Alopecia areata: A multifactorial autoimmune condition.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that results in non-scarring hair loss, and it is clinically characterised by small patches of baldness on the scalp and/or around the body. It can later progress to total loss of scalp hair (Alopecia totalis) and/or total loss of all body hair (Alopecia universalis). The rapid rate of hair loss and disfiguration caused by the condition causes anxiety on patients and increases the risks of developing psychological and psychiatric complications.

Salivary nitrite production is elevated in individuals with a higher abundance of oral nitrate-reducing bacteria.

Nitric oxide (NO) can be generated endogenously via NO synthases or via the diet following the action of symbiotic nitrate-reducing bacteria in the oral cavity. Given the important role of NO in smooth muscle control there is an intriguing suggestion that cardiovascular homeostasis may be intertwined with the presence of these bacteria. Here, we measured the abundance of nitrate-reducing bacteria in the oral cavity of 25 healthy humans using 16S rRNA sequencing and observed, for 3.

Murine aortic smooth muscle cells acquire, though fail to present exogenous protein antigens on major histocompatibility complex class II molecules.

In the present study aortic murine smooth muscle cell (SMC) antigen presentation capacity was evaluated using the Eα-GFP/Y-Ae system to visualize antigen uptake through a GFP tag and tracking of Eα peptide/MHCII presentation using the Y-Ae Ab. Stimulation with IFN-γ (100 ng/mL) for 72 h caused a significant (P < 0.01) increase in the percentage of MHC class II positive SMCs, compared with unstimulated cells.

The active metabolite of spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor fostamatinib abrogates the CD4⁺ T cell-priming capacity of dendritic cells.

Objectives: Spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) is a core signalling protein that drives inflammatory responses and is fundamental to the propagation of signals via numerous immune receptors, including the B cell receptor and Fc receptors (FcRs). Fostamatinib, a small molecule SYK inhibitor, has shown evidence of ameliorating inflammation in RA patients. We sought to understand how the active metabolite of fostamatinib, R406, affects the inflammatory response at the cellular level.

Influence of periodontal disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis and cigarette smoking on systemic anti-citrullinated peptide antibody titres.

Background: Anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) responses may precede clinical onset of rheumatoid arthritis. Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidylarginine deiminase can citrullinate proteins possibly inducing autoimmunity in susceptible individuals.

Aim: To determine whether periodontitis, carriage of P.

Putative existence of reciprocal dialogue between Tfh and B cells and its impact on infectious and autoimmune disease.

The evolution of the immune system to combat infectious disease is inextricably linked to the concomitant risk of autoimmunity. Central to the immune response in both scenarios is T cell-dependent antibody production. Thus, understanding the fundamentals of this process has important applications in both infectious and autoimmune or inflammatory disease.

Clostridium difficile in ready-to-eat salads, Scotland.

Of 40 ready-to-eat salads, 3 (7.5%) were positive for Clostridium difficile by PCR. Two isolates were PCR ribotype 017 (toxin A-, B+), and 1 was PCR ribotype 001.