Rheumatology

Article Rheumatology

Phase II randomised trial of type I interferon inhibitor anifrolumab in patients with active lupus nephritis

David Jayne, Brad Rovin, Eduardo F. Mysler, Richard A. Furie, Frederic A. Houssiau, Teodora Trasieva, Jacob Knagenhjelm, Erik Schwetje, Yen Lin Chia, Raj Tummala, Catharina Lindholm

Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of anifrolumab, a type I interferon receptor antibody, in patients with active lupus nephritis. The results showed that anifrolumab IR had numerical improvements over placebo in several endpoints, including complete renal response. However, the primary endpoint of improvement in 24-hour urine protein-creatinine ratio was not met.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Humoral and cellular immunogenicity to a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 in people receiving methotrexate or targeted immunosuppression: a longitudinal cohort study

Satveer K. Mahil, Katie Bechman, Antony Raharja, Clara Domingo-Vila, David Baudry, Matthew A. Brown, Andrew P. Cope, Tejus Dasandi, Carl Graham, Hataf Khan, Thomas Lechmere, Michael H. Malim, Freya Meynell, Emily Pollock, Kamila Sychowska, Jonathan N. Barker, Sam Norton, James B. Galloway, Katie J. Doores, Timothy Tree, Catherine H. Smith

Summary: The study found that patients receiving methotrexate and targeted biological therapy had similar neutralizing antibody responses after the second vaccine dose, but lower T-cell responses. The longevity of vaccine-induced antibody responses in this population is currently unknown.

LANCET RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Rheumatology

Mechanisms of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis - immune cell-fibroblast-bone interactions

Noriko Komatsu, Hiroshi Takayanagi

Summary: This review provides an overview of the mechanisms contributing to joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and discusses the interactions among immune cells, fibroblasts, and bone. The authors highlight the importance of understanding these mechanisms for the development of novel therapies in RA.

NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

The role of chest CT in deciphering interstitial lung involvement: systemic sclerosis versus COVID-19

Martina Orlandi, Nicholas Landini, Gianluca Sambataro, Cosimo Nardi, Lorenzo Tofani, Cosimo Bruni, Silvia Bellando-Randone, Jelena Blagojevic, Daniela Melchiorre, Michael Hughes, Christopher P. Denton, Fabrizio Luppi, Barbara Ruaro, Francesca della Casa, Francesca W. Rossi, Giacomo De Luca, Corrado Campochiaro, Michele Spinicci, Lorenzo Zammarchi, Sara Tomassetti, Antonella Caminati, Edoardo Cavigli, Marco Albanesi, Fabio Melchiorre, Stefano Palmucci, Virginia Vegni, Serena Guiducci, Alberto Moggi-Pignone, Yannick Allanore, Alessandro Bartoloni, Marco Confalonieri, Lorenzo Dagna, Francesco DeCobelli, Amato DePaulis, Sergio Harari, Dinesh Khanna, Masataka Kuwana, Gloria Taliani, Federico Lavorini, Vittorio Miele, Giovanni Morana, Alberto Pesci, Carlo Vancheri, Stefano Colagrande, Marco Matucci-Cerinic

Summary: This study aimed to differentiate between COVID-19 pneumonia and SSc-ILD using CT features. Key findings included fibrosis inside focal ground-glass opacities in the upper lobes for SSc-ILD and consolidation in the lower lobes for COVID-19 pneumonia. A predictive score was developed with high sensitivity and specificity for COVID-19 diagnosis.

RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

2021 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Therapeutic Approaches for Oligoarthritis, Temporomandibular Joint Arthritis, and Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Karen B. Onel, Daniel B. Horton, Daniel J. Lovell, Susan Shenoi, Carlos A. Cuello, Sheila T. Angeles-Han, Mara L. Becker, Randy Q. Cron, Brian M. Feldman, Polly J. Ferguson, Harry Gewanter, Jaime Guzman, Yukiko Kimura, Tzielan Lee, Katherine Murphy, Peter A. Nigrovic, Michael J. Ombrello, C. Egla Rabinovich, Melissa Tesher, Marinka Twilt, Marisa Klein-Gitelman, Fatima Barbar-Smiley, Ashley M. Cooper, Barbara Edelheit, Miriah Gillispie-Taylor, Kimberly Hays, Melissa L. Mannion, Rosemary Peterson, Elaine Flanagan, Nadine Saad, Nancy Sullivan, Ann Marie Szymanski, Rebecca Trachtman, Marat Turgunbaev, Keila Veiga, Amy S. Turner, James T. Reston

Summary: This article provides updated guidelines for the pharmacologic management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), focusing on different forms of JIA and providing recommendations for treatment and tapering of medications. The evidence for these recommendations is generally low quality, but the inclusion of patients and caregivers in the decision-making process strengthens the relevance and applicability of the guideline.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Letter Rheumatology

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 breakthrough infections among vaccinated patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Claire Cook, Naomi J. Patel, Kristin M. D'Silva, Tiffany Y-T Hsu, Michael Dilorio, Lauren Prisco, Lily W. Martin, Kathleen Vanni, Alessandra Zaccardelli, Derrick Todd, Jeffrey A. Sparks, Zachary Scott Wallace

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

2021 EULAR recommendations regarding lifestyle behaviours and work participation to prevent progression of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases

James M. Gwinnutt, Maud Wieczorek, Andra Balanescu, Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, Annelies Boonen, Giulio Cavalli, Savia de Souza, Annette de Thurah, Thomas E. Dorner, Rikke Helene Moe, Polina Putrik, Javier Rodriguez-Carrio, Lucia Silva-Fernandez, Tanja Stamm, Karen Walker-Bone, Joep Welling, Mirjana Zlatkovic-Svenda, Francis Guillemin, Suzanne M. M. Verstappen

Summary: A taskforce in Europe has reviewed the literature and developed recommendations on lifestyle behaviors for rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. They have identified five overarching principles and 18 specific recommendations based on available evidence. The recommendations cover various lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet, weight, alcohol, smoking, and work participation.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2023)

Article Rheumatology

Mepolizumab for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis: A European Multicenter Observational Study

Alessandra Bettiol, Maria Letizia Urban, Lorenzo Dagna, Vincent Cottin, Franco Franceschini, Stefano Del Giacco, Franco Schiavon, Thomas Neumann, Giuseppe Lopalco, Pavel Novikov, Chiara Baldini, Carlo Lombardi, Alvise Berti, Federico Alberici, Marco Folci, Simone Negrini, Renato Alberto Sinico, Luca Quartuccio, Claudio Lunardi, Paola Parronchi, Frank Moosig, Georgina Espigol-Frigole, Jan Schroeder, Anna Luise Kernder, Sara Monti, Ettore Silvagni, Claudia Crimi, Francesco Cinetto, Paolo Fraticelli, Dario Roccatello, Angelo Vacca, Aladdin J. Mohammad, Bernhard Hellmich, Maxime Samson, Elena Bargagli, Jan Willem Cohen Tervaert, Camillo Ribi, Davide Fiori, Federica Bello, Filippo Fagni, Luca Moroni, Giuseppe Alvise Ramirez, Mouhamad Nasser, Chiara Marvisi, Paola Toniati, Davide Firinu, Roberto Padoan, Allyson Egan, Benjamin Seeliger, Florenzo Iannone, Carlo Salvarani, David Jayne, Domenico Prisco, Augusto Vaglio, Giacomo Emmi

Summary: Mepolizumab at both 100 mg every 4 weeks and 300 mg every 4 weeks proved effective in treating EGPA, with no significant difference between the two doses. Complete response rates reached 30.4% at 12 months and 35.7% at 24 months, with some patients experiencing exacerbations in asthma and ENT.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Characteristics associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes in individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus: data from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance

Manuel Francisco Ugarte-Gil, Graciela S. Alarcon, Zara Izadi, Ali Duarte-Garcia, Cristina Reategui-Sokolova, Ann Elaine Clarke, Leanna Wise, Guillermo J. Pons-Estel, Maria Jose Santos, Sasha Bernatsky, Sandra Lucia Euzebio Ribeiro, Samar Al Emadi, Jeffrey A. Sparks, Tiffany Y-T Hsu, Naomi J. Patel, Emily L. Gilbert, Maria O. Valenzuela-Almada, Andreas Jonsen, Gianpiero Landolfi, Micaela Fredi, Tiphaine Goulenok, Mathilde Devaux, Xavier Mariette, Viviane Queyrel, Vasco C. Romao, Graca Sequeira, Rebecca Hasseli, Bimba Hoyer, Reinhard E. Voll, Christof Specker, Roberto Baez, Vanessa Castro-Coello, Hernan Maldonado Ficco, Edgard Torres Reis Neto, Gilda Aparecida Aparecida Ferreira, Odirlei Andre Andre Monticielo, Emily Sirotich, Jean Liew, Jonathan Hausmann, Paul Sufka, Rebecca Grainger, Suleman Bhana, Wendy Costello, Zachary S. Wallace, Lindsay Jacobsohn, Tiffany Taylor, Clairissa Ja, Anja Strangfeld, Elsa F. Mateus, Kimme L. Hyrich, Loreto Carmona, Saskia Lawson-Tovey, Lianne Kearsley-Fleet, Martin Schaefer, Pedro M. Machado, Philip C. Robinson, Milena Gianfrancesco, Jinoos Yazdany

Summary: The severity of COVID-19 outcomes in individuals with SLE is associated with factors such as gender, age, steroid dosage, comorbidities, and the activity of SLE.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Letter Rheumatology

Temporary hold of mycophenolate augments humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a case series

Caoilfhionn M. Connolly, Teresa Po-Yu Chiang, Brian J. Boyarsky, Jake A. Ruddy, Mayan Teles, Jennifer L. Alejo, Allan Massie, William A. Werbel, Ami A. Shah, Lisa Christopher-Stine, Jacqueline Garonzik-Wang, Dorry L. Segev, Julie J. Paik

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Rituximab Impairs B Cell Response But Not T Cell Response to COVID-19 Vaccine in Autoimmune Diseases

Samuel Bitoun, Julien Henry, Delphine Desjardins, Christelle Vauloup-Fellous, Nicolas Dib, Rakiba Belkhir, Lina Mouna, Candie Joly, Marie Bitu, Bineta Ly, Juliette Pascaud, Raphaele Seror, Anne-Marie Roque Afonso, Roger Le Grand, Xavier Mariette

Summary: The antibody response to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is diminished in patients treated with rituximab (RTX), but the functional T cell response remains unchanged compared to patients treated with other immunosuppressants and healthy controls.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

BNT162b2 vaccine-induced humoral and cellular responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants in systemic lupus erythematosus

Quentin Moyon, Delphine Sterlin, Makoto Miyara, Francois Anna, Alexis Mathian, Raphael Lhote, Pascale Ghillani-Dalbin, Paul Breillat, Sasi Mudumba, Sophia de Alba, Fleur Cohen-aubart, Julien Haroche, Micheline Pha, Thi Huong Du Boutin, Hedi Chaieb, Pedro Macedo Flores, Pierre Charneau, Guy Gorochov, Zahir Amoura

Summary: This study evaluated disease activity and immune responses in SLE patients following BNT162b2 vaccination. MMF and MTX treatments were found to be associated with reduced antibody response, while anti-spike antibody response was positively correlated with baseline immunoglobulin levels, naive B cell frequencies, and SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Risk of major adverse cardiovascular events with tofacitinib versus tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with or without a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a post hoc analysis from ORAL Surveillance

Christina Charles-Schoeman, Maya H. Buch, Maxime Dougados, Deepak L. Bhatt, Jon T. Giles, Steven R. Ytterberg, Gary G. Koch, Ivana Vranic, Joseph Wu, Cunshan Wang, Kenneth Kwok, Sujatha Menon, Jose L. Rivas, Arne Yndestad, Carol A. Connell, Zoltan Szekanecz

