[Relation between lupus-antiphospholipids antibodies and heart disorders]

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Antiphospholipids antibodies (APL) are autoantibodies found in lupus erythematosus and disorders like. Their frequency varies between 2 and 62% according to the literature. An increased frequency of cardiac disorders in antiphospholipids (APL) positive lupus has been reported. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of APL as an independent risk factor of cardiac disorders in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A prospective study during 14 months has been designed with the cooperation of dermatologic, internal medicine and cardiology departments of the Aristide Le Dantec hospital of Dakar. Platelets count (Beckmann Coulter analyzer), activated partial thromboplastin time (Diagnostiga stago analyzer) and antiphospholipids antibodies (Elisa) were determined.

RESULTS

37 patients affected by lupus were included in this study with a net feminine prevalence (89%); 8 (14.6%) had APL's significant results and 20 presented an echographic heart abnormality. The analysis of our data did not reveal an increased risk of cardiac diseases among APL positive lupic patients as compared to the negative group (p = 1).

CONCLUSION

The presence of APL in patients with systemic lupus does not so seem to be an independant risk factor of heart diseases.

[Maternal anaemia: effect on the newborn]

Pregnancy increases considerably iron needs in mother and her foetus. The purpose of our study is to measure the effect of maternal anaemia on the foetus and the effect of iron supplementation on the maternal and foetal reserves. Therefore, we conducted a three-month cross sectional study at the gynaecological and obstetrics clinics of Aristide Le Dantec Hospital. Ninety-five women aged 16 to 43 years old and having an haemoglobin rate < 11 g/dl were recruited. Most of them were primipares. Among them 69 had a low ferritinemia (< 50 ng/ml), 36, a ferritinemia collapsed (< 30 ng/ml) and 13 virtually non-existent reserves (< 12 ng/ml). All newborns were born in terms with an apgar score >/= in 93 of them. Among them 24 had anemia (rate of haemoglobin < 14 g/dl) and 54.7% a low ferritinemia. There is no relationship between the maternal and foetal rates of haemoglobin; 74% of newborn had a normal rate of haemoglobin. Among 36 women with low ferritinemia only two gave birth to a newborn without iron reserves. In our study, among 68 women who received iron regularly, 41 had normal reserves and 43 gave birth to a newborn with high ferritinemia. There is significant difference between the women having received iron during their pregnancy and those not supplemented as regards the effect on newborn (p = 0.00001). The prevention of iron deficiency and anaemia can be done by the iron systematic and premat supplementation.

Iron as a potential co-factor in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma?

The role of iron in the pathogenesis of several tumours is being increasingly investigated. In particular, its involvement in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is suggested by the distribution of the endemic form of KS corresponding to continental rifts and associated iron-oxide-rich volcanic clays. We investigated in vitro to what extent iron supplementation or withdrawal could affect the growth of KS-derived cells, by analysing the effects of adding iron salts (iron chloride and ferric nitrilotriacetate) and/or reducing iron by iron chelators (desferrioxamine) on KS-derived cell cultures. The addition of iron salts strongly stimulated the growth of KS cells, as reflected by increase in thymidine incorporation and cell number. Conversely, desferrioxamine and deferiprone inhibited cell growth. The inhibitory effect of iron chelation was more pronounced on rapidly dividing basic fibroblast-growth-factor-stimulated cells. These results may point to a novel therapeutic approach to KS.