title: Elevation of serum lymphotactin levels in patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine serum concentrations of lymphotactin, a Th1 chemokine, and their clinical association in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  Lymphotactin levels were examined in serum samples from patients with SSc (n = 68), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; n = 42), or dermatomyositis (DM; n = 29), and healthy controls (n = 18) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum lymphotactin levels were significantly elevated in SSc patients compared to patients with SLE or DM as well as controls. Serum lymphotactin levels were similar in patients with limited cutaneous SSc and diffuse cutaneous SSc (dSSc). Clinical correlation of elevated lymphotactin levels was not detected in the total group of patients with SSc, while elevation of lymphotactin levels was significantly associated with higher percentage vital capacity and percentage diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide, lower lung severity grade and serum IgG levels, and less frequent presence of short sublingual frenulum in patients with dSSc.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that elevated serum lymphotactin levels correlate with relatively milder manifestations in dSSc, especially lower severity of lung involvement, suggesting that lymphotactin may play a role in the development of dSSc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muroi
authors.forename: Fumihide
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komura
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008222:Lymphokines; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; C018997:lymphotactin