The gapless color-flavor locked (gCFL) phase is a candidate for the second-densest phase of matter in the QCD phase diagram, making it a plausible constituent of the core of neutron stars. We show that even a relatively small region of gCFL matter in a star will dominate both the heat capacity C V and the heat loss by neutrino emission L. The gCFL phase is characterized by an unusual quasiparticle dispersion relation that makes both its specific heat c V and its neutrino emissivity " parametrically larger than in any other phase of nuclear or quark matter. During the epoch in which the cooling of the star is dominated by direct Urca neutrino emission, the presence of a gCFL region does not strongly alter the cooling history because the enhancements of C V and L cancel against each other. At late times, however, the cooling is dominated by photon emission from the surface, so L is irrelevant, and the anomalously large heat capacity of the gCFL region keeps the star warm. The temperature drops with time as T t ÿ1:4 rather than the canonical T t ÿ5. This provides a unique and potentially observable signature of gCFL quark matter.

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A 28-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the hospital with chest pain, dyspnea and fevers (37.9 °C). She was found to have pericarditis with exudative bilateral pleural effusions. She had experienced 1-week of generalized abdominal pain and watery non-bloody diarrhea. Stool studies were negative for infectious etiology. Rheumatologic investigation showed C-reactive protein 16.54 mg/dL, C3 61.1 mg/ dL, ANA titer > 1:5120, DNA antibody 1:640, and positive lupus anticoagulant. She was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. CT of the abdomen (portal venous phase) revealed mural edema of the ileum in a striking "target sign" pattern (Fig. 1A), enhancement of the cecum (Fig. 1B), and sigmoid colon. There was mild ascites but no mesenteric vessel abnormality. Colonoscopy visualized mucosal inflammation and ulcers in the cecum, ascending and sigmoid colon, with biopsies showing acute inflammation (neutrophilic infiltration). The clinical presentation and evaluation were consistent with lupus-associated enterocolitis. She was treated with methylprednisolone 60 mg IV daily and hydroxychloroquine 200 mg orally twice daily, with improvement in symptoms. She was discharged on an oral prednisone taper.

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Introduction: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that can have gastrointestinal manifestations related to immune complex deposition and vasculitis. Symptoms are non-specific and include abdominal pain and diarrhea. Case Description/Methods: A 66-year-old Asian woman with no prior medical history presented to the hospital with two months of generalized abdominal pain, nausea and watery diarrhea for 2 months. She reported a 10 lb unintentional weight loss. Initial labs revealed hemolytic anemia that was coombs positive with hemoglobin of 6.5 g/dL, as well as proteinuria. Contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen & pelvis revealed moderate ascites, with normal appearing liver. Additionally evident was diffuse mural thickening of the descending colon, sigmoid colon, with the distal jejunum and ileum demonstrating "target signs" (Figure A & B). Stool studies were negative for infectious etiology. Upper endoscopy and colonoscopy revealed esophagitis, gastritis but normal appearing duodenum and colon. Single balloon enteroscopy revealed mild jejunitis and ulceration with biopsies suggesting chronic inflammation. Biopsies were negative for amyloidosis. Paracentesis revealed a serum ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) of , 1.1. She met the SLICC criteria for a diagnosis of SLE with coombs positive hemolytic anemia, positive ANA titer of 1:1280, anti ds-DNA titer 1:320, low completement levels and ascites. Her radiologic and endoscopic findings were attributed to lupus related enterocolitis. She was begun on intravenous methylprednisolone. Her symptoms progressively improved, after which steroids were tapered and she was transitioned to hydroxychloroquine therapy. Discussion: We report here a case of enterocolitis as the initial presentation of SLE. Mesenteric vasculitis is the underlying mechanism, and patient can develop ascites as well as noted in our patient. Common sites of bowel involvement are the jejunum (80%) and the ileum (85%). Symptoms are generally non-specific. CT imaging has become the gold standard in diagnosis with findings of bowel wall edema ("target sign") and engorgement of mesenteric vessels ("combs sign"). Lupus enterocolitis occurs in the setting of active SLE, and is visualized endoscopically as ischemic enteritis or chronic colonic ulcerations. This disease demonstrates favorable response to steroids. Early suspicion and prompt management is essential to prevent complications such as bowel ischemia or perforation.