Distribution of nailfold videocapillaroscopy parameters in systemic lupus erythematosus and their association with disease activity: an international blinded case-control analysis on behalf of the EULAR study group on microcirculation in rheumatic diseases.

Objectives: To evaluate whether patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have different nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) findings compared with healthy controls (HCs) and whether there is an association between NVC abnormalities and disease activity, clinical and/or laboratory features in SLE.

Methods: This is an observational, multicentre, international, matched case-control study. 381 subjects (203 patients with SLE and 178 HCs) were enrolled from 16 centres in 10 countries.

Non-canonical G activation by orexin receptor type 2 and lemborexant observed in microsecond molecular dynamics simulations.

Orexins are hypothalamic neuropeptides primarily involved in regulating the sleep/wakefulness cycle and circadian rhythm. They bind to the orexin receptor type 1 (OX) and type 2 (OX), well-known drug targets in the treatment of sleep disorders, that have recently been shown to play a significant role in different cancers. Lemborexant is one of a few orexin receptor antagonists that have been approved for the treatment of insomnia.

Dynamic macrophage phenotypes in autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Macrophages regulate inflammatory and fibrotic processes in several autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic diseases. They are highly plastic cells, shifting within a range of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory or pro-fibrotic phenotypes in response to dynamic interactions with other cells, environmental factors and cytokine signatures. The terms 'M1 macrophages', or classically activated, and 'M2 macrophages', or alternatively activated, were previously used to denote pro- and anti-inflammatory macrophage subsets, respectively, but this classification system has been outdated by in vivo evidence of a continuum of macrophage phenotypes that includes M1-like, M2-like and hybrid phenotypes.

Nailfold videocapillaroscopy in juvenile dermatomyositis: detailed correlations between microvascular abnormalities with clinical and laboratory parameters from an observational retrospective single-center study.

Introduction: Juvenile dermatomyositis (jDM) is a systemic autoimmune disease mainly affecting the skeletal muscle and skin. The aim of our study was to investigate the possible correlations between nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) findings with clinical and laboratory parameters in patients with jDM.

Methods: Twenty-eight jDM patients (mean age 7.

The therapeutic effects of Plantago major and its main constituents on respiratory diseases: a narrative review.

Herbal medicines have been proposed as adjuvant treatment for respiratory diseases. One such agent is Plantago major (P. major).

Exosomal Protein Biomarkers in Arthritis: Deciphering the Inflammatory Profiles of RA and OA.

: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are highly prevalent diseases and their pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment continue to be challenging. The aim of this study was to characterize and differentiate the profiles of the serum extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from RA and OA patients. : This study included nine patients diagnosed with RA, eight patients with OA during a flare and five healthy controls (HCs).

Regorafenib plus modified gemcitabine-oxaliplatin in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. The randomized phase Ib/II BREGO study.

Background: New therapeutic options are needed for biliary tract cancer (BTC). Regorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor, shows promise in refractory digestive cancers and may be beneficial with conventional chemotherapy for BTC.

Patients And Methods: The BREGO study evaluated regorafenib with modified gemcitabine-oxaliplatin (mGEMOX) in advanced or metastatic BTC.

EMT-associated bias in the Parsortix® system observed with pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 12%, highlighting the need for reliable biomarkers for early detection and disease monitoring. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have emerged as a promising biomarker, yet their detection remains challenging. This study evaluates the Parsortix® system, a microfluidic device that enriches CTCs based on size and deformability, using pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Detection of Anti-RuvBL1/2 Autoantibodies by Targeted Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Background: Anti-RuvBL1/2 autoantibodies are found in patients with systemic sclerosis and systemic sclerosis-myositis overlap syndrome. Anti-RuvBL1/2 antibodies recognize conformational epitopes of the RuvBL1/2 complex, which complicates detection by solid phase assays. Here, we propose a method for detection of anti-RuvBL1/2 autoantibodies based on liquid phase immunoprecipitation combined with quantification of the precipitated RuvBL1/2 by LC-MS/MS.

Nailfold videocapillaroscopy in patients with deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2): a case-control study.

Background: Deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) is a rare monogenic autoinflammatory disease mainly characterized by the presence of systemic inflammation and vascular manifestations such as vasculitis and early-onset stroke. Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) can occur in up to 22% of DADA2 patients. The aim of this work was to investigate the microvascular status of DADA2 patients by the mean of nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) comparing them with adequate healthy controls (HC) and primary RP patients.

Metabolomics study by metabolite profiling analysis in kidney and liver of calorie-restricted aging rats using GC-MS/MS.

Aging leads to deterioration of the liver and kidney. Metabolic research on aging organs, including liver and kidney and metabolic studies of caloric restriction (CR), which delay aging and extends lifespan, are not well understood. In this study, we monitored metabolic changes associated with aging and explored potential biomarkers in kidney and liver of young (Y, 8 months), old (O, 23 months), and old calorie-restricted (OCR, 23 months) rats by metabolic profiling of organic acids (OA), free fatty acids (FFA), amino acids (AA) using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Re-envisioning clinical trial design in systemic sclerosis.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a progressive autoimmune rheumatic disease with high morbidity and mortality and few effective treatment options. Increased biopharmaceutical investment in therapeutic development for rare diseases has created new opportunities for drug discovery in SSc. However, despite the increased pipeline activity in SSc, success rates remain dismally low.

