{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T15:05:10Z","timestamp":1784732710249,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,29]],"date-time":"2022-03-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1648512000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Medical University Plovdiv","award":["Project of Medical University \u2013 Plovdiv \u2116SD-04\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Project of Medical University \u2013 Plovdiv \u2116SD-04\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Data on the associations between capillaroscopic changes and diagnostic systemic-sclerosis (SSc)-related antibodies are scarce. Presence of such correlation would improve current knowledge about the disease\u2019s pathogenesis by revealing the mechanisms of microangiopathy. The microvascular pathology of SSc is a hallmark of the disease, and immunological abnormalities probably contribute to its development. Patients and methods: 19 patients with definite diagnosis of SSc were included in the current pilot study; 16 had limited and 3 had diffuse cutaneous involvement; their mean age was 51.56 \u00b1 15.07 years. All patients exhibited symptoms of Raynaud\u2019s phenomenon of the fingers. A \u201cscleroderma\u201d type capillaroscopic pattern was classified according to the staging suggested by Cutolo et al. (2000): \u201cearly\u201d, \u201cactive\u201d or \u201dlate\u201d phase. In the presence of different degrees of capillaroscopic changes in different fingers, the most-advanced microvascular pathology was chosen for classification. In cases without capillaroscopic features of microangiopathy, the findings were categorized as normal or nonspecific (dilated, tortuous capillaries, and\/or hemorrhages). Indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells was performed as the gold-standard screening method for the detection of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA), and determination of the immunofluorescent staining pattern (anti-cell pattern) was in accordance with the International Consensus on ANA Patterns. Scleroderma-associated autoantibodies in the patients\u2019 serum were assessed using line immunoblot assay for detection of autoantibodies to 13 scleroderma-associated autoantigens: Scl-70, CENP A, CENP B, RP11\/RNAP-III, RP155\/RNAP-III, fibrillarin, NOR-90, Th\/To, PM-Scl100, PM-Scl75, Ku, PDGFR, and Ro-52. Results: In 73.7% (n = 14) of the examined patients, \u201cscleroderma\u201d type capillaroscopic changes were found, and in 26.3% (n = 5), capillaroscopic features of microangiopathy were absent (nonspecific changes, n = 3; normal findings, n = 2). In SSc patients with positive anti-Scl-70 (n = 7) antibodies, significantly lower mean capillary density was observed along with a higher frequency of \u201cactive\u201d and \u201clate\u201d phase capillaroscopic changes as compared to the anti-Scl-70-negative patients (p &lt; 0.05). Anti-RNAP III\u2013155 positive patients (n = 4) had significantly higher mean capillary density than anti-RNAP III\u2013155 negative patients (n = 15). In three of the anti-RNAP III\u2013155-positive cases, capillaroscopic features of microangiopathy were not detected, and in one case there was an \u201cearly\u201d phase \u201cscleroderma\u201d pattern. Conclusion: In the current pilot study, the association between more advanced capillaroscopic changes and the presence of anti-Scl-70 autoantibodies was confirmed. As a novel observation, positive anti-RNAP III\u2013155 antibodies were found in SSc patients with or without early microangiopathy. The question of associations between microvascular changes in SSc and other SSc-related autoantibodies requires further research.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life12040498","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,29]],"date-time":"2022-03-29T21:41:30Z","timestamp":1648590090000},"page":"498","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Capillaroscopy and Immunological Profile in Systemic Sclerosis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Sevdalina Nikolova","family":"Lambova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, MHAT \u201cSveti Mina\u201d, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ekaterina Krasimirova","family":"Kurteva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital \u201cSt. Ivan Rilski\u201d, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6567-3279","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sanie Syuleymanova","family":"Dzhambazova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Clinic in Rheumatology, UMHAT \u201cSveti Georgi\u201d, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Georgi Hristov","family":"Vasilev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital \u201cSt. Ivan Rilski\u201d, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dobroslav Stanimirov","family":"Kyurkchiev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, University Hospital \u201cSt. Ivan Rilski\u201d, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7655-3846","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariela Gencheva","family":"Geneva-Popova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Clinic in Rheumatology, UMHAT \u201cSveti Georgi\u201d, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"272","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2015.00272","article-title":"Pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis","volume":"6","author":"Pattanaik","year":"2015","journal-title":"Front Immunol."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"1747","article-title":"2013 classification criteria for systemic sclerosis: An American College of Rheumatology\/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative","volume":"71","author":"Khanna","year":"2013","journal-title":"Ann. 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