Articles

Antifibrotic effects of 2-carba cyclic phosphatidic acid (2ccPA) in systemic sclerosis: contribution to the novel treatment

Cyclic phosphatidic acid (cPA) has an inhibitory effect on the autotaxin (ATX)/lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) axis, which has been implicated to play an important role in the progression of fibrosis in systemic s...

Authors: Tomoaki Higuchi, Kae Takagi, Akiko Tochimoto, Yuki Ichimura, Takanari Norose, Yasuhiro Katsumata, Ikuko Masuda, Hisashi Yamanaka, Toshiro Morohoshi and Yasushi Kawaguchi

Evaluation of pneumococcal and tetanus vaccine responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving baricitinib: results from a long-term extension trial substudy

Clinical guidelines recommend pneumococcal and tetanus vaccinations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Baricitinib is an oral, selective Janus kinase (JAK) 1/JAK 2 inhibitor and is approved for the tr...

Authors: Kevin L. Winthrop, Clifton O. Bingham III, Wendy J. Komocsar, John Bradley, Maher Issa, Rena Klar and Cynthia E. Kartman

Efficacy and safety of namilumab, a human monoclonal antibody against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) ligand in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with either an inadequate response to background methotrexate therapy or an inadequate response or intolerance to an anti-TNF (tumour necrosis factor) biologic therapy: a randomized, controlled trial

Namilumab (AMG203), an immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), was evaluated in a phase II randomized, double-blind, pl...

Authors: Peter C. Taylor, Didier Saurigny, Jiri Vencovsky, Tsutomu Takeuchi, Tadashi Nakamura, Galina Matsievskaia, Barbara Hunt, Thomas Wagner and Bernard Souberbielle

The agreement between ultrasound-determined joint inflammation and clinical signs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Ultrasound (US) is sensitive for detecting joint and tendon inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). So far, which grade of abnormalities on US corresponds to clinical manifestations is unclear...

Authors: Xiaoying Sun, Xuerong Deng, Wenhui Xie, Liujun Wang, Yu Wang and Zhuoli Zhang

Correction to: Sarilumab plus methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to methotrexate: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled phase III trial in Japan

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in Table 2.

Authors: Yoshiya Tanaka, Kazuteru Wada, Yoshinori Takahashi, Owen Hagino, Hubert van Hoogstraten, Neil M. H. Graham and Hideto Kameda

Low back pain precedes the development of new knee pain in the elderly population; a novel predictive score from a longitudinal cohort study

To investigate the association between knee pain and risk factors including low back pain and to develop a score to predict new knee pain in an older population, using population-based longitudinal cohort data.

Authors: Hiromu Ito, Shinjiro Tominari, Yasuharu Tabara, Takeo Nakayama, Moritoshi Furu, Tomotoshi Kawata, Masayuki Azukizawa, Kazuya Setoh, Takahisa Kawaguchi, Fumihiko Matsuda and Shuichi Matsuda

MicroRNA-143-5p targeting eEF2 gene mediates intervertebral disc degeneration through the AMPK signaling pathway

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a major contributor to back, neck, and radicular pain, and the treatment of IDD is costly and relatively ineffective. Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been repo...

Authors: Qi Yang, Xiao-Peng Guo, Yan-Li Cheng and Yang Wang

Association between baseline clinical and imaging findings and the development of digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) can lead to ischemic complications such as digital ulcers (DUs). The aim of the study was to find predictors of DUs by clinical and new imaging methods.

Authors: S. Friedrich, S. Lüders, A. M. Glimm, S. G. Werner, G. Schmittat, G. R. Burmester, M. Backhaus, G. Riemekasten and S. Ohrndorf

Study of MRI brain findings and carotid US features in systemic sclerosis patients, relationship with disease parameters

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease associated with immune abnormalities and widespread vascular lesions, including increased intimal and medial thickness. These changes may be reflected in early...

Authors: Rania M. Gamal, Hanan Sayed M. Abozaid, Mohmed Zidan, Mohamed Aboel-Kassem F. Abdelmegid, Mohmed Raouf Abdel-Razek, Sahar Abdel-Rahman Alsayed, Amr F. Mourad, Nashwa Mostafa A. Azoz, Lobna Abdel-Wahid Mohram and Daniel E. Furst

Gene expression analysis of vascular pathophysiology related to anti-TNF treatment in rheumatoid arthritis

Impaired vascular pathophysiology and increased cardiovascular (CV) mortality are associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To date, no genomic analysis of RA- and RA treatment-related vascular pathophysiolog...

