Low-Dose Radiotherapy Ameliorates Advanced Arthritis in hTNF-α tg Mice by Particularly Positively Impacting on Bone Metabolism.

Inflammation and bone erosion are central in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Even though effective medications for control and treatment of RA are available, remission is only seen in a subset of patients. Treatment with low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) which has been already successfully used for amelioration of symptoms in benign diseases should be a promising approach to reduce pain, inflammation, and particularly bone erosion in patients with RA.

Autoantibodies Recognizing Secondary NEcrotic Cells Promote Neutrophilic Phagocytosis and Identify Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Deficient clearance of apoptotic cells reportedly contributes to the etiopathogenesis of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Based on this knowledge, we developed a highly specific and sensitive test for the detection of SLE autoantibodies (AAb) utilizing secondary NEcrotic cell (SNEC)-derived material as a substrate. The goal of the present study was to validate the use of SNEC as an appropriate antigen for the diagnosis of SLE in large cohort of patients.

Ménage-à-Trois: The Ratio of Bicarbonate to CO and the pH Regulate the Capacity of Neutrophils to Form NETs.

In this study, we identified and characterized the potential of a high ratio of bicarbonate to CO and a moderately alkaline pH to render neutrophils prone to undergo neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. Both experimental settings increased the rate of spontaneous NET release and potentiated the NET-inducing capacity of phorbol esters (phorbol-2-myristate-13-acetate), ionomycin, monosodium urate, and LPS. In contrast, an acidic environment impaired NET formation both spontaneous and induced.