The Effects of Kisspeptin on Brain Response to Food Images and Psychometric Parameters of Appetite in Healthy Men.

Context: The hormone kisspeptin has crucial and well-characterized roles in reproduction. Emerging data from animal models also suggest that kisspeptin has important metabolic effects including modulation of food intake. However, to date there have been no studies exploring the effects of kisspeptin on brain responses to food stimuli in humans.

MRI assessment of early response to certolizumab pegol in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIIb study applying MRI at weeks 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16.

Objectives: To identify the first time point of an MRI-verified response to certolizumab pegol (CZP) therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Forty-one patients with active RA despite disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy were randomised 2:1 to CZP (CZP loading dose 400 mg every 2 weeks at weeks 0-4; CZP 200 mg every 2 weeks at weeks 6-16) or placebo→CZP (placebo at weeks 0-2; CZP loading dose at weeks 2-6; CZP 200 mg every 2 weeks at weeks 8-16). Contrast-enhanced MRI of one hand and wrist was acquired at baseline (week 0) and weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16.

An uneven expression of T cell receptor V genes in the arterial wall and peripheral blood in giant cell arteritis.

The aim of the study was to investigate T cell receptor (TCR) usage at the time of diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and to estimate the degree of clonality of T-cells infiltrating the lesion. Seven patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis were included in the study. Immunocytochemistry in biopsies from the temporal arteries and flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was performed using monoclonal antibodies specific for CD3, CD4 and CD8 and 13 TCR Valpha and Vbeta gene segment products.

Remission and response to early treatment of RA assessed by the Disease Activity Score. BARFOT study group. Better Anti-rheumatic Farmacotherapy.

Objective: To assess criteria for individual response and remission based on the Disease Activity Score (DAS) in patients with RA participating in a long-term observational study.

Methods: The EULAR (European League against Rheumatism) criteria for individual response and a recently proposed remission criterion, DAS < 1.6, were applied to 90 patients with RA after treatment for 2 yr with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and/or corticosteroids.