To examine whether herpes zoster antigen (also called varicella-zoster virus antigen) was detectable in temporal artery biopsies taken from individuals with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
Retrospective comparative case series.
Sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded temporal arteries were examined first by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining to establish the diagnosis of GCA. Adjacent sections of the same biopsy were then examined by immunohistochemistry, using 2 different monoclonal antibodies against a major antigen of varicella-zoster virus called gE. Pathological specimens were obtained from patients cared for at the University of Iowa and Washington University in St. Louis Ophthalmology Clinics.
The study included biopsies from 25 patients with symptoms of GCA as well as positive H&E pathology and 25 patients with symptoms compatible with GCA but negative H&E pathology. Among the GCA-positive group, three patients had positive staining for herpes zoster antigen. Among the GCA-negative group, herpes zoster antigen was not detected in any biopsy. In both groups of patients, false positive staining for herpes zoster antigen was detected in the presence of calcifications in the arteries. False-positive staining was also detected on some extra-arterial skeletal muscle and erythrocytes.
Herpes zoster antigen was detected in 3/25 temporal arteries from patients with biopsy-proven GCA. One of the three positive cases was noteworthy because the patient had had herpes zoster ophthalmicus diagnosed 3 weeks before the onset of GCA symptoms. False-positive staining for herpes zoster antigen was detected on several temporal artery biopsies.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
1
6%
Business, Management and Accounting
1
6%
Computer Science
1
6%
Other
2
11%
Unknown
7
39%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 13. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 15 December 2022.
All research outputs
#3,476,028
of 32,428,523 outputs
Outputs from American Journal of Ophthalmology
#534
of 8,366 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#60,445
of 482,026 outputs
Outputs of similar age from American Journal of Ophthalmology
#14
of 105 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 32,428,523 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 89th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 8,366 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.4. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 93% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 482,026 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 105 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 85% of its contemporaries.
