Measuring Patient Preferences to Inform Clinical Trial Design: An Example in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) may be a curative treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but it has serious risks, including death. It is uncertain whether patients would accept the risks and benefits of BMT and participate in clinical trials. We conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to quantify risk tolerance and benefit-risk trade-offs to inform the design of a clinical trial for BMT.

Neutrophil CRACR2A Promotes Neutrophil Recruitment in Sterile Inflammation and Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Ca release-activated Ca channel regulator 2A (CRACR2A) has been linked to immunodeficiency attributable to T-cell dysfunction in humans. We discovered that neutrophil CRACR2A promotes neutrophil adhesive and migratory functions by facilitating Ca mobilization and β2 integrin activation.

Methods: Myeloid-specific cracr2a conditional knockout mice and intravital microscopy were used to investigate the physiologic role of neutrophil cracr2a in neutrophil recruitment in vascular inflammation.

In situ crystalline structure of the human eosinophil major basic protein-1.

Eosinophils are white blood cells that participate in innate immune responses and have an essential role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and neoplastic disorders. Upon activation, eosinophils release cytotoxic proteins such as major basic protein-1 (MBP-1) from cytoplasmic secretory granules (SGr) wherein MBP-1 is stored as nanocrystals. How the MBP-1 nanocrystalline core is formed, stabilized, and subsequently mobilized remains unknown.

Mutations in fibronectin dysregulate chondrogenesis in skeletal dysplasia.

Fibronectin (FN) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein essential for the development and function of major vertebrate organ systems. Mutations in FN result in an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia termed corner fracture-type spondylometaphyseal dysplasia (SMDCF). The precise pathomechanisms through which mutant FN induces impaired skeletal development remain elusive.

Features of Axial Spondyloarthritis in Two Multicenter Cohorts of Patients with Psoriasis, Uveitis, and Colitis Presenting with Undiagnosed Back Pain.

Objective: We aimed to assess the following: (1) the frequency of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) according to extra-articular presentation and HLA-B27 status, (2) clinical and imaging features that distinguish axSpA from non-axSpA, and (3) the impact of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on diagnosis and classification of axSpA.

Methods: The Screening for Axial Spondyloarthritis in Psoriasis, Iritis, and Colitis (SASPIC) study enrolled patients in two multicenter cohorts. Consecutive patients with undiagnosed chronic back pain attending dermatology, ophthalmology, and gastroenterology clinics with psoriasis (PsO), acute anterior uveitis (AAU), or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were referred to a local rheumatologist with special expertise in axSpA for a structured diagnostic evaluation.