Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) Surgery during High Liquid Sucrose Diet Leads to Gut Microbiota-Related Systematic Alterations.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery has been proven successful in weight loss and improvement of co-morbidities associated with obesity. Chronic complications such as malabsorption of micronutrients in up to 50% of patients underline the need for additional therapeutic approaches. We investigated systemic RYGB surgery effects in a liquid sucrose diet-induced rat obesity model.

Abatacept in interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis: national multicenter study of 263 patients.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of abatacept (ABA) in RA patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) (RA-ILD).

Methods: This was an observational, multicentre study of RA-ILD patients treated with at least one dose of ABA. ILD was diagnosed by high-resolution CT (HRCT).

Photoautotrophically Grown Shows Genotoxic Potential but No Apoptotic Effect in Epithelial Cells.

This study investigated the effect of () on genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis in Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. significantly induced DNA damage in both cell lines at a concentration of 200 μg dry matter/mL (comet tail intensity CTI: 24.6 ± 4.

Correlation of fatigue with other disease related and psychosocial factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with tocilizumab: ACT-AXIS study.

To assess the hypothesis if tocilizumab (TCZ) is effective on disease activity, and also its effect in fatigue and other clinical and psychological disease-related factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with TCZ.A 24-week, multicenter, prospective, observational study in patients with moderate to severe RA receiving TCZ after failure or intolerance to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or tumor necrosis factor-alpha was conducted.Of the 122 patients included, 85 were evaluable for effectiveness (85% female, 51.

Cellular Origin and Functional Relevance of Collagen I Production in the Kidney.

Interstitial fibrosis is associated with chronic renal failure. In addition to fibroblasts, bone marrow-derived cells and tubular epithelial cells have the capacity to produce collagen. However, the amount of collagen produced by each of these cell types and the relevance of fibrosis to renal function are unclear.

Abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and interstitial lung disease: A national multicenter study of 63 patients.

Objective: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most serious complications of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the present study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of abatacept (ABA) in patients with ILD associated to RA.

Methods: National multicenter, non-controlled, open-label registry study of RA patients with ILD treated with ABA.

A reduced 12-joint ultrasound examination predicts lack of X-ray progression better than clinical remission criteria in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

To study the predictive value of clinical remission definitions and ultrasound (US) examination on X-ray progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This was an observational prospective multicenter 1-year follow-up cohort of RA patients with moderate disease activity (3.2 < DAS28 ≤ 5.

Incidence, associated factors and clinical impact of severe infections in a large, multicentric cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of severe infection and investigate the associated factors and clinical impact in a large systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) retrospective cohort.

Methods: All patients in the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) who meet ≥4 ACR-97 SLE criteria were retrospectively investigated for severe infections. Patients with and without infections were compared in terms of SLE severity, damage, comorbidities, and demographic characteristics.

IL-3 promotes the development of experimental autoimmune encephalitis.

Little is known about the role of IL-3 in multiple sclerosis (MS) in humans and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Using myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) peptide-induced EAE, we show that CD4 T cells are the main source of IL-3 and that cerebral IL-3 expression correlates with the influx of T cells into the brain. Blockade of IL-3 with monoclonal antibodies, analysis of IL-3 deficient mice, and adoptive transfer of leukocytes demonstrate that IL-3 plays an important role for development of clinical symptoms of EAE, for migration of leukocytes into the brain, and for cerebral expression of adhesion molecules and chemokines.

Comorbidities in Patients With Primary Sjögren's Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Comparative Registries-Based Study.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of the main comorbidities in 2 large cohorts of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a focus on cardiovascular (CV) diseases.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional multicenter study where the prevalence of more relevant comorbidities in 2 cohorts was compared. Patients under followup from SJOGRENSER (Spanish Rheumatology Society Registry of Primary SS) and RELESSER (Spanish Rheumatology Society Registry of SLE), and who fulfilled the 2002 American-European Consensus Group and 1997 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria, respectively, were included.

