Articles

Urinary soluble VCAM-1 is a useful biomarker of disease activity and treatment response in lupus nephritis

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is involved in the progression of glomerular and tubulointerstitial injury in lupus nephritis (LN) and can be easily assessed in urine. The aim of this study was to a...

Authors: Andrese Aline Gasparin, Nicole Pamplona Bueno de Andrade, Vanessa Hax, Penélope Esther Palominos, Marina Siebert, Romulo Marx, Pedro Guilherme Schaefer, Francisco Veríssimo Veronese and Odirlei André Monticielo

Insights on mental health when living with rheumatoid arthritis: a descriptive qualitative study of threads on the Reddit website

Reddit is a highly visited social news and discussion website where individuals anonymously ask questions, post opinions and share experiences, which provide a valuable pool of publicly available data. Our obj...

Authors: Jamie Y. E. Park, Alyssa M. Howren, Eileen Davidson and Mary A. De Vera

Web-based information on the treatment of the mouth in systemic sclerosis

To categorise the content and assess the quality and readability of the web-based information regarding treatment of the mouth in systemic sclerosis.

Authors: Ismail Abdouh, Stephen Porter, Stefano Fedele, Nadia Elgendy and Richeal Ni Riordain

Mixed Cryoglobulinemia Syndrome (MCS) due to untreated hepatitis B with uncommon presentation: case report and literature review

The mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) syndrome is a systemic inflammatory syndrome that causes small-to-medium vessel vasculitis due to cryoglobulin-containing immune complexes most commonly caused by chronic hepati...

Authors: Nasam Alfraji, Vandan D. Upadhyaya, Christopher Bekampis and Halyna Kuzyshyn

Long-term effectiveness and safety of infliximab and golimumab in ankylosing spondylitis patients from a Canadian prospective observational registry

The objectives of this study were to describe the profile of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients treated with either infliximab (IFX) or subcutaneous golimumab (GLM) treatment in Canadian routine care setting...

Authors: Proton Rahman, Michael Starr, Derek Haaland, Louis Bessette, Michelle Teo, Emmanouil Rampakakis, Allen J. Lehman and Francois Nantel

Longitudinal profiling of the gut microbiome in patients with psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: a multicentre, prospective, observational study

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin affecting 2–3% of UK population. 30% of people affected by psoriasis will develop a distinct form of arthritis within 10 years of the skin condition onse...

Authors: Jesus Miguens Blanco, Federica Borghese, Neil McHugh, Peter Kelleher, Raj Sengupta, Julian R. Marchesi and Sonya Abraham

A systematic review of CXCL13 as a biomarker of disease and treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis

The B cell chemoattractant CXCL13 is a promising biomarker in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with a plausible role in supporting diagnosis, monitoring disease activity and as a prognostic value. It is a key chemok...

Authors: Katie Bechman, Anthony Dalrymple, Charles Southey-Bassols, Andrew P. Cope and James B. Galloway

Rheumatic manifestations of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Different proportions of musculoskeletal or autoimmune manifestations associated with COVID-19 have been reported in literature. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis with the aim of assessing the...

Authors: Jacopo Ciaffi, Riccardo Meliconi, Piero Ruscitti, Onorina Berardicurti, Roberto Giacomelli and Francesco Ursini

The association between waiting time and multidisciplinary pain treatment outcomes in patients with rheumatic conditions

Access to multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities (MPTF) is limited by extensive waiting time in many countries. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of waiting time on clinical outcomes,...

Authors: Simon Deslauriers, Jean-Sébastien Roy, Sasha Bernatsky, Debbie E. Feldman, Anne Marie Pinard, François Desmeules, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles and Kadija Perreault

Factors associated with disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with persistent moderate disease activity: a retrospective cohort study

Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) do not attain remission/low disease activity, remaining in a moderate disease activity state (MDAS) with ongoing disability and impaired quality of life (QoL). If p...

Authors: Ian C. Scott, Julie Mount, Jane Barry and Bruce Kirkham

Cardiovascular risk knowledge in patients of South Asian origin living with rheumatoid arthritis: data from India and the UK

South Asians have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases the risk of premature atherosclerosis. We investigated whether there was a substantial difference in the lev...

