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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus often suffer from a progressive loss of kidney function. You begin to understand the relationship between the two diseases.

Patients suffering from systemic autoimmune diseases - such as' rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus - often suffer a progressive loss of renal function. Very little is known about the mechanisms that link the two diseases.

A group of Japanese researchers has begun to throw light on the problem by publishing an article on research on this last issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Based on their studies show that a critical role in the development of autoimmune glomerulonephritis have platelets.

Studying a strain of mutant mice, which tend to develop autoimmune diseases, have in fact isolated a subtype of those who suffered in a limited way of glomerulonephritis resulting from other diseases autoimmmuni: a closer examination revealed that while the most common mutant strain accumulates a high number of platelets in the glomeruli, this did not happen in the subtype in question, which - while having a greater propensity for bleeding - survived a double time than the first.

Further studies have revealed in particular the involvement of Cno protein, which belongs to the family of complex 1 for the biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles (BLOC-1) The finding suggests a link between the mutation - the loss of expression of the protein Cno -- defects in platelet function and regression of the formations in the renal glomeruli.

This discovery suggests the existence of a link between the loss of the expression of Cno protein, defects in platelet function and regression of the growth of platelet formation in glomruli kidney. Also, links to these reports BLOC-1, which controls the lysosomes.

Source: http://www.lescienze.it/index.php3?id=12546

A magnetic resonance against lupus
The experiment on mice could pave the way for useful applications of Humans

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) could provide a noninvasive method to monitor neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with lupus. This is the conclusion of a study in laboratory mice by a team of researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology meeting in Washington.

The MRS is closely related to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used in imaging techniques and uses strong magnetic fields and low energy radio waves to obtain biochemical information on the body.

The test is done in an MRI machine that is connected to the spectrometer to measure changes in levels of metabolites such as glutamate and glutamine.

"Because of its non-invasiveness and repeatability, MRS could be useful in a program of study to help discover drugs against neuropsychiatric lupus," Mishra said Nilamadhab professor of rheumatology of Wake Forest University and coordinator of research.

"There are currently no biomarkers for neuropsychiatric lupus, and this impedes both clinical diagnosis is the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of this disease."

Source: http://www.lescienze.it/index.php3?id=12851