Ultrasound for day-to-day clinical use: construction of a simple discriminator between healthy skin and thickened systemic sclerosis skin.

Objectives: Distinction of dermal thickening at fingers is paramount in recognition of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Evaluation of skin thickening by modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) might be challenging. Simple and practical tools are needed to help distinguishing (non-) thickened skin in daily practice.

Mapping in healthy subjects different body areas for dermal thickness and skin hardness by high frequency ultrasound and durometry.

Objectives: Body mapping of normal values of skin thickness and hardness may be a useful aid in daily practice. By employing non-invasive techniques, our pilot study provides these values in healthy individuals using high frequency ultrasound (HFUS) and durometry in areas used to evaluate the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS).

Methods: One-hundred-fifty-two healthy volunteers from Ghent and Genova University Hospitals (mean ages 31.

Longitudinal micro-computed tomography-derived biomarkers quantify non-resolving lung fibrosis in a silicosis mouse model.

In spite of many compounds identified as antifibrotic in preclinical studies, pulmonary fibrosis remains a life-threatening condition for which highly effective treatment is still lacking. Towards improving the success-rate of bench-to-bedside translation, we investigated in vivo µCT-derived biomarkers to repeatedly quantify experimental silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis and assessed clinically relevant readouts up to several months after silicosis induction. Mice were oropharyngeally instilled with crystalline silica or saline and longitudinally monitored with respiratory-gated-high-resolution µCT to evaluate disease onset and progress using scan-derived biomarkers.

Simvastatin attenuates lung functional and vascular effects of hyperoxia in preterm rabbits.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains a frequent complication following preterm birth, affecting respiratory health throughout life. Transcriptome analysis in a preterm rabbit model for BPD revealed dysregulation of key genes for inflammation, vascular growth and lung development in animals exposed to hyperoxia, which could be prevented by simvastatin.

Methods: Preterm rabbits were randomized to either normoxia (21% O) or hyperoxia (95% O) and within each condition to treatment with 5 mg/kg simvastatin daily or control.

Radiosafe micro-computed tomography for longitudinal evaluation of murine disease models.

Implementation of in vivo high-resolution micro-computed tomography (µCT), a powerful tool for longitudinal analysis of murine lung disease models, is hampered by the lack of data on cumulative low-dose radiation effects on the investigated disease models. We aimed to measure radiation doses and effects of repeated µCT scans, to establish cumulative radiation levels and scan protocols without relevant toxicity. Lung metastasis, inflammation and fibrosis models and healthy mice were weekly scanned over one-month with µCT using high-resolution respiratory-gated 4D and expiration-weighted 3D protocols, comparing 5-times weekly scanned animals with controls.

Rituximab in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases: indications and practical use.

To review the therapeutic option of Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 antibody, in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, primary Sjögren syndrome and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. A non-systematic review was conducted. The specific role and indication of rituximab in SARDs has been the subject of multiple trials in recent years.

Malignancies and anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center observational cohort study.

Inhibitors of tumor necrosing factor alpha (TNF-a) have proven to be highly effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Concerns, however, are raised about the possible association between these treatments and an increased development of malignancies. The objective of this paper was to compare the risk of hematologic and solid malignancies in patients treated for RA with anti-TNF therapy, with the risk in the general population.