Relationship between damage clustering and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus in early and late stages of the disease: cluster analyses in a large cohort from the Spanish Society of Rheumatology Lupus Registry.

Objectives: To identify patterns (clusters) of damage manifestations within a large cohort of SLE patients and evaluate the potential association of these clusters with a higher risk of mortality.

Methods: This is a multicentre, descriptive, cross-sectional study of a cohort of 3656 SLE patients from the Spanish Society of Rheumatology Lupus Registry. Organ damage was ascertained using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index.

Characterization of Patients With Lupus Nephritis Included in a Large Cohort From the Spanish Society of Rheumatology Registry of Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (RELESSER).

The aim of the study was to profile those patients included in the RELESSER registry with histologically proven renal involvement in order to better understand the current state of lupus nephritis (LN) in Spain. RELESSER-TRANS is a multicenter cross-sectional registry with an analytical component. Information was collected from the medical records of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who were followed at participating rheumatology units.

Fibromyalgia prevalence and related factors in a large registry of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and to study its relationship to depression and other SLE-related factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional data analysis from the RELESSER-Transversal Spanish Registry, which includes SLE patients in a national multicentre retrospective charts review, was performed.

Inclusion Criteria: patients who fulfilled ≥4 ACR 1997 SLE criteria.

IL-3 contributes to development of lupus nephritis in MRL/lpr mice.

MRL/lpr mice develop a spontaneous autoimmune disease that closely resembles human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with DNA autoantibodies, hypergammaglobulinemia, immune complex glomerulonephritis, and systemic vasculitis. Little is known about the role of IL-3 in SLE. In order to study this we analyzed the expression of IL-3 in murine lupus and determined whether blockade of IL-3 with a monoclonal antibody or injection of recombinant IL-3 affects lupus nephritis in MRL/lpr mice.

Patterns of use and dosing of tocilizumab in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in routine clinical practice: the ACT-LIFE study.

The aim of the study was to identify and describe the patterns of use of tocilizumab in clinical practice to ensure safety and optimal management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is a 12-month prospective observational study in patients with moderate or severe RA of ≥6 months' duration who have started tocilizumab after failure of at least one previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) including TNF inhibitors. For some analyses, patients were categorized by the use of tocilizumab as monotherapy or in combination, and by previous use of biological therapy.

Comprehensive description of clinical characteristics of a large systemic lupus erythematosus cohort from the Spanish Rheumatology Society Lupus Registry (RELESSER) with emphasis on complete versus incomplete lupus differences.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple organ involvement and pronounced racial and ethnic heterogeneity. The aims of the present work were (1) to describe the cumulative clinical characteristics of those patients included in the Spanish Rheumatology Society SLE Registry (RELESSER), focusing on the differences between patients who fulfilled the 1997 ACR-SLE criteria versus those with less than 4 criteria (hereafter designated as incomplete SLE (iSLE)) and (2) to compare SLE patient characteristics with those documented in other multicentric SLE registries.RELESSER is a multicenter hospital-based registry, with a collection of data from a large, representative sample of adult patients with SLE (1997 ACR criteria) seen at Spanish rheumatology departments.

Basophils inhibit proliferation of CD4⁺ T cells in autologous and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions and limit disease activity in a murine model of graft versus host disease.

Basophils are known to modulate the phenotype of CD4(+) T cells and to enhance T helper type 2 responses in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate that murine basophils inhibit proliferation of CD4(+) T cells in autologous and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions. The inhibition is independent of Fas and MHC class II, but dependent on activation of basophils with subsequent release of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-6.

B-cell inhibition by cross-linking CD79b is superior to B-cell depletion with anti-CD20 antibodies in treating murine collagen-induced arthritis.

