Takaaki Nishido

Gastric plasmacytoma and multisystem autoimmune disease

A 54-year-old women with solitary gastric plasmacytoma, Ig M and kappa-light chain type, associated with multisystem autoimmune disease is described. The gastric plasmacytoma developed seven years after the diagnosis of Hashimotos thyroiditis, primary biliary cirrhosis and Sjögrens syndrome. We speculate that this plasmacytoma developed in association with an immunodeficient and/or immunosuppresed state resulting from multisystem autoimmune disease and therapy.

Discordant Interleukin 2 Production in Monozygotic Twins Concordant for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

We present data from monozygotic twins concordant for SLE. IL-2 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the patients, when they were discordant for SLE activity, were measured employing cellular mixing experiments. Macrophages from active SLE had a suppressive effect on IL-2 production. Furthermore, SLE T cells appeared to have a defect in IL-2 production irrespective of disease activity. These defects might play an important role in the disordered immunoregulation in SLE.