Epicardial and intra-thoracic adipose tissue and cardiovascular calcifications in type 1 diabetes (T1D) in epidemiology of diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC): A pilot study.

Objective: Coronary artery, aortic valve, and descending aorta calcification (CAC, AVC, DAC) are manifestations of atherosclerosis, and cardiac epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) indicates heart adiposity. This study explored the association between cardiac adipose tissue and cardiovascular calcification in participants with long-standing T1D.

Methods: EAT and intra-thoracic adipose tissue (IAT) were measured in 100 T1D subjects with cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans in the EDIC study.

Diabetes Risk Factors and Bone Microarchitecture as Assessed by High-Resolution Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography in Adults With Long-standing Type 1 Diabetes.

Objective: To determine whether type 1 diabetes and its complications are associated with bone geometry and microarchitecture.

Research Design And Methods: This cross-sectional study was embedded in a long-term observational study. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) scans of the distal radius and distal and diaphyseal tibia were performed in a subset of 183 participants with type 1 diabetes from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) study and 94 control participants without diabetes.

Therapy targeting antigen-specific T cells by a peptide-based tolerizing vaccine against autoimmune arthritis.

A longstanding goal has been to find an antigen-specific preventive therapy, i.e., a vaccine, for autoimmune diseases.

Physical Function in Middle-aged and Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: Long-term Follow-up of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study.

Objective: To describe the prevalence and clinical correlates of functional limitations in middle-aged and older adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Functional limitations were assessed for 1,094 participants in the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, a multicenter, longitudinal, observational follow-up of participants with type 1 diabetes randomly assigned to intensive or conventional diabetes therapy during the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT). The primary outcome measure was a score <10 on the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB).

Risk factors for lower bone mineral density in older adults with type 1 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Type 1 diabetes is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk, but little is known regarding the effects of diabetes-related factors on BMD. We assessed whether these factors are associated with lower hip BMD among older adults with type 1 diabetes.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was embedded in a long-term observational study, the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study (EDIC), a cohort of participants with type 1 diabetes, who were originally enrolled in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), and were followed-up for more than 30 years at 27 sites in the USA and Canada.

Left Ventricular Structure, Tissue Composition, and Aortic Distensibility in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Intervention and Complications.

Alterations in myocardial structure, function, tissue composition (e.g., fibrosis) may be associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover in Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes.

Context: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by high fracture risk, yet little is known regarding diabetes-related mechanisms or risk factors.

Objective: Determine whether glycemic control, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and microvascular complications are associated with bone turnover markers among older T1D adults.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Coronary Artery Disease Events and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Type 1 Diabetes in the DCCT/EDIC Cohort.

Background Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is associated with the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events in the general population. This association has not been established in type 1 diabetes. Methods and Results We studied if carotid IMT is associated with the risk of a first coronary artery disease event in participants with type 1 diabetes in the EDIC (Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications) study, the long-term observational follow-up of the DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial).

Utility of using electrocardiogram measures of heart rate variability as a measure of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in type 1 diabetes patients.

Aims/introduction: Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a predictor of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Cardiovascular reflex tests (CARTs) are the gold standard for the diagnosis of CAN, but might not be feasible in large research cohorts or in clinical care. We investigated whether measures of heart rate variability obtained from standard electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings provide a reliable measure of CAN.

'SMASH' recommendations for standardised microscopic arthritis scoring of histological sections from inflammatory arthritis animal models.

Animal models for inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis are widely accepted and frequently used to identify pathological mechanisms and validate novel therapeutic strategies. Unfortunately, many publications reporting on these animal studies lack detailed description and appropriate assessment of the distinct histopathological features of arthritis: joint inflammation, cartilage damage and bone erosion. Therefore, the European consortium BeTheCure, consisting of 38 academic and industrial partners from 15 countries, set as goal to standardise the histological evaluation of joint sections from animal models of inflammatory arthritis.

Endophilin A2 deficiency protects rodents from autoimmune arthritis by modulating T cell activation.

The introduction of the CTLA-4 recombinant fusion protein has demonstrated therapeutic effects by selectively modulating T-cell activation in rheumatoid arthritis. Here we show, using a forward genetic approach, that a mutation in the SH3gl1 gene encoding the endocytic protein Endophilin A2 is associated with the development of arthritis in rodents. Defective expression of SH3gl1 affects T cell effector functions and alters the activation threshold of autoreactive T cells, thereby leading to complete protection from chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease in both mice and rats.

The Course of Visual Recovery after Optic Neuritis: Experience of the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial.

Purpose: To define the time course of visual recovery after optic neuritis and factors predictive of this course in the patients enrolled in the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial.

Methods: The cohort for this study consisted of the 438 patients who completed the 6-month follow-up visit. Visual acuity was measured at baseline and at seven follow-up visits during the first 6 months.

Histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1): A key player of T cell-mediated arthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) represents a chronic T cell-mediated inflammatory autoimmune disease. Studies have shown that epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) represent one important group of epigenetic regulators.

