Aaenkolding5465

mes and reduced atrial emptying, but preserved LV diastolic parameters. Thus, AF in athletes may be triggered by an atrial myopathy from exercise-induced haemodynamic stretch consequent to increased cardiac output.

SSc is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis, microangiopathy and immune dysfunctions including dysregulation of proinflammatory cytokines. Selleckchem SKL2001 Clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is defined by the acquisition of somatic mutations in haematopoietic stem cells leading to detectable clones in the blood. Recent data have shown a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with CHIP resulting from increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and accelerated atherosclerosis. Eventual links between CHIP and autoimmune diseases are undetermined. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of CHIP in SSc patients and its association with clinical phenotype.

Forty-one genes frequently mutated in myeloid malignancies were sequenced in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 90 SSc patients and 44 healthy donors.

A total of 15 somatic variants were detected in 13/90 SSc patients (14%) and four somatic variants in 4/44 (9%) healthy donors (HD) (P = 0.58). The prevalence of CHIP was significantly higher in younger SSc patients than in HD 25% (6/24) vs 4% (1/26) (P = 0.045) under 50 years and 17% (7/42) vs 3% (1/38) (P = 0.065) under 60 years. The prevalence of CHIP in patients over 70 years was similar in SSc patients and healthy donors. The most common mutations occurred in DNMT3A (seven variants). No major clinical differences were observed between SSc patients with or without CHIP.

Whether CHIP increases the risk to develop SSc or is a consequence of a SSc-derived modified bone marrow micro-environment remains to be explored.

Whether CHIP increases the risk to develop SSc or is a consequence of a SSc-derived modified bone marrow micro-environment remains to be explored.

Neutrophilia is a hallmark of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD). This study aimed to investigate the role of a distinct subset of granulocytes, the low-density granulocytes (LDGs) in the pathogenesis of AOSD.

A total of 56 patients with AOSD were included in the study. LDGs were quantified by flow cytometry. Correlations between LDGs with disease activity and laboratory parameters were determined by Spearman's nonparametric test. The cellular sources of the pro-inflammatory cytokines in AOSD were determined by intracellular staining.

Active AOSD patients displayed significantly higher levels of LDGs compared with inactive AOSD patients and healthy controls (HCs) (P<0.001). Circulating LDGs were significantly correlated with CRP, ESR and the modified Pouchot score in patients with AOSD (P<0.01). The levels of LDGs were significantly decreased after the active AOSD patients achieved disease remission (P=0.0391). CD14+ monocytes constituted over 90% IL-1β+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and over 80% TNF-α+ PBMCs in both active AOSD patients and HCs, respectively. In active AOSD, CD14+ monocytes accounted for 24.6% to 75.0% of IL-6+ PBMCs, while LDGs comprised 22.8% to 72.2% of IL-6+ PBMCs. In contrast, over 90% IL-6+ PBMCs were CD14+ monocytes in HCs. A significant correlation was identified between the levels of LDGs and serum IL-6 levels in AOSD (P<0.0001).

Active AOSD is associated with elevated levels of a pro-inflammatory subset of neutrophils, the LDGs that produce IL-6. Our data highlight an unappreciated role of LDGs in the aberrant innate immune responses in AOSD.

Active AOSD is associated with elevated levels of a pro-inflammatory subset of neutrophils, the LDGs that produce IL-6. Our data highlight an unappreciated role of LDGs in the aberrant innate immune responses in AOSD.

Diagnosing Behçet's disease (BD) is a challenge, especially in countries with a low prevalence. Recently, venous wall thickness (VWT) in lower extremities has been shown to be increased in BD patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of common femoral vein (CFV) thickness measurement in BD and whether it can be used as a diagnostic tool.

. Patients with BD (n = 152), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 27), systemic vasculitides (n = 23), venous insufficiency (n = 29), antiphospholipid syndrome (APS; n = 43), deep vein thrombosis due to non-inflammatory causes (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 51) were included in the study. Bilateral CFV thickness was measured with ultrasonography by a radiologist blinded to cases.

Bilateral CFV thickness was significantly increased in BD compared with all control groups (P < 0.001 for all). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for bilateral CFV thicknesses in all comparator groups was >0.95 for the cut-off value (0.5 mm). This cut-off value also performed well against all control groups with sensitivity rates >90%. The specificity rate was also >80% in all comparator groups except APS (positive predictive value 79.2-76.5%, negative predictive value 92-91.8% for right and left CFV, respectively).

Increased CFV thickness is a distinctive feature of BD and is rarely present in healthy and diseased controls, except APS. Our results suggest that CFV thickness measurement with ultrasonography, a non-invasive radiological modality, can be a diagnostic tool for BD with sensitivity and the specificity rates higher than 80% for the cut-off value ≥0.5 mm.

Increased CFV thickness is a distinctive feature of BD and is rarely present in healthy and diseased controls, except APS. Our results suggest that CFV thickness measurement with ultrasonography, a non-invasive radiological modality, can be a diagnostic tool for BD with sensitivity and the specificity rates higher than 80% for the cut-off value ≥0.5 mm.After two months of relative quiescence, a large COVID-19 outbreak occurred in Hong Kong in July 2020 after gradual relaxation of social distancing policy. Two unique SARS-CoV-2 phylogenetic clusters have been identified among locally-acquired cases, with most genomes belonging to cluster HK1 which is phylogenetically related to SARS-CoV-2 reported overseas.