Authors: Kanta Kumar, Suvrat Arya, Peter Nightingale, Tom Sheeran and Amita Aggarwal

Ultrasound and multi-biomarker disease activity score for assessing and predicting clinical response to tofacitinib treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and the multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score are outcome measures that may aid in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. This study evaluated tofacitin...

Authors: Amir A. Razmjou, Jenny Brook, David Elashoff, Gurjit Kaeley, Soo Choi, Tanaz Kermani and Veena K. Ranganath

E-consults: an effective way to decrease clinic wait times in rheumatology

To evaluate the effect of E-consults on wait times and resource utilization for positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) referrals in outpatient rheumatology.

Authors: Veena Patel, Diana Stewart and Molly J. Horstman

Physical activity in established rheumatoid arthritis and variables associated with maintenance of physical activity over a seven-year period – a longitudinal observational study

A large number of patients with RA do not adhere to the recommended levels of physical activity to enhance health. According to EULAR recommendations, physical activity should be part of standard care in peopl...

Authors: Ann Bremander, Karina Malm and Maria L. Andersson

Serum protein biomarkers for juvenile dermatomyositis: a pilot study

Blood accessible biomarkers to assess disease activity and their response to therapies in Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) are urgently needed. This pilot study aims to identify serum protein biomarkers associat...

Authors: Shefa M. Tawalbeh, Wilfredo Marin, Gabrielle A. Morgan, Utkarsh J. Dang, Yetrib Hathout and Lauren M. Pachman

Association of lifestyle elements with self-rated wellness and health status in patients with Behcet’s disease

Assessment of the association of various lifestyle factors and wellness and health status in patients with Behcet’s disease was the main goal of this study.

Authors: Maryam Masoumi, Reihane Tabaraii, Saeed Shakiba, Mansoureh Shakeri and Abbas Smiley

Hepatitis E Virus and rheumatic diseases: what do rheumatologists need to know?

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) represents the most common cause of acute hepatitis and jaundice in the world. About 2 million of infection cases occur each year in Europe, mainly as autochthonous anthropozoonosis, an...

Authors: Salvatore Di Bartolomeo, Francesco Carubbi and Paola Cipriani

Patient insights on living with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and the limitations of disease activity measurement methods – a qualitative study

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are chronic autoimmune conditions, typically resulting in proximal muscle weakness and impacting upon quality of life. Accurate measurement of IIM disease activity...

Authors: Alexander Oldroyd, William Dixon, Hector Chinoy and Kelly Howells

Long-term effectiveness and safety of infliximab, golimumab and golimumab-IV in rheumatoid arthritis patients from a Canadian prospective observational registry

Long-term clinical registries are essential tools to evaluate new therapies in a patient population that differs from those in randomized clinical trials. The objectives are to describe the profile of rheumato...

Authors: Proton Rahman, Philip Baer, Ed Keystone, Denis Choquette, Carter Thorne, Boulos Haraoui, Andrew Chow, Rafat Faraawi, Wojciech Olszynski, John Kelsall, Emmanouil Rampakakis, Allen J. Lehman and Francois Nantel

Pembrolizumab on pre-existing inclusion body myositis: a case report

Cases of exacerbation of pre-existing neuromuscular diseases induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have rarely been reported because patients with autoimmune diseases have generally been excluded from...

Authors: Naohiro Uchio, Atsushi Unuma, Toshiyuki Kakumoto, Masao Osaki, Yoshitaka Zenke, Kenichi Sakuta, Akatsuki Kubota, Yoshikazu Uesaka, Tatsushi Toda and Jun Shimizu

Elucidation of predictors of disease progression in patients with relapsing polychondritis at the onset: potential impact on patient monitoring

In patients with relapsing polychondritis (RP), organ involvement developed in those with progressive and/or long disease courses. For their management, elucidation of a subgroup suggesting disease progression...

