Isolated inflammatory involvement of the occipital artery in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: findings from a retrospective analysis and the critical role of MRI in diagnosis.

Background: Diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) may be challenging as many patients present with non-specific symptoms. Superficial cranial arteries are predilection sites of inflammatory affection. Ultrasound is typically the diagnostic tool of first choice supplementary to clinical and laboratory examination.

C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4-directed PET signal in the arterial tree is not consistently linked to calcified plaque burden and cardiovascular risk.

To establish the extent, distribution and frequency of in-vivo vessel wall [Ga]Ga-PentixaFor uptake and to determine its relationship with calcified atherosclerotic plaque burden (CAP) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). 65 oncological patients undergoing [Ga]Ga-PentixaFor PET/CT were assessed. Radiotracer uptake (target-to-background ratio [TBR]) and CAP burden (including number of CAP sites, calcification circumference and thickness) in seven major vessel segments per patient were determined.

Clonal T cell populations scarcely impair patients with rheumatic diseases: a prospective long-term follow up study.

Background: Clonal T cell populations are frequently detected in patients with rheumatic diseases. The relevance of this finding is often uncertain, as the clinical spectrum can range from being asymptomatic to T cell leukemia. Former studies suggested that certain anti-rheumatic drugs might influence the course of the clonal T cell populations.

Water in peripheral TM-interfaces of Orai1-channels triggers pore opening.

The activation of the Ca-channel Orai1 via the physiological activator stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) requires structural rearrangements within the entire channel complex involving a series of gating checkpoints. Focusing on the gating mechanism operating along the peripheral transmembrane domain (TM) 3/TM4-interface, we report here that some charged substitutions close to the center of TM3 or TM4 lead to constitutively active Orai1 variants triggering nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) translocation into the nucleus. Molecular dynamics simulations unveil that this gain-of-function correlates with enhanced hydration at peripheral TM-interfaces, leading to increased local structural flexibility of the channel periphery and global conformational changes permitting pore opening.