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Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a proinflammatory genital condition associated with adverse reproductive health outcomes, including increased HIV incidence. However, BV recurrence rates are high after standard antibiotic treatment. While the composition of the vaginal microbiota before BV treatment may be linked to BV recurrence, it is unclear whether the preceding genital immune milieu is predictive of treatment success. Methods Here we assessed whether baseline vaginal soluble immune factors or the composition of the vaginal microbiota predicted treatment success 1 month after metronidazole treatment in 2 separate cohorts of women with BV, 1 in the United States and 1 in Kenya; samples within 48 hours of BV treatment were also available for the US cohort. Results Neither soluble immune factors nor the composition of the vaginal microbiota before BV treatment was associated with treatment response in either cohort. In the US cohort, although the absolute abundances of key vaginal bacterial taxa pretreatment were not associated with treatment response, participants with sustained BV clearance had a more pronounced reduction in the absolute abundance of Gardnerella vaginalis immediately after treatment. Conclusions Pretreatment immune and microbial parameters were not predictive of BV treatment success in these clinical cohorts.

Background Despite more than 2 years having elapsed since the onset of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a level of hesitation around increased SARS-CoV-2 vaccine toxicity in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy (IO) remains. Here, we explore serological responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients treated with IO and we describe blood cytokines, autoantibody levels and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) post vaccination. Methods Serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein receptor binding domain (RBD) antibodies, surrogate viral neutralization test (sVNT), Th1/Th2 cytokines and antibodies against self-antigens were quantified at baseline, between 1st and 2nd vaccine doses, at 1 week (1W), 1 month (1M), 4–6 months and 10–12 months after the 2nd dose. Grade 2 or higher (≥ gr2+) irAEs were captured prospectively. Results Fifty-one evaluable patients were enrolled in this longitudinal study, 35 on immunotherapy (IO) and 16 on non-immunotherapy (non-IO) treatment. Absolute levels and neutralization potential of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were not significantly different in the IO group compared to non-IO. Chemotherapy adversely affects seroconversion when compared to IO and/or targeted treatment with antibody levels of 67.6 U/mL vs 1441 U/mL (p = 0.006) and sVNT of 70.9% vs 94.5% (p = 0.009), at 1M after 2nd vaccine dose. Following vaccination, the prevalence of grade ≥ 2 irAEs in patients treated with IO was not higher than the usual reported IO toxicity. We report, for the first time, that post-vaccination, IgM autoantibodies against beta 2 glycoprotein (p = 0.02), myeloperoxidase (p = 0.03), nucleosome (p = 0.041), SPLUNC2 (p

BackgroundBacterial vaginosis might increase HIV risk by eliciting genital inflammation and epithelial barrier disruption, whereas vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus is associated with immune quiescence and HIV protection. We investigated the effect of a live biotherapeutic containing L crispatus CTV-05 (LACTIN-V) on genital immunology and key vaginal bacteria.MethodsThis substudy included women aged 18-45 years who participated in the randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial of LACTIN-V to reduce bacterial vaginosis recurrence, conducted at four universities and hospitals in the USA. Women with negative results for sexually transmitted infection, pregnancy, and urinary tract infection were provided a 5-day course of vaginal metronidazole 0·75% gel. Those who met at least three of four clinical Amsel criteria for bacterial vaginosis and had a Nugent score of 4-10 from Gram staining were eligible. Participants in the LACTIN-V trial were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive either LACTIN-V or placebo, applied vaginally once per day for 5 days during the first week and then twice per week for 10 more weeks. Follow-up visits occurred 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks after enrolment. Soluble immune factors and the absolute abundance of bacterial taxa were assayed by mutliplex ELISA and quantitative PCR. The primary outcomes were vaginal levels of IL-1α and soluble E-cadherin at 24 weeks (ie, 13 weeks after treatment cessation).FindingsBetween Feb 21, 2020 and March 18, 2021, we characterised genital immune parameters and the vaginal microbiota in a subset of 66 highly adherent participants who were randomly selected, with no exclusion criteria, from those who had attended all study follow-up visits (n=166) in the larger LACTIN-V clinical trial (n=288). 32 (48%) participants received LACTIN-V and 34 (52%) received placebo. LACTIN-V treatment was significantly associated with lower concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1α (β coefficient 0·310, SE 0·149; p=0·042) and soluble E-cadherin (0·429, 0·199; p=0·035), a biomarker of epithelial barrier disruption.InterpretationVaginal administration of LACTIN-V following standard bacterial vaginosis therapy resulted in a sustained reduction in genital inflammation and a biomarker of epithelial integrity. The potential of LACTIN-V to reduce HIV susceptibility merits further investigation.FundingCanadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

