European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Aug 2019
Cardiac autonomic modulation at rest and during orthostatic stress among different systemic sclerosis subsets.
To compare autonomic heart rate variability (HRV) parameters at rest and during active stand in a population of SSc patients, taking into account SSc subsets age-matched to healthy control subjects. ⋯ SSc showed a reduced vagal and increased sympathetic modulation at rest and a blunted autonomic response to ORT in comparison to HC. These alterations were mostly detectable in the advanced and fibrotic forms of SSc (dcSSc and lcSSc), while EaSSc were similar to HC.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Aug 2019
CD5/CD20 expression on circulating B cells in HCV-related chronic hepatitis and mixed cryoglobulinemia.
The role of CD5+ B cells in patients with HCV infection and HCV-related disorders, including mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC), has been addressed in previous reports with conflicting results. We established a correlation between CD5/CD20 expression on circulating B lymphocytes, characterizing monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), and clinical features in a cohort of 45 patients with chronic HCV hepatitis [without MC: 23 patients (MC- group); with MC: 22 patients (MC+ group)], and 45 HCV-negative healthy subjects as controls. By flow cytometry analysis, three B cells phenotypes were singled out: 1) CD5+CD20dim (CLL-like phenotype); 2) CD5+CD20bright (atypical phenotype); and 3) CD5-CD20+ phenotype. ⋯ HCV infection was associated with a higher frequency of CLL-like (odds ratio=16, p=0.002) and a lower frequency of atypical (odds ratio: 3.1, p=0.02) and CD5-CD20+ (odds ratio: 11, p=0.01) phenotypes. The association with higher levels of CLL-like phenotype progressively increased from group of MC- patients (odds ratio: 9.3, p=0.04) to the group of MC+ patients (odds ratio: 25.1, p=0.0003). The occurrence of a CLL-like pattern may allow to identify HCV-infected patients at risk of developing MC and eventually non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who should require a closer surveillance and a longer follow-up.