BrAPI-an application programming interface for plant breeding applications.

Motivation: Modern genomic breeding methods rely heavily on very large amounts of phenotyping and genotyping data, presenting new challenges in effective data management and integration. Recently, the size and complexity of datasets have increased significantly, with the result that data are often stored on multiple systems. As analyses of interest increasingly require aggregation of datasets from diverse sources, data exchange between disparate systems becomes a challenge.

The Association of Coronary Artery Calcification With Subsequent Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in Type 1 Diabetes: The DCCT/EDIC Trials.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship between coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial)/EDIC (Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications) participants.

Background: The CAC score has been validated for improved risk stratification in general populations; however, this association has not been well studied in type 1 diabetes (T1DM).

Methods: Computed tomography (CT) to measure CAC was performed in 1,205 DCCT/EDIC participants at a mean of 42.

Chronic Active Arthritis Driven by Macrophages Without Involvement of T Cells: A Novel Experimental Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: To develop a new chronic rheumatoid arthritis model that is driven by the innate immune system.

Methods: Injection of a cocktail of 4 monoclonal antibodies against type II collagen, followed on days 5 and 60 by intraperitoneal injections of mannan (from Saccharomyces cerevisiae), was used to induce development of chronic arthritis in B10.Q mice.

T cells specific for post-translational modifications escape intrathymic tolerance induction.

Establishing effective central tolerance requires the promiscuous expression of tissue-restricted antigens by medullary thymic epithelial cells. However, whether central tolerance also extends to post-translationally modified proteins is not clear. Here we show a mouse model of autoimmunity in which disease development is dependent on post-translational modification (PTM) of the tissue-restricted self-antigen collagen type II.

Is CT indicated in diagnosing sacroiliac joint degeneration?

Aim: To assess the value of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of symptomatic sacroiliac (SI) joint degeneration.

Materials And Methods: CT images from 123 patients with clinically diagnosed SI joint pain were compared to age- and gender-matched controls without chronic back pain or previous back surgery. Degeneration was graded assessing joint space narrowing, osteophytes, subchondral sclerosis, cysts, and vacuum phenomena.

Electrocardiographic Abnormalities and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Type 1 Diabetes: The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study.

Objective: We examined the association between the prevalence and incidence of electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 1 diabetes, among whom these ECG abnormalities are common.

Research Design And Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study involving 1,306 patients with type 1 diabetes (mean age 35.5 ± 6.

Association of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Myocardial Fibrosis With Early Cardiac Dysfunction in Type 1 Diabetes: The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study.

Objective: We investigated the association of cardiovascular risk factors and myocardial fibrosis with early cardiac dysfunction in type 1 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Participants with type 1 diabetes aged 13-39 years without a known history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) ( = 1,441) were recruited into the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (1983-1993) and subsequently followed in the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study (1994 to present). Seven hundred fourteen participants underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging (2007-2009) with late gadolinium enhancement sequences to assess ischemic and nonischemic scars and tagging sequences to evaluate circumferential strain.

Haptoglobin 2-2 genotype and the risk of coronary artery disease in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study (DCCT/EDIC).

Aims/hypothesis: Haptoglobin(Hp) 2-2 genotype has been shown to increase coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in numerous type 2 diabetes studies but in only one type 1 diabetes cohort. We assessed the association of Hp2-2 with incident CAD over 26years of follow-up in 1303 Caucasian participants of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) study.

Methods: DCCT randomized volunteers with type 1 diabetes to intensive versus conventional therapy within two cohorts: 'primary prevention' with 1-5years diabetes duration and 'secondary intervention' with 1-15years diabetes duration and early retinopathy, with or without albuminuria, but no advanced complications.

Significance of Epicardial and Intrathoracic Adipose Tissue Volume among Type 1 Diabetes Patients in the DCCT/EDIC: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) patients are at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). This pilot study sought to evaluate the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and intra-thoracic adipose tissue (IAT) volumes and cardio-metabolic risk factors in T1DM.

Method: EAT/IAT volumes in 100 patients, underwent non-contrast cardiac computed tomography in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial /Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) study were measured by a certified reader.

Animal Models of Rheumatoid Arthritis (I): Pristane-Induced Arthritis in the Rat.

Background: To facilitate the development of therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the Innovative Medicines Initiative BTCure has combined the experience from several laboratories worldwide to establish a series of protocols for different animal models of arthritis that reflect the pathogenesis of RA. Here, we describe chronic pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) model in DA rats, and provide detailed instructions to set up and evaluate the model and for reporting data.

Methods: We optimized dose of pristane and immunization procedures and determined the effect of age, gender, and housing conditions.

Progression of Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Type 1 Diabetes During 16 Years of Follow-up: The Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) Study.

Background: The electrocardiogram (ECG) is an objective tool for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment.

Methods And Results: We evaluated distribution of ECG abnormalities and risk factors for developing new abnormalities in 1314 patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. Annual ECGs were centrally read.