Plastic particles, autoimmune conditions and hope for the future.

2024 research conducted at the University of California, San Diego discovered that tiny plastic particles have the ability to penetrate the human body and trigger autoimmune conditions and other health conditions. The study found that these microplastics can trigger inflammation and disrupt the immune system, leading to a higher chance of autoimmune illnesses.

"We're just starting to understand the implications of microplastics. We've only scratched the surface of knowing the environmental and health impacts," said Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Michael Burkart, one of the paper's authors.

What can we do as individuals?

• Do not buy anymore plastic products and try and use reusable ceramic or glass products. 
• Support initiatives that promote plastic reduction like not using lastic bags or lastic straws
• Use cloth bags instead of plastic bags
• Support businesses that promote the reduction of plastic use and advocate for combatting plastic pollution.

What is being done?

Finding eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics is crucial.

Exciting findings from UC San Diego and Algenesis reveal that the eco-friendly polymers, they have created, break down naturally, even at the microplastic level, in under seven months.

"When we first created these algae-based polymers about six years ago, our intention was always that it be completely biodegradable," said another of the paper's authors, Robert Pomeroy, who is also a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and an Algenesis co-founder. "We had plenty of data to suggest that our material was disappearing in the compost, but this is the first time we've measured it at the microparticle level."

"When we started this work, we were told it was impossible," stated Burkart. "Now we see a different reality. There's a lot of work to be done, but we want to give people hope. It is possible."

Full article 

Could it be PANS/PANDAS?

We're hearing the stories of children affected.

We're hearing the stories of children across the country, whose personalities have completely changed - with the cause a rare brain condition...  PANS/PANDAS.

PANS/PANDAS symptoms from PANS PANDAS UK

They are both autoimmune conditions that usually develop suddenly following an illness, like Scarlett Fever for example.

Antibodies created to fight the infection go on to mistakenly attack the brain, leading to symptoms like massive changes in behaviour, including severe OCD.

Harry, whose name we've changed, was a happy nine-year-old boy in Lichfield, getting involved in sports and doing well at school, when he caught Scarlett Fever at the end of 2019.

A couple of months later, he started to develop severe OCD, and started to refuse to eat and drink. He also started writing in his diary that he wanted to die.

Dad Richard - whose named we've also changed, along with his mum initially took him to see his GP, but after his condition got worse, was taken to hospital for two weeks.

"He just seems less happy, less willing to communicate, and his sleeping pattern is all over the place. He's not been able to have a proper sleep for a very long time.

"Everything changed pretty much overnight".

Read the full story at RAYO

SYMPTOMS 

PANS and PANDAS are thought to be autoimmune disorders that occur when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the brain, leading to inflammation and a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms. These symptoms can include sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), tics, restricted food intake, developmental regression, anxiety, depression, irritability, and even hallucinations and delusions.

One of the most distinctive features of PANS and PANDAS is that symptoms tend to come on suddenly, often following an infection, such as streptococcal infections, influenza, or chickenpox. Children who previously were healthy and developmentally on track may suddenly start exhibiting signs of OCD or other neuropsychiatric symptoms. ~ 

2024 Royal College of Nursing

More information and support

• in the UK 
• in the US a Pandas Physicians Network.
• in Australia a parents group
• in Europe a Facebook group

If you know of any other organisations or support groups for PANS and PANDAS please let us know in the comments to be included here. 

Early symptoms and the Specific Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

Depression, UTIs, and Constipation Are More Common in People Who Are Later Diagnosed With MS according to an article in Everyday Health by Becky Uham on December 7, 2023.

Researchers believe that some early physical symptoms could be caused by the same underlying disease process. 

People who are eventually identified as having multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have conditions like depression, constipation, sexual issues, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) five years before their diagnosis compared with people who don’t get MS, according to a new study published December 5 in Neurology.

Discussed in this article ~

• MS Prodrome May Be Detectable Years Before Neurological Symptoms or Diagnosis
• The 5 Symptoms Significantly Associated With a Future MS Diagnosis
• Depression More Likely Before and After MS Diagnosis
• Could UTIs, Sexual Dysfunction, and Constipation Be Caused by the Same Underlying Disease Process as MS?

