The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Lupus (14 page)

its synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially plasma cells), or with antigen closely related to it. Antibodies are classified according to their ode of action as agglutinins, bacteriolysins, haemolysins, opsonins, precipitins,

etc. [EU]

Antigen:
Any substance which is capable, under appropriate conditions, of inducing a specific immune response and of reacting with the products of

that response, that is, with specific antibody or specifically sensitized T-

lymphocytes, or both. Antigens may be soluble substances, such as toxins

and foreign proteins, or particulate, such as bacteria and tissue cells;

however, only the portion of the protein or polysaccharide molecule known

as the antigenic determinant (q.v.) combines with antibody or a specific

receptor on a lymphocyte. Abbreviated Ag. [EU]

Antioxidant:
One of many widely used synthetic or natural substances

added to a product to prevent or delay its deterioration by action of oxygen

in the air. Rubber, paints, vegetable oils, and prepared foods commonly

contain antioxidants. [EU]

Arthralgia:
Pain in a joint. [EU]

Assay:
Determination of the amount of a particular constituent of a mixture, or of the biological or pharmacological potency of a drug. [EU]

Asymptomatic:
Showing or causing no symptoms. [EU]

Atrophy:
A wasting away; a diminution in the size of a cell, tissue, organ, or part. [EU]

Biochemical:
Relating to biochemistry; characterized by, produced by, or involving chemical reactions in living organisms. [EU]

Capillary:
Any one of the minute vessels that connect the arterioles and venules, forming a network in nearly all parts of the body. Their walls act as semipermeable membranes for the interchange of various substances,

including fluids, between the blood and tissue fluid; called also vas capillare.

[EU]

Captopril:
A potent and specific inhibitor of peptidyl-dipeptidase A. It blocks the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II, a vasoconstrictor and important regulator of arterial blood pressure. Captopril acts to suppress the renin-angiotensin system and inhibits pressure responses to exogenous

angiotensin. [NIH]

Chemotherapy:
The treatment of disease by means of chemicals that have a specific toxic effect upon the disease - producing microorganisms or that

selectively destroy cancerous tissue. [EU]

Collagen:
The protein substance of the white fibres (collagenous fibres) of skin, tendon, bone, cartilage, and all other connective tissue; composed of

Studies 69

molecules of tropocollagen (q.v.), it is converted into gelatin by boiling.

collagenous pertaining to collagen; forming or producing collagen. [EU]

Coronary:
Encircling in the manner of a crown; a term applied to vessels; nerves, ligaments, etc. The term usually denotes the arteries that supply the

heart muscle and, by extension, a pathologic involvement of them. [EU]

Cyclophosphamide:
Precursor of an alkylating nitrogen mustard

antineoplastic and immunosuppressive agent that must be activated in the

liver to form the active aldophosphamide. It is used in the treatment of

lymphomas, leukemias, etc. Its side effect, alopecia, has been made use of in

defleecing sheep. Cyclophosphamide may also cause sterility, birth defects,

mutations, and cancer. [NIH]

Cytokines:
Non-antibody proteins secreted by inflammatory leukocytes and some non-leukocytic cells, that act as intercellular mediators. They differ

from classical hormones in that they are produced by a number of tissue or

cell types rather than by specialized glands. They generally act locally in a

paracrine or autocrine rather than endocrine manner. [NIH]

Cytoplasm:
The protoplasm of a cell exclusive of that of the nucleus; it consists of a continuous aqueous solution (cytosol) and the organelles and

inclusions suspended in it (phaneroplasm), and is the site of most of the

chemical activities of the cell. [EU]

Distal:
Remote; farther from any point of reference; opposed to proximal. In dentistry, used to designate a position on the dental arch farther from the

median line of the jaw. [EU]

Endogenous:
Developing or originating within the organisms or arising

from causes within the organism. [EU]

Enzyme:
A protein molecule that catalyses chemical reactions of other

substances without itself being destroyed or altered upon completion of the

reactions. Enzymes are classified according to the recommendations of the

Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry. Each

enzyme is assigned a recommended name and an Enzyme Commission (EC)

number. They are divided into six main groups; oxidoreductases,

transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, and ligases. [EU]

Exogenous:
Developed or originating outside the organism, as exogenous disease. [EU]

Extracorporeal:
Situated or occurring outside the body. [EU]

Exudate:
Material, such as fluid, cells, or cellular debris, which has escaped from blood vessels and has been deposited in tissues or on tissue surfaces,

usually as a result of inflammation. An exudate, in contrast to a transudate,

is characterized by a high content of protein, cells, or solid materials derived from cells. [EU]

70 Lupus Nephritis

Genotype:
The genetic constitution of the individual; the characterization of the genes. [NIH]

Humoral:
Of, relating to, proceeding from, or involving a bodily humour -

now often used of endocrine factors as opposed to neural or somatic. [EU]

Hypertension:
Persistently high arterial blood pressure. Various criteria for its threshold have been suggested, ranging from 140 mm. Hg systolic and 90

mm. Hg diastolic to as high as 200 mm. Hg systolic and 110 mm. Hg

diastolic. Hypertension may have no known cause (essential or idiopathic h.)

or be associated with other primary diseases (secondary h.). [EU]

Hypotension:
Abnormally low blood pressure; seen in shock but not

necessarily indicative of it. [EU]

Iatrogenic:
Resulting from the activity of physicians. Originally applied to disorders induced in the patient by autosuggestion based on the physician's

examination, manner, or discussion, the term is now applied to any adverse

condition in a patient occurring as the result of treatment by a physician or

surgeon, especially to infections acquired by the patient during the course of treatment. [EU]

Induction:
The act or process of inducing or causing to occur, especially the production of a specific morphogenetic effect in the developing embryo

through the influence of evocators or organizers, or the production of

anaesthesia or unconsciousness by use of appropriate agents. [EU]

Infusion:
The therapeutic introduction of a fluid other than blood, as saline solution, solution, into a vein. [EU]

Ingestion:
The act of taking food, medicines, etc., into the body, by mouth.

