Artificial intelligence meets the world experts; updates and novel therapies in autoimmunity - The 14th international congress on autoimmunity 2024 (AUTO14), Ljubljana.

The bi-annual international congress on autoimmunity is a huge opportunity for the medical community to discuss the latest updates in the field. During the 14th congress 2024 (AUTO14) in Ljubljana, artificial intelligence (AI) occupied special attention due to its recent and ongoing unequivocal role in various medical fields including autoimmunity. For instance, through a challenging debate between world-experts and the most popular AI bot used (ChatGPT), several clinical cases including a case of vasculitis were discussed in the plenary sessions.

Triggers and regulation: the gut microbiome in rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease marked by systemic symptoms and joint degeneration. Interestingly, the development and progression of rheumatoid arthritis have been linked to the microbiome, notably the gut microbiome. Dysbiosis, an alteration in the gut microbiome, has been connected to the etiology and pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA): past, present, and future implications.

Adjuvants, as the name indicates, are adjoined material aimed to assist in functioning as when added to vaccines they are meant to boost the effect and strongly stimulate the immune system. The response of the immune system can be unpredictable, and the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) was developed to address possible adverse reactions of an autoimmune and inflammatory type that may be caused by adjuvants. While ASIA, as a syndrome, was coined and defined in 2011; reports describing patients with vague and nonspecific clinical symptoms following vaccinations appeared much earlier.

Vaccines and Autoimmunity-From Side Effects to ASIA Syndrome.

Since vaccines are in fact manufactured chemical compounds such as drugs, the appearance of side effects following their use is not surprising. Similarly, as the main goal of vaccines is to stimulate the immune system bringing out the production of protective antibodies, autoimmune-related side effects as a consequence of increased immune activity do not seem irrational. Fortunately, the rate of such side effects is low; however, the importance of reporting adverse events following vaccinations, understanding the mechanisms behind their appearance, making early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment cannot be overemphasized.

The mosaic of autoimmunity - Finally discussing in person. The 13 international congress on autoimmunity 2022 (AUTO13) Athens.

While autoimmunity is a branch of medicine linked to every single organ system via direct and indirect pathways, meeting in person to discuss autoimmunity during the 13 international congress on autoimmunity (AUTO13) with participants from all over the world had a very good reason. The mechanisms involved in autoimmune diseases are of extreme importance and in fact critical in understanding the course of diseases as well as selecting proper therapies. COVID-19 has served as a great example of how autoimmunity is deeply involved in the disease and directly correlated to severity, morbidity, and mortality.

COVID-19 Vaccination and the Rate of Immune and Autoimmune Adverse Events Following Immunization: Insights From a Narrative Literature Review.

Despite their proven efficacy and huge contribution to the health of humankind, vaccines continue to be a source of concern for some individuals around the world. Vaccinations against COVID-19 increased the number of distressed people and intensified their distrust, particularly as the pandemic was still emerging and the populations were encouraged to be vaccinated under various slogans like "back to normal life" and "stop coronavirus", goals which are still to be achieved. As fear of vaccination-related adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) is the main reason for vaccine hesitancy, we reviewed immune and autoimmune AEFIs in particular, though very rare, as the most worrisome aspect of the vaccines.

Ferritin - from iron, through inflammation and autoimmunity, to COVID-19.

While it took decades to arrive to a conclusion that ferritin is more than an indicator of iron storage level, it took a short period of time through the COVID-19 pandemic to wonder what the reason behind high levels of ferritin in patients with severe COVID-19 might be. Unsurprisingly, acute phase reactant was not a satisfactory explanation. Moreover, the behavior of ferritin in patients with severe COVID-19 and the subsequent high mortality rates in patients with high ferritin levels necessitated further investigations to understand the role of ferritin in the diseases.