Authors: Szilárd Póliska, Timea Besenyei, Edit Végh, Attila Hamar, Anita Pusztai, Andrea Váncsa, Nóra Bodnár, Szilvia Szamosi, Mária Csumita, György Kerekes, Zoltán Szabó, Zoltán Nagy, Gabriella Szűcs, Sándor Szántó, Gábor Zahuczky, László Nagy…

A simplified lung ultrasound for the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease in connective tissue disease: a meta-analysis

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common complication of connective tissue disease (CTD) and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There are various lung ultrasound (LUS) scoring systems with differen...

Authors: Hai Qin Xie, Wei Wei Zhang, De Sheng Sun, Xiang Mei Chen, Shu Fang Yuan, Zheng Hua Gong and Li Liu

Iguratimod represses B cell terminal differentiation linked with the inhibition of PKC/EGR1 axis

This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism and clinical relevance of iguratimod in the regulation of human B cell terminal differentiation.

Authors: Yan Ye, Mei Liu, Longhai Tang, Fang Du, Yuanhua Liu, Pei Hao, Qiong Fu, Qiang Guo, Qingran Yan, Xiaoming Zhang and Chunde Bao

Drug tolerability and reasons for discontinuation of seven biologics in 4466 treatment courses of rheumatoid arthritis—the ANSWER cohort study

The aim of this study is to evaluate the retention rates and reasons for discontinuation for seven biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in a real-world setting of patients with rheumatoid...

Authors: Kosuke Ebina, Motomu Hashimoto, Wataru Yamamoto, Toru Hirano, Ryota Hara, Masaki Katayama, Akira Onishi, Koji Nagai, Yonsu Son, Hideki Amuro, Keiichi Yamamoto, Yuichi Maeda, Koichi Murata, Sadao Jinno, Tohru Takeuchi, Makoto Hirao…

Synovial tissue biopsy analysis: unlocking the hidden secrets to personalised medicine?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the synovium. Yet we still lack robust tissue-specific (synovial) biomarkers that are able to guide clinical decisions and stratify patients a...

Authors: Helen Michelle McGettrick

Safety and efficacy of tofacitinib for up to 9.5 years in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: final results of a global, open-label, long-term extension study

Final data are presented for the ORAL Sequel long-term extension (LTE) study evaluating the safety and efficacy of tofacitinib 5 mg and 10 mg twice daily (BID) for up to 9.5 years in patients with rheumatoid a...

Authors: Jürgen Wollenhaupt, Eun-Bong Lee, Jeffrey R. Curtis, Joel Silverfield, Ketti Terry, Koshika Soma, Chris Mojcik, Ryan DeMasi, Sander Strengholt, Kenneth Kwok, Irina Lazariciu, Lisy Wang and Stanley Cohen

Withdrawal of infliximab therapy in ankylosing spondylitis in persistent clinical remission, results from the REMINEA study

Recent data suggest that anti-TNF doses can be reduced in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Some authors even propose withdrawing treatment in patients in clinical remission; however, at present there is n...

Authors: Mireia Moreno, Jordi Gratacós, Vicenç Torrente-Segarra, Raimon Sanmarti, Rosa Morlà, Caridad Pontes, Maria Llop and Xavier Juanola

Inhibition of hexokinases holds potential as treatment strategy for rheumatoid arthritis

Abnormal glycolytic metabolism contributes to joint inflammation and destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We examine the expression and function of hexokinases in RA and evaluate the potential of their sp...

Authors: Guanhua Song, Qiqi Lu, Hua Fan, Xiumei Zhang, Luna Ge, Ruisong Tian, Shiguan Wang, Tingting Feng, Jihong Pan, Jingjing Feng, Yabo Xiao, Xin Yi, Ningxin Ren and Lin Wang

Survival and prognosis factors in systemic sclerosis: data of a French multicenter cohort, systematic review, and meta-analysis of the literature

Data on survival and prognosis factors in incident cohorts are scarce in systemic sclerosis (SStc). To describe survival, standardized mortality ratio (SMR), and prognosis factors in systemic sclerosis (SSc), ...

Authors: M. R. Pokeerbux, J. Giovannelli, L. Dauchet, L. Mouthon, C. Agard, J. C. Lega, Y. Allanore, P. Jego, B. Bienvenu, S. Berthier, A. Mekinian, E. Hachulla and D. Launay

Estradiol levels are elevated in older men with diffuse cutaneous SSc and are associated with decreased survival

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a female-predominant disease, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition (ECM) with dermal and internal organ fibrosis. Considering the sex-based disparity in diseas...

