Dihydroartemisinin alleviates ulcerative colitis by modulating gut microbiota and butyrate to restore Treg/Th17 balance and intestinal barrier function.

Imaging alkaline phosphatase activity in alcoholic liver disease via a rational-designed NIR fluorogenic probe.

There is no consensus or standardized framework to characterize disease activity in CNS neurosarcoidosis, and the existing literature is highly heterogeneous. Here, we aimed to aggregate all longitudinal monitoring metrics in neurosarcoidosis through a systematic review. The review protocol is registered in PROSPERO (ID:533857). Articles were included if they incorporated at least 1 longitudinal monitoring or outcome metric relevant to neurosarcoidosis disease activity. In addition, we aimed to establish an evidence-based clinical framework for characterizing, monitoring, and communicating neurosarcoidosis disease activity, applicable to both clinical care and research. Of 387 articles initially identified, 67 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused on metrics within a single domain (clinical, imaging, or laboratory) or analyzed multiple domains independently. Often, the definitions were not formally outlined. Only 11 studies included a multidomain monitoring metric. Our proposed framework integrates 3 critical domains for assessing the neurosarcoidosis disease activity: (1) clinical, (2) imaging, and (3) laboratory and supports a standardized characterization of the disease, especially when domain results are discordant. The overarching goal in defining the elements of each domain was to prioritize specificity in attributing activity to neurosarcoidosis while minimizing the risk of misattribution. Each domain includes criteria for 4 categories of disease status: "improved," "stable," "worsened," or "resolved." The overall disease status of activity or inactivity is then determined by reconciling the independent domains into a summary disease activity assessment, communicated with additional clinical context, including immune treatment status and neuroanatomic localization. Sustained clinical stability of persistent neurologic symptoms or signs in the absence of MRI or CSF activity is considered in the summary assessment to reflect inactive disease with sustained neurologic deficits. A systematic review highlighted substantial heterogeneity in how CNS neurosarcoidosis disease activity is measured, with many studies lacking formal definitions and often reporting activity only within isolated domains. This proposed framework integrates multiple domains to comprehensively characterize CNS neurosarcoidosis disease activity. With further validation, this approach has the potential to standardize research practices and improve clinical reasoning and communication.

Double-negative T cells (DNTs) are significantly elevated in autoimmune diseases and are thought to play an important role in inflammation. The purpose of this study was to explore their role in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). DNTs, as well as T and B cell subsets in peripheral blood, were detected by flow cytometry in 78 patients, including 34 cSLE. Clinical and laboratory data of cSLE patients were collected to analyze the correlation between DNTs and these indices, including demographics: proportion of female patients and mean age (± SD); Organ involvement: presence of lupus nephritis, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and pulmonary involvement; Hematologic parameters: leukopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia (WBC, Hb, and PLT counts); Autoantibody profiles: ANA, anti-dsDNA, and anti-Sm antibodies. The changes in DNT levels after glucocorticoid treatment were observed, and the effects of different doses of glucocorticoids on DNTs were analyzed. DNT levels were significantly increased in the peripheral blood of cSLE patients. DNTs were correlated with SLE disease activity, organ involvement, the production of autoantibodies, naive B cells, and plasmablasts. DNT levels increased after low-dose glucocorticoid treatment (9.12 ± 1.43 vs 14.24 ± 1.36, p < 0.01) but gradually decreased with increasing glucocorticoid doses (14.24 ± 1.36 vs 13.45 ± 1.51 vs 7.45 ± 1.01 vs 4.72 ± 1.20, p < 0.05). DNT levels significantly decreased from the fourth day of glucocorticoid pulse therapy. DNT levels were positively correlated with disease activity in cSLE patients, and the effect of glucocorticoid dose on DNT levels varied. Key Points • DNT cells are significantly elevated in cSLE patients and correlate with disease activity, organ involvement, and autoantibody profiles. Low-dose glucocorticoids transiently increase circulating DNT levels, while higher doses progressively reduce DNT frequencies. DNT levels positively correlate with B-cell subsets, suggesting a potential role in autoantibody production in pediatric SLE. • Dynamic changes in DNTs may be influenced by glucocorticoid treatment.

Nailfold video capillaroscopy as a non-invasive biomarker in juvenile dermatomyositis: A longitudinal analysis of microvascular changes and clinical relevance over one year.

Correlation between some Biomarker Levels and Disease Activity in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Effect on disease activity of ofatumumab in the treatment of glial fibrillary acidic protein astrocytopathy and 18F-DPA714 PET/MRI imaging assessment.

How safe are the TNF alpha inhibitors with respect to pregnancy outcomes in autoimmune diseases?

