Hand Osteoarthritis and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Middle-Aged Women.

To determine subclinical cardiovascular disease (sCVD) in middle-aged women with clinically manifested hand osteoarthritis (HOA) and to improve the characterization of cardiovascular risk in this population. We cross-sectionally evaluated the relationship between HOA and sCVD in 1,803 volunteers from the Mexican Teachers' Cohort. From 2012 to 2016, a subsample from Mexico City, the Northern state Nuevo León, and the Southern states Chiapas and Yucatán was invited for clinical evaluations, during which neurologists examined carotid arteries using ultrasound, and a standardized HOA questionnaire was also administered.

Right Ventricle and Autoimmune Diseases.

Autoimmune diseases can express pathologies in specific organs (e.g. thyroid, pancreas, skin) or generate systemic pathologies (generalized lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis), the latter usually present systemic inflammatory phenomena.

Dendritic cells drive profibrotic inflammation and aberrant T cell polarization in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: SSc is a devastating autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and obliterative vasculopathy affecting the skin and visceral organs. While the processes mediating excessive extracellular matrix deposition and fibroblast proliferation are clear, the exact link between autoimmunity and fibrosis remains elusive. Th17 cells have been proposed as critical drivers of profibrotic inflammation during SSc, but little is known about the immune components supporting their pathogenic role.

Differential Leukocyte Expression of and in Patients with Severe Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) and COVID-19.

Interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins mediate protection against enveloped viruses by blocking membrane fusion at endosomes. IFITM1 and IFITM3 are crucial for protection against influenza, and various single nucleotide polymorphisms altering their function have been linked to disease susceptibility. However, bulk and mRNA expression dynamics and their correlation with clinical outcomes have not been extensively addressed in patients with respiratory infections.

Possible Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases and TGF-β in COVID-19 Severity and Sequelae.

The costs of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are devastating. With millions of deaths worldwide, specific serological biomarkers, antiviral agents, and novel therapies are urgently required to reduce the disease burden. For these purposes, a profound understanding of the pathobiology of COVID-19 is mandatory.

Randomized feasibility trial of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Self-Management (SPIN-SELF) Program.

Background: The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) developed an online self-management program (SPIN-SELF) designed to improve disease-management self-efficacy in people with systemic sclerosis (SSc, or scleroderma). The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility aspects for conducting a full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the SPIN-SELF Program.

Methods: This feasibility trial was embedded in the SPIN Cohort and utilized the cohort multiple RCT design.

The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Self-Management (SPIN-SELF) Program: protocol for a two-arm parallel partially nested randomized controlled feasibility trial with progression to full-scale trial.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma; SSc) is a rare autoimmune connective tissue disease. We completed an initial feasibility trial of an online self-administered version of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Self-Management (SPIN-SELF) Program using the cohort multiple randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. Due to low intervention offer uptake, we will conduct a new feasibility trial with progression to full-scale trial, using a two-arm parallel, partially nested RCT design.

A comprehensive framework for navigating patient care in systemic sclerosis: A global response to the need for improving the practice of diagnostic and preventive strategies in SSc.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), the most lethal of rheumatologic conditions, is the cause of death in >50% of SSc cases, led by pulmonary fibrosis followed by pulmonary hypertension and then scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). Multiple other preventable and treatable SSc-related vascular, cardiac, gastrointestinal, nutritional and musculoskeletal complications can lead to disability and death. Vascular injury with subsequent inflammation transforming to irreversible fibrosis and permanent damage characterizes SSc.

Corrigendum: CXCL17 Is a Specific Diagnostic Biomarker for Severe Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) That Predicts Poor Clinical Outcome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.

Clinical and Immunological Factors That Distinguish COVID-19 From Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1).

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a global health threat with the potential to cause severe disease manifestations in the lungs. Although COVID-19 has been extensively characterized clinically, the factors distinguishing SARS-CoV-2 from other respiratory viruses are unknown. Here, we compared the clinical, histopathological, and immunological characteristics of patients with COVID-19 and pandemic influenza A(H1N1).

IFN signaling and neutrophil degranulation transcriptional signatures are induced during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected more than 92 million people worldwide resulting in the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Using a rhesus macaque model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we have characterized the transcriptional signatures induced in the lungs of juvenile and old macaques following infection. Genes associated with Interferon (IFN) signaling, neutrophil degranulation and innate immune pathways are significantly induced in macaque infected lungs, while pathways associated with collagen formation are downregulated, as also seen in lungs of macaques with tuberculosis.

Expression of Surfactant Protein D Distinguishes Severe Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) from Coronavirus Disease 2019.

The differentiation between influenza and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could constitute a diagnostic challenge during the ongoing winter owing to their clinical similitude. Thus, novel biomarkers are required to enable making this distinction. Here, we evaluated whether the surfactant protein D (SP-D), a collectin produced at the alveolar epithelium with known immune properties, was useful to differentiate pandemic influenza A(H1N1) from COVID-19 in critically ill patients.

IFN signaling and neutrophil degranulation transcriptional signatures are induced during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The novel virus SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 14 million people worldwide resulting in the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Limited information on the underlying immune mechanisms that drive disease or protection during COVID-19 severely hamper development of therapeutics and vaccines. Thus, the establishment of relevant animal models that mimic the pathobiology of the disease is urgent.

