Lupus Research Update. We are proud to present you with the latest breaking news from the lupus research community. In every LRU, you'll learn about everything from the most technical advances in lupus science and Lupus Research Alliance funded investigator profiles, to the latest Walk with Us to Cure Lupus and grassroots advocacy program news. We are also proud to introduce a new ! ![]() Medications cannot cure lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE), but they can control many symptoms and often can prevent or slow organ damage. Learn systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) symptoms (butterfly rash), treatment options, diagnosis, prognosis, causes, and pregnancy flares. I support Lupus Research. Please keep me updated on the search for a cure. There is no established diet for lupus. However, eating some foods and avoiding others may help you manage your symptoms. Lupus and Diet: Learn what TO eat, what NOT to eat, some great resources, and how your diet has the ability to affect disease activity in this blog. Check out this full list of medications used to treat the symptoms of lupus. ![]() We welcome your feedback. Please feel free to write info@lupusresearch. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors pays all operating expenses, 1. Lupus Research Alliance leverages every dollar donated for maximum impact. Support the search for a cure for lupus today! Together, we will find a cure. The clinical study stopped before enrolling its first participant. ![]() Source: Clinicaltrials. White blood cells, or leukocytes,help to fight infections in the body as part of the immune system. Lupus and other autoimmune disorders may lower the number of white blood cells in the body below a normal level. Source: Medline. Plus. Vasculitis is a condition that involves inflammation in the blood vessels. The condition occurs if your immune system attacks your blood vessels by mistake. This may happen as the result of an infection, a medicine, or another disease or condition. Vasculitis can affect any of the body's blood vessels. These include arteries, veins, and capillaries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to your body's organs. Veins carry blood from your organs and limbs back to your heart. Capillaries connect the small arteries and veins. View the latest health news and explore articles on fitness, diet, nutrition, parenting, relationships, medicine, diseases and healthy living at CNN Health. No overarching diet exists for people with lupus. However, lupus is a systemic disease, so maintaining good nutritional habits will help your body remain a. ![]() Source: NIH. org. Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds that pass through the urine. Urinalysis may be used to test kidney function and health. Source: Medline. Plus. Uremia is a term used to loosely describe the illness accompanying kidney failure (also called renal failure), in particular the nitrogenous waste products associated with the failure of this organ. This is not to be confused with uricemia, or hyperuricemia, a build up of uric acid in the blood. Lupus is one of many disorders of the immune system known as autoimmune diseases. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system turns against parts of the body it is. Can Lupus Be Treated Naturally? Evidence is Promising with Lifestyle Changes Including Diet, Vitamins and Natural Supplements. Lupus is no longer the mystery it once was. ![]() ![]() In kidney failure, urea and other waste products, which are normally excreted into the urine, are retained in the blood. Early symptoms include anorexia and lethargy, and late symptoms can include decreased mental acuity and coma. Other symptoms include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, cold, bone pain, itch, shortness of breath, and seizures. It is usually diagnosed in kidney dialysis patients when the glomerular filtration rate, a measure of kidney function, is below 5. Source: Wikipedia. The term undifferentiated connective tissue diseases is used to define conditions characterized by the presence of signs and symptoms suggestive of a systemic autoimmune disease that do not satisfy the classificative criteria for defined connective tissue diseases (CTD) such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sj. A small percentage of patients presenting with an undifferentiated profile will develop during the first year follow up of a full blown CTD, however an average of 7. ![]() ![]() ![]() These patients may be defined as having a stable undifferentiated connective tissue diseases (UCTD). The most characteristic symptoms of UCTD are represented by arthritis and arthralgias, Raynaud's phenomenon, leukopenia, while neurological and kidney involvement are virtually absent. Eighty percent of these patients have a single autoantibody specificity, more frequently anti- Ro and anti- RNP antibodies. Stable UCTD are considered as distinct clinical entities and therefore it has been proposed to define those conditions as UCTD. Classificative criteria have also been proposed and a work to better define them is still under way. Source: NIH. gov. An ulcer is a crater- like sore on the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers form when the top layers of skin or tissue have been removed. They can occur in the mouth, stomach, and other parts of the body. Ulcers can be caused by inflammation or infection. Some ulcers may be caused by a cancer. Source: Medline. Plus. Playing a unique role in the immune system, Tregs — or Regulatory T cells — are crucial in suppressing aberrant pathological immune responses in autoimmune diseases like lupus. Transcription factors include a wide number of proteins, excluding RNA