BackgroundBacterial vaginosis (BV) causes genital inflammation and increases HIV risk, whereas a vaginal microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus species is associated with immune quiescence and relative HIV protection. BV treatment reduces genital inflammation, but it is unclear whether this reduction is driven by a decrease in BV-associated bacteria or an increase in Lactobacillus species.METHODSTo evaluate the short-term effect of standard BV treatment on genital immunology and the vaginal microbiota, vaginal swabs were collected immediately before and after metronidazole treatment for BV and analyzed with multiplex ELISA, metagenomic sequencing, and quantitative PCR.RESULTSTopical metronidazole treatment rapidly reduced vaginal levels of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and soluble immune markers of epithelial barrier disruption. Although the vaginal microbiota shifted to dominance by L. iners or L. jensenii, this proportional shift was primarily driven by a 2 to 4 log10-fold reduction in BV-associated bacteria absolute abundance. BV treatment induced no change in the absolute abundance of L. crispatus or L. iners and only minor (

Objectives For revealing the peculiarities of the drug–drug interaction of rivaroxaban (substrate CYP3A4 and P-gp) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) (verapamil – inhibitor CYP3A4 and P-gp and amlodipine – substrate CYP3A4) in patients 80 years and older with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NAF) we studied 128 patients. Methods All patients were divided into groups depending on the therapy taken: the 1st – rivaroxaban + amlodipine (n=51), the 2nd – rivaroxaban + verapamil (n=30), the control group – rivaroxaban without CCBs (n=47). A trough steady-state plasma concentration (C min,ss) of rivaroxaban, prothrombin time (PT) in the blood plasma and the event of clinically relevant non-major (CRNM) bleeding were assessed for each patient. Results Patient in group 2 had higher C min,ss of rivaroxaban, PT and CRNM than subjects in the control group (Me 73.8 [50.6–108.8] ng/mL vs. 40.5 [25.6–74.3] ng/mL; Me 14.8 [13.4–17.3] s vs. 13.8 [12.6–14.4] s; 34% vs. 13%, respectively, pC min,ss of rivaroxaban were practically the same (p>0.05 for all). Conclusions In patients ≥80 years with NAF, the use of rivaroxaban in combination with verapamil may not be safe and can lead to CRNM bleeding.

Studies of interconnections between social, technological, economic and cultural forces belong to the trend of modernisation studies in the Russian Empire in the second half of the nineteenth century. Modernisation implies the establishment and growth of institutions and infrastructures that are examined as a set of communication practices between different actors – the state, experts and various offices. This research is an historical study of interconnections between technologies and society. It is focused on the significance of materiality (namely natural oil resources) in these processes.

The study aims to analyze the transformation of universities into the innovation actors and their role in the national innovation system development. We described the concepts of university role in modern society.

Background IgG 4 -related disease (IgG 4 -RD) is a systemic condition of unknown cause characterized by highly fibrotic lesions with dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates. CD4 + T cells constitute the major inflammatory cell population in IgG 4 -RD lesions. Objective We used an unbiased approach to characterize CD4 + T-cell subsets in patients with IgG 4 -RD based on their clonal expansion and ability to infiltrate affected tissue sites. Methods We used flow cytometry to identify CD4 + effector/memory T cells in a cohort of 101 patients with IgG 4 -RD. These expanded cells were characterized by means of gene expression analysis and flow cytometry. Next-generation sequencing of the T-cell receptor β chain gene was performed on CD4 + SLAMF7 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and CD4 + GATA3 + T H 2 cells in a subset of patients to identify their clonality. Tissue infiltration by specific T cells was examined by using quantitative multicolor imaging. Results CD4 + effector/memory T cells with a cytolytic phenotype were expanded in patients with IgG 4 -RD. Next-generation sequencing revealed prominent clonal expansions of these CD4 + CTLs but not CD4 + GATA3 + memory T H 2 cells in patients with IgG 4 -RD. The dominant T cells infiltrating a range of inflamed IgG 4 -RD tissue sites were clonally expanded CD4 + CTLs that expressed SLAMF7, granzyme A, IL-1β, and TGF-β1. Clinical remission induced by rituximab-mediated B-cell depletion was associated with a reduction in numbers of disease-associated CD4 + CTLs. Conclusions IgG 4 -RD is prominently linked to clonally expanded IL-1β– and TGF-β1–secreting CD4 + CTLs in both peripheral blood and inflammatory tissue lesions. These active, terminally differentiated, cytokine-secreting effector CD4 + T cells are now linked to a human disease characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis.

