Anti-epithelial cell antibodies (AECA) GSK2118436 chemical structure and anti-aorta antibodies were reported to be found in patients with TAK.[95] In spite of several reports of functional involvement of AECA, its effect is still under controversy.[96-99] There are also reports that TAK patients often having anti-phospholipid antibodies.[100] However, the positivity of these autoantibodies and the functional meaning remain unclear. Taken together, recent study results have elucidated the basics

of TAK much more than before. Novel therapies, including biological agents, are now being tried for refractory TAK. However, further efforts to collect samples and information by a standardized method are necessary to improve the prognosis of patients with TAK. No competing interest exists. “
“A case of a 37-year-old pregnant patient with antiphospholipid syndrome

(APS), who has a medical history of both thrombosis and recurrent fetal loss, is presented. She was treated with predonisolone and fixed-dose unfractionated heparin (UFH) infusion, followed by plasmaphereses and fixed-dose low-molecular-weight heparin infusion during her fourth pregnancy. Unfortunately, this treatment did not have beneficial effects, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction and finally neonatal death. Continuous intravenous UFH infusion and low-dose aspirin were administrated under the monitoring of the activated partial thromboplastin time to achieve a target level of 120 s during her fifth pregnancy. A healthy baby weighing 1818 g at birth was delivered by Cesarean section at the 34th week of pregnancy. High-dose UFH infusion may be considered MDV3100 to be one of the preferable options to manage pregnant patients next with refractory APS. “
“Serum vitamin D level was inversely associated with the risk of developing new onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and disease activity, but some conflicting results have been reported. To examine the serum vitamin D status in Thai RA patients and possible independent factors affecting serum 25 hydroxyvitamin vitamin D (25(OH)D) and the associations of serum 25(OH)D level and the disease activity and functional status

in Thai RA patients. A cross-sectional study was performed in 239 Thai RA patients. The blood levels of 25(OH)D2 and D3 were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Disease activity was assessed according to tender and swollen joint counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), visual analog scale for global patient assessment, Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) and Thai Health Assessment Questionnaire (Thai HAQ). The mean vitamin D level was 28.79 ng/mL. There were no associations between 25(OH)D levels and number of tender and swollen joint counts, DAS-28 score, HAQ score or rheumatoid factor (RF) and/or anti-cyclic citrulinated peptide (CCP) positivity. After multivariated analysis, Bangkok residents, non-farmer, obesity and non-vitamin D supplementation were the predictors for vitamin D insufficiency in Thai patients with RA.