Articles

Abatacept in rheumatoid arthritis: survival on drug, clinical outcomes, and their predictors—data from a large national quality register

There are limited data regarding efficacy of abatacept treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outside clinical trials. Quality registers have been useful for observational studies on tumor necrosis factor inh...

Authors: Giovanni Cagnotto, Minna Willim, Jan-Åke Nilsson, Michele Compagno, Lennart T. H. Jacobsson, Saedis Saevarsdottir and Carl Turesson

Safety results of ixekizumab with 1822.2 patient-years of exposure: an integrated analysis of 3 clinical trials in adult patients with psoriatic arthritis

The long-term safety was assessed in patients with psoriatic arthritis who were treated with ixekizumab in three clinical trials (SPIRIT-P1/-P2/-P3).

Authors: Bernard Combe, Proton Rahman, Hideto Kameda, Juan D. Cañete, Gaia Gallo, Noah Agada, Wen Xu and Mark C. Genovese

Reduced progression of bone erosion in cytomegalovirus seropositive rheumatoid arthritis patients

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) seropositivity has been associated with higher inflammation during rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, no data are available on the impact of HCMV seropositivity on bone erosion pr...

Authors: B. Rauwel, Y. Degboé, D. Nigon, J.-F. Boyer, F. Abravanel, J. Izopet, B. Combe, A. Ruyssen-Witrand, A. Constantin, A. Cantagrel and J.-L. Davignon

Comorbid conditions and the transition among states of hip osteoarthritis and symptoms in a community-based study: a multi-state time-to-event model approach

We examined the association of three common chronic conditions (obesity, diabetes mellitus [DM], and cardiovascular disease [CVD]) with transitions among states of hip osteoarthritis (HOA).

Authors: Carolina Alvarez, Rebecca J. Cleveland, Todd A. Schwartz, Jordan B. Renner, Louise B. Murphy, Joanne M. Jordan, Leigh F. Callahan, Yvonne M. Golightly and Amanda E. Nelson

Improvement of symptoms in clinically suspect arthralgia and resolution of subclinical joint inflammation: a longitudinal study in patients that did not progress to clinical arthritis

Arthralgia and MRI-detected subclinical inflammation can precede the development of clinically evident rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, part of the patients presenting with clinically suspect arthralgia (CS...

Authors: Robin M. ten Brinck, Debbie M. Boeters, Hanna W. van Steenbergen and Annette H. M. van der Helm-van Mil

Validation of prediction models of severe disease course and non-achievement of remission in juvenile idiopathic arthritis part 2: results of the Nordic model in the Canadian cohort

Validated clinical prediction models to identify children with poor prognosis at the time of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) diagnosis would be very helpful for tailoring treatments, and avoiding under- or...

Authors: Andrew Henrey, Veronika Rypdal, Martin Rypdal, Thomas Loughin, Ellen Nordal and Jaime Guzman

Combatting joint pain and inflammation by dual inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase and cyclooxygenase-2 in a rat model of osteoarthritis

Endocannabinoids are showing great promise as effective mediators for controlling joint inflammation and pain. One strategy that could be harnessed to promote endogenous cannabinoid function is to inhibit the ...

Authors: Holly T. Philpott and Jason J. McDougall

Comparison of performance of specific (SLEQOL) and generic (SF36) health-related quality of life questionnaires and their associations with disease status of systemic lupus erythematosus: a longitudinal study

The utility of generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaires in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is uncertain. We compared the performance of generic (SF36) and specific (SLEQOL...

Authors: Worawit Louthrenoo, Nuntana Kasitanon, Eric Morand and Rangi Kandane-Rathnayake

Identifying clinical subgroups in IgG4-related disease patients using cluster analysis and IgG4-RD composite score

To explore the clinical patterns of patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) based on laboratory tests and the number of organs involved.

Authors: Jieqiong Li, Yu Peng, Yuelun Zhang, Panpan Zhang, Zheng Liu, Hui Lu, Linyi Peng, Liang Zhu, Huadan Xue, Yan Zhao, Xiaofeng Zeng, Yunyun Fei and Wen Zhang

Correction to: Management of adult-onset Still’s disease with interleukin-1 inhibitors: evidence- and consensus-based statements by a panel of Italian experts

Following publication of the original article [1], it was brought to our attention that the AOSD Consensus Group was incorrectly tagged and therefore not searchable. The publishers apologize for this error.

