Document 0209
 DOCN  M94A0209
 TI    Lymphocyte activation status, expression of adhesion molecules and
       adhesion to human endothelium in rheumatoid arthritis--relationship to
       disease activity.
 DT    9412
 AU    Mertens AV; de Clerck LS; Moens MM; Bridts CH; Stevens WJ; Department of
       Immunology, Allergology and Rheumatology,; University of Antwerp,
       Belgium.
 SO    Res Immunol. 1994 Feb;145(2):101-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94360104
 AB    The synovial tissue of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is
       characterized by infiltration with inflammatory cells, mainly memory
       helper cells (CD4+CD29+). An important initiating step in tissue
       infiltration is the adhesion of peripheral blood lymphocytes to the
       vascular endothelium. Therefore, we studied lymphocyte-endothelium
       adhesion in 40 RA patients and in 19 controls by a sensitive
       fluorimetric assay, using human umbilical vascular endothelial cells.
       Furthermore, expression of adhesion molecules VLA (CD29) and LFA-1
       (CD11a) on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was determined. In order to evaluate
       the activation state of lymphocytes, the soluble interleukin-2 receptor
       (sIL2R) was measured. The relationship to disease activity was evaluated
       using the Ritchie articular index. RA patients had a higher percentage
       of CD4+ cells (p < 0.005) and a lower percentage of CD8+ cells (p <
       0.001) than controls did. The CD4+CD29+/CD4+CD29- ratio and the
       CD8+CD29+/CD8+CD29- ratio were increased in patients with active RA (p <
       0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively) and in patients with inactive disease
       (p = 0.09 and p < 0.005, respectively) compared with controls. LFA-1
       (CD11a) was present on almost all T lymphocytes and its density did not
       differ between patients and controls. Serum levels of sIL2R were
       significantly higher in both patient groups compared with controls (p <
       0.0005); patients with active disease showed significantly higher levels
       than patients with inactive disease (p < 0.05). Lymphocyte-endothelium
       adhesion was not increased in patients, although the expression of the
       adhesion molecule CD29 on T lymphocytes of RA patients was
       higher.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Adult  Aged  Aged, 80 and over  Arthritis, Rheumatoid/*IMMUNOLOGY  Cell
       Adhesion  Cell Adhesion Molecules/*BIOSYNTHESIS  Cells, Cultured
       CD4-CD8 Ratio  Endothelium, Vascular/*IMMUNOLOGY  Flow Cytometry  Human
       Immunophenotyping  Lymphocyte Transformation/*IMMUNOLOGY  Middle Age
       Receptors, Interleukin-2/ANALYSIS  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
       T-Lymphocytes, Suppressor-Effector/*IMMUNOLOGY  T4
       Lymphocytes/*IMMUNOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

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