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J Neuroimaging 2021 Apr 5. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Second Department of Neurology, National & Kapodistiran University of Athens, School of Medicine, "Attikon" University Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic inflammatory arteriopathy of medium and large-sized arteries, predominantly affecting branches of the external carotid artery. Ischemic stroke has been reported in 2.8-7% of patients diagnosed with GCA. Read More

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2021 9;8(3):002254. Epub 2021 Feb 9.

Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA), or Horton's arteritis, presenting solely as fever is very rare. Usually, it manifests with typical features such as visual problems, headache and jaw claudication, or it can be associated with polymyalgia rheumatica. We describe the case of a patient with GCA who presented only with prolonged fever, the cause of which was not determined by diagnostic tests. Read More

Semin Arthritis Rheum 2021 Mar 2;51(2):430-435. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Department of Internal Medicine, Caen University Hospital, Avenue de la Côte de Nacre, Caen 14000, France; Normandy University, Caen, Unicaen, France.

Purpose: To describe characteristics and outcomes of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA)-related aortic dissection.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively included, through a nationwide GCA network, all patients who had an aortic dissection either revealing GCA or occurring during follow-up.

Results: A total of 46 patients were included in this study. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2021 Feb 18. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

The article by Delaval et al. beautifully highlighted the differences between clinical manifestations and temporal artery biopsy (TAB) in TA-AAV and GCA patients [1]. However, the differences in visual outcomes, if any, were not reported. Read More

Intern Med 2021 Feb 15. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Department of Hematology, Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is vasculitis of large-sized vessels that can lead to vision loss. We herein report a rare case of GCA accompanied by ptosis and diplopia as early symptoms, which were caused by third nerve palsy. A 78-year-old male presented with fever, right temporal headache, right eyelid ptosis, and diplopia. Read More

Curr Rheumatol Rep 2021 Feb 10;23(3):17. Epub 2021 Feb 10.

Division of Rheumatology, Musculoskeletal System Department, La Colletta Hospital, Local Health Trust 3 Genoa, Via del Giappone 3, 16011, Arenzano, Italy.

Purpose Of Review: Large vessel vasculitides (LVVs) are inflammatory conditions of the wall of large-sized arteries, mainly represented by giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TA). The inflammatory process within the vessel wall can lead to serious consequences such as development of aneurysms, strokes and blindness; therefore, early diagnosis and follow-up of LVV are fundamental. However, the arterial wall is poorly accessible and blood biomarkers are intended to help physicians not only in disease diagnosis but also in monitoring and defining the prognosis of these conditions, thus assisting therapeutic decisions and favouring personalised management. Read More

Neuroscience 2021 04 6;459:50-58. Epub 2021 Feb 6.

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China. Electronic address:

The neural cognitive mechanism in processing static facial expressions (FEs) has been well documented, whereas the one underlying perceiving dynamic faces remains unclear. In this study, Fourier transformation and time-frequency analysis of Electroencephalography (EEG) data were carried out to detect the brain activation underlying dynamic or static FEs while twenty-one participants were viewing dynamic or static faces flicking at 10 Hz. In particular, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) were quantified through spectral power analysis of EEG recordings. Read More

Spec Care Dentist 2021 Jan 29. Epub 2021 Jan 29.

Oral Diagnosis Department, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas-UNICAMP, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a chronic vasculitis comprising large- and medium-sized arteries branches originating from the aortic arch. GCA diagnosis might be challenging due to its several clinical characteristics. This clinical report describes a case of a 91-year-old woman who was admitted with tongue necrosis. Read More

Indian J Ophthalmol 2021 Feb;69(2):227-235

University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, Iowa, California, USA.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most important medical emergency in ophthalmology, because its most dreaded complication is visual loss, which is preventable if these patients are diagnosed early and treated immediately and aggressively. This is a brief review of GCA, its ophthalmic manifestations, and how to diagnose and manage them. Read More

Nutrients 2021 Jan 13;13(1). Epub 2021 Jan 13.

Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.

We have previously shown that probiotic supplementation with HN001 (HN001) led to a reduced incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Here we investigate whether HN001 supplementation resulted in alterations in fasting lipids, insulin resistance, or bile acids (BAs) during pregnancy. Fasting plasma samples collected at 24-30 weeks' gestation, from 348 women randomised at 14-16 weeks' gestation to consume daily probiotic HN001 ( = 172) or a placebo ( = 176) were analysed for lipids, insulin, glucose and BAs. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2020 8;7:589794. Epub 2020 Dec 8.

