Giant cell arteritis (GCA), formerly known as temporal arteritis, was first described by Mayo Clinic doctors and classified as an inflammatory condition of the blood vessels in the early to mid-20th century. The condition causes bulging blood vessels at the temples, which if left untreated, may lead to blindness, stroke or even an aortic aneurysm. The cause of GCA is unknown.
Nearly 200,000 people in the U.S. are affected. Most are over the age of 50. The disease is more common in Rochester, Minnesota, than other locations due to the area's large resident populations of Northern European or Scandinavian descent, which may be genetically predisposed to GCA.
From early on, scientists were surprised to find that GCA involves the immune system. Blood vessels, critical to the body's function, tend to evade the inflammatory and damaging processes of immune cells, a characteristic that researchers refer to as"immune privilege." However, GCA targets theNearly a decade passed before another Mayo physician looked at the disease more closely.
The finding attracted the attention of the medical world."I think the fact that the aorta was involved struck the doctors harder because that's a big blood vessel and could have disastrous side effects," Dr. Hunder says. A few years ago, she and her colleagues identified a problem with a protein that seemed to cause the immune system to go haywire in patients with GCA.
Recently, her research team made another discovery, furthering the understanding of an immune system gone awry. They found a second immune checkpoint that is not working in GCA. They saw that a specific ligand, a molecule that binds to and activates a receptor on immune cells, gets trapped and can't make it to the surface of the immune cell to signal the immune system to stop.
Danmark Seneste Nyt, Danmark Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også læse nyheder, der ligner denne, som vi har indsamlet fra andre nyhedskilder.
'We bought a blank new build for £375k and gave it a new lease of life'Kate Ward, 39, and her husband injected colour into their 'white-walled' home and gave the garden a grand makeover
Læs mere »
Researchers find new mechanisms that cause blindness and open the door to new treatmentsThere are still many enigmas about the mechanism of action of the CERKL gene, which causes retinitis pigmentosa and other hereditary vision diseases. Now, a team from the University of Barcelona has described how the lack of the CERKL gene alters the ability of retinal cells to fight oxidative stress generated by light and triggers cell death mechanisms that cause blindness.
Læs mere »
Giant tree crushes Cohasset police cruiser, officer OK: ‘We dodged a tragedy'Police in Cohasset, Massachusetts, say they avoided a tragedy on Saturday afternoon. An officer responded to South Main Street and River Road for a report of low-hanging wires around 1 p.m. as post-tropical storm Lee brought heavy winds, high seas and rain to the area. While outside of his cruiser, the officer heard a loud snap and saw a giant tree…
Læs mere »
Blueprints for giant Kilmarnock housing estate being draftedThe vast site development would be based in the north of the town.
Læs mere »
Will there be the jobs to replace those lost in Wilko collapse?The retail giant was estimated to have employed 2,000 people in its Bassetlaw home alone.
Læs mere »
3D stress patterns in capillaries found to be caused by red blood cell squeezingNew and unique shear stress patterns can occur in angiogenic capillary (new blood vessel growth) networks, according to a new study titled 'Angiogenic microvascular wall shear stress patterns revealed through three-dimensional red blood cell resolved modeling' published in the journal Function. There was also enhancement of low shear stress regions by red blood cells. Shear stress is the frictional force of the blood on the vessel wall.
Læs mere »