A total of 28 patients with peripheral arterial BD were identified. There were 24 males (85.7 %), with mean age of 40.0 +/- A 9.0 years (range 21-59). Arterial involvements were confirmed with computed tomography Z IETD FMK angiography, magnetic resonance image angiography, or ultrasound. Immunosuppressive agents were administrated to all patients. Indications of intervention were acute symptoms due to arterial occlusion and aneurysmal changes with or without rupture. Among 28 patients with peripheral arterial

BD, 10 endovascular and 24 surgical interventions were performed in 21 patients. All 21 patients who underwent endovascular and surgical intervention were followed up for a mean duration of 78.7 +/- A 52.5 months (range 0-182 months). There was one mortality due to the rupture of pseudoaneurysm in patient who underwent stent-graft insertion for abdominal aortic aneurysm. New arterial involvements of BD occurred in 10 patients. All patients were male, and median age was 33.5 years (range 29-59 years). Mean time of onset of the new arterial lesion was 32.7 +/- A 32.1 months. Pitavastatin In conclusion, the result of endovascular and surgical interventions is satisfactory in patients with acute peripheral arterial BD. Accurate diagnosis with immunosuppressive

therapy is mandatory to prevent recurrence and activation of peripheral arterial BD.”
“Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a pleotrophic cytokine that is involved in the pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory

rheumatic diseases. The aims of this study were to compare serum IL-15 levels and expression of its receptor (IL-15R alpha) in Beh double dagger et’s disease (BD) with those in other rheumatic diseases and to identify the relationship between serum IL-15 levels and various clinical parameters in BD. One hundred fifty-eight subjects consisting of 40 BD, 38 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum IL-15 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The proportion of IL-15R alpha expression on each leukocyte subset was measured by flow cytometry. Erythrocyte sediment rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured for each enrolled subject. The clinical activity index of BD was Celastrol assessed for BD patients. Serum IL-15 levels in BD patients are significantly higher than those of healthy controls, SLE, and RA patients (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Serum IL-15 levels in BD were closely related to ESR (r = 0.405, p = 0.027), but not to CRP or the clinical activity index of BD (p > 0.05 for both). Additionally, there was no difference in serum IL-15 levels between active and inactive disease states in BD (p > 0.05). The proportion of IL-15R alpha expression on total leukocytes was much lower for all rheumatic diseases, including BD, than in healthy controls (p < 0.01 for SLE, p < 0.01 for RA, and p < 0.05 for BD).