Objective. Fcy receptors of class IIa (FcyRIIa) occur in 2 allelic forms, with either a low (IIa-R131) or a high (IIa-H131) affinity for complexed IgG2 and IgG3. This polymorphism might have implications for the handling of immune complexes. Therefore, we determined the distribution of the Fc yRIIa allotypes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with or without a history of lupus nephritis.Methods. We studied 95 unrelated white European patients with SLE, as defined by the American College of Rheumatology criteria, 50 of whom had a history of lupus nephritis, and 69 healthy white European control subjects. Fc yRIIa allotypes were determined by immunophenotyping of blood monocytes.Results. It was found that lupus nephritis was significantly associated with the "low affinity" FcyRIIa WR131 allotype and with the R131 allele, compared with healthy controls. No significant association was found upon comparison of groups with and without nephritis.Conclusion. SLE patients with a history of lupus nephritis have an abnormal distribution of FcyRIIa allotypes. FcyRIIa may well play a role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis, since IIa-R/R131 SLE pa-

Vascular occlusion is the main cause of the morbidity and mortality observed in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Increasing evidence indicates that (activated) neutrophils could play an important role in the initiation and propagation of vaso-occlusive processes in SCD. In this study, the activation state of neutrophils in sickle cell patients was analyzed by determining the level of expression of neutrophil antigens such as CD62L, CD11b, CD66b, CD63, and Fcgamma receptors. We also analyzed plasma levels of lactoferrin, elastase, soluble (s)CD16 (sFcgammaRIII), and serum levels of soluble (s)CD62L (sL-selectin) as neutrophil activation markers in these patients. Significant differences were observed in the activation state of neutrophils in non-symptomatic sickle cell patients compared to healthy HbAA controls as exemplified by significant decrease in L-selectin expression, enhanced expression of CD64, and increased levels of soluble markers like sL-selectin, elastase, and sCD16. During vaso-occlusive crisis the differences were even more pronounced. These results show neutrophils to be activated in sickle cell patients, suggesting a role of importance in the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease.

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Objective To compare serum levels of angiogenic growth factors vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF) and angiogenin in pre-eclamptic women and matched controls.Design Retrospective analysis of -70°C stored serum of women who developed pre-eclampsia and matched controls. Conclusions Decreased serum levels of VEGF and PlGF characterise, and therefore seem to be of importance during (the development of), pre-eclampsia. This selective deficit of angiogenic growth factors might in part explain the shallow placentation found in this pregnancy complication.