Apoptotic cells are not all created equal.

After lung injury, uptake of apoptotic neutrophils, but not epithelial cells, by alveolar macrophages prioritizes tissue repair over bacterial clearance (see related Research Article by Better ).

Evaluating the effect of crocin on contrast-induced nephropathy in rats.

Objective: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) raises the risk of renal injury, but crocin, a saffron component, may improve kidney function. This study investigated crocin's protective effects against CIN in rats.

Materials And Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups: Sham, Control, Contrast medium (diatrizoate), Diatrizoate combined with crocin at 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg/day, Diatrizoate combined with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) at 125 mg/kg/day, and Crocin alone at 40 mg/kg/day.

Macrophage caspase-8 inhibition accelerates necrotic core expansion in atheroma plaque in mice.

Background And Aims: Cell death plays a central role in atheroma plaque progression and aggravation. This study investigates the role of caspase-8 in regulating macrophage cell death modalities, specifically apoptosis and necroptosis, within atheroma plaques.

Methods: Bone marrow from caspase-8-deficient ( ) and cohoused wildtype littermates were transplanted in atherosclerosis-prone recipient mice fed with a proatherogenic diet.

Cerebrovascular Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by vascular damage, immune system dysregulation and fibrosis. The hallmark features include microvascular alterations and progressive tissue fibrosis, affecting skin, internal organs as well central and peripheral nervous system, adding to the disease's complexity and influencing overall outcomes. Of note, SSc has also been linked to macrovascular and cardiovascular involvement, including cerebrovascular damage as observed in stroke.

Protective role of oleic acid against palmitic acid-induced pancreatic fibrosis.

Background: Obesity has been associated with several pancreatic disorders and is an important risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, the role of lipids in the early steps of carcinogenesis is unknown. Although we previously identified two types of pancreatic fatty infiltration with different lipid compositions that were associated with precancerous lesions and fibrosis, their mechanisms of action have not been clarified.

Guidance for stem cell therapy for juvenile systemic sclerosis patients.

Introduction: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and cellular therapies (CTs) are emerging therapeutic options for both adult and juvenile-onset systemic sclerosis (jSSc) patients. However, most efficacy data are derived from adult studies, and it remains unclear whether adult stem cell transplant criteria are fully applicable to pediatric patients with jSSc. Given pediatric patients' unique potential for recovery and tissue remodeling, the stringent criteria used in adults need adaptation for children.

Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin: A rapid sepsis biomarker for diagnosing spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhosis.

Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent and life-threatening complication of cirrhosis, contributing to considerable morbidity and mortality.

Methods: A cross-sectional derivation study was conducted to assess the diagnostic accuracy of two sepsis-related calcitonin peptide family biomarkers, mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-pro-ADM) and procalcitonin, in ascitic fluid for identifying bacteriologically confirmed SBP (BC-SBP). In a subsequent validation study, the diagnostic performance of the 'SBP score' was evaluated in an independent patient cohort using an absolute polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte count threshold of ≥250 cells/mm as the diagnostic benchmark for diagnosing SBP.

Time on the waiting list is an independent risk factor for day-90 mortality after lung transplantation.

Background: The waitlist deaths of transplantation candidates based on their time on the waiting list (TWL) have already been studied, but the short-term mortality and early complications of lung transplant (LT) recipients based on their TWL have not been specifically studied. The first aim of this study was to assess the relationship between increased TWL and short-term mortality in LT recipients.

Methods: In this observational, monocentric, retrospective study, all patients who underwent LT between January 2016 and August 2022 at Bichat Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris were analyzed.

Clinical outcomes in cancer patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced arthritis treated with methotrexate: a retrospective longitudinal monocentric pilot study.

Objectives: Immune-mediated adverse events (irAEs) from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) often require high-dose glucocorticoids (GCs), which can promote cancer progression and counteract ICI benefits. This study evaluated the articular and oncologic clinical outcomes of ICI-induced arthritis treated with methotrexate (MTX) as a GC-sparing agent.

Methods: Adult patients with ICI-induced arthritis in 2023 were included.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on the Safety and Efficacy of CAR T Cell Therapy Targeting GPRC5D in Patients with Multiple Myeloma: A New Insight in Cancer Immunotherapy.

Background: Despite ongoing advances and introducing innovative therapeutic approaches for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), relapses are common, with low overall survival rates. G protein-coupled receptor, class C, group 5, and member D (GPRC5D) has been expressed in several myeloma cell lines and has demonstrated encouraging outcomes results in studies as a potential target for immunotherapies.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of GPRC5D-targeted CAR T cell therapies in MM patients.