Authors: Serena Colafrancesco, Maria Manara, Alessandra Bortoluzzi, Teodora Serban, Gerolamo Bianchi, Luca Cantarini, Francesco Ciccia, Lorenzo Dagna, Marcello Govoni, Carlomaurizio Montecucco, Roberta Priori, Angelo Ravelli, Paolo Sfriso and Luigi Sinigaglia

Statin-induced anti-HMGCR myopathy: successful therapeutic strategies for corticosteroid-free remission in 55 patients

To describe successful therapeutic strategies in statin-induced anti-HMGCR myopathy.

Authors: Alain Meyer, Yves Troyanov, Julie Drouin, Geneviève Oligny-Longpré, Océane Landon-Cardinal, Sabrina Hoa, Baptiste Hervier, Josiane Bourré-Tessier, Anne-Marie Mansour, Sara Hussein, Vincent Morin, Eric Rich, Jean-Richard Goulet, Sandra Chartrand, Marie Hudson, Jessica Nehme…

Barriers to treatment optimization and achievement of patients’ goals: perspectives from people living with rheumatoid arthritis enrolled in the ArthritisPower registry

Few studies have investigated patients’ own treatment goals in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this real-world, cross-sectional study of US patients with RA was to identify factors that patients be...

Authors: Kelly Gavigan, W. Benjamin Nowell, Mylene S. Serna, Jeffrey L. Stark, Mohamed Yassine and Jeffrey R. Curtis

Psychometric validation of the Hand Disability in Systemic Sclerosis-Digital Ulcers (HDISS-DU®) patient-reported outcome instrument

We aimed to develop a patient-reported outcome measure, in accordance with the US Food and Drug Administration guidance, to capture the impact of systemic sclerosis-related digital ulcers (SSc-DUs) on hand fun...

Authors: Luc Mouthon, Serge Poiraudeau, Margaret Vernon, Kelly Papadakis, Loïc Perchenet and Dinesh Khanna

Association of circulating microRNAs with prevalent and incident knee osteoarthritis in women: the OFELY study

In the context of the scarcity of biomarkers for knee osteoarthritis (OA), we examined the associations of prevalent and incident OA with the expression levels of serum miRNAs in subjects with and without OA.

Authors: Jean-Charles Rousseau, Marjorie Millet, Martine Croset, Elisabeth Sornay-Rendu, Olivier Borel and Roland Chapurlat

The importance of ultrasound in identifying and differentiating patients with early inflammatory arthritis: a narrative review

Early differentiation between different types of inflammatory arthritis and subsequent initiation of modern treatments can improve patient outcomes by reducing disease activity and preventing joint damage. Rou...

Authors: Gurjit S. Kaeley, Catherine Bakewell and Atul Deodhar

Rule-based and machine learning algorithms identify patients with systemic sclerosis accurately in the electronic health record

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare disease with studies limited by small sample sizes. Electronic health records (EHRs) represent a powerful tool to study patients with rare diseases such as SSc, but validated...

Authors: Lia Jamian, Lee Wheless, Leslie J. Crofford and April Barnado

Significant association between clinical characteristics and changes in peripheral immuno-phenotype in large vessel vasculitis

Large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a type of vasculitis characterized by granulomatous inflammation of medium- and large-sized arteries. Clinical assessment of acute phase reactants has been conventionally used ...

Authors: Kotaro Matsumoto, Katsuya Suzuki, Keiko Yoshimoto, Noriyasu Seki, Hideto Tsujimoto, Kenji Chiba and Tsutomu Takeuchi

Unique primed status of microglia under the systemic autoimmune condition of lupus-prone mice

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of various autoantibodies. This disease causes disabling neuropsychiatric symptoms even in the absence of apparent in...

Authors: Atsushi Nomura, Daisuke Noto, Goh Murayama, Asako Chiba and Sachiko Miyake

Predicting gastrointestinal and renal involvement in adult IgA vasculitis

Immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV) is still poorly defined in the adult population. We aimed to determine the predictors of gastrointestinal (GI) or renal involvement in adult IgAV.

Authors: Alojzija Hočevar, Matija Tomšič, Vesna Jurčić, Katja Perdan Pirkmajer and Žiga Rotar

High risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients with systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), a life-threatening autoimmune disease characterized by vasculopathy. Numerous SSc patients demonstrate gastrointestinal (GI) involvement but the delicate GI bleeding risk remains spar...

Authors: Yi-Ting Lin, Yun-Shiuan Chuang, Jiunn-Wei Wang and Ping-Hsun Wu

Inhibition of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling leads to increased activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory disease of the joints that causes progressive disability in the elderly. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in OA development; they may activate the NLR...

