title: Increased visfatin levels are associated with higher disease activity in anti-Jo-1-positive myositis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of visfatin in anti-Jo-1-positive myositis patients, its expression in muscle tissue and to investigate potential relationships between visfatin, B-cell activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF), disease activity and anti-Jo-1 autoantibody levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of visfatin and BAFF were measured in 38 anti-Jo-1 positive myositis patients and 35 healthy subjects. Disease activity was evaluated by myositis disease activity assessment tool (MYOACT) using visual analogue scales (VAS) and by serum muscle enzymes. Visfatin expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in muscle tissue of myositis patients (n=10) and compared with non-inflammatory control muscle tissue samples from patients with myasthenia gravis (n=5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum visfatin and BAFF levels were significantly higher in myositis patients compared to healthy subjects and were associated with clinical muscle activity assessed by VAS. Only serum BAFF levels, but not visfatin levels, positively correlated with muscle enzyme concentrations and anti-Jo1 antibody levels. There was a positive correlation between visfatin and BAFF serum levels in myositis patients but a negative correlation was observed in healthy subjects. Visfatin expression was up-regulated in endomysial and perimysial inflammatory infiltrates of muscle tissue from myositis patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Up-regulation of visfatin in myositis muscle tissue and an association between increased visfatin levels and muscle disease activity evaluated by MYOACT in anti-Jo-1 positive myositis patients could support possible role of visfatin in the pathogenesis of myositis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology, Prague, Czech Republic. hulejova@revma.cz.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hulejová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology; and Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kryštůfková
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology; and Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Heřman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology; and Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Second Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pavlíčková
authors.affiliation: Second Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zámečník
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology; and Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vencovský
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology; and Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Šenolt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood*; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000032:analysis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D009220:Myositis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D064232:Visual Analog Scale
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D016207:Cytokines; C046750:Jo-1 antibody; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human