GM-CSF regulates ileal homeostasis in CD and in mouse models. CD patients with increases in serum GM-CSF Ab might benefit from GM-CSF administration.

Background and Purpose-Our goal was to identify the effects of chronic treatment with enalapril on cerebrovascular dysfunction and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein in diabetic rats. Methods-Rats were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: nondiabetic, diabetic, nondiabetic/enalapril-treated, and diabetic/enalapriltreated groups. Rats assigned to the nondiabetic groups were injected with vehicle (sodium citrate buffer), and rats assigned to the diabetic groups were injected with streptozotocin (50 mg/kg IP). Enalapril (10 mg/kg per day) was administered in the drinking water and coincided with the injection of vehicle or streptozotocin. Two to 3 months later, we examined responses of pial arterioles to nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent agonists (acetylcholine and ADP) and a NOS-independent agonist (nitroglycerin). After these functional studies, we harvested cerebral microvessels for Western blot analysis of eNOS protein. Results-We found that acetylcholine-and ADP-induced dilatation of pial arterioles was impaired in diabetic comparedwith nondiabetic rats. In addition, while enalapril did not alter responses in nondiabetic rats, enalapril prevented diabetes-induced impairment of NOS-dependent vasodilatation. Furthermore, eNOS protein was higher in diabetic than in nondiabetic rats, and enalapril did not produce a further increase in eNOS protein in enalapril-treated diabetic rats compared with untreated diabetic rats. Conclusions-These results suggest that enalapril prevents cerebrovascular dysfunction in diabetic rats. We speculate that the protective role of enalapril may be independent of an alteration in eNOS protein in cerebral microvessels.

Background-Growth failure remains a common complication of pediatric Crohn Disease (CD), and has been associated with small bowel involvement and need for surgery. We have reported that patients with elevated (≥ 1.6 mcg/mL) Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor auto-antibodies (GM-CSF Ab) are more likely to experience complicated ileal disease requiring surgery. We hypothesized that concurrent GM-CSF Ab and CARD15 risk allele carriage (C15 + GMAb + ) would be associated with growth failure in CD, and growth hormone (GH) resistance in murine ileitis.