Synovial Immunohistological Biomarkers of the Classification of Undifferentiated Arthritis Evolving to Rheumatoid or Psoriatic Arthritis.

Undifferentiated arthritis (UA) is defined as an inflammatory arthritis that does not fulfill criteria for a definite diagnosis. Delay in reaching a specific diagnostic and therapy may lead to impaired functional outcomes. Our aim was to identify synovial biomarkers associated with definitive diagnostic classification in patients with UA.

Immunopathologic characterization of ultrasound-defined synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis patients in clinical remission.

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission may have ultrasound-defined synovitis according to the presence of power Doppler (PD) signal. The objective was to describe the immunopathologic characteristics of ultrasound-defined synovitis compared with synovitis in patients with clinically active RA.

Methods: We included between 6 and 8 ultrasound-guided synovial biopsies per patient from 20 patients with RA in clinical remission (DAS28-ESR <2.

CD271(+) stromal cells expand in arthritic synovium and exhibit a proinflammatory phenotype.

Background: CD271(+) stromal cells (SCs) with multipotent stem cell capacity have been identified in synovial tissues, but their functional significance is unknown. We analyzed the distribution of CD271(+) cells in inflammatory synovial tissues as well as their ex vivo immunomodulatory and inflammatory phenotypes.

Methods: CD271 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in synovial tissues and by flow cytometry in primary adherent synovial cell cultures from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and non-inflammatory control tissues.

Clinicopathological correlations of podoplanin (gp38) expression in rheumatoid synovium and its potential contribution to fibroblast platelet crosstalk.

Introduction: Synovial fibroblasts (SF) undergo phenotypic changes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that contribute to inflammatory joint destruction. This study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical and functional significance of ectopic podoplanin (gp38) expression by RA SF.

Methods: Expression of gp38 and its CLEC2 receptor was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in synovial arthroscopic biopsies from RA patients and normal and osteoarthritic controls.

Topical vitamin D analogue calcipotriol reduces skin fibrosis in experimental scleroderma.

Vitamin D analogues can reduce TGF-β pro-fibrotic signaling in dermal fibroblasts, but they may also induce a potentially pro-fibrotic thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)-dependent Th2 cytokine local response. We have analyzed the net effect of topical vitamin D analogue calcipotriol (CPT) on the cytokine profile and the development of fibrosis in experimental model of bleomycin-induced fibrosis. Mice were simultaneously treated with topical CPT or vehicle cream and skin fibrosis was measured by collagen deposition, Masson's trichrome staining and hydroxyproline content.