Objective. IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a relapsing–remitting condition responsible for fibroinflammatory lesions that can lead to organ damage and life-threatening complications at nearly any anatomical site. The duration of remission following treatment varies and predictors of relapse are unclear. The objectives of this study were to review our experience with rituximab as remission induction in IgG4-RD, to clarify the duration of efficacy and to identify predictors of flare following treatment. Methods. In this retrospective cohort study, all patients were treated with two doses of rituximab (1 g) separated by 15 days. Clinical, radiographic and laboratory data pertaining to rituximab response and disease relapse were collected from the electronic medical record. Kaplan–Meier curves were constructed to estimate the time to disease relapse. Log-rank analyses were performed to compare times to relapse among subgroups. Potential relapse predictors were evaluated with Cox regression analysis. Results. Fifty-seven of 60 patients (95%) had clinical responses to rituximab. Forty-one patients (68%) were treated without glucocorticoids. Twenty-one patients (37%) experienced relapses following treatment at a median time from the first infusion of 244 days. Baseline concentrations of serum IgG4, IgE and circulating eosinophils predicted subsequent relapses, with hazard ratios of 6.2 (95% CI: 1.2, 32.0), 8.2 (95% CI: 1.4, 50.0) and 7.9 (95% CI: 1.8, 34.7), respectively. The higher the baseline values, the greater the risk of relapse and the shorter the time to relapse. Only 10% of the patients had elevations of all three major risk factors, underscoring the importance of measuring all three at baseline. Conclusion. Baseline elevations in serum IgG4, IgE and blood eosinophil concentrations all predict IgG4-RD relapses independently.

Objective IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition that can affect nearly any organ. Prior studies have focused on individual cases of IgG4-RD or small case series. This study was undertaken to report detailed clinical and laboratory findings in a larger group of patients with IgG4-RD whose diagnosis was established by strict clinicopathologic correlation. Methods The baseline features of 125 patients with biopsy-proven IgG4-RD were reviewed. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathologists’ review, based on consensus diagnostic criteria and correlation with clinicopathologic features. Disease activity and damage were assessed using the IgG4-RD Responder Index (RI). Flow cytometry was used to assess levels of circulating plasmablasts. Results Of the 125 patients, 107 had active disease and 86 were not receiving treatment for IgG4-RD. Only 51% of the patients with active disease had elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. However, patients with active disease and elevated serum IgG4 concentrations were older, had a higher IgG4-RD RI score, a greater number of organs involved, lower complement levels, higher absolute eosinophil counts, and higher IgE levels compared to those with active disease but normal serum IgG4 concentrations (P < 0.01 for all comparisons). The correlation between IgG4+ plasmablast levels and the IgG4-RD RI of disease activity (Spearman's ρ = 0.45, P = 0.003) was stronger than the correlation between total plasmablast levels and the IgG4-RD RI. Seventy-six (61%) of the patients were male, but no significant differences according to sex were observed with regard to disease severity, organ involvement, or serum IgG4 concentrations. Treatment with glucocorticoids failed to produce sustained remission in 77% of patients. Conclusion Nearly 50% of this patient cohort with biopsy-proven, clinically active IgG4-RD had normal serum IgG4 concentrations. Elevations in the serum IgG4 concentration appeared to identify a subset of patients with a more severe disease phenotype. In addition, the levels of IgG4+ plasmablasts correlated well with the extent of disease activity.

