A number of contaminants have been shown to enhance, induce, or accelerate the production of autoantibodies in the lab. What does this imply for specific autoimmune diseases? Could we say that the compounds should be suspects as possible inducers/accelerators of any autoimmune disease? For example, if someone is at genetic risk of type 1 diabetes, might these compounds potentially induce/accelerate that disease? Could we test this possibility using, in this case, diabetes-prone rats? Should we measure for these contaminants in epidemiological studies people at genetic risk of type 1 diabetes?

How can epidemiologists address the possibility of low-dose effects (which may have more of an effect than high doses), epigenetic effects (that may be transferred through multiple generations), timing of exposure (e.g., pre-natal or even before conception), and chemicals in combination in their studies of autoimmune diseases?

The central issue isn't that low doses have more effects than high doses... it's that high dose experiments can't be counted on to predict low dose effects because they can be quite different. You can read about this here: http://tinyurl.com/5a4ml4 and here: http://tinyurl.com/69fgum

Here's a good example of this type of dose-response curve from work on the immune system. While high doses of these compounds suppress immune response, extremely low doses exacerbate immune system responses. "Scientists report in a new study that six environmental contaminants which act like the hormone estrogen increase the speed and intensity of immune reactions in human and mouse cells. The doses used were selected to be well within the range of human exposures. " read about it here: http://tinyurl.com/2rydlk

Many endocrine disrupting compounds affect the immune system. Some have been shown to enhance autoantibody production. Could endocrine disruption be involved in autoimmune disease pathogenesis? (e.g., Yurino H, Ishikawa S, Sato T, et al (2004) Endocrine disruptors (environmental estrogens) enhance autoantibody production by B1 cells. Toxicol.Sci. 81: 139-147)

can't open Miller and Halladay presentations; Cooper's is okay. Using MAC, Safari.

Saw the presentations on my screen and they work. Info when tried to open indicated errors, etc. Weird behavior. Don't know what is going on, but something is. Hope it is only my MAC.

I would like the speakers to address the issue of mercury toxicity as a contributing factor to autoimmune disease. Sharing my own experience, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerois, Lupus and Myasthenia Gravis as a result of mercury poisoning from amalgam dental fillings, which contain 50% mercury. the symptoms appears seven days after having an old amalgam filling drilled out and replaced with another. After having my fillings removed I slowly recovered. Mercury adversely effects the body neurologically and immunologically. There are many scientific references supporting the link between mercury toxicity and autoiommune diseases which I would be pleased to submit. There is also a genetic susepibility, i.e. APO3 3/3 or 3/4 indicates that an individual may not be able to excrete mercury and heavy metals. Quote Boyd Haley, PhD, Univ. of Kentucky, Chemistry Dept., "One can definitely develope antibodies to epitopes on proteins where mercury or mercury derivatives have bound to cysteine groups. This makes the protein appear as a foreign body and the immune system reacts accordingly. It is similar to the antigenic response to penicillin where penicillin modifys a host protein and renders it antigenic." These are a few references: Mercury & autoimmune conditions/MS Prochazkova J, Sterzl I, Kucerova H, Bartova J, Stejskal VD; The beneficial effect of amalgam replacement on health in patients with autoimmunity. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2004 Jun;25(3):211-8. thank you, Freya Koss

Visit this URL: http://tinyurl.com/5byz2t

Roughly 75% of autoimmune diseases occur in women. Is there any research going on which looks at disproportionate exposure to solvents or other environmental agents in women which could help explain this sex difference? Or is the genetic factor more important?

Question: I am interested to know more about what is understood concerning factors that contribute to geographical clustering of auto-immune diseases. Is there an association with proximity of residence to industrial and/or military-contaminated sites?

Pam, check this out: http://tinyurl.com/2k25z5 Scientists studying residents living in a 1970s era housing development built atop a retired oil field waste pit found an extraordinarily high incidence of lupus, an autoimmune disease.

... since dioxins are at relatively low levels for most in the US

I would like to know the name of the physician who just asked the question about nutrition being a contributing factor. thank you. Freya

Some clinicians have suggested that increased vitamin D intake might help ward off multiple sclerosis (MS), believed to be a progressive autoimmune disease. Last December, a team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and other institutions published results from the first large-scale prospective study of the relationship between vitamin D levels and MS. After analyzing stored blood samples taken from 7 million military personnel and identifying those individuals who developed MS during a 12-year period, the team determined that the risk of getting MS was 62 percent lower for those whose blood concentration of vitamin D put them in the top quintile than for those in the bottom quintile. The study did not make clear, however, whether low vitamin D levels were a cause of MS or a marker of MS risk.