Authors: Jun Shimizu, Yoshihisa Yamano, Kimito Kawahata and Noboru Suzuki

Impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and methotrexate on diabetes mellitus among patients with inflammatory arthritis

To determine whether initiation of a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) or methotrexate improves hemoglobin A1c in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or ankylosing spondyli...

Authors: Santhi Mantravadi, Michael George, Colleen Brensinger, Min Du, Joshua F. Baker and Alexis Ogdie

Serum 20S proteasome levels are associated with disease activity in MPO-ANCA-associated microscopic polyangiitis

Proteasomes are found in both the cell nucleus and cytoplasm and play a major role in the ubiquitin-dependent and -independent non-lysosomal pathways of intracellular protein degradation. Proteasomes are also ...

Authors: Hiroshi Maruyama, Kouichi Hirayama, Marina Yamashita, Kentaro Ohgi, Ryuji Tsujimoto, Mamiko Takayasu, Homare Shimohata and Masaki Kobayashi

Halo score (temporal artery, its branches and axillary artery) as a diagnostic, prognostic and disease monitoring tool for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a common large vessel vasculitis of the elderly, often associated with sight loss. Glucocorticoids (GC remain the mainstay of treatment, although biologic treatments have been app...

Authors: Alwin Sebastian, Kornelis S. M. van der Geest, Fiona Coath, Prisca Gondo, Abdul Kayani, Craig Mackerness, Bernard Hadebe, Sue Innes, Jo Jackson and Bhaskar Dasgupta

The impact of gout as described by patients, using the lens of The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF): a qualitative study

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) aims to comprehensively describe the ways in which a person’s health condition affects their life. This study aimed to contribute to...

Authors: Isobel Cairns, Karen Lindsay, Nicola Dalbeth, Cesar Díaz-Torné, Maria Antònia Pou, Basilio Rodríguez Diez, Enriqueta Pujol-Ribera, Charlotte Panter, Rob Arbuckle, Sophi Tatlock and William J. Taylor

Use of rituximab in idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is characterized by the proliferation of fibrous tissue in the retroperitoneum. The majority of RPF cases are due to idiopathic or IgG4-related disease. Recent studies on IgG4-re...

Authors: Veronika Boyeva, Hatim Alabsi, Michael A. Seidman, Ryan Paterson, Jason Kur, Luke Y. C. Chen, Silvia D. Chang and Mollie Carruthers

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritis: a qualitative study identifying unmet patient needs and care gaps

Patients treated for cancer with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) may develop autoimmune adverse events, including ICI-induced inflammatory arthritis (IA). ICI-induced IA treatment requires balancing immune ...

Authors: Laura C. Cappelli, Suzanne M. Grieb, Ami A. Shah, Clifton O. Bingham III and Ana-Maria Orbai

Room for improvement in non-pharmacological systemic sclerosis care? — a cross-sectional online survey of 650 patients

To gain insight in the use of current systemic sclerosis (SSc) care provided by health professionals from the patient perspective. We focused on referral reasons, treatment goals, the alignment with unmet care...

Authors: Juliane K. Stöcker, Madelon C. Vonk, Frank H. J. van den Hoogen, Maria W. G. Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Julia Spierings, J. Bart Staal, Ton Satink and Cornelia H. M. van den Ende

The pharmacological and clinical aspects behind dose loading of biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in auto-immune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs): rationale and systematic narrative review of clinical evidence

Dose loading of biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in auto-immune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) is performed to achieve steady state drug concentrations earlier after treatment start comp...

Authors: Gerlienke E. Geurts-Voerman, Lise M. Verhoef, Bart J. F. van den Bemt and Alfons A. den Broeder

Vitamin D and early rheumatoid arthritis

Previous studies have linked rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk and disease activity with vitamin D-deficiency (low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)), but a causal role for vitamin D in RA is still unclear, with ...

Authors: Stephanie R. Harrison, Gurpreet Jutley, Danyang Li, Ilfita Sahbudin, Andrew Filer, Martin Hewison and Karim Raza

The association between rheumatoid arthritis and periodontal disease in a population-based cross-sectional case-control study

The association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis remains unclear.

Authors: Stefan Renvert, Johan Sanmartin Berglund, G. Rutger Persson and Maria K. Söderlin

Line blot immunoassays in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: retrospective review of diagnostic accuracy and factors predicting true positive results

Line blot immunoassays (LIA) for myositis-specific (MSA) and myositis-associated (MAA) autoantibodies have become commercially available. In the largest study of this kind, we evaluated the clinical performanc...

Authors: Fergus To, Clara Ventín-Rodríguez, Shuayb Elkhalifa, James B. Lilleker and Hector Chinoy

Oral Abstracts of scientific contributions to GCOM 2019

Authors:

First-year drug therapy of new-onset rheumatoid and undifferentiated arthritis: a nationwide register-based study

In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the drug therapies used for early rheumatoid (RA) and undifferentiated (UA) arthritis patients.

Authors: Paula Muilu, Vappu Rantalaiho, Hannu Kautiainen, Lauri J. Virta, Johan G. Eriksson and Kari Puolakka

Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) as reorganized support for increased patient involvement – focus group discussions among patients’ with inflammatory arthritis

Inflammatory Arthritis is characterized by lifelong medical treatment and an unpredictable trajectory because of the fluctuating nature of the diseases. Proactive disease management is recommended, which inclu...

Authors: Bianca Bech, Jens Jørgen Lykkegaard, Tine Lundbak, Heidi Morsø Schrøder, Line Mette Birkeland, Mette Lund Schlyter, Lotte Hanne Hansen, Lillian Dalsgaard and Bente Appel Esbensen

Initial seronegative immune-mediated necrotising myopathy with subsequent anti-HMGCR antibody development and response to rituximab: case report

Immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM) is characterised by severe muscle weakness and necrosis with a paucity of inflammation on muscle biopsy. Around 60% of cases are associated with antibodies to the si...

Authors: Rhys Thomas, Su-Ann Yeoh, Rupert Berkeley, Andrew Woods, Mike Stevens, Silvia Marino and Aleksandar Radunovic

Points to consider in cardiovascular disease risk management among patients with rheumatoid arthritis living in South Africa, an unequal middle income country

It is plausible that optimal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk management differs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from low or middle income compared to high income populations. This study aimed at p...

Authors: Ahmed Solomon, Anne E. Stanwix, Santos Castañeda, Javier Llorca, Carlos Gonzalez-Juanatey, Bridget Hodkinson, Benitha Romela, Mahmood M. T. M. Ally, Ajesh B. Maharaj, Elsa M. Van Duuren, Joyce J. Ziki, Mpoti Seboka, Makgotso Mohapi, Barend J. Jansen Van Rensburg, Gareth S. Tarr, Kavita Makan…

Real-world questions and concerns about disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs): a retrospective analysis of questions to a medicine call center

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have transformed the treatment of numerous autoimmune and inflammatory diseases but their perceived risk of harm may be a barrier to use.

Authors: Hiba EL Masri, Samantha A. Hollingworth, Mieke van Driel, Helen Benham and Treasure M. McGuire

MicroRNA and mRNA profiling in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are heterogeneous autoimmune conditions of skeletal muscle inflammation and weakness. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA which regulate gene expression o...

Authors: Joanna E. Parkes, Anastasia Thoma, Adam P. Lightfoot, Philip J. Day, Hector Chinoy and Janine A. Lamb

Comparative evaluation of efficacy, pharmacodynamics, and safety of Hetero’s adalimumab (Mabura®, Hetero Biopharma Ltd.) and reference adalimumab (Humira®, Abbvie Inc.) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis on concomitant methotrexate therapy

Our study aimed to compare efficacy and safety of Hetero’s adalimumab (Mabura®, Hetero Biopharma Limited) versus reference adalimumab (Humira®, Abbvie Inc.) in Indian patients with active rheumatoid arthritis ...

Authors: Shubhadeep Sinha, Biswadip Ghosh, Syamasis Bandyopadhyay, Firdaus Fatima, Vamsi Krishna Bandi, Pankaj Thakur, Bala Reddy, Sreenivasa Chary, Leela Talluri, Ajay Gupta, Amit Ramchandra Kale, Anil Kumar Gupta, Ashok Kumar P, Diwakar Reddy, Younus Mohammed, Soma Shekar…

Barriers and facilitators for screening and treatment of hyperlipidemia among patients with inflammatory arthritis

Patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA), defined as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The frequency of screening and treatment o...

Authors: Iris Navarro-Millán, Sarah R. Young, Sally Shurbaji, Chastity McDavid, Anna Cornelius-Schecter, Bernadette Johnson, Andrea L. Cherrington, Liana Fraenkel, Susan M. Goodman, Jeffrey R. Curtis, Shilpa Venkatachalam and Monika M. Safford

The role of advanced MRI in the development of treat-to-target therapeutic strategies, patient stratification and phenotyping in rheumatoid arthritis

In this commentary, we discuss the potential of advanced imaging, particularly Dynamic Contrast Enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the objective assessment of the inflammatory process in rheum...

Authors: Ali Mobasheri, Mark Hinton, Faiq Shaikh and Olga Kubassova

Characterization of the interleukin-17 effect on articular cartilage in a translational model: an explorative study

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive, chronic disease characterized by articular cartilage destruction. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17 levels have been reported elevated in serum and synovial fluid of OA ...

Authors: Dovile Sinkeviciute, Anders Aspberg, Yi He, Anne-Christine Bay-Jensen and Patrik Önnerfjord

The utility of dual energy computed tomography in the management of axial gout: case reports and literature review

Severe spinal pain is an unusual presentation of gout. Due to its rarity and the difficulty of obtaining joint fluid or tissue for crystal analysis, dual energy computed tomography (DECT) may be a useful imagi...

Authors: Jeremy X. Wang, Beverly Ng, Haesung Bak, David Spencer, Nicholas Manolios and Peter K. K. Wong

¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography/computed tomography for the diagnosis of polymyalgia-like illnesses: a retrospective study

Various inflammatory conditions may present with musculoskeletal symptoms similar to those of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). We investigated findings on ¹⁸F-fluorodexoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography/c...

Authors: Hideyuki Horikoshi, Takashi Nakanishi, Katsumi Tamura, Fumihiko Kimura and Kenji Itoh

The impact of the illness label ‘gout’ on illness and treatment perceptions in Māori (Indigenous New Zealanders)

Despite contemporary advances in understanding pathogenesis and effective management of gout, beliefs about the disease continue to be focused on gout as a self-inflicted illness. The illness label itself may ...

Authors: Nicola Dalbeth, Meihana Douglas, Kate MacKrill, Leanne Te Karu, Maria Kleinstäuber and Keith J. Petrie

Can the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scales be adapted for use in the context of osteoarthritis with general practitioners and physiotherapists?

Conservative, first-line treatments (exercise, education and weight-loss if appropriate) for hip and knee joint osteoarthritis are underused despite the known benefits. Clinicians’ beliefs can affect the advic...

Authors: Daniel W. O’Brien, Sandra Bassett, Valerie Wright-St Clair and Richard J. Siegert

Healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with inflammatory bowel disease among patients with chronic inflammatory diseases: a retrospective cohort study

Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs; ankylosing spondylitis [AS], psoriatic arthritis [PsA], psoriasis [PsO], or rheumatoid arthritis [RA]) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Crohn’s disease and ulcerative c...

Authors: David P. Hudesman, Soumya D. Chakravarty, Bruno Emond, Lorie A. Ellis, Patrick Lefebvre, Kay Sadik and Jose U. Scher

Flare or foe? - Mycobacterium marinum infection mimicking rheumatoid arthritis tenosynovitis: case report and literature review

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis affecting about 1% of the population. With the advent of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs the disease can be well controlled in many...

Authors: Nils Schubert, Tillmann Schill, Marlene Plüß and Peter Korsten

Nutrition in RMDs: is it really food for thought? Focus on rheumatoid arthritis

The relationship between food and health is known since the antiquity and in the field of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), mainly rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a large number of studies has been pub...

Authors: Alessia Alunno, Elena Nikiphorou, Elena Philippou, Claire Daien, Dieter Wiek, Marios Kouloumas and Maurizio Cutolo