الفهرس 
Introduction and aimof the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multisystem autoimmune disease that is caused by autoantibodies to a variety of autoantigens. It is characterized by a wide variety of clinical and serological manifestations. Tissue damage in SLE is caused by autoantibodies and complement fixing immune complex deposition. The reported prevalence of SLE in the population is 20 to 150 cases per 100,000. SLE is up to 10 times more common in women than in men. Glomerulonephritis is one of the commonest and most serious manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus nephritis occurs in 40% to 60% of patients with SLE. Renal involvement in SLE carries significant morbidity and mortality. Previous studies describe many new biomarkers for the survey of SLE; these potential lupus biomarkers can be used to survey susceptibility, diagnosis, disease activity, and specific organ involvement. Traditional biomarkers for the survey of disease activity include anti-dsDNA antibodies and serum complement levels (C3 and C4). However, a persistently high level of anti-dsDNA antibodies or a low level of complement (C3 and C4) is found in some patients with SLE. Therefore, traditional biomarkers are not always adequate in evaluating disease activity. A potential biomarker is required to survey disease activity. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the total expression of CD20 as well as CD27 and to elucidate the clinical importance of measuring the percentage and the absolute no. of B-cell subsets including memory, naïve, and plasma B cells in the peripheral blood of SLE patients with and without renal involvement and compare the results with those obtained from healthy control subjects. In addition, examine their relationship to the other clinical and laboratory findings in such patients. Results from the present study revealed that flow cytometric monitoring of B cell subsets in the peripheral blood may be help to show the abnormalities of B cells in SLE patients. The higher percentage of CD19+CD27high plasma cells in LN patients as well as non-LN patients and their strong positive correlation with anti-dsDNA antibodies improves the pathogenic role of these cells. The higher percentage of CD19+CD27high plasma cells was not correlate with any of renal markers thus we cannot use it as specific maker for LN. However, targeting these could be a new therapeutic approach and follow up patients with lupus nephritis. The most important thing in the present study is that the higher percentage of CD19+CD27high plasma cells may be consider as a promising biomarker for monitoring SLE disease activity.