Authors: Zhuming Chen, Huan Zhong, Jinsong Wei, Sien Lin, Zhixian Zong, Fan Gong, Xinqia Huang, Jinhui Sun, Peng Li, Hao Lin, Bo Wei and Jiaqi Chu

Digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: their epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and associated clinical and economic burden

To determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of systemic sclerosis-related digital ulcers, and associated direct health care costs, quality of life, and survival.

Authors: Kathleen Morrisroe, Wendy Stevens, Joanne Sahhar, Gene-Siew Ngian, Nava Ferdowsi, Catherine L. Hill, Janet Roddy, Jennifer Walker, Susanna Proudman and Mandana Nikpour

Conferring extracellular matrix affinity enhances local therapeutic efficacy of anti-TNF-α antibody in a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis

Although disease in a majority of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is often initially limited to one or a few joints, currently approved medications including anti-tumor necrosis factor-α antibody (α-TNF) ar...

Authors: Kiyomitsu Katsumata, Jun Ishihara, Kazuto Fukunaga, Ako Ishihara, Eiji Yuba, Erica Budina and Jeffrey A. Hubbell

Enhanced angiogenic function in response to fibroblasts from psoriatic arthritis synovium compared to rheumatoid arthritis

Angiogenesis is an early event in the pathogenesis of both psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, there are striking differences in blood vessel morphology and activation between the...

Authors: S. Fromm, C. C. Cunningham, M. R. Dunne, D. J. Veale, U. Fearon and S. M. Wade

Native myeloperoxidase is required to make the experimental vasculitis model

Authors: Mayu Nonokawa, Ku Suzuki, Hideyuki Hayashi, Yuka Nishibata, Sakiko Masuda, Daigo Nakazawa, Satoshi Tanaka, Utano Tomaru and Akihiro Ishizu

High-throughput sequencing of CD4⁺ T cell repertoire reveals disease-specific signatures in IgG4-related disease

CD4⁺ T cells play critical roles in the pathogenesis of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). The aim of this study was to investigate the TCR repertoire of peripheral blood CD4⁺ T cells in IgG4-RD.

Authors: Liwen Wang, Panpan Zhang, Jieqiong Li, Hui Lu, Linyi Peng, Jing Ling, Xuan Zhang, Xiaofeng Zeng, Yan Zhao and Wen Zhang

Integrated systems analysis of salivary gland transcriptomics reveals key molecular networks in Sjögren’s syndrome

Treatment of patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) is a clinical challenge with high unmet needs. Gene expression profiling and integrative network-based approaches to complex disease can offer an insight on ...

Authors: Hong Ki Min, Su-Jin Moon, Kyung-Su Park and Ki-Jo Kim

The immune system in sporadic inclusion body myositis patients is not compromised by blood-flow restricted exercise training

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is clinically characterised by progressive proximal and distal muscle weakness and impaired physical function while skeletal muscle tissue displays abnormal cellular inf...

Authors: Kasper Yde Jensen, Mikkel Jacobsen, Henrik Daa Schrøder, Per Aagaard, Jakob Lindberg Nielsen, Anders Nørkær Jørgensen, Eleanor Boyle, Rune Dueholm Bech, Sofie Rosmark, Louise Pyndt Diederichsen and Ulrik Frandsen

Pharmacological inhibition of TAK1, with the selective inhibitor takinib, alleviates clinical manifestation of arthritis in CIA mice

To examine the ability of takinib, a selective transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) inhibitor, to reduce the severity of murine type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), and to affect func...

Authors: Scott A. Scarneo, Liesl S. Eibschutz, Phillip J. Bendele, Kelly W. Yang, Juliane Totzke, Philip Hughes, David A. Fox and Timothy A. J. Haystead

Prevalence and incidence of non-gout crystal arthropathy in southern Sweden

To estimate the prevalence and incidence of non-gout crystal arthropathy in relation to socioeconomic factors in southern Sweden.

Authors: Mohaned Hameed, Aleksandra Turkiewicz, Martin Englund, Lennart Jacobsson and Meliha C. Kapetanovic

DZ2002 ameliorates fibrosis, inflammation, and vasculopathy in experimental systemic sclerosis models

Systemic sclerosis is a multisystem inflammatory and vascular lesion leading to extensive tissue fibrosis. A reversible S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) inhibitor, DZ2002, modulates the pathologic pr...

Authors: Zongwang Zhang, Yanwei Wu, Bing Wu, Qing Qi, Heng Li, Huimin Lu, Chen Fan, Chunlan Feng, Jianping Zuo, Lili Niu and Wei Tang

The burden of metabolic syndrome on osteoarthritic joints

The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) increases with obesity, with up to two thirds of the elderly obese population affected by OA of the knee. The metabolic syndrome (MetS), frequently associated with central...

