IgA vasculitis nephritis-outcomes in adult-onset disease.

Objectives: IgA vasculitis (IgAV) in adults has been relatively under-investigated. Since outcomes are worse in other forms of vasculitis with increasing age, we investigated the outcomes of IgAV comparing younger adults (18-34), middle aged adults (35-64) and elderly patients (≥64 years) focusing on kidney outcomes.

Methods: We identified patients with renal biopsy confirmed IgAV nephritis and collected data regarding clinical features and progression to end stage kidney disease (ESKD).

Fluorine labelling of therapeutic human tolerogenic dendritic cells for F-magnetic resonance imaging.

Tolerogenic dendritic cell (tolDC) therapies aim to restore self-tolerance in patients suffering from autoimmune diseases. Phase 1 clinical trials with tolDC have shown the feasibility and safety of this approach, but have also highlighted a lack of understanding of their distribution . Fluorine-19 magnetic resonance imaging (F-MRI) promises an attractive cell tracking method because it allows for detection of F-labelled cells in a non-invasive and longitudinal manner.

Tolerance-inducing medicines in autoimmunity: rheumatology and beyond.

Autoimmunity is currently managed with generalised immunosuppression, which is associated with serious side-effects such as infection and cancer. An ideal treatment strategy would be to induce immune tolerance-ie, to reprogramme the immune system to stop recognising the host itself as a threat. Drug-free remission should follow such an intervention, representing a change in the approach to the treatment of autoimmune disease.