Vasculitis

Vasculitides are life-threatening diseases in which blood vessels are targeted by destructive immune responses. Research in the Lowance Center is centered on inflammatory vasculopathies that involve large and medium-sized arteries, such as Takayasu's disease and giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis). These diseases share pathogenetic pathways and clinical features that distinguish them from other vasculitides. Ongoing research projects in the Lowance Center are designed to identify the environmental and genetic factors that trigger vascular inflammation. Specific emphasis is given to a population of indigenous immune cells in blood vessels, vascular dendritic cells, and their role in protecting arterial walls from inflammatory attack. Immune effector functions of the lymphocytes and macrophages that mediate the typical vascular injury are characterized. Clinical research investigates current and novel therapies in the management of vasculitis.

Publications

Mazlumzadeh M, Hunder GG, Easley KA, Calamia KT, Matteson EL, Griffing WL, Younge BR, Weyand CM , Goronzy JJ. Treatment of giant cell arteritis using induction therapy with high-dose glucocorticoids.A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized prospective clinical trial Arthritis Rheum 54:3310-3318, 2006.

Ma-Krupa W, Kwan M, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Toll-like receptors in giant cell arteritis. Clin Immunol 115:38-46, 2005.

Weyand CM , Ma-Krupa W, Pryshchep O, Gröschel S, Bernardino R, Goronzy JJ. Vascular dendritic cells in giant cell arteritis. Ann NY Acad Sci 1062:195-209, 2005.

Weyand CM, Ma Krupa W, Goronzy JJ. Immunopathways in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. Autoimmunity Rev 3:46-53, 2004.

Ma-Krupa W, Jeon M-S, Tedder TF, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Activation of arterial wall dendritic cells and breakdown of self-tolerance in giant cell arteritis. J Exp Med 199:173-183, 2004.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Mechanisms of disease: Medium- and large-vessel vasculitis. N Engl J Med 349:158-167, 2003.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Giant-cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. Ann Intern Med 139:505-515, 2003.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Pathogenic mechanisms in giant cell arteritis. Cleve Clin J Med 69(Suppl 2):SII28-32, 2002.

Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Cytokines in giant-cell arteritis. Cleve Clin J Med 69(Suppl 2):SII91-4, 2002.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. The pathogenesis of giant cell arteritis. Bulletin on the Rheumatic Diseases, Vol. 51, #8, 2002.

Weyand CM, Kaiser M, Yang H, Younge BR, Goronzy JJ. Therapeutic effects of acetylsalicylic acid in giant cell arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 46:457-466, 2002.

Borkowski A, Younge BR, Szweda L, Mock B, Björnsson J, Moeller K, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Reactive nitrogen intermediates in giant cell arteritis: selective targeting of neocapillaries. Am J Pathol 161:1115-123, 2002.

Ma Krupa W, Dewan M, Jeon M-S, Kurtin PJ, Younge BR, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Trapping of misdirected dendritic cells in the granulomatous lesions of giant cell arteritis. Am J Pathol 161:1815-1823, 2002.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Pathogenic principles in giant cell arteritis. Int J Cardiology 75 Suppl 1:S9-S15, 2000.

Weyand CM, Fulbright JW, Hunder GG, Evans JM, Goronzy JJ. Treatment of giant cell arteritis: interleukin-6 as biomarker of disease activity. Arthritis Rheum 43:1041-1048, 2000.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. T cells in rheumatoid arthritis. Int Rev Immunol 18:37-59, 1999.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Arterial wall injury in giant cell arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 42:844-853, 1999.

Brack A, Martinez-Taboada V, Stanson A, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Disease pattern in cranial and large-vessel giant cell arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 42:311-317, 1999.

Weyand CM, Fulbright JW, Evans JM, Hunder GG, Goronzy JJ. Corticosteroid requirements in polymyalgia rheumatica. Arch Intern Med 159:577-584, 1999.

Rittner HL, Hafner V, Klimiuk PA, Szweda LI, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Aldose reductase functions as a detoxification system for lipid peroxidation products in vasculitis. J Clin Invest 103:1007-1013, 1999.

Rittner HL, Kaiser M, Brack A, Szweda LI, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Tissue destructive macrophages in giant cell arteritis. Circ Res 84:1050-1058, 1999.

Kaiser M, Younge B, Björnsson J, Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Formation of new vasa vasorum in vasculitis: Production of angiogenic cytokines by multinucleated giant cells. Am J Pathol 155:765-774, 1999.

Kaiser M, Weyand CM, Björnsson J, Goronzy JJ. Platelet derived growth factor, intimal hyperplasia and ischemic complications in giant cell vasculitis. Arthritis Rheum 41:623-633, 1998.

