Molecular mechanisms of zymosan-induced inflammasome activation in macrophages.

Zymosan is a β-glucan-rich component derived from the cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae extensively used in research for its potent immunomodulatory properties. It can prompt inflammatory responses such as peritonitis and arthritis, and is particularly used to study the immune response to fungal particles. Although the zymosan induced-release of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β by macrophages is an essential mechanism for combating fungal infection and inducing inflammation, the exact processes leading to its release remain not well understood.

Entangling gates on degenerate spin qubits dressed by a global field.

Semiconductor spin qubits represent a promising platform for future large-scale quantum computers owing to their excellent qubit performance, as well as the ability to leverage the mature semiconductor manufacturing industry for scaling up. Individual qubit control, however, commonly relies on spectral selectivity, where individual microwave signals of distinct frequencies are used to address each qubit. As quantum processors scale up, this approach will suffer from frequency crowding, control signal interference and unfeasible bandwidth requirements.

Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis and Concomitant Superinfection: A Defying Diagnosis and Management Approach.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis mainly involving the ear, nose, and upper and lower airways. Diagnosis is based on clinical manifestations, positive antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) serology, and histopathological findings. We report a case of inflammatory polyarthralgia with a high titer of rheumatoid factor (RF), which was revealed to be GPA after extensive diagnosis workup.

Bounds to electron spin qubit variability for scalable CMOS architectures.

Spins of electrons in silicon MOS quantum dots combine exquisite quantum properties and scalable fabrication. In the age of quantum technology, however, the metrics that crowned Si/SiO as the microelectronics standard need to be reassessed with respect to their impact upon qubit performance. We chart spin qubit variability due to the unavoidable atomic-scale roughness of the Si/SiO interface, compiling experiments across 12 devices, and develop theoretical tools to analyse these results.

High-fidelity spin qubit operation and algorithmic initialization above 1 K.

The encoding of qubits in semiconductor spin carriers has been recognized as a promising approach to a commercial quantum computer that can be lithographically produced and integrated at scale. However, the operation of the large number of qubits required for advantageous quantum applications will produce a thermal load exceeding the available cooling power of cryostats at millikelvin temperatures. As the scale-up accelerates, it becomes imperative to establish fault-tolerant operation above 1 K, at which the cooling power is orders of magnitude higher.

Anti-SSA Ro52 and anti-Ro60 autoantibodies: association with clinical phenotypes.

Objectives: Anti-SSA autoantibodies can be differentiated according to their antigenic target proteins as anti-Ro60 (60 kDa) or anti-Ro52 (52 kDa). Anti-SSA(Ro60) antibodies are clearly associated with connective tissue diseases (CTD), but the clinical significance of anti-SSA(Ro52) antibodies remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyse the disease phenotype of patients with anti-Ro52 and/or anti-Ro60 antibodies.

10-year experience of early arthritis clinic at a tertiary rheumatology center: achievements and challenges.

Objectives: To characterize patients evaluated in our Early Arthritis Clinic (EAC) in the first ten years; to assess diagnostic delay and its underlying causes; and to evaluate the level of agreement between the referring physician and the rheumatologist regarding the presence of referral criteria.

Methods: Cross-sectional study including patients attending EAC between 2012 and 2021. Demographic data, provenience, final diagnosis, referral criteria and time related to diagnosis delay were retrieved from clinical files and the Portuguese Registry of Rheumatic Patients (reuma.

Phytochemical composition of aerial parts and roots of Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen and anticholinesterase, antioxidant, and antiglycation activities.

The Pfaffia glomerata, a plant popularly called Brazilian ginseng, is widely used in Brazil for the treatment of various pathologies, including those associated with the Central Nervous System. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), a phytosteroid present in this plant, can promote adaptogenic effects in the organism, providing greater body resistance to stressors. This study aimed to evaluate the phytochemical composition and the anticholinesterase, antioxidant, and antiglycation effects of extracts and fractions of aerial parts and roots of P.

