Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the basis of indirect evidence, such as its presence in affected joint tissues, antigenic cross reactions between EBV and human proteins, and elevated humoral and cellular anti-EBV immune responses in patients. Here we report development of erosive arthritis closely resembling RA in humanized mice inoculated with EBV. Human immune system components were reconstituted in mice of the NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2Rγnull (NOG) strain by transplantation with CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells isolated from cord blood. These humanized mice were then inoculated with EBV and examined pathologically for the signs of arthritis. Erosive arthritis accompanied by synovial membrane proliferation, pannus formation, and bone marrow edema developed in fifteen of twenty-three NOG mice transplanted with human HSC and inoculated with EBV, but not in the nine NOG mice that were transplanted with HSC but not inoculated with EBV. This is the first report of an animal model of EBV-induced arthritis and strongly suggest a causative role of the virus in RA.
We used a new tactile sensor to measure the elastic properties of skin in patients with systemic sclerosis or Raynaud's phenomenon. The sensor consists of a piezoelectric vibrator with vibration pickup to measure frequency changes when the sensor is placed on the skin. The mean frequency change at the skin surface of the proximal third phalanx in patients with systemic sclerosis was significantly lower than in age-and sexmatched controls. The results in systemic sclerosis patients were statistically correlated to the Modified Rodnan Skin Thickness Score. This technique was also used to measure the therapeutic efficacy of salpogrelate, a new specific serotonin receptor antagonist. A greater mean frequency change was seen after treatment. We conclude that this new tactile sensor is useful for quantitatively measuring skin sclerosis and may help determine the efficacy of therapeutic treatments.
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