This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sakuta, R. Articles by Nishino, I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Sakuta, R. Articles by Nishino, I. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Diagnostic Significance of Membrane Attack Complex and Vitronectin in Childhood Dermatomyositis

Department of Pediatrics, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Japan, sakuta{at}dokkyomed.ac.jp.

Nobuyuki Murakami, MD

Department of Pediatrics, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Japan

Yuko Jin, MD

National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders

Toshiro Nagai, MD

Department of Pediatrics, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Saitama, Japan

Ikuya Nonaka, MD

National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders

Ichizo Nishino, MD

National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, Tokyo, Japan, Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan

In the current study, whether particular histologic distributions of membrane attack complex and vitronectin are correlated to clinical characteristics of patients with childhood dermatomyositis was investigated. The specimens from 11 patients with childhood dermatomyositis were examined immunocytochemically and compared with those taken from 6 adult dermatomyositis and 5 childhood polymyositis patients. Four out of five membrane attack complex -positive specimens were derived from patients who were within 1 to 3 months from the onset of childhood dermatomyositis and were not treated with prednisone. There were two patients at early stages of childhood dermatomyositis without pathologic characteristics of the disease. However, marked deposits of membrane attack complex on capillaries were seen in one of them. The immunoreactivity of vitronectin was detected at locations similar to those of membrane attack complex. Our results suggest that the detection of membrane attack complex and vitronectin in muscle capillaries will help us diagnose childhood dermatomyositis at an early stage. (J Child Neurol 2005;20:597—602).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?