Introduction: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have persistent platelet activation and an increased risk of thrombotic events, which cannot be accounted for by traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Factor (F)XII has a potentially important role in thrombus formation and is triggered by activated platelets. We therefore asked whether the contact system is involved in inflammation

Introduction: The ability to degrade neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is reduced in a subset of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). NETs consist of chromatin covered with antimicrobial enzymes and are normally degraded by DNase-I, an enzyme which is known to have reduced activity in SLE. Decreased ability to degrade NETs is associated with disease activity. In the current study

Normal sexual differentiation requires complex molecular events to take place in a precise order, and even though much knowledge has been gained in recent decades, further research is still needed to understand the pathogenesis of different disorders of sexual differentiation. For the clinician who is confronted with a child with sexual ambiguity, it is most important not to guess the sex but to i

OBJECTIVE: Resistance to androgens has been suggested as a possible cause of male infertility. This hypothesis is based mainly on binding studies in genital skin fibroblasts but the molecular evidence is sparse. DESIGN: Molecular studies of the androgen receptor gene were performed in 10 azoo- or oligozoospermic men, precenting with clinical signs of low androgen activity - poor virilization and h

Mutations in the androgen receptor gene are considered as incompatible with preservation of fertility and have been suggested as a cause of male infertility. Two adult brothers, referred because of gynecomastia and hormonal levels in serum indicating androgen insensitivity (high sex hormone-binding globulin, and LH levels, despite extremely high testosterone concentration), turned out to be relati

The androgen insensitivity syndrome is a disorder caused by deficient function of the androgen receptor, characterized by varying degrees of undermasculinization in karyotypic males. We have identified four mutations in the androgen receptor gene, in the region encoding the DNA-binding domain of the protein. Two mutations, R607X and R615G, were found in patients with complete insensitivity to andr

Five mutations in the ligand-binding domain of the androgen receptor gene were identified in patients with complete (A765T, C784Y, R831X and M895T) or partial (R830G) androgen insensitivity, A765T and R831X have been reported previously whereas the other three mutations are novel. Receptors carrying these mutations were transiently expressed in COS-1 cells, and androgen binding and capacity to tra

OBJECTIVE: To study if the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) variant asparagine/serine in amino acid 680 (N680S) can predict hypersensitivity to gonadotropins in women undergoing assisted reproduction.PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 586 women undergoing their first in-vitro fertilisation treatment were enroled, and their FSHR N680S genetic variant was analysed. The ma

We propose that impaired complement function enhances a pathogenetic vicious circle in SLE. In this process, induction and clearance of apoptotic cells is central. Apoptosis could be triggered by various etiological factors, such as infection, UV light, and drug reactions. Clearance of apoptotic material is reduced when complement function is impaired. Apoptosis leads to increased exposure of nucl

Objective. To investigate antibody responses to a broad panel of peptides derived from human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) among unselected patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods. In sera obtained from 69 patients with SLE and healthy blood donors, immunoassay was used to measure levels of antibody against synthetic peptides derived from HERVs, exogenous retroviruses, and nonv