Predictors of Interstitial Lung Disease in Mixed Connective Tissue Disease.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) frequently complicates mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and contributes to increased mortality. We aimed to identify predictors of ILD in MCTD patients. This is a nationwide, multicentre, retrospective study including patients with an adult-onset MCTD clinical diagnosis who met Sharp's, Kasukawa, Alarcón-Segovia, or Kahn's diagnostic criteria and had available chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) data.

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies module of the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register.

Aims: To characterise the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) module of the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt/myositis) and the patients in its cohort.

Methods: Reuma.

Assessment of calcinosis in Portuguese patients with systemic sclerosis - a multicenter study.

Introduction/objectives: The study aims to define the clinical and subclinical calcinosis prevalence, the sensitivity of radiographed site and clinical method for its diagnosis, and the phenotype of Portuguese systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with calcinosis.

Method: A cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted with SSc patients fulfilling Leroy/Medsger 2001 or ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria, registered in the Reuma.pt.

Predictors of cardiac involvement in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objectives: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a group of rare disorders that can affect the heart. This work aimed to find predictors of cardiac involvement in IIM.

Methods: Multicenter, open cohort study, including patients registered in the IIM module of the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.

S100A9 Drives the Chronification of Psoriasiform Inflammation by Inducing IL-23/Type 3 Immunity.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder driven by the IL-23/type 3 immune response. However, molecular mechanisms sustaining the chronicity of inflammation and psoriatic lesions remain elusive. Combining systematic analyses of several transcriptomic datasets, we delineated gene signatures across human psoriatic skin, identifying S100A9 as one of the most up-regulated genes, which was confirmed in lesioned skin from patients with psoriasis and preclinical psoriasiform skin inflammation models.

Parameniscal cyst: an important differential diagnosis in slow growing masses of the knee.

Introduction: Parameniscal cysts are small cystic lesions, near the meniscus, involving medial and lateral compartments at equal frequency. Frequently, parameniscal cysts are so small that patients do not notice them, being asymptomatic. However, they can grow and exceed 2 centimeters in diameter, causing pain and alarm due to the slow growing mass.

Jellybean Quantum Dots in Silicon for Qubit Coupling and On-Chip Quantum Chemistry.

The small size and excellent integrability of silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (SiMOS) quantum dot spin qubits make them an attractive system for mass-manufacturable, scaled-up quantum processors. Furthermore, classical control electronics can be integrated on-chip, in-between the qubits, if an architecture with sparse arrays of qubits is chosen. In such an architecture qubits are either transported across the chip via shuttling or coupled via mediating quantum systems over short-to-intermediate distances.

On-demand electrical control of spin qubits.

Once called a 'classically non-describable two-valuedness' by Pauli, the electron spin forms a qubit that is naturally robust to electric fluctuations. Paradoxically, a common control strategy is the integration of micromagnets to enhance the coupling between spins and electric fields, which, in turn, hampers noise immunity and adds architectural complexity. Here we exploit a switchable interaction between spins and orbital motion of electrons in silicon quantum dots, without a micromagnet.

Angiotensin type 2 receptor antagonism as a new target to manage gout.

Background: There is a growing search for therapeutic targets in the treatment of gout. The present study aimed to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential of angiotensin type 2 receptor (ATR) antagonism in an acute gout attack mouse model.

Methods: Male wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice either with the ATR antagonist, PD123319 (10 pmol/joint), or with vehicle injections, or ATR KO mice, received intra-articular (IA) injection of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals (100 µg/joint), that induce the acute gout attack, and were tested for mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, spontaneous nociception and ankle edema development at several times after the injections.

Polyphenols-Rich Fraction from Linn. Leaves Attenuates Oxidative and Inflammatory Responses in Neutrophils, Macrophages, and Experimental Lung Injury.

Linn. is a common plant found in the warmest regions of South and Central America and its use in traditional medicine has been reported for the treatment of various illnesses. In the current study, we investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of crude extract and fractions from L.