Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful degenerative joint disease and a leading source of years lived with disability globally due to inadequate treatment options. Neuroimmune interactions reportedly contribute to OA pain pathogenesis. Notably, in rodents, macrophages in the DRG are associated with onset of persistent OA pain. Our objective was to determine the effects of acute systemic macrophage depletion

Accumulated evidence supports the tendency of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis(AAV) to coexist with atherosclerosis (AS). However, the common etiology of these two diseases remains unclear. This study aims to explore the mechanisms underlying the concurrent occurrence of ANCA and AS. Microarray data of AAV and AS were examined in a comprehensive gene expression database

Neutropenia is more common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is a major cause of life-threatening infections. The increased apoptosis of neutrophils is likely to be an essential cause of neutropenia in SLE. However, the detailed mechanisms of increased neutrophil apoptosis in SLE remain unknown. This study focused on the role of Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) in the regulation of

This study investigated poor prognostic factors for the relapse of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) after remission induction therapy. We enrolled patients diagnosed with MPA complicated by ILD according to the Chapel Hill Consensus definition from 2001 to 2023 in multiple institutions in the REVEAL cohort. All patients who were treated with immunosuppressive

To investigate the levels of plasma neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and free thiols, the latter reflecting systemic oxidative stress (OS), and to explore the relationship between NETs and OS in quiescent systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without renal involvement. Plasma levels of NETs and free thiols were measured cross-sectionally in 100 SLE patients with low disease activity

This study aimed to assess the quantitative uptake of 18F-FDG PET-CT in the lungs of patients with early severe diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (SSc) with and without interstitial lung disease (ILD), compared to controls. In patients with SSc-ILD, 18F-FDG uptake was correlated to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters. A prospective, cross-sectional

Data on treatment switching directly from tumor necrosis factor inhibitors to tofacitinib in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are limited. This post hoc analysis assessed efficacy and safety outcomes in patients with PsA who directly switched to tofacitinib in a long-term extension (LTE) study after receiving adalimumab (ADA) in a Phase 3 study, compared with those who continued to receive tofacitinib. Patients

Minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsy is a critical but invasive method for the classification of primary Sjögren’s disease (pSjD). Here we aimed to identify salivary proteins as potential biomarkers and to establish a non-invasive prediction model for pSjD. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was conducted on whole saliva samples from patients with pSjD and non-Sjögren control subjects (non-pSjD)

In an age where there is a remarkable upsurge in developing precision medicines, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as a progressive therapeutic strategy. ADCs typically consist of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) conjugated to the cytotoxic payloads by utilizing a linker, combining the benefits of definitive target specificity of mAbs and potent killing impact of payload to achieve precise and

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is usually confused with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) in clinical practice. Our study aimed to establish convenient and reliable diagnostic models for distinguishing between LGMD and IIM. A total of 71 IIM patients, 24 LGMDR2 patients and 22 LGMDR1 patients diagnosed at our neuromuscular center were enrolled. Differences in clinical, laboratory and histopathological

Synovial macrophages (SMs) are important effectors of joint health and disease. A novel Cx3CR1 + TREM2 + SM population expressing the tight junction protein claudin-5, was recently discovered in synovial lining. Ablation of these SMs was associated with onset of arthritis. Proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) is a mucinous glycoprotein that fulfills lubricating and homeostatic roles in the joint. The aim of this

To use routine demographic and clinical data to develop an interpretable individual-level machine learning (ML) model to diagnose knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to identify highly ranked features. In this retrospective, population-based cohort study, anonymized questionnaire data was retrieved from the Wu Chuan KOA Study, Inner Mongolia, China. After feature selections, participants were divided in

In the murine K/BxN serum transfer rheumatoid arthritis (RA) model, tactile allodynia persists after resolution of inflammation in male and partially in female wild type (WT) mice, which is absent in Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 deficient animals. We assessed the role of TLR4 on allodynia, bone remodeling and afferent sprouting in this model of arthritis. K/BxN sera were injected into male and female

