROA, F; BERRIOS, X; GUTIERREZ, M; CARRION, F; GOYCOLEA, JP; RIEDEL, I; JACOBELLI, S
    Recent reports describe the association of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) with chorea or severe heart valve lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus-like disease, or the primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. We conducted a case series and a case-control investigation of patients with rheumatic fever with Sydenham chorea or other manifestations of rheumatic fever for anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) during the acute attack and disease remission. Eighty percent of patients were positive for aCL during the rheumatic fever attack vs 40% when inactive (p = 0.035); IgG and IgM aCL increased significantly with disease activity. Individuals with or without Sydenham chorea were equally positive for aCL (76 and 83%, respectively). A significant association was found between IgM aCL and carditis: All patients with valvulitis had IgM aCL (100%) vs 37% of patients without valvular involvement (p = 0.02). aPL may play a role in the pathogenesis of some clinical manifestations of acute rheumatic fever.
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    ANTIGENIC SPECIFICITY OF LYMPHOCYTES ISOLATED FROM VALVULAR SPECIMENS OF RHEUMATIC-FEVER PATIENTS
    (1995) YOSHINAGA, M; FIGUEROA, F; WAHID, MR; MARCUS, RH; SUH, E; ZABRISKIE, JB
    T cell lines were established from both valvular specimens and peripheral blood lymphocytes from seven patients with well documented rheumatic heart disease. These cell lines were stimulated with either PHA or streptococcal antigens. Proliferation assays revealed that both valvular and peripheral blood T cell lines reacted to cell wall (CW) and cell membrane (CM) antigens obtained from rheumatic fever associated group A streptococci and not to nephritogenic strains. None of the cell lines reacted to M protein, myosin or other mammalian cytoskeletal proteins. The unique reactivity of rheumatic fever T cell lines only to cellular structures obtained from rheumatogenic strains suggests that these lines react to epitopes specific for antigens obtained from these strains. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited