Rheumatology

Article Rheumatology

Attenuation of Rheumatoid Arthritis Through the Inhibition of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Induced Caspase 3/Gasdermin E-Mediated Pyroptosis

Zeqing Zhai, Fangyuan Yang, Wenchao Xu, Jiaochan Han, Guihu Luo, Yehao Li, Jian Zhuang, Hongyu Jie, Xing Li, Xingliang Shi, Xinai Han, Xiaoqing Luo, Rui Song, Yonghong Chen, Jianheng Liang, Shufan Wu, Yi He, Erwei Sun

Summary: This study investigated the role of GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in the pathogenesis and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It was found that GSDME plays a pathogenic role in RA and TNF can induce pyroptosis in monocytes and macrophages by activating the caspase 3/GSDME pathway. Targeting GSDME may be a potential therapeutic approach for RA.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Rheumatology

Humoral and cellular immune responses on SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with anti-CD20 therapies: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 1342 patients

Simeon Schietzel, Manuel Anderegg, Andreas Limacher, Alexander Born, Michael P. Horn, Britta Maurer, Cedric Hirzel, Daniel Sidler, Matthias B. Moor

Summary: Immune responses on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients receiving anti-CD20 therapies are impaired but vary considerably. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that patients on anti-CD20 therapies can develop humoral and cell-mediated immune responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. However, subgroups such as kidney transplant recipients or those with recent therapy and depleted B cells are at high risk for non-seroconversion.

RMD OPEN (2022)

Article Rheumatology

B Cell Numbers Predict Humoral and Cellular Response Upon SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Among Patients Treated With Rituximab

Ana-Luisa Stefanski, Hector Rincon-Arevalo, Eva Schrezenmeier, Kirsten Karberg, Franziska Szelinski, Jacob Ritter, Bernd Jahrsdoerfer, Hubert Schrezenmeier, Carolin Ludwig, Arne Sattler, Katja Kotsch, Yidan Chen, Anne Claussnitzer, Hildrun Haibel, Fabian Proft, Gabriela Guerra, Pawel Durek, Frederik Heinrich, Marta Ferreira-Gomes, Gerd R. Burmester, Andreas Radbruch, Mir-Farzin Mashreghi, Andreia C. Lino, Thomas Doerner

Summary: Patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases receiving rituximab (RTX) therapy require a minimum of 10 B cells per microliter in the peripheral circulation to mount an appropriate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Functionally relevant B cell depletion results in impaired interferon-gamma secretion by spike-specific CD4 T cells.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Letter Rheumatology

Booster-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with autoimmune disease: a case series

Caoilfhionn M. Connolly, Mayan Teles, Sarah Frey, Brian J. Boyarsky, Jennifer L. Alejo, William A. Werbel, Jemima Albayda, Lisa Christopher-Stine, Jacqueline Garonzik-Wang, Dorry L. Segev, Julie J. Paik

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Letter Rheumatology

Challenge of diagnosing ANCA-associated vasculitis during COVID-19 pandemic: a missed 'window of opportunity'

Alessandro Giollo, Riccardo Bixio, Davide Gatti, Ombretta Viapiana, Luca Idolazzi, Christian Dejaco, Maurizio Rossini

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2023)

Article Rheumatology

Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs may mitigate the risk of psoriatic arthritis in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis

Paolo Gisondi, Francesco Bellinato, Giovanni Targher, Luca Idolazzi, Giampiero Girolomoni

Summary: In patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis, treatment with bDMARDs may delay or reduce the risk of incident PsA. The annual incidence rate of PsA was significantly lower in the bDMARDs group compared to the phototherapy group. Factors associated with a higher risk of PsA included older age, nail psoriasis, and psoriasis duration over 10 years.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Efficacy and safety of risankizumab for active psoriatic arthritis: 24-week results from the randomised, double-blind, phase 3 KEEPsAKE 2 trial

Andrew Ostor, Filip Van den Bosch, Kim Papp, Cecilia Asnal, Ricardo Blanco, Jacob Aelion, Gabriela Alperovich, Wenjing Lu, Zailong Wang, Ahmed M. Soliman, Ann Eldred, Lisa Barcomb, Alan Kivitz