Authors: Bruce M. Dickson, Anke J. Roelofs, Justin J. Rochford, Heather M. Wilson and Cosimo De Bari

Protein profiling and network enrichment analysis in individuals before and after the onset of rheumatoid arthritis

Antibodies and upregulated cytokines and chemokines predate the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms. We aimed to identify the pathways related to the early processes leading to RA development, as well ...

Authors: Mikael Brink, Anders Lundquist, Andrey Alexeyenko, Kristina Lejon and Solbritt Rantapää-Dahlqvist

Performance of cytokine models in predicting SLE activity

Identification of universal biomarkers to predict systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) flares is challenging due to the heterogeneity of the disease. Several biomarkers have been reported. However, the data of v...

Authors: Nopparat Ruchakorn, Pintip Ngamjanyaporn, Thanitta Suangtamai, Thanuchporn Kafaksom, Charin Polpanumas, Veerachat Petpisit, Trairak Pisitkun and Prapaporn Pisitkun

Hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma, a new therapeutic alternative for scleroderma patients: a prospective open-label study

Systemic sclerosis is a systemic connective tissue disease characterized by endothelium damage, fibrosis, and subsequent atrophy of the skin. Perioral fibrosis produces a characteristic microstomia together wi...

Authors: Roberto Pirrello, Barbara Verro, Giulia Grasso, Piero Ruscitti, Adriana Cordova, Roberto Giacomelli, Francesco Ciccia and Giuliana Guggino

Will savings from biosimilars offset increased costs related to dose escalation? A comparison of infliximab and golimumab for rheumatoid arthritis

Biosimilar infliximab has the potential for appreciable cost savings compared to its reference biologic, but dose escalation is common and increases costs. We compared frequency of dose escalation and associat...

Authors: Jeffrey R. Curtis, Fenglong Xie, Jonathan Kay and Joel D Kallich

Alterations of voluntary behavior in the course of disease progress and pharmacotherapy in mice with collagen-induced arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic synovitis and bone destruction at the joints, causing pain and motor disturbance. Despite the better control of inflammation and join...

Authors: Yohsuke Oto, Yukari Takahashi, Daitaro Kurosaka and Fusao Kato

Promotion of osteoclastogenesis by IL-26 in rheumatoid arthritis

The inflammatory cascade in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovium is modulated by a variety of cytokine and chemokine networks; however, the roles of IL-26, in RA pathogenesis, are poorly defined. Here, we in...

Authors: Kyung-Ann Lee, Kyoung-Woon Kim, Bo-Mi Kim, Ji-Yeon Won, Hong Ki Min, Dhong Won Lee, Hae-Rim Kim and Sang-Heon Lee

Is ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT useful for diagnosing relapsing polychondritis with airway involvement and monitoring response to steroid-based therapy?

¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a promising tool for diagnosing relapsing polychondritis (RP). However, its usefulness in assessing RP with airway involv....

Authors: Yunxiang Zeng, Minfang Li, Sheng Chen, Lin Lin, Shiyue Li, Jianxing He and Jinlin Wang

FKB327, an adalimumab biosimilar, versus the reference product: results of a randomized, Phase III, double-blind study, and its open-label extension

To compare the efficacy, serum drug concentrations, immunogenicity, and safety of FKB327 with the adalimumab reference product (RP) in combination with methotrexate in patients with moderate-to-severe, active ...

Authors: Mark C. Genovese, Josephine Glover, Maria Greenwald, Wieslawa Porawska, Elias Chalouhi El Khouri, Eva Dokoupilova, Juan Ignacio Vargas, Mykola Stanislavchuk, Herbert Kellner, Elena Baranova, Nobuhito Matsunaga and Rieke Alten

Improved RA classification among early arthritis patients with the concordant presence of three RA autoantibodies: analysis in two early arthritis clinics

The patients with RA benefit from early identification soon after the first clinical symptoms appear. The 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria were developed to fulfill this need and their application has be...

Authors: Cristina Regueiro, Lorena Rodríguez-Martínez, Laura Nuño, Ana M. Ortiz, Alejandro Villalba, Dora Pascual-Salcedo, Ana Martínez-Feito, Isidoro González-Alvaro, Alejandro Balsa and Antonio Gonzalez

The value of MRI examination on bilateral hands including proximal interphalangeal joints for disease assessment in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional cohort study

Bilateral hands including proximal interphalangeal joints (PIPJs) are recommended on physical, X-ray radiographic, or ultrasonographic examination by clinical guidelines of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but MRI s...

