Soluble markers of B cell activation suggest a role of B cells in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Introduction: Soluble markers of B cell activation are interesting diagnostic and prognostic tools in autoimmune diseases. Data in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are scarce and few studies focused on their association with disease characteristics.

Methods: 1.

Passages in culture and stimulation conditions influence protein expression of primary fibroblasts.

Fibroblasts (Fb) are key effector cells in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Fb stimulation with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is considered as a positive control in studies assessing fibrogenesis. The lack of standardization of TGF-β1 stimulation might be responsible for discrepancies in experiments performed in different conditions.

Absence of a Crystal Direction Regime in which Sputtering Corresponds to Amorphous Material.

Erosion of material by energetic ions, i.e., sputtering, is widely used in industry and research.

Extended myositis-specific and -associated antibodies profile in systemic sclerosis: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: In systemic sclerosis (SSc) and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), auto-antibodies are used in daily practice as potent biomarkers of clinical phenotypes. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence of myositis-specific (MSA) and myositis-associated (MAA) auto-antibodies in a well-characterised SSc patients cohort using two different immunoblot assays, and studying their clinical associations.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the sera of 300 consecutive patients were tested at the same time with myositis antibodies Euroimmun® and D-tek® immunoblot assays.

Impact of allergy on phenotypic and endotypic profiles of nasal polyposis.

Objectives: To assess the impact of allergy on clinical presentations (phenotypes) and inflammatory patterns (endotypes) of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

Methods: A single-center prospective study was conducted over an 18-month period. Fifty-seven patients with refractory CRSwNP were included.