Summary: The study found that treatment with risankizumab resulted in significant improvements in key disease outcomes for patients with PsA who were Bio-IR and/or csDMARD-IR, and was well tolerated.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Postvaccination antibody titres predict protection against COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases: survival analysis in a prospective cohort

Sakir Ahmed, Pankti Mehta, Aby Paul, S. Anu, Somy Cherian, Veena Shenoy, Kaveri K. Nalianda, Sanjana Joseph, Anagha Poulose, Padmanabha Shenoy

Summary: This study assessed the incidence and risk factors for breakthrough COVID-19 infections in vaccinated patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) and found that the levels of antibodies against the receptor binding domain of spike protein were associated with susceptibility to such infections. Breakthrough infections occurred in 7.4% of patients and were associated with seronegativity following vaccination.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Review Rheumatology

Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: How to Incorporate Two Food and Drug Administration-Approved Therapies in Clinical Practice

Dinesh Khanna, Alain Lescoat, David Roofeh, Elana J. Bernstein, Ella A. Kazerooni, Michael D. Roth, Fernando Martinez, Kevin R. Flaherty, Christopher P. Denton

Summary: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) has high mortality, with interstitial lung disease (ILD) being a leading cause of death. Nintedanib and tocilizumab are approved by the FDA for SSc-associated ILD treatment. However, the optimal therapeutic strategy is still uncertain, with the review proposing a practical classification based on disease severity and progression risk, discussing different treatment options.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Phase III/IV, Randomized, Fifty-Two-Week Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Belimumab in Patients of Black African Ancestry With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Ellen Ginzler, Luiz Sergio Guedes Barbosa, David D'Cruz, Richard Furie, Kathleen Maksimowicz-McKinnon, James Oates, Mittermayer Barreto Santiago, Amit Saxena, Saira Sheikh, Damon L. Bass, Susan W. Burriss, Jennifer A. Gilbride, James G. Groark, Michelle Miller, Amy Pierce, David A. Roth, Beulah Ji

Summary: The study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous belimumab plus standard therapy in patients of self-identified Black race with systemic lupus erythematosus. While the primary endpoint was not achieved, numerical improvements favoring belimumab were observed, especially in patients with high disease activity or renal manifestations. The safety profile of belimumab was consistent with previous SLE trials.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Global epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus: a comprehensive systematic analysis and modelling study

Jingru Tian, Dingyao Zhang, Xu Yao, Yaqing Huang, Qianjin Lu

Summary: This study estimated the epidemiology of SLE globally, finding variations in incidence and prevalence rates across different countries and regions. It also highlighted the impact of gender, age, and prevalence estimation method on the findings. SLE was found to occur more frequently in high-income countries.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2023)

Article Rheumatology

Integrated safety analysis of filgotinib in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis receiving treatment over a median of 1.6 years

Kevin L. Winthrop, Yoshiya Tanaka, Tsutomu Takeuchi, Alan Kivitz, Franziska Matzkies, Mark C. Genovese, Deyuan Jiang, Kun Chen, Beatrix Bartok, Angelika Jahreis, Robin Besuyen, Gerd R. Burmester, Jacques-Eric Gottenberg

Summary: In patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, the safety and tolerability of Filgotinib were good, with a lower incidence of infections in the Filgotinib 200 mg dose group compared to placebo during long-term treatment.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes associated with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and immune-modifying therapies: a nationwide cohort study in the OpenSAFELY platform

Brian MacKenna, Nicholas A. Kennedy, Amir Mehrkar, Anna Rowan, James Galloway, Julian Matthewman, Kathryn E. Mansfield, Katie Bechman, Mark Yates, Jeremy Brown, Anna Schultze, Sam Norton, Alex J. Walker, Caroline E. Morton, David Harrison, Krishnan Bhaskaran, Christopher T. Rentsch, Elizabeth Williamson, Richard Croker, Seb Bacon, George Hickman, Tom Ward, Simon Davy, Amelia Green, Louis Fisher, William Hulme, Chris Bates, Helen J. Curtis, John Tazare, Rosalind M. Eggo, David Evans, Peter Inglesby, Jonathan Cockburn, Helen McDonald, Laurie A. Tomlinson, Rohini Mathur, Angel Y. S. Wong, Harriet Forbes, John Parry, Frank Hester, Sam Harper, Ian J. Douglas, Liam Smeeth, Charlie W. Lees, Stephen J. W. Evans, Ben Goldacre, Catherine H. Smith, Sinead M. Langan

Summary: This study aimed to assess the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes in adults with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and on immune-modifying therapies. The findings showed that adults with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases had an increased risk of COVID-19-related death, critical care admission or death, and hospital admission compared to the general population, but most targeted immune-modifying drugs did not increase the risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes.