Authors: DeAnna Baker Frost, Bethany Wolf, Christine Peoples, Jessica Fike, Katherine Silver, Maureen Laffoon, Thomas A. Medsger Jr and Carol Feghali-Bostwick

An open-label extension study to demonstrate long-term safety and efficacy of ABP 501 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

ABP 501 was evaluated in a phase 3 single-arm, open-label extension (OLE) study to collect additional safety and efficacy data in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Authors: Stanley Cohen, Jose L. Pablos, Karel Pavelka, Gerard Anton Müller, Alan Matsumoto, Alan Kivitz, Hui Wang and Eswar Krishnan

Consequences of bariatric surgery on outcomes in rheumatic diseases

Obesity is associated with numerous comorbidities including some rheumatic conditions. Through adipose-derived inflammation, obesity has been shown to induce increased initiation, progression, and worse respon...

Authors: Eric Lespessailles, Emneh Hammoud, Hechmi Toumi and Nada Ibrahim-Nasser

Incidence and survival impact of pulmonary arterial hypertension among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a nationwide cohort study

No population-based study has investigated the cumulative incidence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or the survival impact of PAH in...

Authors: Hung-An Chen, Tsai-Ching Hsu, Su-Ching Yang, Chia-Tse Weng, Chun-Hsin Wu, Chien-Yao Sun and Chun-Yu Lin

Cause or effect? Interpreting emerging evidence for dysbiosis in systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an immune-mediated fibrotic disease affecting skin, lung and gut which are all sites with an established microbiome. Altered microbial flora may occur and contribute to the initiati...

Authors: Christopher P. Denton and Charles Murray

The Fatigue Assessment Scale as a simple and reliable tool in systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross-sectional study

The vast majority of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) complain about fatigue. They also report fatigue as one of their most debilitating symptoms. Yet, in clinical practice, fatigue is only rar...

Authors: Alice Horisberger, Delphine Courvoisier and Camillo Ribi

Sarilumab plus methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to methotrexate: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled phase III trial in Japan

Sarilumab is a human immunoglobulin G1 anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor monoclonal antibody that blocks IL-6 from binding to membrane-bound and soluble IL-6 receptor α. This bridging study assessed the effic...

Authors: Yoshiya Tanaka, Kazuteru Wada, Yoshinori Takahashi, Owen Hagino, Hubert van Hoogstraten, Neil M. H. Graham and Hideto Kameda

Hypoxia-induced miR-191-C/EBPβ signaling regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis of fibroblast-like synoviocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Hypoxia plays an important role in the proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS), leading to pathology of RA. This study was conducted to evaluate hypoxia-induced microRNAs (h...

Authors: Shanshan Yu, Ying Lu, Ming Zong, Qi Tan and Lieying Fan

The impact of dysfunctional variants of ABCG2 on hyperuricemia and gout in pediatric-onset patients

ABCG2 is a high-capacity urate transporter that plays a crucial role in renal urate overload and extra-renal urate underexcretion. Previous studies have suggested an association between hyperuricemia and gout ...

Authors: Blanka Stiburkova, Katerina Pavelcova, Marketa Pavlikova, Pavel Ješina and Karel Pavelka

Role of lectin pathway complement proteins and genetic variants in organ damage and disease severity of systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional study

The role of the complement system in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is controversial. This study investigated the role of the lectin pathway of complement as a mediator of ischemia/reperfusion in...

Authors: Michael Osthoff, Veronika K. Jaeger, Ingmar A. F. M. Heijnen, Marten Trendelenburg, Suzana Jordan, Oliver Distler and Ulrich A. Walker

Impact of synthetic and biological immunomodulatory therapy on the duration of 17DD yellow fever vaccine-induced immunity in rheumatoid arthritis

The 17DD-yellow fever (YF) vaccine induces a long-lasting protective immunity, resulting from humoral and cellular immunological memory. The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with disease-modifyi...

Authors: Clarissa de Castro Ferreira, Ana Carolina Campi-Azevedo, Vanessa Peruhype-Magalhāes, Jordana Grazziela Coelho-dos-Reis, Lis Ribeiro do Valle Antonelli, Karen Torres, Larissa Chaves Freire, Ismael Artur da Costa-Rocha, Ana Cristina Vanderley Oliveira, Maria de Lourdes de Sousa Maia, Sheila Maria Barbosa de Lima, Carla Magda Domingues, Andréa Teixeira-Carvalho, Olindo Assis Martins-Filho and Lícia Maria Henrique da Mota

Divergent roles of prostacyclin and PGE₂ in human tendinopathy

Tendon disease is a significant global healthcare burden whereby patients experience pain and disability; however, the mechanisms that underlie inflammation and pain are poorly understood. Herein, we investiga...

