Arthritis and rheumatism
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Feb 2011
Systemic lupus erythematosus serum deposits C4d on red blood cells, decreases red blood cell membrane deformability, and promotes nitric oxide production.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by intravascular activation of the complement system and deposition of complement fragments (C3 and C4) on plasma membranes of circulating cells, including red blood cells (RBCs). The aim of this study was to address whether this process affects the biophysical properties of RBCs. ⋯ Our data suggest that complement activation in patients with SLE leads to calcium-dependent cytosketeletal changes in RBCs that render them less deformable, probably impairing their flow through capillaries. This phenomenon may negatively affect the delivery of oxygen to the tissues.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Jan 2011
Multicenter StudyCombined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema syndrome in connective tissue disease.
Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) are associated with several interstitial lung diseases. The aim of this study was to describe the recently individualized syndrome of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) in a population of patients with CTD. ⋯ CPFE warrants inclusion as a novel, distinct pulmonary manifestation within the spectrum of CTD-associated lung diseases in smokers or former smokers, especially in patients with RA or SSc.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2010
Characterization of the human nucleus pulposus cell phenotype and evaluation of novel marker gene expression to define adult stem cell differentiation.
Development of stem cell therapies for regenerating the nucleus pulposus (NP) are hindered by the lack of specific markers by which to distinguish NP cells from articular chondrocytes (ACs). The purpose of this study was to define the phenotype profile of human NP cells using gene expression profiling and to assess whether the identified markers could distinguish mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation to a correct NP cell phenotype. ⋯ This study is the first to use gene expression profiling to identify the human NP cell phenotype. Importantly, these markers can be used to determine the in vitro differentiation of MSCs to an NP-like, rather than an AC-like, phenotype. Interestingly, these results suggest that AD-MSCs may be a more appropriate cell type than BM-MSCs for use in engineering intervertebral disc tissue.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2010
Fasciitis as a common lesion of dermatomyositis, demonstrated early after disease onset by en bloc biopsy combined with magnetic resonance imaging.
To investigate whether fasciitis is histopathologically demonstrable in patients with dermatomyositis (DM), and to analyze the process of inflammatory progression in myopathy accompanying DM. ⋯ Fasciitis was histopathologically demonstrated in patients with newly diagnosed adult-onset DM as early as 2 months after the onset of muscle symptoms. These results indicate that fasciitis is a common lesion of DM and suggest that the fascial microvasculature is the primary site of inflammatory cell infiltration in DM. Fasciitis may contribute to muscle symptoms in patients with DM without myositis.
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Arthritis and rheumatism · Dec 2010
Tonic modulation of spinal hyperexcitability by the endocannabinoid receptor system in a rat model of osteoarthritis pain.
To investigate the impact of an experimental model of osteoarthritis (OA) on spinal nociceptive processing and the role of the inhibitory endocannabinoid system in regulating sensory processing at the spinal level. ⋯ Our findings provide new evidence for altered spinal nociceptive processing indicative of central sensitization and for adaptive changes in the spinal cord endocannabinoid system in an experimental model of OA. The novel control of spinal cord neuronal responses by spinal cord CB(2) receptors suggests that this receptor system may be an important target for the modulation of pain in OA.