Authors: Ying-Qian Mo, Ze-Hong Yang, Jun-Wei Wang, Qian-Hua Li, Xin-Yun Du, T. W. Huizinga, X. M. E. Matthijssen, Guang-Zi Shi, Jun Shen and Lie Dai

Proposition of a novel animal model of systemic sclerosis induced by type V collagen in C57BL/6 mice that reproduces fibrosis, vasculopathy and autoimmunity

Type V collagen (Col V) has the potential to become an autoantigen and has been associated with the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We characterized serological, functional, and histopathological fea...

Authors: Walcy Rosolia Teodoro, Zelita Aparecida de Jesus Queiroz, Lais Araujo dos Santos, Sergio Catanozi, Antonio dos Santos Filho, Cleonice Bueno, Margarete B. G. Vendramini, Sandra de Morais Fernezlian, Esmeralda M. Eher, Percival D. Sampaio-Barros, Sandra Gofinet Pasoto, Fernanda Degobbi T. Q. S. Lopes, Ana Paula Pereira Velosa and Vera Luiza Capelozzi

Activation of natural killer cells by rituximab in granulomatosis with polyangiitis

In the last few years, anti-CD20 antibody rituximab profoundly changed the therapeutic landscape of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Here, we investigated whether natural killer (NK) cells may play a ro...

Authors: Doris Urlaub, Shuyang Zhao, Norbert Blank, Raoul Bergner, Maren Claus, Theresa Tretter, Hanns-Martin Lorenz, Carsten Watzl and Wolfgang Merkt

LNA-anti-miR-150 ameliorated kidney injury of lupus nephritis by inhibiting renal fibrosis and macrophage infiltration

The prevalence of lupus nephritis (LN) remains high despite various emerging monoclonal antibodies against with targeting systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Renal fibrosis is the main feature of late stage LN...

Authors: Junjun Luan, Jingqi Fu, Chengjie Chen, Congcong Jiao, Weiwei Kong, Yixiao Zhang, Qing Chang, Yanqiu Wang, Detian Li, Gabor G. Illei, Jeffrey B. Kopp, Jingbo Pi and Hua Zhou

Management of adult-onset Still’s disease with interleukin-1 inhibitors: evidence- and consensus-based statements by a panel of Italian experts

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory condition characterized by fever, rash, and arthritis. Because of its rarity, clinical trials are inherently small and often uncontrolled. Our objectiv...

Authors: Serena Colafrancesco, Maria Manara, Alessandra Bortoluzzi, Teodora Serban, Gerolamo Bianchi, Luca Cantarini, Francesco Ciccia, Lorenzo Dagna, Marcello Govoni, Carlomaurizio Montecucco, Roberta Priori, Angelo Ravelli, Paolo Sfriso and Luigi Sinigaglia

Complex assessment of bone mineral density, fracture risk, vitamin D status, and bone metabolism in Hungarian systemic sclerosis patients

We wished to determine bone alterations in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients by conventional densitometry (DXA), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), and bone biomarkers.

Authors: Ágnes Horváth, Edit Végh, Anita Pusztai, Zsófia Pethő, Attila Hamar, Monika Czókolyová, Harjit Pal Bhattoa, Gábor Nagy, Balázs Juhász, Katalin Hodosi, Andrea Domján, Zoltán Szekanecz, Gabriella Szücs and Szilvia Szamosi

Association of age, sex and BMI with the rate of change in tibial cartilage volume: a 10.7-year longitudinal cohort study

To describe the association of age, sex and body mass index with the rate of change of tibial knee cartilage volume over 10.7 years in a community-based sample of older adults.

Authors: Guoqi Cai, Matthew Jiang, Flavia Cicuttini and Graeme Jones

Upadacitinib improves patient-reported outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: results from SELECT-NEXT

To evaluate the effect of upadacitinib on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with RA who had an inadequate response to csDMARDs.

Authors: Vibeke Strand, Janet Pope, Namita Tundia, Alan Friedman, Heidi S. Camp, Aileen Pangan, Arijit Ganguli, Mahesh Fuldeore, Debbie Goldschmidt and Michael Schiff

Long non-coding XIST raises methylation of TIMP-3 promoter to regulate collagen degradation in osteoarthritic chondrocytes after tibial plateau fracture

Hypermethylation of gene promoters has been regarded as an epigenetic regulator for gene inactivation in the development of several diseases. In the current study, we aimed to explore how long noncoding RNA X-...

Authors: Hongwei Chen, Shengdi Yang and Ruyi Shao