READ THIS FULL ARTICLE

RESEARCH ARTICLE DECEMBER 2023 ~  Association Between Diseases and Symptoms Diagnosed in Primary Care and the Subsequent Specific Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

READ OTHER ARTICLES ON MS

Autoimmune News round up

 What's been happening in the word of medical research into autoimmune conditions in the last week? You can find a round up here. Just click on the links to go to the full report.

• Antibodies that activate stimulatory or inhibitory receptors are of great therapeutic interest for the treatment of cancer or autoimmune diseases. It emerges that such antibodies work better if they don’t bind to receptors too tightly. NATURE 

• COVID-19 might increase risk of autoimmune diseases. A study into 641,407 individuals with COVID-19 were matched to more than 1.56 million controls. NEWS MEDICAL LIFE SCIENCES

• Single-cell T cell receptor sequencing of paired human atherosclerotic plaques and blood reveals autoimmune-like features of expanded effector T cells. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH

• PSMC6 induces immune cell infiltration and inflammatory response to aggravate primary Sjögren’s syndrome. NATURE

• National study shows Indigenous patients with autoimmune liver disease face worse symptoms and outcomes. Search for the cause and better treatments continues, researcher says. UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

• Long-standing mystery about mRNAs resolved. CORNELL UNIVERSITY

• Circulating Th17 T cells at treatment onset predict autoimmune toxicity of PI3Kδ inhibitors. NATURE

• Scientists have discovered the role of microRNA on inflammation in lupus disease. They identified the microRNAs that are downregulated in the disease and how they converge to cause the disease. SCIENCE DAILY

• Insufficient sleep during adolescence and risk of multiple sclerosis: results from a Swedish case-control study. BMJ Journals

• Researcher takes another step toward discovering how a brain molecule could halt MS. MEDICAL EXPRESS

You can also visit our main site Autoimmune Disease List to see a full list of recent autoimmune disease news updates which includes research. 

Think psoriasis is just a rash? Think again.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin, that affects between 2 percent and 3 percent of the world’s population. But psoriasis is more than skin deep. It is associated with many diseases and the disease associations just keep growing.

Psoriasis and just some of its associations to systemic diseases of a chronic inflammatory nature

Bruce Jancin writing in Rheumatology News reported on information presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. Published studies have linked psoriasis with significant increases in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, migraines, uveitis, pancreatitis, and abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) refers to a group of diseases that impair the flow of air to the lungs, making it more difficult to breathe.  A 2015 review concluded that people with psoriasis had an approximately two-fold greater risk of developing COPD, compared with the general population. The risk was higher in people with severe psoriasis. 

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that disrupts communications between the brain and other parts of the body. A meta-analysis of 43,643 patients with multiple sclerosis shows that these patients have an increased incidence and prevalence of psoriasis. Association of Multiple Sclerosis with Psoriasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

Migraines are a common neurological disorder, characterised by moderate to severe headache and nausea. Psoriasis was found to be associated with an almost 4-fold increase in risk for migraine in US research at the New York University School of Medicine in 2019. Psoriasis and the risk of migraines in the United States.

Uveitis is inflammation in the eye which affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye wall. The results of a 2020 study revealed significantly increased risk of both prevalent and incident uveitis among patients with psoriasis. Psoriasis and Risk of Uveitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreas, an organ that sits near the stomach and liver. A 2016 study demonstrated that patients with psoriasis are at a significantly elevated risk of CP and the risk increased with severity of psoriasis. The Risk of Chronic Pancreatitis in Patients with Psoriasis: A Population-Based Cohort Study. 

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a localized enlargement of the abdominal aorta. Psoriasis was found to be an independent risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), according to a 2016 Danish study, published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology: Nationwide Study on the Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Patients With Psoriasis.

Here is a list from the National Psoriasis Foundation/USA of Related Conditions of Psoriasis which also includes Cardiovascular Disease, Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Diabetes, Anxiety and Depression, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cancer, Kidney Disease, Sleep Apnea and Hepatic (liver) Disease.

Video Comment by Dr Nathan Wei of the Arthritis Treatment Center : A more serious condition than we thought.

Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR was a rheumatologist and Director of the Arthritis Center of Maryland. He was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine at the time of creating this video.

