title: Analysis of a multiple nuclear dots pattern in a large cohort of dermatological patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anti-multiple nuclear dots (MND) antibodies are the markers of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but can also be found in patients with other autoimmune diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  We looked for MND in 9189 sera belonging to 6240 patients stored for autoimmune diseases with prevalent cutaneous features.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty sera proved anti-MND-positive and came from 15 different patients: 6 had lupus erythematosus, 2 dermatomyositis, 2 lichen planus, 1 stroke, 1 telogen effluvium, 1 autoimmune thrombocytopenia, and 2 undifferentiated connective tissue disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-MND antibodies can be found not only in patients with PBC, but in connective tissue diseases as well. They can be associated with other fluoroscopic patterns and their titers can vary over the years, never correlating with the disease activity or with particular cutaneous features. Although anti-MND antibodies found are directed to the Sp100 antigen of the nuclear dots, it remains unclear whether their molecular target is the same amino-acid domain as in PBC.
authors.affiliation: DISSAL Section of Dermatology, University of Genoa Medical School, Viale Benedetto XV 7, Genova, Italy. emanuele.cozzani@unige.it
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cozzani
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drosera
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parodi
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000276:immunology; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000276:immunology; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D001324:Autoantigens; C066642:SP100 protein, human