Elevated serum levels of manganese superoxide dismutase in polymyositis and dermatomyositis

Aberrations in Oxidative Stress Markers in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Oxidative stress has been reported to be involved in the onset and development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Data from clinical studies have highlighted increased peripheral blood oxidative stress markers in patients with ALS, but results are inconsistent. Therefore, we quantitatively pooled data on levels of blood oxidative stress markers in ALS patients from the literature using a meta-analytic technique. A systematic search was performed on PubMed and Web of Science, and we included studies analyzing blood oxidative stress marker levels in patients with ALS and normal controls. We included 41 studies with 4,588 ALS patients and 6,344 control subjects, and 15 oxidative stress marker levels were subjected to random-effects meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that malondialdehyde (Hedges' g, 1.168; 95% CI, 0.812 to 1.523; P < 0.001), 8-hydroxyguanosine (Hedges' g, 2.194; 95% CI, 0.554 to 3.835; P = 0.009), and Advanced Oxidation Protein Product (Hedges' g, 0.555; 95% CI, 0.317 to 0.792; P < 0.001) levels were significantly increased in patients with ALS when compared with control subjects. Uric acid (Hedges' g, -0.798; 95% CI, -1.117 to -0.479; P < 0.001) and glutathione (Hedges' g, -1.636; 95% CI, -3.020 to -0.252; P = 0.02) levels were significantly reduced in ALS patients. In contrast, blood Cu, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, ceruloplasmin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, coenzyme-Q10, and transferrin levels were not significantly different between cases and controls. Taken together, our results showed significantly increased blood levels of 8-hydroxyguanosine, malondialdehyde, and Advanced Oxidation Protein Product and decreased glutathione and uric acid levels in the peripheral blood of ALS patients. This meta-analysis helps to clarify the oxidative stress marker profile in ALS patients, supporting the hypothesis that oxidative stress is a central component underpinning ALS pathogenesis.

3-n-Butylphthalide reduces the oxidative damage of muscles in an experimental autoimmune myositis animal model

3-n-Butylphthalide (NBP) protects the mitochondria and reduces apoptosis in multiple disease models. However, it remains to be determined whether NBP can protect muscle cells from oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and apoptosis in myositis. In the present study, a myosin immunization protocol was applied to induce experimental autoimmune myositis (EAM) in guinea pigs. After 4 weeks, a low- or high-dose NBP solution was injected intraperitoneally into the guinea pigs, with saline solution serving as the negative control. After 10 days, the guinea pigs were sacrificed and muscle cells were isolated for analysis. The results revealed that NBP increased the superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, and reduced malondialdehyde activity in the EAM model. Furthermore, NBP enhanced ATPase activity in muscle mitochondrial membranes and muscle fiber membranes, reduced the number of apoptotic cells, and differentially regulated the Bcl-2, Bax and BAD mRNA and protein expression levels in muscle tissues and sera. NBP directly protects muscle mitochondria and muscle cells from oxidative damage. Notably, NBP reduced muscle cell apoptosis. Thus, it is speculated that, as an antioxidant treatment, NBP may benefit individuals with myopathy.

Serum levels of manganese superoxide dismutase in patients with localized scleroderma

The objective was to determine the serum levels of manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) in patients with localized scleroderma and investigate their clinical significance in this disease. Serum samples from 15 patients with localized scleroderma and 20 healthy volunteers were examined by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum levels of Mn SOD were significantly higher in patients with generalized morphea than those in healthy individuals. And the patients with elevated serum Mn SOD levels had significantly larger number of sclerotic lesions and significantly higher serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor than those without it. These results suggested that the serum levels of this enzyme may be a serological marker for the disease activity and the extent of skin involvement in this disease.

Outcome assessment in the adult and juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Through the recent efforts of multi-center collaborative study groups, a number of measures have been developed and partially validated to assess disease activity, disease damage, and health-related quality of life in adult and juvenile patients with IIM. Preliminary core set domains and core set measures of activity and damage have also been developed for adult and juvenile patients with myositis. Validated definitions of improvement and disability should be forthcoming in the next few years. These extraordinary developments will enable much-needed standardization in the assessment of the IIM, particularly in therapeutic and other clinical research studies. Despite this substantial progress, there is a need to develop more sensitive measures to assess IIM disease activity and damage, to further validate the existing tools, to define their performance characteristics in various IIM subgroups, to develop improved imaging techniques that are also quantitative, and to validate activation markers as surrogate measures. The ongoing cooperation of multiple specialists with expertise in these disorders, combined with emerging novel technologies, should continue to enhance the assessment of myositis. Improved clinical care and more rapid development of new therapies for patients with myositis will be the ultimate gains realized from these efforts.

Neurology of systemic autoimmune disorders: a pediatric perspective

Autoimmune disorders can involve patients of any age and organs of any organ system. The central and peripheral nervous systems are frequently among the targets of these diseases. Immune dysfunction often presents in childhood or adolescence. Among the autoimmune disorders that present during childhood and adolescence, systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, and Behcet's disease affect the nervous system with some degree of frequency. Furthermore, although juvenile rheumatoid arthritis only rarely affects the nervous system during childhood, it and its adult-onset counterpart may have profound long-term neurological consequences. Both symptomatic and pathophysiologically aimed therapies are important in the treatment of the nervous system sequelae of systemic autoimmune disorders.