ObjectivesWe examined the utility of circulating total and IgG4+ plasmablasts as biomarkers of diagnosis and disease activity in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD).Materials methodsWe evaluated patients with active, untreated, biopsy-proven IgG4-RD affecting various organs. Flow cytometry was used to measure total plasmablast and IgG4+ plasmablast counts by gating peripheral blood for CD19lowCD38+CD20−CD27+ cells and CD19lowCD38+CD20−CD27+IgG4+ cells. Serum IgG4 concentrations were measured by nephelometry. We compared 37 IgG4-RD patients to 35 controls, including healthy individuals (n=14) and patients with other inflammatory diseases before treatment (n=21).ResultsThe IgG4-RD patients’ mean age was 59, and 68% were male. Fourteen patients (38%) had three or more organs involved. The IgG4-RD patients had substantially elevated total plasmablast counts (median 4698/mL, range 610–79524/mL) compared to both untreated disease controls (median 592/mL, range 19–4294/mL; p ConclusionsCirculating plasmablasts are elevated in active IgG4-RD, even in patients with normal serum IgG4 concentrations. Plasmablast counts are a potentially useful biomarker for diagnosis, assessing response to treatment, and determining the appropriate time for re-treatment.

ObjectivesFibrosis is a predominant feature of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). B-cell depletion induces a prompt clinical and immunological response in patients with IgG4-RD, but the effects of this intervention on fibrosis in IgG4-RD are unknown. We used the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) score to address the impact of rituximab on fibroblast activation. The ELF score is an algorithm based on serum concentrations of procollagen-III aminoterminal propeptide, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and hyaluronic acid.MethodsTen patients with active, untreated IgG4-RD were enrolled. ELF scores were measured and correlated with the IgG4-RD Responder Index, serum IgG4, circulating plasmablasts and imaging studies. Through immunohistochemical stains for CD3, CD20, IgG4 and α-smooth muscle actin, we assessed the extent of the lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and the degree of fibroblast activation in one patient with tissue biopsies before and after rituximab.ResultsThe ELF score was increased in patients with IgG4-RD compared with healthy controls (8.3±1.4 vs 6.2±0.9; p=0.002) and correlated with the number of organs involved (R2=0.41; p=0.04). Rituximab induced significant reductions in the ELF score, the number of circulating plasmablasts and the IgG4-RD Responder Index (pConclusionsThe ELF score may be a clinically useful indicator of active fibrosis and the extent of disease in IgG4-RD. B-cell depletion has the potential to halt continued collagen deposition by attenuating the secretory phenotype of myofibroblasts in IgG4-RD lesions.

Tubular structures are frequently encountered in bio-medical images. The center-lines of these tubules provide an accurate representation of the topology of the structures. We introduce a stochastic Marked Point Process framework for fully automatic extraction of tubular structures requiring no user interaction or seed points for initialization. Our Marked Point Process model enables unsupervised network extraction by fitting a configuration of objects with globally optimal associated energy to the centreline of the arbors. For this purpose we propose special configurations of marked objects and an energy function well adapted for detection of 3D tubular branches. The optimization of the energy function is achieved by a stochastic, discrete-time multiple birth and death dynamics. Our method finds the centreline, local width and orientation of neuronal arbors and identifies critical nodes like bifurcations and terminals. The proposed model is tested on 3D light microscopy images from the DIADEM data set with promising results.

This article tells about creating of Research and Educational Centre (REC-015) ≪Basic Research of Indicator Minerals of Petro- and Ore Genesis≫ on the basis of the National Mineral Resources University (Mining University). Much attention is paid to structure, aims of REC-015 and analytical equipment that helps to conduct geological and ecological research.

Object extraction from images is one of the most important tasks in remote sensing image analysis. For accurate extraction from very high resolution (VHR) images, object geometry needs to be taken into account. A method for incorporating strong yet flexible prior shape information into a marked point process model for the extraction of multiple objects of complex shape is presented. To control the computational complexity, the objects considered are defined using the image data and the prior shape information. To estimate the optimal configuration of objects, the process is sampled using a Markov chain based on a stochastic birth-and-death process on the space of multiple objects. The authors present several experimental results on the extraction of tree crowns from VHR aerial images.

