18F-FDG PET as a diagnostic procedure in large vessel vasculitis-a controlled, blinded re-examination of routine PET scans.

Large vessel vasculitis can be visualized by 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET). However, the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET is yet to be determined. We therefore performed a study to evaluate this technique for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TA).

Variable intrafamilial expressivity of the rare tumor necrosis factor-receptor associated periodic syndrome-associated mutation I170N that affects the TNFR1A cleavage site.

We report on a 33-year-old female patient with a relatively mild clinical case of TNF-receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) and her 58-year-old father in whom end-stage renal disease due to TRAPS-related AA-amyloidosis has already developed. TRAPS was caused by a I170N mutation that has previously not been associated with amyloidosis. It remains unclear if an only mildly affected patient such as ours would benefit from treatment considering her father's severe course of disease.

Murine models of anaemia of inflammation: extramedullary haematopoiesis represents a species specific difference to human anaemia of inflammation that can be eliminated by splenectomy.

In contrast to humans, mice physiologically exhibit extramedullary haematopoiesis in the spleen. In spite of this crucial species specific difference not much is known about the contribution of extramedullary haematopoiesis to overall erythropoiesis in models of anaemia of inflammation (AI). The objective of this study is to characterize murine AI with respect to extramedullary haematopoiesis and to develop a model more closely resembling human AI.