Cutaneous Manifestations, Clinical Characteristics, and Prognosis of Patients With Systemic Sclerosis Sine Scleroderma: Data From the International EUSTAR Database.

Importance: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) sine scleroderma (ssSSc) is a subset of SSc defined by the absence of skin fibrosis. Little is known about the natural history and skin manifestations among patients with ssSSc.

Objective: To characterize the clinical phenotype of patients with ssSSc compared with patients with limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) within the EUSTAR database.

High temperature inhibits ascorbate recycling and light stimulation of the ascorbate pool in tomato despite increased expression of biosynthesis genes.

Understanding how the fruit microclimate affects ascorbate (AsA) biosynthesis, oxidation and recycling is a great challenge in improving fruit nutritional quality. For this purpose, tomatoes at breaker stage were harvested and placed in controlled environment conditions at different temperatures (12, 17, 23, 27 and 31 °C) and irradiance regimes (darkness or 150 µmol m(-2) s(-1)). Fruit pericarp tissue was used to assay ascorbate, glutathione, enzymes related to oxidative stress and the AsA/glutathione cycle and follow the expression of genes coding for 5 enzymes of the AsA biosynthesis pathway (GME, VTC2, GPP, L-GalDH, GLDH).

Determination of the composition in sugars and organic acids in peach using mid infrared spectroscopy: comparison of prediction results according to data sets and different reference methods.

The prediction of internal quality properties, such as sweetness and acidity, in peach fruit by mid infrared spectroscopy is of interest for rapid determination. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was tested here on two populations of peach fruits issued from contrasting genitors providing a large phenotypic variability. Over two successive years, 284 samples in 2006 and 483 samples in 2007 were characterized for soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), glucose, fructose, sucrose, malic acid, and citric acid contents.

Juvenile and young adult-onset systemic sclerosis share the same organ involvement in adulthood: data from the EUSTAR database.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the long-term outcome and clinical characteristics of adult patients with juvenile onset in the EULAR Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) cohort and compare them with adult patients with onset between 20 and 40 years of age.

Methods: From the EUSTAR SSc cohort two patient groups were analysed: patients with juvenile SSc (jSSc) who are adults at present, and patients diagnosed between the age of 20 and 40 years (aSSc). Demographic data of the patients, organ involvement and outcome of the disease were examined using the Minimal Essential Data Set database system.