Authors: Filip Bergqvist, Andrew J. Carr, Kim Wheway, Bridget Watkins, Udo Oppermann, Per-Johan Jakobsson and Stephanie G. Dakin

High serum uric acid level is associated with greater handgrip strength in the aged population

We aimed to investigate the association of serum UA level with muscle strength assessed by handgrip strength (HGS) in a large Korean adult population.

Authors: Jennifer Lee, Yeon Sik Hong, Sung-Hwan Park and Kwi Young Kang

In vitro and in vivo assessment of the proresolutive and antiresorptive actions of resolvin D1: relevance to arthritis

Resolvin D1 (RvD1), an important member of resolvins, exerts a wide spectrum of biological effects, including resolution of inflammation, tissue repair, and preservation of cell viability. The aim of the present ...

Authors: Houda Abir Benabdoun, Merve Kulbay, Elsa-Patricia Rondon, Francis Vallières, Qin Shi, Julio Fernandes, Hassan Fahmi and Mohamed Benderdour

Invasive mycoses in patients with connective tissue disease from Southern China: clinical features and associated factors

A retrospective study was performed to investigate the clinical features and associated factors of invasive mycoses (IM) in patients with connective tissue disease (CTD) from Southern China.

Authors: Minxi Lao, Zhongping Zhan, Fan Su, Hao Li, Zheng Yang, Haihong Chen, Liuqin Liang and Dongying Chen

Full high-throughput sequencing analysis of differences in expression profiles of long noncoding RNAs and their mechanisms of action in systemic lupus erythematosus

The specific function of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the mechanism of their involvement in related pathological changes remain to be elucidated, so, in this study, w...

Authors: Hui Ye, Xue Wang, Lei Wang, Xiaoying Chu, Xuanxuan Hu, Li Sun, Minghua Jiang, Hong Wang, Zihan Wang, Han Zhao, Xinyu Yang and Jianguang Wang

Correction to: Efficacy of canakinumab as first-line biologic agent in adult-onset Still’s disease

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in the spelling of Lorenzo Dagna’s name.

Authors: Giulio Cavalli, Alessandro Tomelleri, Giacomo De Luca, Corrado Campochiaro, Charles A. Dinarello, Elena Baldissera and Lorenzo Dagna

Combining naproxen and a dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist improves pain and structural outcomes in the collagen-induced arthritis rat model

Pain is a debilitating symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), caused by joint inflammation and cartilage and bone destruction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat pain and inflammati...

Authors: Anna Katri, Aneta Dąbrowska, Henrik Löfvall, Ming Ding, Morten A. Karsdal, Kim V. Andreassen, Christian S. Thudium and Kim Henriksen

Multisite pain and self-reported falls in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis

Multisite pain and falls are common in older people, and isolated studies have identified multisite pain as a potential falls risk factor. This study aims to synthesise published literature to further explore ...

Authors: Victoria K. Welsh, Lorna E. Clarson, Christian D. Mallen and John McBeth

Association between concomitant csDMARDs and clinical response to TNF inhibitors in overweight patients with axial spondyloarthritis

The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) and body mass index (BMI) on circulating drug levels and clinical response to t...

Authors: Borja Hernández-Breijo, Chamaida Plasencia-Rodríguez, Victoria Navarro-Compán, Ana Martínez-Feito, Andrea Jochems, Eva L. Kneepkens, Gerrit J. Wolbink, Theo Rispens, Cristina Diego, Dora Pascual-Salcedo and Alejandro Balsa

Response to: “A somatization comorbidity phenotype impacts response to therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: post hoc results from the certolizumab pegol phase 4 PREDICT trial”

Authors: Annelise Madison, Barbara L. Andersen and Ali Ajam

Health-related quality of life in patients with giant cell arteritis treated with tocilizumab in a phase 3 randomised controlled trial

Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) treated with tocilizumab (TCZ) every week or every other week and prednisone tapering achieved superior rates of sustained remission to patients treated with placebo an...

Authors: Vibeke Strand, Sophie Dimonaco, Katie Tuckwell, Micki Klearman, Neil Collinson and John H. Stone

Similar alteration for mental and physical aspects in health-related quality of life over 5 to 8 years in 1347 patients with early arthritis and early inflammatory back pain

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a priority for patients. The objectives were to describe the changes in HRQoL over 5–8 years in patients with early arthritis (EA) or early inflammatory back pain (IBP...