Background IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic condition of unknown etiology, characterized by highly fibrotic lesions with dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates rich in IgG4+ plasma cells and CD4+ T cells (1). Given the longstanding history of atopy that characterizes a proportion of patients with IgG4-RD, it has been suggested that TH2 cytokines contribute to the pathogenesis of this condition (2). However, we recently demonstrated that allergic manifestations are not increased in patients with IgG4-RD compared to the general population (3). Similarly, CD4+TH2 cells are expanded only in the peripheral blood of IgG4-RD patients with concomitant atopy, questioning the hypothesis of IgG4-RD as a TH2 driven condition (4). Objectives We aimed to characterize CD4+ T cell subsets in IgG4-RD subjects. Methods We used flow cytometry to identify CD4+ effector/memory T cells as well as Th1, Th2, and T regulatory cells in a cohort of 101 IgG4-RD patients. Gene expression analysis was used to further characterize expanded cells. Results were validated by flow cytometry. Next-generation sequencing of the T cell receptor β chain gene was performed on CD4+ T cells in a subset of patients to identify their clonality. Tissue infiltration by specific T cells was examined using quantitative multi-color imaging. Results CD4+ effector/memory T cells with a cytolytic phenotype (cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs)) were expanded in IgG4-RD patients compared to healthy controls. Next-generation sequencing revealed prominent clonal expansions of these CD4+CTLs but not of CD4+GATA3+ memory TH2 cells in subjects with IgG4-RD. The dominant T cells infiltrating a range of inflamed IgG4-RD tissue sites were clonally expanded CD4+CTLs that expressed granzyme A and perforin. Clinical remission induced by rituximab-mediated B cell depletion was associated with a reduction in disease-associated CD4+ CTLs. Conclusions IgG4-RD is prominently linked to clonally-expanded CD4+ CTLs in peripheral blood as well as in inflammatory tissue lesions. A TH2 signature might be primarily linked to a concomitant atopic diathesis. CD4+ CTLs might be of pathogenic importance in other fibrotic conditions including IgG4-RD. References Della-Torre E, Lanzillotta M, Doglioni C. Immunology of IgG4-related disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 2015 Aug;181(2):191–206. Kamisawa T, Anjiki H, Egawa N, Kubota N. Allergic manifestations in autoimmune pancreatitis. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Oct;21(10):1136–39. Della Torre E, Mattoo H, Mahajan VS, Carruthers M, Pillai S, Stone JH. Prevalence of atopy, eosinophilia, and IgE elevation in IgG4-related disease. Allergy. 2014 Feb;69(2):269–72. Mattoo H, Della-Torre E, Mahajan VS, Stone JH, Pillai S. Circulating Th2 memory cells in IgG4-related disease are restricted to a defined subset of subjects with atopy. Allergy. 2014 Mar;69(3):399–402. Disclosure of Interest None declared

International audience; We consider the problem of tree species classification from high resolution aerial images based on radiometry, texture and a shape modeling. We use the notion of shape space proposed by Klassen et al., which provides a shape description invariant to translation, rotation and scaling. The shape features are extracted within a geodesic distance in the shape space. We then perform a classification using a SVM approach. We are able to show that the shape descriptors improve the classification performance relative to a classifier based on radiometric and textural descriptors alone. We obtain these results using high resolution Colour InfraRed (CIR) aerial images provided by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The image viewpoint is close to the nadir, i.e. the tree crowns are seen from above.

