In a pilot study four @entity1 with @entity1252 ( @entity1252 ) and @entity3039 ( @entity3039 ) were treated with rituximab, a B cell depicting chimeric human/mouse anti- @entity2225 antibody. Treatment could be performed without serious side effects and resulted in a depletion of B cells from the peripheral blood for at least 4 months. Examination of one @entity1 three months after treatment revealed a complete depletion of B cells in the bone marrow and in the spleen as well. The time point when peripheral B cells returned into the normal range varied between 8 months and over one year and could be observed also in the spleen. The follow up over more than 12 months revealed no significant treatment-associated side effects. Total immunoglobulin and specific antibody levels did not change except for one @entity1252 - @entity1 receiving additional immunosuppressive treatment including @entity786 because of progressive disease. Clinical effectiveness cannot be judged by the small number of @entity1 . However, one @entity1252 @entity1 with refractory severe @entity882 had a very Favourable response with stable platelet numbers over 100.000/microl now for more than 6 months and disappearance of anti-DNA antibodies. The treatment failure in another @entity1252 @entity1 could be due to the persistence of @entity2225 -negative plasmablasts in peripheral blood which are not targeted by anti- @entity2225 treatment. Further studies are needed to assess the clinical benefit of B cell depletion in the treatment of @entity792 .

Effective B cell depletion with rituximab in the treatment of XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity882 :: ('MESH:D013921', 'Disease') :: ['thrombocytopenia'] @entity2225 :: ('54474', 'Gene') :: ['CD20'] @entity1252 :: ('MESH:D008180', 'Disease') :: ['SLE', 'systemic lupus erythematosus'] @entity786 :: ('MESH:D003520', 'Chemical') :: ['cyclophosphamide'] @entity3039 :: ('MESH:D016553', 'Disease') :: ['autoimmune thrombocytopenia', 'ITP'] @entity792 :: ('MESH:D001327', 'Disease') :: ['autoimmune diseases']
@entity792 :: (MESH:D001327,Disease) :: ['autoimmune diseases']