Authors: Déborah Puyraimond-Zemmour, Benjamin Granger, Anna Molto, Cécile Gaujoux-Viala, Francis Guillemin, Adeline Ruyssen-Witrand, Maxime Dougados, Bruno Fautrel and Laure Gossec

Two subgroups in systemic lupus erythematosus with features of antiphospholipid or Sjögren’s syndrome differ in molecular signatures and treatment perspectives

Previous studies and own clinical observations of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) suggest that SLE harbors distinct immunophenotypes. This heterogeneity might result in differences in response...

Authors: Helena Idborg, Arash Zandian, Ann-Sofi Sandberg, Bo Nilsson, Kerstin Elvin, Lennart Truedsson, Azita Sohrabian, Johan Rönnelid, John Mo, Giorgia Grosso, Marika Kvarnström, Iva Gunnarsson, Janne Lehtiö, Peter Nilsson, Elisabet Svenungsson and Per-Johan Jakobsson

Health-related quality of life in systemic sclerosis compared with other rheumatic diseases: a cross-sectional study

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and the involvement of multiple internal organs. Previous studies reported poorer health-related quality of life (HRQ...

Authors: Eun Hye Park, Vibeke Strand, Yoon Jeong Oh, Yeong Wook Song and Eun Bong Lee

Mass spectrometry-based analysis of cerebrospinal fluid from arthritis patients—immune-related candidate proteins affected by TNF blocking treatment

Signs of inflammation in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of rheumatoid arthritis patients correlate positively with fatigue, a central nervous system (CNS)-related symptom that can be partially suppressed by TNF blo...

Authors: Johanna Estelius, Johan Lengqvist, Elena Ossipova, Helena Idborg, Erwan Le Maître, Magnus L. A. Andersson, Lou Brundin, Mohsen Khademi, Elisabet Svenungsson, Per-Johan Jakobsson and Jon Lampa

Do musculoskeletal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging identify synovitis and tenosynovitis at the same joints and tendons? A comparative study in early inflammatory arthritis and clinically suspect arthralgia

Ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are recommended in the diagnostic process of rheumatoid arthritis. Research on its comparability in early disease phases is scarce. Therefore, we compared s...

Authors: Sarah Ohrndorf, Aleid C. Boer, Debbie M. Boeters, Robin M. ten Brinck, Gerd-R. Burmester, Marion C. Kortekaas and Annette H. M. van der Helm-van Mil

Serum KL-6 levels reflect the severity of interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue disease

Biomarkers have been actively investigated to supplement functional and imaging modalities to predict the severity, therapeutic responsiveness, and progression of connective tissue disease-associated interstit...

Authors: Jeong Seok Lee, Eun Young Lee, You-Jung Ha, Eun Ha Kang, Yun Jong Lee and Yeong Wook Song

Significance of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in systemic sclerosis

Up to 12% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). However, the majority of these patients do not manifest ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and the signific...

Authors: Jayne Moxey, Molla Huq, Susanna Proudman, Joanne Sahhar, Gene-Siew Ngian, Jenny Walker, Gemma Strickland, Michelle Wilson, Laura Ross, Gabor Major, Janet Roddy, Wendy Stevens and Mandana Nikpour

What is the additional value of MRI of the foot to the hand in undifferentiated arthritis to predict rheumatoid arthritis development?

MRI-detected subclinical joint inflammation in the hand joints of patients with undifferentiated arthritis (UA) predicts progression to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is unknown if adding MRI of the foot increa...

Authors: Y. J. Dakkak, D. M. Boeters, A. C. Boer, M. Reijnierse and A. H. M. van der Helm-van Mil

Correction to: Clinical course and prognostic factors of childhood Takayasu’s arteritis: over 15-year comprehensive analysis of 101 patients

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error.

Authors: Luyun Fan, Huimin Zhang, Jun Cai, Lirui Yang, Bin Liu, Dongmei Wei, Jiachen Yu, Jiali Fan, Lei Song, Wenjun Ma, Xianliang Zhou, Haiying Wu and Ying Lou

Efficacy of canakinumab as first-line biologic agent in adult-onset Still’s disease

Authors: Giulio Cavalli, Alessandro Tomelleri, Giacomo De Luca, Corrado Campochiaro, Charles A. Dinarello, Elena Baldissera and Lorenzo Dagna