title: [Changes of serum BAFF and IL-21 levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and their clinical significance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes of serum BAFF and IL-21 levels in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and explore their clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum levels of BAFF and IL-21 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of serum BAFF and IL-21 in the patients with SLE were obviously higher than those in healthy control group. The BAFF level in the group of lupus nephritis (LN) with renal biopsy increased with pathologic aggravation and the IL-21 level in II, III, IV LN also increased, with the most obviously change in the type IV. The levels of BAFF and IL-21 obviously increased in SLE patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS), but the levels of BAFF and IL-21 obviously tended to decrease in the patients after glucocorticosteroid treatment for a week, with the most significant decrease in BAFF. The changes of BAFF and IL-21 were related to major immune indexes in the patients with SLE. There was positive correlation between BAFF and IL-21 in IV LN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The levels of serum BAFF and IL-21 level are increased in the patients with SLE. The dysfunction and synergistic effect of T and B lymphocytes play different roles in the patients with different organ damage and pathoprocess respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatism Immunology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuang-Long
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shu-Fan
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Chun-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Juan-Juan
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D013256:Steroids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000098546:Interleukin-21
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D007378:Interleukins; D013256:Steroids; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human; D000098546:Interleukin-21