Citrullinated and homocitrullinated low- density lipoprotein in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Antibodies to citrullinated and homocitrullinated (also known as carbamylated) proteins, specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Immune complexes containing these proteins have been identified in the atherosclerotic plaque of CVD patients. In mice, homocitrullinated low-density lipoprotein (HomoCitLDL) promotes foam cell formation, which is critical in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We aimed to investigate the atherogenic potential of HomoCitLDL and citrullinated low-density lipoprotein (CitLDL) in RA.Method: Human LDL was homocitrullinated in potassium cyanate and citrullinated by rabbit skeletal muscle peptidyl arginine deiminase-2. The modifications were confirmed by mass spectrometry. Primary human monoctyes from healthy subjects (N = 8) were differentiated to macrophages using macrophage colony-stimulating factor and incubated with modified LDL. Foam cells were visualized using Oil Red O staining. Serum from RA patients (N = 101) and controls (N = 32) was tested for immunoglobulin G antibodies to modified LDL using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: HomoCitLDL and CitLDL strongly induced foam cell production (> 90%) versus unmodified LDL (11%) (p < 0.0001). The characteristics of the RA subjects were: 73% females, median age 60 [interquartile range (IQR) 17] years and disease duration 7.5 (IQR 13) years; 11% had a prior major cardiovascular event, 66% were ever smokers, 32% had hypertension, 33% dyslipidaemia, and 14% diabetes. Antibodies to HomoCitLDL were detected in 18% of RA patients; they were significantly associated with dyslipidaemia [odds ratio (OR) 3.86; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22, 12.17] and antibodies to other homocitrullinated antigens (OR 10.61; 95% CI 1.31, 86.11).Conclusions: HomoCitLDL and CitLDL have atherogenic properties in vitro. Antibody responses to HomoCitLDL, but not CitLDL, were detected in RA patients.

Complications of Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery in the Brain and Spine.

Radiation therapy is an integral part of the standard of care for many patients with brain and spine tumors. Stereotactic radiation surgery is increasingly being used as an adjuvant therapy as well as a sole treatment. However, despite newer and more focused techniques, radiation therapy still causes significant neurotoxicity. In this article, we reviewed the scientific literature, presented cases of patients who had developed different complications related to conventional radiation therapy or radiosurgery (gamma knife), demonstrated the imaging findings, and discussed the relevant clinical information for the correct diagnoses. Radiation therapy can cause injury in different ways: directly damaging the structures included in the radiation portal, indirectly affecting the blood vessels, and increasing the chance of tumor development. We also divided radiation complications according to the time of occurrence: acute (0 to 4 weeks), early delayed (4 weeks to months), and late delayed (months to years). With the increasing application of radiation therapy for the treatment of CNS tumors, it is important for the neuroradiologist to recognize the many possible complications of radiation therapy. Although this may cause significant diagnostic challenges, understanding the pathophysiology, time course of onset, and imaging features may help institute early therapy and prevent possible deleterious outcomes. Learning Objectives: To recognize the main complications of radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery in the brain and spine, and to highlight the imaging findings to improve the diagnostic process and treatment planning.

CT Angiography of the Head in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is an artificial cardiopulmonary bypass technique used to support patients with severe pulmonary failure or both pulmonary and cardiac failure. The hemodynamic changes produced by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation affect the appearance of CTA of the head images, often confounding interpretation if the correct history and understanding of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation are not known. This technical report describes the principles of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, techniques to optimize intracranial CTA imaging, and pitfalls.

Cryopreservation of Mexican fruit flies by vitrification: stage selection and avoidance of thermal stress.

This report presents details of a vitrification methodology for the cryopreservation of embryos of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens. The overall summary of the data indicates that selecting the correct developmental stage for cryopreservation is the most important criterion. The key aspect in selection of the correct stage is to balance depletion of the gut yolk content against development of the embryonic cuticle. Embryogenesis was divided into four stages between 90 and 120 h after incubation at 21.7 degrees C. The classification was based on the intestinal yolk content and the initial development of mandibular-maxillary complex. Stages having low mid-gut yolk content and the appearance of mouth hooks were found to be the most suitable for cryopreservation. Embryos developing at 30 degrees C had premature cuticle formation relative to gut development and significantly lower hatching after cryopreservation. Vitrification of embryos by direct quenching in liquid nitrogen was less effective than quenching after annealing the samples in liquid nitrogen vapor. Quenched samples of vitrification solutions containing 1,2-ethanediol as the major component exhibited fractures. Fracturing occurred less frequently when the solutions were annealed and when containing polyethylene glycol. Hatching of vitrified embryos stored in liquid nitrogen for over 12 months was not statistically different from those held for only 15 min. Our protocol yielded normalized hatching rates that ranged as high as 61%. Selecting the exact stage for cryopreservation from a population of embryos obtained by collection from ovipositing females during a span of just 30 min resulted in nearly 80% of the embryos hatching into larvae.

Cryopreservation of Mediterranean fruit fly embryos.

In this paper we present a procedure to cryopreserve the embryos of a tephritid, the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), by vitrification. Developmental stages between 24 and 32 hours after oviposition were examined for tolerance to cryopreservation. Embryos, 27-hr-old and incubated at 29 C, were found to be at the most suitable stage for treatment. Effects of the previtrification steps of our protocol, dechorionation, permeabilization, cryoprotectant loading, and dehydration, on survival to hatching were also assessed. Dechorionation did not affect viability, while isopropanol and a hexane treatment used in the permeabilization step of the protocol reduced hatching by about 15%. This reduction was dependent on the amount of isopropyl alcohol carried over into the hexane rinse. The remaining previtrification steps reduced hatching by an additional 10%. After optimization of the procedure, normalized hatching was 44% after vitrification in liquid nitrogen vapor followed by storage under liquid nitrogen for a test period of 7 days. Post cryopreservation larval diets containing wheat bran, corncob grits, or agar as the base were examined for survival to pupation and emergence. A yield of 34% egg to adult emergence was obtained when the agar-based diet was used for rearing larvae that had experienced cryopreservation during the embryonic stage.