Background:In SSc, ILD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. High resolution computed tomo... more Background:In SSc, ILD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard for the diagnosis. Predictors of ILD onset are eagerly awaited to improve SSc-ILD management. Pulmonary function test (PFTs) are routinely performed to measure lung function changes.Objectives:Our aim was to investigate the performance of DLCO (diffusing capacity of lung carbon monoxide) and FVC (forced vital capacity) in predicting the development of SSc-ILD.Methods:The longitudinal data of DLCO, FVC and ILD on HRCT of SSc patients from the EUSTAR database were evaluated at baseline (t0), after 12 (±4) (t1) and 24 (±4) (t2) months. Patients with negative HRCT for any sign of ILD both at t0 and t1 were included. Patients who presented or developed pulmonary hypertension during the study period were excluded. At baseline, demographic data, disease duration from Raynaud’s onset, disease subsets, autoantibodies and other laboratory and instrumental data we...
To test for genetic associations between polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene cluster a... more To test for genetic associations between polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene cluster and disease susceptibility and severity in Black South Africans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Allele and genotype frequencies of IL1B (-511) and (+3954) and IL1RN variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) and (+2018) were compared between 141 RA patients and 101 healthy controls. No significant differences in allelic distribution at the four loci were observed between RA patients and controls. Within the RA group, the IL1RN*2 (two repeats of an 86bp tandem repeat) at the IL1RN VNTR locus was independently associated with higher Larsen radiologic damage scores (LDS), corrected for disease duration (p=0.04). Moreover, the inferred haplotype, consisting of IL1RN*2 and (+2018) 'C' allele, was associated with significantly higher LDS, on average 15 points higher, compared to the base haplotype of IL1RN*long (three or more repeats) and (+2018) 'T' allele (p=0.009). The common IL1B (-511) 'T' allele was associated with a poorer modified health assessment questionnaire disability index (p=0.02). Our findings provide further evidence of a possible role of polymorphisms of the IL-1 gene cluster in disease severity in RA, and particularly IL1RN*2 as a marker of erosive joint damage in Black South Africans with RA.
Background:In SSc, ILD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. High resolution computed tomo... more Background:In SSc, ILD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the gold standard for the diagnosis. Predictors of ILD onset are eagerly awaited to improve SSc-ILD management. Pulmonary function test (PFTs) are routinely performed to measure lung function changes.Objectives:Our aim was to investigate the performance of DLCO (diffusing capacity of lung carbon monoxide) and FVC (forced vital capacity) in predicting the development of SSc-ILD.Methods:The longitudinal data of DLCO, FVC and ILD on HRCT of SSc patients from the EUSTAR database were evaluated at baseline (t0), after 12 (±4) (t1) and 24 (±4) (t2) months. Patients with negative HRCT for any sign of ILD both at t0 and t1 were included. Patients who presented or developed pulmonary hypertension during the study period were excluded. At baseline, demographic data, disease duration from Raynaud’s onset, disease subsets, autoantibodies and other laboratory and instrumental data we...
To test for genetic associations between polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene cluster a... more To test for genetic associations between polymorphisms of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene cluster and disease susceptibility and severity in Black South Africans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Allele and genotype frequencies of IL1B (-511) and (+3954) and IL1RN variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) and (+2018) were compared between 141 RA patients and 101 healthy controls. No significant differences in allelic distribution at the four loci were observed between RA patients and controls. Within the RA group, the IL1RN*2 (two repeats of an 86bp tandem repeat) at the IL1RN VNTR locus was independently associated with higher Larsen radiologic damage scores (LDS), corrected for disease duration (p=0.04). Moreover, the inferred haplotype, consisting of IL1RN*2 and (+2018) 'C' allele, was associated with significantly higher LDS, on average 15 points higher, compared to the base haplotype of IL1RN*long (three or more repeats) and (+2018) 'T' allele (p=0.009). The common IL1B (-511) 'T' allele was associated with a poorer modified health assessment questionnaire disability index (p=0.02). Our findings provide further evidence of a possible role of polymorphisms of the IL-1 gene cluster in disease severity in RA, and particularly IL1RN*2 as a marker of erosive joint damage in Black South Africans with RA.
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Papers by Mohammed Tikly