Rheumatology Department, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo Foundation, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

Color Duplex sonography (CDS) of temporal arteries and large vessels (LV) is a recently validated diagnostic methodology for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA). CDS combined with a fast-track approach (FTA) has improved the early diagnosis of the disease. To assess FTA effects on the prevention of permanent visual loss (PVL), relapse and late complications of GCA compared to conventional practice. Read More

Front Plant Sci 2020 11;11:611655. Epub 2020 Dec 11.

Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy.

Fungi of the genus have been reported as the main causative agent of hazelnut defects in the Caucasus area. This study aimed to define which fungal species are present in defective hazelnuts grown in Turkey and confirm the role of spp. Seven hazelnut orchards were selected, with each one located in a different Turkish Province (Düzce, Giresun, Ordu, Samsun, Sakarya, Trabzon, and Zonguldak), and hazelnuts were collected at early and full ripening. Read More

Phys Ther 2021 Feb;101(2)

Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Craniofacial Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Objective: Positional plagiocephaly/brachycephaly (PPB) is associated with lower cognitive scores in school-aged children. This study tested the hypothesis that infant motor skills mediate this association.

Methods: Children with a history of PPB (cases, n = 187) and without PPB (controls, n = 149) were followed from infancy through approximately 9 years of age. Read More

J Transl Autoimmun 2020 28;3:100072. Epub 2020 Nov 28.

Rheumatology Unit, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.

Objective: Glucocorticoids (GC) are associated with side effects in giant cell arteritis (GCA). Immunosuppressive therapies (ITs) have given conflicting results in GCA, regarding GC sparing effect. Primary endpoint is to evaluate whether very early introduction of ITs in GCA minimize the rate of GC-induced adverse events, in terms of infections, new onset systemic arterial hypertension, GC-induced diabetes and osteoporotic fractures. Read More

J Clin Med 2020 Dec 4;9(12). Epub 2020 Dec 4.

Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5000 Odense, Denmark.

The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of newly diagnosed malignancies in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), with the aid of 18F-FDG PET/CT scan compared to conventional imaging techniques: Chest X-ray (CXR) and abdominal ultrasound (US). Secondarily, to examine the relative diagnostic accuracy of these two imaging modalities for the detection of cancer. Eighty consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PMR, GCA, or concomitant PMR and GCA, were included and followed up for 40 weeks. Read More

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2020 23;49(6):583-588. Epub 2020 Nov 23.

Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom,

Introduction: Fifteen percent of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) will progress to dementia within 2 years. There is increasing focus on the evaluation of biomarkers which point towards the underlying pathology. This enables better prediction of clinical outcomes. Read More

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2020 Jul 23. Epub 2020 Jul 23.

Vasculitis and Glomerulonephritis Center. Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States.

Thank you for allowing us to respond to the letter by Samson and Bonnotte regarding our recent manuscript "Ustekinumab for the treatment of giant cell arteritis" [1]. Our results demonstrated that ustekinumab (UST) was well tolerated, but did not prevent disease relapse in a significant proportion of giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients once prednisone was discontinued or tapered to a low daily dose. The letter suggests that it may be too early to draw conclusions regarding the efficacy of UST as a glucocorticoid-sparing drug in GCA for two reasons. Read More

Gut 2020 Oct 30. Epub 2020 Oct 30.

CIDES/CINTESIS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

Objective: Artificial intelligence (AI) may reduce underdiagnosed or overlooked upper GI (UGI) neoplastic and preneoplastic conditions, due to subtle appearance and low disease prevalence. Only disease-specific AI performances have been reported, generating uncertainty on its clinical value.

Design: We searched PubMed, Embase and Scopus until July 2020, for studies on the diagnostic performance of AI in detection and characterisation of UGI lesions. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2021 Feb 28;41(2):439-448. Epub 2020 Oct 28.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Topkapı, Turgut Ozal Millet Cd, 34093, Fatih / Istanbul, Turkey.

The objective of the study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis including flares and organ damage in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) from a tertiary referral centre and compare these features in different subgroups. In this retrospective observational study, patients with GCA who were followed up in our vasculitis clinic between 1998 and 2018 were evaluated by a predefined protocol. Patients with and without cranial symptoms were compared for clinical and laboratory features, flares and permanent damage findings. Read More

Curr Rheumatol Rep 2020 Oct 16;22(12):86. Epub 2020 Oct 16.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu arteritis (TAK) comprise the primary systemic large-vessel vasculitides. In these conditions, arterial stenosis, occlusion, aneurysm, and dissection can lead to severe disease-related consequences. This review focuses on disease-related manifestations of GCA and TAK, emphasizing the impact of these findings on long-term morbidity and mortality. Read More

Crop Sci 2020 Jul-Aug;60(4):1925-1945. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

Dep. of Agronomy Univ. of Ibadan Ibadan Nigeria.

