The ACR journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology has introduced a new educational series, with the complement system first in focus. “This isn’t simplified immunology for trainees,” says Dr. Bucala. “It’s for everyone.”
Study Finds CB-CAPs Could Be a Biomarker for Probable Lupus
Patients who do not fulfill classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can be referred to as having probable SLE (pSLE). These patients can be identified with cell-bound complement activation products (CB-CAPs), according to a recently published study in Arthritis & Rheumatology.1 The findings are relevant because the existing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics…
Researchers Seek ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Subtype Markers
New research on complement activation in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis underscores its important role in the pathogenesis of this disease, an autoimmune condition defined by inflammation of small- and medium-caliber blood vessels.1 ANCA testing is commonly performed to help diagnose granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis, both of which are forms of ANCA-associated…
Plasma Complement Activation in Rheumatic Diseases May Accelerate Coronary Artery Disease
Complement can deposit in various tissues, and previous studies have associated complement deposition with an increased risk for all-cause mortality and stroke. Now, new research underscores the relationship between rheumatic disease, the complement system and cardiovascular disease. In particular, inflammatory rheumatic disease status appears to be uniquely associated with mononuclear cell infiltrates in the vascular…
Plasma Complement Activation in Rheumatic Diseases May Accelerate Coronary Artery Disease
A recent study examined the relationship between complement activation and coronary artery disease in patients with rheumatic disease. Researchers found these patients had higher plasma terminal complement complexes and more complement activation in the vascular adventitia, which may accelerate cardiovascular disease and act as a target for new therapies…
Exploring the Complement System in Human Disease
Novel disease associations revealed by whole genome screens