O’Duffy JD, Calamia K, Cohen S, Goronzy JJ, Herman D, Jorizzo J, Weyand C, Matteson E. Interferon-α treatment of Behcet’s disease. J Rheumatol 25:1938-1944, 1998.

Weyand CM, Hafner V, Kaiser M, Goronzy JJ. Giant cell arteritis-A molecular approach to the multiple facets of the syndrome. Ann Med Interne (Fr) 149:420-424, 1998.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Med Clin North Am 1:29-55, 1997.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Multisystem interactions in the pathogenesis of vasculitis. Curr Opin Rheumatol 9:3-11, 1997.

Weyand CM, Tetzlaff N, Björnsson J, Brack A, Younge B, Goronzy JJ. Disease patterns and tissue cytokine profiles in giant cell arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 40:19-26, 1997.

Rasmussen TE, Hallett, Jr JW, Mathieu Metzger RL, Richardson DM, Harmsen WS, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Genetic risk factors in inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms: polymorphic residue 70 in the HLA-DR B1 gene as a key genetic element. J Vascular Surg 25:356-64, 1997.

Brack A, Rittner HL, Younge BR, Kaltschmidt C, Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Glucocorticoid mediated represssion of cytokine gene transcription in human arteritis-SCID chimeras. J Clin Invest 99:2842-2850, 1997.

Brack A, Geisler A., Martinez-Taboada VM, Younge BR, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Giant cell vasculitis is a T cell-dependent disease. Mol Med 3:530-543, 1997.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. The pathogenic role of T lymphocytes in vasculitis. Sarcoid Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 13:217-220, 1996.

Martinez -Taboada VM, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Clonally expanded CD8 T cells in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. Clin Immunol Immunopathol 79:263-270, 1996.

Wagner AD, Björnsson J, Bartley GB, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Interferon gamma producing T cells in giant cell vasculitis represent a minority of tissue infiltrating cells and are located distant from the site of pathology. Am J Pathol 148:1925-1933, 1996.

Martinez-Taboada V, Brack A, Hunder GG, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. The inflammatory infiltrate in giant cell arteritis selects against B lymphocytes. J Rheumatol 23:1011-1014, 1996.

Weyand CM, Wagner AD, Björnsson J, Goronzy JJ. Correlation of topographical arrangement and the functional pattern of tissue-infiltrating macrophages in giant cell arteritis. J Clin Invest 98:1642-1649, 1996.

Martinez-Taboada VM, Hunder NNH, Hunder GG, Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Recognition of tissue residing antigen by T cells in vasculitic lesions of giant cell arteritis. J Molec Med 74:695-703, 1996.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Molecular approaches toward pathological mechanisms in giant cell arteritis and takayasu’s arteritis. Curr Opin Rheumatol 7:30-36, 1995.

Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Giant cell arteritis as an antigen driven disease. Rheum Dis Clin North Amer 21(4):1027-1039, 1995.

Wagner AD, Goronzy JJ, Matteson EL, Weyand CM. Systemic monocyte and T cell activation during human parvovirus B infection. Mayo Clin Proc 70:261-265, 1995.

Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Vasculitis in rheumatoid arthritis. Curr Opin Rheumatol 6:290-294. 1994.

Weyand CM, Schönberger J, Oppitz U, Hunder NNH, Hicok KC, Goronzy JJ. Distinct vascular lesions in giant cell arteritis share identical T cell clonotypes. J Exp Med 179:951-960, 1994.

Weyand CM, Hunder NNH, Hicok KC, Hunder GG, Goronzy JJ. HLA-DRB1 alleles in polymyalgia rheumatica, giant cell arteritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 37:514-520, 1994.

Wagner AD, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Functional profile of tissue infiltrating and circulating CD68+ cells in giant cell arteritis. Evidence for two components of the disease. J Clin Invest 94:1134-1140, 1994.

Weyand CM, Hicok KC, Hunder GG, Goronzy JJ. Tissue cytokine patterns in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. Ann Intern Med 121:484-491, 1994.

Hunder GG, Lie JT, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Pathogenesis of giant cell arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 36:757-761, 1993.

Roche NE, Fulbright JW, Wagner AD, Hunder GG, Goronzy JJ, Weyand CM. Correlation of interleukin-6 production and disease activity in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. Arthritis Rheum 36:1286-1294, 1993.

Weyand CM, Hicok KC, Hunder GG, Goronzy JJ. The HLA-DRB1 locus as a genetic component in giant cell arteritis. Mapping of a disease-linked sequence motif to the antigen binding site of the HLA-DR molecule. J Clin Invest 90:2355-2361, 1992.