Conversion and Reversion Rates of Tuberculosis Screening Assays in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases and Negative Baseline Screening Under Long-Term Biologic Treatment.

Background: To determine the conversion and reversion rates of tuberculosis (TB) screening tests (Tuberculin Skin Test-TST, Interferon Gamma Release Assay-IGRA: T-SPOT.TB) during biologic treatment in patients with rheumatic diseases and negative baseline screening.

Methods: This was a long-term, longitudinal cohort study of 50 patients with rheumatic diseases and negative baseline TB screening (TST: < 5 mm, negative T-SPOT.

Increased Frequency of Peripheral B and T Cells Expressing Granulocyte Monocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Objectives: Granulocyte monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is currently considered a crucial inflammatory mediator and a novel therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), despite the fact that its precise cellular sources remain uncertain. We studied the expression of GM-CSF in peripheral lymphocytes from RA patients and its change with antirheumatic therapies.

Methods: Intracellular GM-CSF expression was assessed by flow cytometry in stimulated peripheral B (CD19+) and T (CD3+) cells from RA patients ( = 40), disease ( = 31 including osteoarthritis  = 15, psoriatic arthritis  = 10, and systemic rheumatic diseases  = 6) and healthy ( = 16) controls.

Frequent conversion of tuberculosis screening tests during anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Objectives: To determine the rate of tuberculosis (TB) screening test conversion during anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in rheumatic patients with negative baseline screening.

Methods: This was a prospective study of rheumatic patients with negative baseline TB screening (tuberculin skin test (TST): <5 mm, and negative T-SPOT.TB, QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube (QFT-GIT) and chest X-ray) treated with anti-TNF agents.

Nitric oxide stimulates interleukin-6 production in skeletal myotubes.

Strenuous exercise leads to the up-regulation of interleukin-6 (IL-6) production and enhanced nitric oxide (NO) release within the contracting skeletal muscles. In this study, we investigated whether NO regulates IL-6 production in C2C12 myotubes. These cells exhibited a concentration-dependent increase in IL-6 production upon stimulation with NO donors (Z)-1-[N-(2-aminoethyl)-N-(2-ammonioethyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (DETA-NONOate), (Z)-1-[N-(3-aminopropyl)-N-(n-propyl)amino]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (PAPA-NONOate), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP).

The activity status of cofilin is directly related to invasion, intravasation, and metastasis of mammary tumors.

Understanding the mechanisms controlling cancer cell invasion and metastasis constitutes a fundamental step in setting new strategies for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of metastatic cancers. LIM kinase1 (LIMK1) is a member of a novel class of serine-threonine protein kinases. Cofilin, a LIMK1 substrate, is essential for the regulation of actin polymerization and depolymerization during cell migration.