Long-standing Link Between ankylosing spondylitis and HLA-B27 Explained

Results could explain how immune system mistakenly targets health tissue in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis that mainly affects the joints of the spine. 

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory condition that involves the spine and skeleton of the head and trunk. The disorder causes inflammation and pain in joints in the spine, pelvis and other parts of the skeleton. In addition, parts of the spine, the hips or the sacroiliac joints where the hips join the lower back, may fuse, or grow, together.

UCSF Health 

 Long-standing Link Between AS and HLA-B27 Explained 

 Writer: Steve Bryson PhD | December 22, 2022

“Our findings that T cells at the sites of pathology recognize HLA-B*27 bound to both self and microbial antigens adds a very important layer of understanding to these complex conditions that also feature strong inflammatory signatures,” Gillespie said. “Our hope is that this work will one day pave the way for more targeted therapies, not only for these conditions but ultimately, for other autoimmune diseases.”

Co-first author Michael Paley, MD, PhD, of Washington University, added, “For ankylosing spondylitis, the average time between initial symptoms and actual diagnosis is seven to eight years. Shortening that time with improved diagnostics could make a dramatic impact on patients’ lives, because treatment could be initiated earlier.

“As for therapeutics, if we could target these disease-causing T cells for elimination, we could potentially cure a patient or maybe even prevent the disease in people with the high-risk genetic variant. There’s a lot of potential for clinical benefit here.”

 Read full article at Ankylosing Spondylitis News 

HLA-B27 Testing

The HLA-B27 test checks for a protein on your white blood cells. HLA-B27 causes the immune system to attack healthy cells. Up to 95 percent of people who do have ankylosing spondylitis are HLA-B27 positive.

The test is a simple blood draw. Your doctor may order the test if he or she suspects your symptoms are caused by an autoimmune or autoinflammatory condition. Your doctor should also help you interpret your test results, but you can find the basics below.

• What does HLA-B27 negative mean?
  • If you are HLA-B27 negative, it means you don’t have HLA-B27 on your white blood cells.
• Can you be HLA-B27 negative and still have ankylosing spondylitis?
  • You can be negative for HLA-B27 and still have ankylosing spondylitis. 
• What does HLA-B27 positive mean?
  • If you are HLA-B27 positive, it means you do have some HLA-B27 on your white blood cells. You inherited the HLA-B27 gene from your parents.
• Can you be HLA-B27 positive and not have ankylosing spondylitis?
• Not everyone who tests positive for HLA-B27 in the blood has an immune or inflammatory disorder.
• If you are HLA-B27 positive, you have a 10 percent chance (or less) of developing a spondyloarthritis condition.
• If you do not have ankylosing spondylitis, you may have a different condition. The presence of HLA-B27 in you blood means you are at greater risk of developing such a disease. SOURCE

VIDEO: Ankylosing Spondylitis: Visual Explanation for Students

All about Antibodies and the Anti Nuclear Antibody Test (ANA)

Antibodies, proteins produced by the immune system, combat harmful foreign substances like bacteria and viruses. These proteins, made by B cells, trigger a response to fight infections, known as inflammation.

The immune system can sometimes mistake internal elements as threats, leading to the production of harmful antibodies called "autoantibodies." These invaders cause damage to various parts of the body like joints, skin, and muscles.

Antibodies targeting normal proteins in the cell nucleus are known as antinuclear antibodies (ANA). Elevated ANA levels are a common feature in autoimmune conditions like lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, scleroderma, polymyositis, Sjögren’s syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease, drug-induced lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune hepatitis and more.

An antinuclear antibody test can help determine the existence of particular types of antibodies in the body.

ANA TEST PROCEDURE

The ANA test is a common initial test for autoimmune conditions, conducted by extracting a blood sample with a small needle. It's a simple procedure lasting about five minutes, causing minimal discomfort. A positive result doesn't always indicate an autoimmune condition.

ANA TEST RESULTS

ANA test results are typically divided into titers and patterns. 

Titers are often shown as ratios like 1:40 or 1:80, with some labs considering anything above 1:160 as positive. 

Patterns can include homogeneous, speckled, or centromere. 

