Inflammatory biomarkers predicting long-term remission and active disease in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a population-based study of the Nordic JIA cohort.

Objectives: To assess the ability of baseline serum biomarkers to predict disease activity and remission status in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at 18-year follow-up (FU) in a population-based setting.

Methods: Clinical data and serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers were assessed in the longitudinal population-based Nordic JIA cohort study at baseline and at 18-year FU. A panel of 16 inflammatory biomarkers was determined by multiplexed bead array assay.

Aberrant Naive CD4-Positive T Cell Differentiation in Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Committed to B Cell Help.

Objective: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) features characteristics of autoinflammation and autoimmunity, culminating in chronic arthritis. In this study, we hypothesized that aberrant or incomplete polarization of T helper cells contributes to disease pathology.

Methods: Cells or serum samples were obtained from healthy controls (n = 72) and systemic JIA patients (n = 171).

Expression of toll-like receptors in neonatal sepsis.

Despite recent identification of specific pattern recognition receptors (PRR) for distinct microbial structures, data indicating their relevance in human infectious diseases are limited. We determined the expression levels of the Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 by flow cytometry on granulocytes and monocytes of healthy neonates compared with healthy adults. The basal expression of TLR2 was only slightly lower in neonatal phagocytes, whereas no differences could be detected for TLR4.