polymerase, that initiate and regulate the transcription of genes. One distinct feature of transcription factors is that they have DNA- binding domains that give them the ability to bind to specific sequences of DNA called enhancer or promoter sequences. Some transcription factors bind to a DNA promoter sequence near the transcription start site and help form the transcription initiation complex. Other transcription factors bind to regulatory sequences, such as enhancer sequences, and can either stimulate or repress transcription of the related gene. These regulatory sequences can be thousands of base pairs upstream or downstream from the gene being transcribed. Regulation of transcription is the most common form of gene control. The action of transcription factors allows for unique expression of each gene in different cell types and during development. Source: Scitable, by Nature Education. An arthritic or damaged joint is removed and replaced with an artificial joint, called a prosthesis. The goal is to relieve the pain in the joint caused by the damage done to the cartilage. The pain may be so severe, a person will avoid using the joint, weakening the muscles around the joint and making it even more difficult to move the joint. A physical examination, and possibly some laboratory tests and X- rays, will show the extent of damage to the joint. Total joint replacement will be considered if other treatment options will not relieve the pain and disability. Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Toll- like receptors (TLR) play a critical role in early immune response to invading pathogens. While the precise role of dendritic cells in lupus is not yet known, we do know they are antigen- presenting cells that both control and curtail immunity. Dendritic cells are divided into two main subsets. Mature dendritic cells are immunogenic. They patrol the body seeking out foreign invaders, whether these are bacteria, viruses, or dangerous toxins. After capturing the invaders, often termed antigens, dendritic cells convert them into smaller pieces and display the antigenic fragments on their cell surfaces. The dendritic cells then travel to lymph nodes or the spleen where they stimulate other cells of the immune system to make vigorous responses, in particular, the B cells that make antibodies to neutralize the invaders and killer T cells that launch specific attacks to destroy them. Semi- mature dendritic cells are tolerogenic. New research is showing that dendritic cells are equally responsible for a seemingly opposite role in health called immune tolerance, which silences dangerous immune cells and prevents them from attacking innocuous materials in the body or the body's own tissues. Dendritic cells not only instigate unwanted innate and adaptive responses that cause disease, but also can suppress these conditions. This is why they are the subjects of many lupus scientific inquiries. Dendritic cells are key in studying the disease and in designing treatments. Capable of producing immunological tolerance. Tolerance is the prevention of an immune response against a particular antigen. For instance, the immune system is generally tolerant of self- antigens, so it does not usually attack the body's own cells, tissues, and organs. However, when tolerance is lost, disorders like autoimmune disease or food allergy may occur. Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Antibody titer is a laboratory test that measures the level of antibodies in a blood sample. The antibody level in the blood tells your doctor whether or not you have been exposed to an antigen or something that the body thinks is foreign. The body uses antibodies to attack and remove foreign substances. Abnormal results may be due to: Autoimmune disease (like lupus)Failure of a vaccine to fully protect you against a certain disease. Immune deficiency. Viral infections. Source: Medline. Plus. The thymus is a soft organ with two lobes that is located anterior to the ascending aorta and posterior to the sternum. It is relatively large in infants and children but after puberty it begins to decrease in size so that in older adults it is quite small. The primary function of the thymus is the processing and maturation of special lymphocytes called T- lymphocytes or T- cells. While in the thymus, the lymphocytes do not respond to pathogens and foreign agents. After the lymphocytes have matured, they enter the blood and go to other lymphatic organs where they help provide defense against disease. The thymus also produces a hormone, thymosin, which stimulates the maturation of lymphocytes in other lymphatic organs. Source: National Cancer Institute. Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which your blood has a lower than normal number of blood cell fragments called platelets. When your blood has too few platelets, mild to serious bleeding can occur. Bleeding can occur inside your body (internal bleeding) or underneath your skin or from the surface of your skin (external bleeding). Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The clinical study has stopped recruiting or enrolling participants early and will not start again. Participants are no longer being examined or treated. Source: Clinicaltrials. Temporal arteritis is inflammation and damage to the blood vessels that supply blood to the head. Temporal arteritis commonly occurs in the the arteries around the temples (temporal arteries). These vessels branch off from the carotid artery in the neck. However, the condition can occur in medium- to- large arteries in other places in the body. The cause of the condition is unknown. It is believed to be due in part to a faulty immune response.
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