Plasticity and adaptive behavior characterize the immune system as a tissue-integrating network with defensive functions. Blood and lymphatic vessel trees are placed at the interface of immune cells, body tissues and foreign agents. Vessel repair and immune patrolling are intimately linked physiological functions with common evolutionary roots. Not surprisingly, variable degrees of vascular inflammation are often detectable in the setting of systemic inflammation and autoimmunity, whereas research in the field of cardiovascular pathology is progressively converging towards characterizing inflammatory responses in the setting of atherosclerotic disease. The definition of the role of vascular inflammation in causing, sustaining and/or predicting the development of systemic autoimmunity constitute a challenging, unexplored frontier towards the development of a new generation of treatments and a better patient care.<br><br> <br />This Research Topic aims to build a dialogue for a wide range of research lines in the field of vascular inflammation and autoimmunity. These include, but are not limited to:<br><br> <br />• Novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of systemic vasculitides <br />• The role of platelets between inflammation and hemostasis: pathogenesis and treatment <br />• Pathogenic and clinical aspects of vascular inflammation in systemic autoimmunity <br />• The role of vascular inflammation in tissue remodeling and mis-repair <br />• Circulating humoral immune mediators as markers and players in systemic inflammation
Plasticity and adaptive behavior characterize the immune system as a tissue-integrating network with defensive functions. Blood and lymphatic vessel trees are placed at the interface of immune cells, body tissues and foreign agents. Vessel repair and immune patrolling are intimately linked physiological functions with common evolutionary roots. Not surprisingly, variable degrees of vascular inflammation are often detectable in the setting of systemic inflammation and autoimmunity, whereas research in the field of cardiovascular pathology is progressively converging towards characterizing inflammatory responses in the setting of atherosclerotic disease. The definition of the role of vascular inflammation in causing, sustaining and/or predicting the development of systemic autoimmunity constitute a challenging, unexplored frontier towards the development of a new generation of treatments and a better patient care.<br><br> <br />This Research Topic aims to build a dialogue for a wide range of research lines in the field of vascular inflammation and autoimmunity. These include, but are not limited to:<br><br> <br />• Novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of systemic vasculitides <br />• The role of platelets between inflammation and hemostasis: pathogenesis and treatment <br />• Pathogenic and clinical aspects of vascular inflammation in systemic autoimmunity <br />• The role of vascular inflammation in tissue remodeling and mis-repair <br />• Circulating humoral immune mediators as markers and players in systemic inflammation