Background IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition that can affect nearly any organ (1). No detailed clinical and laboratory assessments have been reported in large numbers of patients with IgG4-RD diagnoses established by strict clinicopathological correlation (2-4). Objectives To describe a single center cohort of 125 patients with biopsy-proven disease. Methods We reviewed the baseline features of 125 patients with biopsy-proven disease. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathology review according to consensus diagnostic criteria (5). Disease activity and damage were assessed by the IgG4-RD Responder Index (RI) (6). Flow cytometry was used to assess levels of circulating plasmablasts (7, 8). Results Of the 125 patients, 103 had active disease and 86 were on no treatment. Only 51% of the patients with active disease had elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. However, patients with active disease and elevated serum IgG4 concentrations were older, had a higher RI, a greater number of organs involved, lower complement levels, a higher absolute eosinophil count, and higher IgE levels compared to those with active disease but normal serum IgG4 (P Conclusions Nearly 50% of this patient cohort with biopsy-proven, clinically-active IgG4-RD had normal serum IgG4 concentrations. Serum IgG4 elevation identify a subset with more inflammatory features. IgG4+ plasmablasts correlate well with disease activity. References Stone JH, Zen Y, Deshpande V. IgG4-related disease. NEJM 2012; Feb 9;366(6):539-51. Zen Y, Nakanuma Y. IgG4-related disease: a cross-sectional study of 114 cases. Am J Surg Pathol 2010; Dec;34(12):1812-9. Ebbo M, Daniel L, Pavic M, Seve P, Hamidou M, Andres E, et al. IgG4-related systemic disease: features and treatment response in a French cohort: results of a multicenter registry. Medicine (Baltimore) 2012; Jan;91(1):49-56. Chen H, Lin W, Wang Q, Wu Q, Wang L, Fei Y, et al. IgG4-related disease in a Chinese cohort: a prospective study. Scand J Rheumatol 2014;43(1):70-4. Deshpande V. Consensus Statement on IgG4-RD Diagnosis. Modern Pathology 2012; 25(9):1181. Carruthers MN, Stone JH, Deshpande V, Khosroshahi A. Development of an IgG4-RD Responder Index. Int J Rheumatol 2012;2012:259408. Wallace ZS, Mattoo H, Carruthers M, Mahajan VS, Della Torre E, Lee H, et al. Plasmablasts as a biomarker for IgG4-related disease, independent of serum IgG4 concentrations. Ann Rheum Dis 2015; 74(1):190. Mattoo H, Mahajan VS, Della-Torre E, Sekigami Y, Carruthers M, Wallace ZS, et al. De novo oligoclonal expansions of circulating plasmablasts in active and relapsing IgG-related disease. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014;134(3):679. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Background IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a relapsing-remitting condition responsible for fibroinflammatory lesions that can lead to organ damage and life-threatening complications at nearly any anatomic site (1). The duration of remission following treatment varies and predictors of relapse are unclear (2, 3). Objectives To evaluate potential predictors of relapse in 60 patients treated with rituximab for active, biopsy-proven IgG4-RD. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, all patients were treated with two doses of rituximab (1g) separated by 15 days. Clinical, radiographic, and laboratory data pertaining to rituximab response and disease relapse were collected from the electronic medical record. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to estimate the time to disease relapse. Log-rank analyses were performed to compare times to relapse among subgroups. Potential relapse predictors were evaluated with Cox regression analysis. Results Of the 60 patients included, 57 (95%) had clinical responses to rituximab. Forty-one patients (68%) were treated without glucocorticoids. Twenty-one patients (37%) experienced relapses following treatment at a median time from the first infusion of 244 days (95% CI 158-330 days). Baseline concentrations of serum IgG4 and IgE and circulating eosinophil levels were predictors of disease relapses, with hazard ratios (HR) of 6.2 (95% CI 1.2-32.0), 8.2 (1.4-50.0), and 7.9 (1.8-34.7), respectively. Conclusions Rituximab is an effective steroid-sparing agent but relapses following remission are common. Baseline elevations in serum IgG4 and IgE concentrations and blood eosinophil levels predict subsequent disease relapses. Measurement of these variables at baseline may assist in longitudinal management decisions for these patients. References Stone JH, Zen Y, Deshpande V. IgG4-related disease. N Engl J Med 2012; Feb 9;366(6):539-51. Hart PA, Kamisawa T, Brugge WR, Chung JB, Culver EL, Czako L, et al. Long-term outcomes of autoimmune pancreatitis: a multicentre, international analysis. Gut 2013; Dec;62(12):1771-6. Yamamoto M, Nojima M, Takahashi H, Yokoyama Y, Ishigami K, Yajima H, et al. Identification of relapse predictors in IgG4-related disease using multivariate analysis of clinical data at the first visit and initial treatment. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2015; Jan;54(1):45-9. Disclosure of Interest None declared