Depletion of B cells with the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab is an established therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. However, rituximab has only moderate efficacy, most likely due to insufficient depletion of B cells in lymphoid organs and expansion of pathogenic B cells. We found that an antibody against mouse CD79b profoundly blocks B-cell proliferation induced via the B-cell receptor, CD40, CD180, and chondroitin sulfate, but not via TLR4 or TLR9.

Chondroitin sulfate activates B cells in vitro, expands CD138+ cells in vivo, and interferes with established humoral immune responses.

Glycosaminoglycans have anti-inflammatory properties and interact with a variety of soluble and membrane-bound molecules. Little is known about their effects on B cells and humoral immune responses. We show that CS but not dextran or other glycosaminoglycans induces a pronounced proliferation of B cells in vitro compared with TLR4 or TLR9 ligands.

Fibrocytes develop outside the kidney but contribute to renal fibrosis in a mouse model.

Collagen-producing bone marrow-derived cells (fibrocytes) have been detected in animal models and patients with fibrotic diseases. In vitro data suggest that they develop from monocytes with the help of accessory cells and profibrotic soluble factors. Using a mouse model of renal fibrosis, unilateral ureteral obstruction, we found the number of circulating fibrocytes was not reduced when monocytes were depleted with a monoclonal antibody against CCR2 or when CCR2-/- mice with very low numbers of circulating or splenic monocytes were analyzed.

Differential Effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii BFE 6128 on Expression of Genes Related to TLR Pathways and Innate Immunity in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

Probiotics have been shown to enhance immune defenses, but their mechanisms of action are only partially understood. We investigated the modulation of signal pathways involved in innate immunity in enterocytes by Lactobacillus johnsonii BFE 6128 isolated from 'Kule naoto', a Maasai traditional fermented milk product. This lactobacillus sensitized HT29 intestinal epithelial cells toward recognition of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium by increasing the IL-8 levels released after challenge with this pathogen and by differentially modulating genes related to toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways and innate immunity.

Basophils support the survival of plasma cells in mice.

We have previously shown that basophils support humoral memory immune responses by increasing B cell proliferation and Ig production as well as inducing a Th2 and B helper phenotype in T cells. Based on the high frequency of basophils in spleen and bone marrow, in this study we investigated whether basophils also support plasma cell survival and Ig production. In the absence of basophils, plasma cells of naive or immunized mice rapidly undergo apoptosis in vitro and produce only low amounts of Igs.

Power Doppler ultrasonography assessment of entheses in spondyloarthropathies: response to therapy of entheseal abnormalities.

Objective: To investigate the response to therapy of entheseal abnormalities assessed with power Doppler (PD) ultrasound (US) in spondyloarthropathies (SpA).

Methods: A total of 327 patients with active SpA who were starting anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy were prospectively recruited at 35 Spanish centers. A PDUS examination of 14 peripheral entheses was performed by the same investigator in each center at baseline and at 6 months.

CD4+ T cells control the differentiation of Gr1+ monocytes into fibrocytes.

Fibrocytes are collagen-type-I-producing cells that arise at low frequency from hematopoietic cells. We have analyzed in mice which leukocyte subsets are required for generation of fibrocytes and show that murine fibrocytes develop from the subpopulation of CD11b(+) CD115(+) Gr1(+) monocytes under the control of CD4(+) T cells. In the absence of CD4(+) T cells, differentiation of fibrocytes was markedly reduced in vitro and in vivo.

Lactobacilli stimulate the innate immune response and modulate the TLR expression of HT29 intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

The potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum BFE 1685 isolated from a child's faeces and the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG were investigated for their capability to influence the innate immune response of HT29 intestinal epithelial cells towards Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Furthermore, their capacity to modulate toll-like receptor expression of HT29 cells was investigated at the mRNA and protein levels. TNF-alpha was used in cell culture with HT29 cells to mimic an inflammatory background, and in the presence of this chemokine HT29 cells were sensitised to respond to the Lactobacillus strains as evidenced by an increased response in IL-8 production.