LANCET RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune disease (COVAD) survey protocol

Parikshit Sen, Latika Gupta, James B. Lilleker, Vishwesh Aggarwal, Sinan Kardes, Marcin Milchert, Tamer Gheita, Babur Salim, Tsvetelina Velikova, Abraham Edgar Gracia-Ramos, Ioannis Parodis, Albert Selva O'Callaghan, Elena Nikiphorou, Ai Lyn Tan, Lorenzo Cavagna, Miguel A. Saavedra, Samuel Katsuyuki Shinjo, Nelly Ziade, Johannes Knitza, Masataka Kuwana, Giovanni Cagnotto, Arvind Nune, Oliver Distler, Hector Chinoy, Vikas Aggarwal, Rohit Aggarwal

Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant global health threat, with vaccination being the key solution. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a challenge in achieving high vaccination rates, particularly in patients with autoimmune diseases who are already at higher risk. While long-term safety and efficacy data for COVID-19 vaccination in these patients are limited, current evidence suggests that the benefits outweigh the risks. The ongoing international COVAD study aims to provide more insights into this issue.

RHEUMATOLOGY INTERNATIONAL (2022)

Article Rheumatology

Long COVID: rheumatologic/musculoskeletal symptoms in hospitalized COVID-19 survivors at 3 and 6 months

Fatih Karaarslan, Fulya Demircioglu Guneri, Sinan Kardes

Summary: Approximately 3 in 5 patients had at least one symptom, with approximate to 2 in 5 patients experienced at least one rheumatic and musculoskeletal symptom. Fatigue, joint pain, and myalgia were the most frequent rheumatic and musculoskeletal symptoms.

CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Rheumatology

2022 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology Classification Criteria for Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis

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

Summary: The study developed and validated revised classification criteria for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), identifying final criteria and weights through regression analysis. In the validation dataset, the criteria demonstrated strong performance characteristics with 93% sensitivity and 94% specificity, making them suitable for research purposes.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2022)

Letter Rheumatology

Transient monoarthritis and psoriatic skin lesions following COVID-19

Ludovico De Stefano, Silvia Rossi, Carlomaurizio Montecucco, Serena Bugatti

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2023)

Article Rheumatology

Deucravacitinib, a Tyrosine Kinase 2 Inhibitor, in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Phase II, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Eric Morand, Marilyn Pike, Joan T. Merrill, Ronald van Vollenhoven, Victoria P. Werth, Coburn Hobar, Nikolay Delev, Vaishali Shah, Brian Sharkey, Thomas Wegman, Ian Catlett, Subhashis Banerjee, Shalabh Singhal

Summary: Deucravacitinib treatment showed higher response rates for SRI-4 and other endpoints compared to placebo, with an acceptable safety profile, in adult patients with active SLE.

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY (2023)

Article Rheumatology

Anifrolumab efficacy and safety by type I interferon gene signature and clinical subgroups in patients with SLE: post hoc analysis of pooled data from two phase III trials

Edward M. Vital, Joan T. Merrill, Eric F. Morand, Richard A. Furie, Ian N. Bruce, Yoshiya Tanaka, Susan Manzi, Kenneth C. Kalunian, Rubana N. Kalyani, Katie Streicher, Gabriel Abreu, Raj Tummala

Summary: This study characterizes the efficacy and safety of anifrolumab in patients with moderate-to-severe SLE. It shows that anifrolumab has consistent efficacy and safety across different subgroups of patients. However, the limited sample size in some subgroups limits the conclusions about treatment benefit with anifrolumab.

ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES (2022)