(Del.) Benth parasitism, low soil N, and nutritional deficiencies of normal-endosperm maize ( L.) threaten maize yield and exacerbate nutritional problems in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Sep;99(39):e22406

Department of General Practice (General Internal Medicine), Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Chinese Academy of Medical Science (CAMS) and Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Beijing.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in elderly, with ischemic and constitutional symptoms caused by vascular involvement and systemic inflammation. Early initiation of therapy results in prompt remission, while patients may still experience flares or severe complications during glucocorticoid tapering. This study was to identify the characteristics of Chinese GCA patients with different prognosis. Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2020 Nov 9;15(11):2246-2249. Epub 2020 Sep 9.

Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a rare form of large and medium vessel vasculitis affecting about 20 cases per 100,000 persons older than the age of 50 years. GCA results in inflammation and constriction of the temporal arteries, cranial arteries, the aorta, and its major branches. Patients often present with vague constitutional symptoms and fever of unknown origin. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2021 02 21;73(2):286-294. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Centre de Référence des Maladies Auto-Immunes Systémiques Rares d'Ile-de-France, Hôpital Cochin, and Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.

Objective: Temporal arteritis (TA) is a typical manifestation of giant cell arteritis (GCA). Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAVs) are rarely revealed by TA manifestations, leading to a risk of misdiagnosis of GCA and inappropriate treatments. This study was undertaken to describe the clinical, biologic, and histologic presentations and outcomes in cases of TA revealing AAV (TA-AAV) compared to controls with classic GCA. Read More

Rheumatol Adv Pract 2020 12;4(2):rkaa024. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

Objectives: High-dose glucocorticoids anchor standard care in GCA but are associated with significant toxicity. We aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a stratified approach to glucocorticoid tapering. The strategy aggressively reduced glucocorticoid doses in those manifesting an adequate early response to treatment, with a view to minimizing glucocorticoid complications. Read More

Rheumatol Ther 2020 Dec 25;7(4):793-810. Epub 2020 Aug 25.

Immunology and Specialty Medicine, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK.

Introduction: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sirukumab in giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods: In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-part phase 3 trial (NCT02531633; Part A [52-week double-blind treatment]; Part B [104-week follow-up]), patients with GCA were randomised (3:3:2:2:2) to sirukumab 100 mg every 2 weeks plus 6-month or 3-month prednisone taper, sirukumab 50 mg every 4 weeks plus 6-month prednisone taper, or placebo every 2 weeks plus 6-month or 12-month prednisone taper. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients in sustained remission at week 52. Read More

IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2020 10 24;28(10):2113-2122. Epub 2020 Aug 24.

This study aims to find an effective method to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive training of spatial memory under a virtual reality environment, by classifying the EEG signals of subjects in the early and late stages of spatial cognitive training. This study proposes a new EEG signal analysis method based on Multivariate Permutation Conditional Mutual Information-Multi-Spectral Image (MPCMIMSI). This method mainly considers the relationship between the coupled features of EEG signals in different channel pairs and transforms the multivariate permutation conditional mutual information features into multi-spectral images. Read More

Med Clin (Barc) 2020 Aug 18. Epub 2020 Aug 18.

Rheumatology Department, Hospital Universitario la Paz, Madrid, Spain.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cerebrovascular events (CVE) in giant cell arteritis (GCA) and to alert clinicians to the importance of early detection of CVE in this disease.

Methods: Retrospective observational study involving a cohort of GCA patients. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. Read More

ScientificWorldJournal 2020 1;2020:9390287. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, P.O. Box TL 52, Tamale, Ghana.

Information on combining ability and reciprocal effects (REC) facilitates efficient utilization of genetic materials in a breeding program. This study was conducted (at the CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Ghana) to determine general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA), heritability, genetic advance, GCA, and SCA effects as well as the relationship between parents per se performance and progenies for yield components and maturity traits in cowpea. The test populations were derived using a 5 × 5 complete diallel cross of parents with different yield attributes and maturity durations. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2021 Feb 13;41(2):481-486. Epub 2020 Aug 13.

Department of General Internal Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.

Acute peripheral facial nerve palsy is most frequently idiopathic (Bell's palsy) or virally induced, but can also be due to several other conditions. A rare cause is underlying systemic or autoimmune disease. A 79-year-old man presented with peripheral facial nerve palsy, malaise, and fever. Read More