Fronto-cerebellar features associate with cognitive dysfunction in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

Assessment of kinesiophobia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus and its association with disease activity, functional status, pain severity and depression

To predict which early RA-patients achieve clinical remission on initial treatment with methotrexate monotherapy or with abatacept+methotrexate. This study is a subanalysis of the AVERT and AVERT-2 randomized controlled trials, which were performed in ACPA-positive early RA-patients who received methotrexate monotherapy or abatacept + methotrexate. External model validation of patients on methotrexate monotherapy was performed in the observational Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic (EAC) cohort. Primary outcome was DAS28-CRP remission at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Prediction models were developed using logistic regression analysis. First, a model including clinical baseline variables only was estimated. Subsequently, it was assessed whether adding serological or imaging data, shared epitope or early DAS28 response improved model performance. In the methotrexate-monotherapy group (n=388), 27% and 39% of patients achieved DAS28-remission after 6 and 12-months. In the abatacept + methotrexate group (n=743) this was 43% and 53%. Baseline DAS28-CRP was predictive for clinical remission in all models. Optimism-adjusted model performance (AUROC) for DAS28-remission at 6 and 12-months was 0.66/0.65 in the methotrexate-group and 0.68/0.59 in the abatacept + methotrexate group. Adding baseline MRI-detected joint-inflammation, baseline serology or HLA-shared epitope alleles did not significantly improve model performance. Early DAS28-response did improve model performance. In the external validation cohort model performance was very similar. Determining which patients achieve clinical remission upon methotrexate or abatacept+methotrexate treatment remains challenging. Disease activity at disease presentation and early DAS response were the only consistent predictors for achieving clinical remission. Genetic, imaging and serology parameters did not improve model performance.

Long-term Persistence, Safety and Efficacy Profile of Dupilumab in Atopic Dermatitis: A Real-world Retrospective Multicenter Study From Spain.

En Face Optical Coherence Tomography and OCT Angiography in the Pathoanatomy of Inflammatory Macular Disease.

Reassessing the prevalence of monophasic, polyphasic and persistent disease courses in still's disease.

Spectroscopic characterization of Mn2+-induced catalysis in cyclic GMP-AMP synthase.

cGAS-STING activation in Parkinson's Disease: From mechanisms to Disease-Modifying therapeutic strategies.

The grading and staging of liver biopsies from patients with steatotic liver disease, in particular metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is of fundamental importance in the execution of clinical trials of new therapeutic agents in this condition. Several semi-quantitative scoring systems have been designed for this purpose, of which the most used is the NASH Clinical Research Network (NASH CRN) system, in which the grade of disease is assessed on the severity of steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning and lobular inflammation. There has been recent interest in the role of portal inflammation (PI) in MASLD. The arguments for and against the inclusion of a semi-quantitative score for PI in grading MASLD activity are discussed in detail.

Introduction: Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, primarily driven by plaque rupture and thrombotic occlusion in coronary arteries. Traditional biomarkers provide limited insight into the inflammatory and lipid-driven mechanisms underlying plaque instability. Soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (sTREM2), a shed form of a membrane-bound receptor expressed on macrophages and other myeloid cells, has been implicated in lipid metabolism, immune regulation and tissue homeostasis. Although its role in neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders has been increasingly recognised, its relevance in atherosclerosis and acute coronary events is still being elucidated. Exploring sTREM2 in this setting may offer novel perspectives on immune-metabolic activity in coronary artery disease. Aim: To investigate the association between serum sTREM2 levels and ACS, as well as disease severity. Materials and Methods: The present observational crosssectional study was conducted at the Department of Biochemistry, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Potheri, SRM Nagar, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India, between December 2023 and August 2024. A total of 180 participants were enrolled, including 90 newly diagnosed ACS patients and 90 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Inclusion criteria for the ACS group included adults aged over 25 years with a confirmed diagnosis of ACS {STElevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), Non ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI), or unstable angina} based on clinical presentation, Electrocardiographic (ECG) changes and cardiac biomarkers. Controls were healthy volunteers with no history of cardiovascular disease. Serum sTREM2 levels, lipid profile, Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) were measured. ACS severity was assessed using the Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With TAXUS and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX I) score. Demographic parameters including age, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI). Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Data normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Group comparisons were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test. Spearman’s correlation was used to evaluate relationships between variables and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis assessed the diagnostic utility of biomarkers. A p-value &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Serum sTREM2 levels were significantly higher in ACS patients {115.19 (78.18-191.67) pg/mL} compared to controls {70.74 (51.16-89.03) pg/mL} (p&lt;0.001). ACS patients also exhibited elevated hs-CRP, ApoB, Total Cholesterol (TC), LowDensity Lipoprotein (LDL) and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL), along with reduced High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) levels. A positive correlation was identified between sTREM2 and body weight, BMI, TC, LDL and the TC/HDL ratio, while a negative correlation was noted with HDL. sTREM2 levels increased progressively with ACS severity as determined by the SYNTAX I score. No significant correlation was found between sTREM2 and hs-CRP or ApoB. ROC analysis demonstrated moderate diagnostic accuracy for sTREM2, with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.771. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that serum sTREM2 levels are significantly elevated in ACS patients and correlate with disease severity. These findings suggest that sTREM2 may serve as a novel biomarker for ACS stratification, providing insights into the inflammatory and lipid-related mechanisms driving disease progression. Further longitudinal studies are required to validate its prognostic and clinical utility.

Postbiotics and the gut-brain axis: A mechanistic review on modulating neuroinflammation and cognitive aging.

Metabolomic insights into the neuroprotective actions of Ziziphi spinosae semen and jujuboside B against Aβ-induced toxicity.