Summary: This post hoc analysis observed a higher risk of MACE associated with tofacitinib compared to TNFi in RA patients with a history of ASCVD. Among patients without a history of ASCVD but with prevalent CV risk factors, there does not appear to be a difference in MACE risk between tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily and TNFi, although any absolute risk excess is likely low.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2023)

Article Orthopedics

The burden of OA-health services and economics

V. P. Leifer, J. N. Katz, E. Losina

Summary: Osteoarthritis is a prevalent and disabling condition worldwide, with substantial burden on individuals in terms of pain, activity limitations, and reduced quality of life. The economic impact of OA is also significant, affecting the gross national product of countries with established market economies. OA prevalence is projected to rise in regions with aging populations and increasing obesity rates, such as North America and Europe.

OSTEOARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE (2022)

Letter Rheumatology

Response to: 'Correspondence on 'Factors associated with COVID-19-related death in people with rheumatic diseases: results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician reported registry'' by Mulhearn et al

Martin Schaefer, Anja Strangfeld, Kimme L. Hyrich, Loreto Carmona, Milena Gianfrancesco, Saskia Lawson-Tovey, Elsa F. Mateus, Laure Gossec, Philip C. Robinson, Jinoos Yazdany, Pedro M. Machado

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2023)

Article Rheumatology

2022 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology classification criteria for microscopic polyangiitis

Ravi Suppiah, Joanna C. Robson, Peter C. Grayson, Cristina Ponte, Anthea Craven, Sara Khalid, Andrew Judge, Andrew Hutchings, Peter A. Merkel, Raashid A. Luqmani, Richard A. Watts

Summary: The study developed and validated classification criteria for microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), with 6 key items identified for disease classification. Validation results showed high sensitivity (91%) and specificity (94%) for the criteria, confirming their usefulness in clinical research.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Autoimmune Disease Patients With B Cell Depletion

David Simon, Koray Tascilar, Katja Schmidt, Bernhard Manger, Leonie Weckwerth, Maria Sokolova, Laura Bucci, Filippo Fagni, Karin Manger, Florian Schuch, Monika Ronneberger, Axel Hueber, Ulrike Steffen, Dirk Mielenz, Martin Herrmann, Thomas Harrer, Arnd Kleyer, Gerhard Kroenke, Georg Schett

Summary: The study found that B cell depletion completely blocks humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, but not T cell response. Limited humoral immune responses were observed in patients with B cell depletion after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Rheumatology

Treat-to-target in systemic lupus erythematosus: advancing towards its implementation

Agner R. Parra Sanchez, Alexandre E. Voskuyl, Ronald E. van Vollenhoven

Summary: The treat-to-target (T2T) concept, which involves choosing a specific target, evaluating the outcomes, and taking action accordingly, has been successful in improving outcomes for patients with diabetes, hypertension, and rheumatoid arthritis. However, the application of this approach in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) requires measurable and achievable outcomes, as well as more therapeutic options. Currently, the available therapeutic options for SLE are limited, and there is a need for more effective and safer treatments. Fortunately, there have been significant advancements in clinical trial activity for SLE, especially with the development of novel therapies. With these expected advancements, it is likely that a wider range of treatments will be available for SLE in the near future, allowing for the routine implementation of a treat-to-target approach.

NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Tofacitinib and risk of cardiovascular outcomes: results from the Safety of TofAcitinib in Routine care patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (STAR-RA) study

Farzin Khosrow-Khavar, Seoyoung C. Kim, Hemin Lee, Su Been Lee, Rishi J. Desai

Summary: The study did not find evidence of increased cardiovascular risk with tofacitinib in patients with RA in a real-world setting. However, tofacitinib was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes, although statistically non-significant, in patients with RA with cardiovascular risk factors.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Treating the skin with biologics in patients with psoriasis decreases the incidence of psoriatic arthritis

Maria Laura Acosta Felquer, Luciano LoGiudice, Maria Laura Galimberti, Javier Rosa, Luis Mazzuoccolo, Enrique R. Soriano

Summary: The study found that using biologics in patients with psoriasis can reduce the risk of developing psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)