Discovery that hints at how AI disease develop | Arthritis Information

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How T Cell's Machinery Dials Down Autoimmunity:

Immune cells adjust their function like a radio dial, not an on/off light switch; a discovery that hints at how autoimmune disease may develop late in life.

A St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study shows that T cells, the body's master immune regulators, do not use simple on/off switches to govern the cellular machinery that regulates their development and function. Rather, they possess sophisticated molecular controls that enable them to adjust their function with exquisite precision. Such subtle adjustment enables T cells to modulate their development and function, including avoiding autoimmunity.

In autoimmune disease, rather than attacking invading microbes, the immune system attacks the body's own organs, tissues or cells. Some 80 autoimmune diseases are known, including type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

"Among the many mysteries surrounding autoimmune diseases is why they can sometimes take decades to manifest themselves," said Dario Vignali, Ph.D., associate member in the St. Jude Department of Immunology. "Our findings hint that this delayed onset could be explained by subtle defects in the molecular controls on T cells." Such T cells are white blood cells whose duties include shutting down the immune system when it has done its job and suppressing T cells that can attack the body.

Vignali is the senior author of a report on this work that appears in the advance online publication of the journal "Nature Immunology."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512113511.htmLynn492008-05-12 13:40:48interesting post lynn

Boney I thought so too.............Years ago there was a theory that collagen injections and breast implants could be a trigger.  I think they've ruled out implants, but did anyone hear anything else about the collagen injections?  There is a growing link between in-utero DES exposure and atypical autoimmune disorders.  It was finally pulled off the market, but was still prescribed as a pre-natal vitamin, even after the ban.  So, you could have been exposed and not even know it.  It's still being used in third-world countries.  There are generations and millions of newbies heading into autoimmune.  Reference: Center for Disease Control and google.  Cathy, what exactly does DES stand for, and in what years was it used, especially as a pre natal vitamin?

Hi Cathy -  I just thought of you about 1/2 hour ago when I saw an ad from a law firm that specializes in suits against the manufacturer of DES.  Time most be running out for filing.    Nothing in my medical history worth filing for but thought I'd mention it to you.    Never quite sure when you see these ads how legitimate they are.....

It will be interesting to see whether studies will end up showing the link between DES and autoimmune diseases.  It does seem like you hear about RA more and more  (or maybe I just pay attention more now that I'm one of them) and it could be that it's taken this long for it to surface for us DES daughters.
 
I know it's JSNM Cathy that you asked what DES stood for, so apologize for jumping in and answering - but it's still a Cathy responding.
 
Website address is:  http://www.cdc.gov/DES/
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a drug once prescribed during pregnancy to prevent miscarriages or premature deliveries. In the U.S. an estimated 5 to 10 million persons were exposed to DES from 1938 to 1971, including pregnant women prescribed DES and their children. In 1971, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised physicians to stop prescribing DES because it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer.
 

 
http://www.cdc.gov/des/
 
Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a drug once prescribed during pregnancy to prevent miscarriages or premature deliveries. In the U.S. an estimated 5 to 10 million persons were exposed to DES from 1938 to 1971, including pregnant women prescribed DES and their children. In 1971, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised (emphasis added) physicians to stop prescribing DES because it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer.
 
more, editing problem ...
DES Daughters are defined as women born between 1938 and 1971 who were exposed to DES before birth (in the womb). Research has confirmed that DES Daughters are at an increased risk for:
Linn - the following is about the autoimmune linkage:
 
http://www.cdc.gov/des/consumers/resources/bibli_immuno.html
 
Noller KL, Blair PB, O'Brien PC, Melton LJ, Offord JF, Kaufman RH, et al. Increased occurrence of autoimmune disease among women exposed in utero to DES. Fertil Steril 1988;49(6):1080-2.
 
Ways SC, Mortola JF, Zvaifler NJ, Weiss RJ, Yen SS. Alterations in immune responsiveness in women exposed to DES in utero. Fertil Steril 1987;48(2):193-7.

Now - getting off the USA-government run site, you get into the continuation of use of DES, despite the ADVISORY in 1971.  It was in Life Magazine, that's when my Mother found out and I was hauled straight in to a gynocologist and told I could be dead by age 30.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol
 
In 1973, in an attempt to restrict off-label use of DES as a postcoital contraceptive (which had become prevalent at many university health services following publication of an influential study in 1971 in JAMA) to emergency situations such as rape, a FDA Drug Bulletin was sent to all U.S. physicians and pharmacists that said the FDA had approved, under restricted conditions, postcoital contraceptive use of DES.[13][14] In 1975, the FDA said it had not actually given (and never did give) approval to any manufacturer to market DES as a postcoital contraceptive, but would approve that indication for emergency situations such as rape or incest if a manufacturer provided patient labeling and special packaging as set out in a FDA final rule published in 1975.[15] To discourage off-label use of DES as a postcoital contraceptive, the FDA in 1975 removed DES 25 mg tablets from the market and ordered the labeling of lower doses (5 mg and lower) of DES still approved for other indications changed to state: "This drug product should not be used as a postcoital contraceptive" in block capital letters on the first line of the physician prescribing information package insert and in a prominent and conspicuous location of the container and carton label.[16][17] In the 1980s, off-label use of the Yuzpe regimen of certain regular combined oral contraceptive pills superseded off-label use of DES as a postcoital contraceptive.[18]

In 1978, the FDA removed postpartum lactation suppression to prevent breast engorgement from their approved indications for DES and other estrogens.[19]

In the 1990s, the only approved indications for DES were treatment of advanced prostate cancer and treatment of advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

The last remaining U.S. manufacturer of DES, Eli Lilly, stopped making and marketing DES in 1997.

During the 1960s DES was used as a growth hormone in the beef and poultry industry. It was later found to cause cancer and was "phased out in the late 1970s."[24]

http://ons.metapress.com/content/04vv880202pj2621/fulltext.pdf

Because DES was marketed under various trade names and some pregnant women believed the pills were prenatal vitamins, DES activists speculate that as many as half of those exposed to the drug, while pregnant or in utero, do not realize that they were exposed.
 
  • Category X: This category includes drugs that have been shown to cause birth defects and should never be taken during pregnancy. These include drugs to treat skin conditions such as cystic acne (Accutane) and psoriasis (Tegison or Soriatane), a sedative (thalidomide), and a drug to prevent miscarriage used until 1971 in the United States and until 1983 in Europe (diethylstilbestrol [DES]). Proper birth control should always be used when taking any of these drugs.

    • Linn - there is more, but I am too tired.  The posters on the walls of the doctor's offices are the best part.  I have more in my notebooks and will try to find the references to dates, etc.  It is my understanding that doctors were still prescribing it for years after the ADVISORY.  Cathy


     

    CathyMN - you beat me to it!  But you have much better information Linn - a very good idea.  The other question is if she had any hint of problems during her pregnancy and if the doctor gave her a course of medication to stop a possible miscarriage.  Good luck ~~ Cathy
    PS - I just posted about DES daughters, DES sons died of it too, plus I think it eventually killed my mother with pancreatic cancer as she never quite recovered after her pregnancy with me.  And I have had acute severe pancreatitis.  Great, big sighs.  justsaynoemore2008-05-14 04:22:03
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