Silica-mediated exacerbation of inflammatory arthritis: A novel murine model.

Objective: The mucosal origin hypothesis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) posits that inhalant exposures, such as cigarette smoke and crystalline silica (c-silica), trigger immune responses contributing to disease onset. Despite the established risk posed by these exposures, the mechanistic link between inhalants, lung inflammation, and inflammatory arthritis remains poorly understood, partly from the lack of a suitable experimental model. As c-silica accelerates autoimmune phenotypes in lupus models and is a recognized risk factor for several autoimmune diseases, we investigated whether c-silica exposure could induce RA-like inflammatory arthritis in mice.

Improving the adoption of a school-based nutrition program: findings from a collaborative network of randomised trials.

Background: Public health nutrition interventions, including school-based programs, are a recommended approach to improve child dietary behaviours. However, the adoption of effective school-based nutrition programs face numerous challenges, including the limited evidence on effective strategies to maximise implementation and adoption of such programs. This study aimed to address this evidence gap by employing a novel collaborative network trial design to evaluate a series of implementation strategies employed by three NSW Local Health Districts, to improve school adoption of an effective school-based nutrition program ('SWAP IT').

The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory.

The understanding of phenomena falling outside the Ginzburg-Landau paradigm of phase transitions represents a key challenge in condensed matter physics. A famous class of examples is constituted by the putative deconfined quantum critical points between two symmetry-broken phases in layered quantum magnets, such as pressurised SrCu(BO). Experiments find a weak first-order transition, which simulations of relevant microscopic models can reproduce.

Muscle contractile properties and perceived fatigue in the general and diseased population.

Knowledge of muscle contractile properties, physical fitness, and their associations with perceived fatigue may provide insights into mechanisms inducing fatigue and treatment targets. We aimed to identify differences in contractile properties and physical fitness between populations, and examine associations with perceived fatigue. We pooled data on perceived fatigue, physical fitness, and contractile properties from six studies, including a control group (n = 90), cancer survivors (n = 27), patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n = 16), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML; n = 20), and statin users (n = 64).

External and internal exposome as triggers of biological signalling in systemic sclerosis - A narrative synthesis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune chronic connective tissue disorder with a complex pathogenesis and a strong gene-environment interaction. Despite the low prevalence of SSc, with around 100-250 cases per million, the morbidity and mortality are high and disproportionately affecting women. In this context, we review the influence of the external and internal exposome on the "immunome" in SSc.