If ANAs are present, the pathologist will see fluorescent cells making a staining pattern. The fluorescent pattern seen can help identify the type of autoimmune disease present. Staining patterns include:

• Homogenous: A homogenous staining pattern means the entire nucleus is stained with ANA. It’s the most common type of staining pattern. A homogenous pattern can mean any autoimmune disease but more specifically, lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome.
• Speckled: A speckled staining pattern means fine, coarse speckles of ANA are present throughout the nucleus. A speckled pattern may indicate various diseases, including lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome.
• Centromere: A centromere staining pattern means the ANA staining is present along the chromosomes. A centromere pattern may indicate scleroderma.
• Nucleolar: A nucleolar staining pattern means ANA staining is present around the nucleoles. The nucleoles is inside the nucleus and produces the cell’s ribosomes. A nucleolar pattern may indicate scleroderma. But it can also indicate Sjögren’s syndrome or mixed connective tissue disease or be a false positive.
• Peripheral: A peripheral staining pattern means ANA staining is present around the edges of the nucleus. It has a shaggy appearance. A peripheral pattern may indicate lupus. FROM CLEVELAND CLINIC

Lab norms may differ, so consult your healthcare provider for interpretation. 

A positive ANA test doesn't always mean an autoimmune condition is present. Around 3-15% of healthy individuals have ANAs. Aging and viral infections can also raise ANA levels temporarily. Medications and cancer can also impact results. 

Further investigation by a doctor is necessary for a definitive diagnosis.

What Does a Negative ANA Test Indicate?

A negative ANA test doesn't necessarily mean no autoimmune condition is present, but it suggests the likelihood is low. 

VIDEO: 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Positive ANA by rheumatologist Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz

Manganese benefits for autoimmune disease

Manganese is a mineral that is considered an essential nutrient because the body requires it to function properly. 

It is a strong antioxidant that helps to reduce inflammation in the body. It also aids metabolism, helps regulate blood sugar, helps heal bones and connective tissues, and can help reduce premenstrual cramps. 

Low dietary manganese intake or low levels of manganese in blood or tissue have been associated with Osteoporosis and Diabetes mellitus.

Rich sources of manganese include whole grains, especially oatmeal and brown rice and wheat germ, legumes, tofu, nuts such as pecans, peanuts and almonds, and leafy vegetables such as spinach. The good news is that we get adequate dietary manganese from eating these foods and rarely need to supplement our diet. If you’re considering a supplement, talk to your doctor first as excessive levels of manganese are toxic and supplements should be approached with care.

TOFU RECIPE. 

Tofu is made from soybeans and is soft and bland and can easily be incorporated in stir-fries as a great source of easy to chew protein. It easily absorbs other flavors so works well with asian sauces such as soya, oyster, or chili sauce. but if you are like me and can no longer tolerate these spicy sauces due to burning mouth syndrome you may like the following idea. 

Use firm or extra firm tofu and drain excess water off the tofu.

Slice the tofu into 1-inch thick pieces and place in a dish to use in the oven.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour over tofu and bake for 20 minutes: 

• Peanut butter
• Golden syrup or coconut sugar or other sugar
• Sesame oil
• Salt or soya sauce
• a splash of lime juice

Enjoy with rice and vegetables.

I track my food, exercise and other health metrics with cronometer. It encourages me to focus on nutrition as a whole rather than counting calories and even tracks foods like miso and soy butter.

Updated rheumatoid arthritis treatment recommendations

EULAR – The European Alliance of Rheumatology Associations – has updated its recommendations on disease-modifying treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to take into account developments and new evidence in the field.

Three small changes and one major change have been implemented, the major change involving Janus kinase inhibitors.

The updated recommendations were developed by a multidisciplinary task force of rheumatologists, other health professionals, and patient research partners. 

The information is based on evidence collected from three systematic reviews across efficacy and safety of both DMARDs and glucocorticoids.

WHAT IS EULAR?

EULAR is the European umbrella organisation representing scientific societies, health professional associations and organisations for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). EULAR stands for The European Alliance of Rheumatology Associations.

You can view the full update in pdf form here

SOURCES:

UPDATED Rheumatoid Arthritis #RA TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 2022 update published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases https://www.eular.org/sysModules/obxContent/files/www.eular.2015/1_4229

ORIGINAL EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2022 update

https://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2022/11/10/ard-2022-223356