Mixed connective tissue disease connective tissue disease is not necessarily associated with serum antibodies directed against the U1-RNP, and MCTD is associated with a more clearly defined set of signs/symptoms. MCTD combines features of scleroderma, myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis (with some sources adding polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and inclusion body myositis) and is thus considered an overlap syndrome. MCTD commonly causes: It has been associated with HLA-DR4. Distinguishing laboratory characteristics are a positive, speckled anti-nuclear antibody and an anti-U1-RNP antibody. The prognosis of mixed connective tissue disease is in one third of cases worse than that of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In spite
Adiposopathy (10) steroid metabolism; (11) blood clotting (hemostasis); (12) element binding; (13) and immune response (described below). When fat cells and fat tissue remain healthy during fat weight gain, patients may avoid metabolic ill health. However, if enlargement of fat cells and fat tissue causes them to become "sick", then important fat tissue functions are disrupted, and deranged responses contribute to metabolic disease. When excessive body weight leads to adiposopathy, this represents a hormone or endocrine disease. Additionally, fat cells and fat tissue also produce many different types of immune factors. Inflammation is a contributing cause to metabolic disease, and the