Collaborative research in myositis-related disorders: MIHRA, a global shared community model.

Myositis International Health and Research Collaborative Alliance (MIHRA) is a newly formed purpose-built non-profit charitable research organization dedicated to accelerating international clinical trial readiness, global professional and lay education, career development and rare disease advocacy in IIM-related disorders. In its long form, the name expresses the community's scope of engagement and intent. In its abbreviation, MIHRA, conveys linguistic roots across many languages, that reflects the IIM community's spirit with meanings such as kindness, community, goodness, and peace.

CD98 defines a metabolically flexible, proinflammatory subset of low-density neutrophils in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Low-density neutrophils (LDN) are a distinct subset of neutrophils rarely detected in healthy people but appear in the blood of patients with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and are mobilised in response to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The aim of this study was to identify novel mechanisms responsible for the pathogenic capacity of LDN in SLE.

Methods: Neutrophils were isolated from donors treated with G-CSF, and whole-cell proteomic analysis was performed on LDN and normal-density neutrophils.

Using magnetic resonance imaging to map the hidden burden of muscle involvement in systemic sclerosis.

Background: Skeletal muscle can be directly affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc); however, a significant burden of SSc-associated myopathy is undetected because clinical parameters such as weakness and creatine kinase (CK) are unreliable biomarkers of muscle involvement. This study presents qualitative and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings that quantify the prevalence of myopathy and evaluate any association between skeletal and cardiac muscle involvement in SSc.

Methods: Thirty-two patients with SSc who fulfilled the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria underwent skeletal muscle MRI in addition to cardiac MRI.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) productivity influenced by microbial inocula under nitrogen-limited conditions in aquaponics.

The demand for food will outpace productivity of conventional agriculture due to projected growth of the human population, concomitant with shrinkage of arable land, increasing scarcity of freshwater, and a rapidly changing climate. While aquaponics has potential to sustainably supplement food production with minimal environmental impact, there is a need to better characterize the complex interplay between the various components (fish, plant, microbiome) of these systems to optimize scale up and productivity. Here, we investigated how the commonly-implemented practice of continued microbial community transfer from pre-existing systems might promote or impede productivity of aquaponics.

Radiographic patterns of muscle involvement in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Introduction: This study assesses the burden, distribution, and evolution of muscle inflammation and damage on MRI among subtypes of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).

Methods: Musculoskeletal MRIs performed in 66 patients with IIM and 10 patients with non-IIM between 2009 and 2016 were retrospectively graded for muscle edema, fatty replacement (FR), and atrophy.

Results: Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) patients had severe and extensive lower limb muscle edema, FR, and atrophy.

Immune-mediated necrotising myopathy: A critical review of current concepts.

Immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM) is a relatively recently described form of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) that is characterised by progressive proximal weakness and few extra-muscular manifestations. Prominent myonecrosis, muscle fibre regeneration and a relative paucity of intramuscular lymphocytes are seen histologically. Immunological mechanisms are believed to underpin the pathogenesis, and intense immunotherapy is frequently required.