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Connective tissue diseases are a heterogeneous group of autoimmune disorders that affect any of the body's connective tissues. These disorders can be inherited or acquired, and can present with a wide range of systemic inflammatory and immunological features.
Relapsing polychondritis, a rare inflammatory disorder that affects cartilaginous structures, presents challenges in diagnosis owing to overlapping symptoms with other conditions. This Review provides a clinical update on relapsing polychondritis, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing this disease from similar conditions.
The peptide hormone adropin, which is downregulated in dermal fibroblasts in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), inhibits TGFβ-mediated fibrosis in in vitro and ex vivo models of human skin, and has potential for the treatment of SSc.
Age-related B cells (ABCs) have pathogenic roles in autoimmune diseases. Research has now identified ZEB2 as the transcription factor that mediates differentiation into ABCs.
A meta-analysis of data from six genome-wide association study cohorts implicates several signalling pathways, including Hedgehog and Notch signalling, in Dupuytren disease.
The identification of novel risk variants in the largest genome-wide association study of Raynaud phenomenon to date provides insights into the pathophysiology of the condition, including the potential role for α2A-adrenoceptors, and suggests opportunities for drug repurposing.
Chromatin accessibility of an enhancer that regulates the expression of a disease-associated microRNA is affected in monocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, highlighting this enhancer as a potential therapeutic target.