Aspartic acid in the HLA-DRB1 chain and shared epitope alleles partially explain the high prevalence of autoimmunity in Mexicans.

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is the most common autoimmune disorder worldwide. Remarkably, it is commonly accompanied by other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The immunopathogenic mechanisms behind the coexistence of these disorders are still not completely understood.

Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) capillaroscopy study group consensus for the format and content of the report in capillaroscopy in rheumatology.

Objective: The aim of this work was to produce a consensus-based report for capillaroscopy in rheumatology to be used in daily clinical practice.

Methods: A written Delphi questionnaire regarding capillaroscopy report was developed from a literature review and expert consensus. The Delphi questionnaire was sent to an international panel including 25 rheumatologists experts in capillaroscopy, asking them to rate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement.

Pulmonary Vasoreactivity and Phenotypes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated to Connective Tissue Diseases.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal complication in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD).

Objective: The objective of the study was to study the prognostic value of the acute pulmonary vasoreactivity test with inhaled iloprost and its association with clinical deterioration in a tertiary care academic medical center.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study of patients with CTD and the diagnosis of PAH established by right heart catheterization.

Can nailfold videocapillaroscopy images be interpreted reliably by different observers? Results of an inter-reader and intra-reader exercise among rheumatologists with different experience in this field.

Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (VCP) allows non-invasive assessment of the microcirculation. Adequate training in this field is relevant for rheumatologists. There is increasing evidence of the reliability of VCP findings among different readers.

Exercise habits and factors associated with exercise in systemic sclerosis: a Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) cohort study.

Objective: Exercise is associated with improved health in many medical conditions. Little is known about the exercise habits of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc, or scleroderma). This study assessed the proportion of individuals with SSc who exercise and associations of demographic and disease variables with exercise.

Comprehensive approach to systemic sclerosis patients during pregnancy.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease that usually affects women, with a male:female ratio of 1:4-10. It was thought that there was a prohibitive risk of fatal complications in the pregnancies of patients with SSc. It is now known that the majority of these women undergo a normal progression of pregnancy if the right time is chosen and a close obstetric care is delivered.

Practice guidelines for the management of low back pain. Consensus Group of Practice Parameters to Manage Low Back Pain.

It has been documented that pain in its diverse modalities is the most common cause of medical attention. In Mexico, an increase in its frequency has promoted its consideration in several health programs. On the other hand, inadequate pain management will cause severe physical, psychoaffective, and socioeconomic repercussions for patients, families, and public health services.

Rheumatic manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease.

This article reviews the literature concerning rheumatic manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including common immune-mediated pathways, frequency, clinical course and therapy. Musculoskeletal complications are frequent and well-recognized manifestations in IBD, and affect up to 33% of patients with IBD. The strong link between the bowel and the osteo-articular system is suggested by many clinical and experimental observations, notably in HLA-B27 transgenic rats.

The different faces of shared autoimmunity.

The concept of shared autoimmunity comprises various forms of disease: rheumatic diseases in several members of the same family, the coincidence of autoimmune rheumatic with non-rheumatic diseases in relatives of patients, the presence of autoantibodies in healthy relatives of autoimmune disease patients, and the development of two or more autoimmune rheumatic diseases in one patient, the so-called overlap syndromes. The genetic and environmental factors that lead to these phenomena interact in a complex fashion and influence the distinct phenotypic characteristics of each patient. In a previous case series, we described 23 Mexican Mestizo patients with overlap syndromes.

Overlap syndromes in the context of shared autoimmunity.

The presence of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in several members of the same family, the concurrence of autoimmune rheumatic with non-rheumatic diseases in relatives of patients, the presence of autoantibodies in sera from healthy relatives of autoimmune-disease patients, the development of two or more autoimmune rheumatic diseases in one patient and the interplay of genetic and environmental factors leading to the presence of several autoimmune disease and/or their autoantibodies in families, is being termed "shared autoimmunity". Herein we analyzed autoimmune rheumatic overlap syndromes in this context. We performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical, serological and radiological characteristics of patients with overlap syndromes from the Clinic of Rheumatic Diseases at the Department of Immunology and Rheumatology of the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán.

Angiotensin II, cell proliferation and angiogenesis regulator: biologic and therapeutic implications in cancer.

Angiotensin II (ANG II) is the main effector peptide in the renin-angiotensin system. It is generated by the activation of Angiotensin I through the Angiotensin II Converter Enzyme (ACE II). ANG II has multiple physiologic effects that regulate vascular tone, hormone secretion, tissue growth and neural activity.

HLA study on two Mexican Mestizo families with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Several studies have been done regarding the genetic susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid disease, particularly those related to the role of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes in the etiology of the disease. In the present study, we report class I and class II MHC haplotypes in nine individuals affected by Hashimoto thyroiditis and Graves' disease who belong to two distinct Mexican families. In one of the families, Hashimoto thyroiditis was associated with the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) HLA-DR3 allele whereas in the other family the disease was associated with homozygosity for the HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0407), HLA-DQ3 (DQB1*0302) haplotype.