[EU]

Intrinsic:
Situated entirely within or pertaining exclusively to a part. [EU]

Lesion:
Any pathological or traumatic discontinuity of tissue or loss of function of a part. [EU]

Ligation:
Application of a ligature to tie a vessel or strangulate a part. [NIH]

Membrane:
A thin layer of tissue which covers a surface, lines a cavity or divides a space or organ. [EU]

Monocytes:
Large, phagocytic mononuclear leukocytes produced in the

vertebrate bone marrow and released into the blood; contain a large, oval or

somewhat indented nucleus surrounded by voluminous cytoplasm and

numerous organelles. [NIH]

Mutagenesis:
Process of generating genetic mutations. It may occur

spontaneously or be induced by mutagens. [NIH]

Myalgia:
Pain in a muscle or muscles. [EU]

Necrosis:
The sum of the morphological changes indicative of cell death and Studies 71

caused by the progressive degradative action of enzymes; it may affect

groups of cells or part of a structure or an organ. [EU]

Nephrology:
A subspecialty of internal medicine concerned with the

anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the kidney. [NIH]

Nephropathy:
Disease of the kidneys. [EU]

Neutrophil:
Having an affinity for neutral dyes. [EU]

Pediatrics:
A medical specialty concerned with maintaining health and

providing medical care to children from birth to adolescence. [NIH]

Phagocytosis:
Endocytosis of particulate material, such as microorganisms or cell fragments. The material is taken into the cell in membrane-bound

vesicles (phagosomes) that originate as pinched off invaginations of the

plasma membrane. Phagosomes fuse with lysosomes, forming

phagolysosomes in which the engulfed material is killed and digested. [EU]

Phenotype:
The outward appearance of the individual. It is the product of interactions between genes and between the genotype and the environment.

This includes the killer phenotype, characteristic of yeasts. [NIH]

Plasmapheresis:
Procedure whereby plasma is separated and extracted

from anticoagulated whole blood and the red cells retransfused to the donor.

Plasmapheresis is also employed for therapeutic use. [NIH]

Precursor:
Something that precedes. In biological processes, a substance from which another, usually more active or mature substance is formed. In

clinical medicine, a sign or symptom that heralds another. [EU]

Prevalence:
The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from incidence, which

refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time. [NIH]

Protease:
Proteinase (= any enzyme that catalyses the splitting of interior peptide bonds in a protein). [EU]

Proteins:
Polymers of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. The specific sequence of amino acids determines the shape and function of the protein.

[NIH]

Pulse:
The rhythmical expansion and contraction of an artery produced by waves of pressure caused by the ejection of blood from the left ventricle of

the heart as it contracts. [NIH]

Purpura:
Purplish or brownish red discoloration, easily visible through the epidermis, caused by hemorrhage into the tissues. [NIH]

Receptor:
1. a molecular structure within a cell or on the surface

characterized by (1) selective binding of a specific substance and (2) a

specific physiologic effect that accompanies the binding, e.g., cell-surface

receptors for peptide hormones, neurotransmitters, antigens, complement

fragments, and immunoglobulins and cytoplasmic receptors for steroid

72 Lupus Nephritis

hormones. 2. a sensory nerve terminal that responds to stimuli of various

kinds. [EU]

Recombinant:
1. a cell or an individual with a new combination of genes not found together in either parent; usually applied to linked genes. [EU]

Reconstitution:
1. a type of regeneration in which a new organ forms by the rearrangement of tissues rather than from new formation at an injured

surface. 2. the restoration to original form of a substance previously altered for preservation and storage, as the restoration to a liquid state of blood

serum or plasma that has been dried and stored. [EU]

Remission:
A diminution or abatement of the symptoms of a disease; also the period during which such diminution occurs. [EU]

Seizures:
Clinical or subclinical disturbances of cortical function due to a sudden, abnormal, excessive, and disorganized discharge of brain cells.

Clinical manifestations include abnormal motor, sensory and psychic

phenomena. Recurrent seizures are usually referred to as EPILEPSY or

"seizure disorder." [NIH]

Serum:
The clear portion of any body fluid; the clear fluid moistening serous membranes. 2. blood serum; the clear liquid that separates from blood

on clotting. 3. immune serum; blood serum from an immunized animal used

for passive immunization; an antiserum; antitoxin, or antivenin. [EU]

Stimulant:
1. producing stimulation; especially producing stimulation by causing tension on muscle fibre through the nervous tissue. 2. an agent or

remedy that produces stimulation. [EU]

Tolerance:
1. the ability to endure unusually large doses of a drug or toxin.

2. acquired drug tolerance; a decreasing response to repeated constant doses

of a drug or the need for increasing doses to maintain a constant response.

[EU]

Toxicity:
The quality of being poisonous, especially the degree of virulence of a toxic microbe or of a poison. [EU]

Patents 73

CHAPTER 5. PATENTS ON LUPUS NEPHRITIS

Overview

You can learn about innovations relating to lupus nephritis by reading recent

patents and patent applications. Patents can be physical innovations (e.g.

chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment) or processes (e.g.

treatments or diagnostic procedures). The United States Patent and

Trademark Office defines a patent as a grant of a property right to the

inventor, issued by the Pa
tent and Trademark Office.25 Patents, therefore, are

intellectual property. For the United States, the term of a new patent is 20