The high potential of CD19.CAR-T cells to treat autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) supposedly relies on the disappearance of autoantibodies. Here we investigated effects of CAR-T cells on the innate immune system which is an important contributor to pathology in SSc. Longitudinal analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from an Scl70 + SSc patient treated with CAR-T cells sampled

Clonal T cell populations are frequently detected in patients with rheumatic diseases. The relevance of this finding is often uncertain, as the clinical spectrum can range from being asymptomatic to T cell leukemia. Former studies suggested that certain anti-rheumatic drugs might influence the course of the clonal T cell populations. A prospective long-term follow up study was performed including patients

To investigate the association between the development of incident interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the disease activity of RA with its various components, especially C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). We analysed data from RA patients, observed in the German biologics register RABBIT between 2001 and 2021. In a nested case-control

Spondyloarthritides (SpAs) are a group of common rheumatic diseases that often cause limited mobility and lower back pain. Physiotherapy is an integral part of treatment, but access to physiotherapy limits treatment success. Digital health applications (DHAs) enable home-based physiotherapy and could significantly improve access for SpAs patients. The aim is to investigate the clinical effects of the

This study investigates the causal role of metabolites mediating immune cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through a Mendelian randomization (MR) study. The two-sample and two-step MR methods were used for the current analysis: (1) causal effects of immune cells on RA and AS; (2) mediation effects of metabolites. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) is the main method to

Correction: Arthritis Res Ther 24, 62 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-022-02745-6 Following publication of the original article [1], we have recently received a comment by PubPeer that has found a mistake in our Figure 1 D. The western blot image uploaded for patient P16 was by mistake the same as for patient P15. It was only when putting together the image that the error occurred and all calculations

Gout is caused by the response of the innate immune system to monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. A recent gout GWAS identified a signal of genetic association at a locus encompassing IL1RN-IL1F10. Colocalisation analysis using Genotype Tissue Expression Database (GTEx) eQTL data showed that the signal overlaps with genetic control of IL1RN/IL1F10 gene expression. We assess the functional implications

Previously, we reported that serum Semaphorin 5 A (Sema5A) levels were increased in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients compared with healthy controls (HC), and elevated Sema5A correlated with disease activity and lupus nephritis in SLE patients. In this study, we aimed to further understand the role of Sema5A in promoting Th17 cells differentiation in SLE. Sema5A, interferon gamma (IFN-γ)

This study aims to develop a hierarchical classification method to automatically assess the severity of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This retrospective study recruited 4074 patients. Clinical diagnostic indicators and clinical diagnostic processes were applied to develop a hierarchical classification method that involved four sub-task classifications. These four sub-task classifications were the classification

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterized by mitochondrial damage and increased inflammation. Circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (ccf-mtDNA), which originates from damaged mitochondria, is an endogenous damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMPs) molecule that may trigger inflammation and is recognized as a potential biomarker for various diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an incurable chronic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. Therefore, the development of new treatments is urgently needed. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of extracellular vesicles (EV) derived from immortalized mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) primed with conditioned media obtained from disease-conditioned immune cells (CM-EV) and iMSC-derived

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common motor system disease in older people, characterized by a high incidence and significant social and economic burden. Women have a higher risk of OA, more severe clinical symptoms, and a higher rate of disabilities than men. However, the pathogenesis of OA remains unclear. Therefore, we screened for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in OA patients of different

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease caused by the breakdown of joint cartilage and adjacent bone. Joint injury, being overweight, differences in leg length, high levels of joint stress, abnormal joint or limb development, and inherited factors have been implicated in the etiology of OA. In addition to physical damage to the joint, a role for inflammatory processes has been identified

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is an opportunistic infection in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, such as glucocorticoid (GC) medication, for systemic autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Despite the confirmed effectiveness of PCP prophylaxis, its clinical administration, especially in conjunction with GC dosage, remains unclear. We aimed to describe the

The efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and inadequate response/intolerance to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD-IR) were evaluated through 1 year in the SELECT-AXIS 2 study. Here, we assess 2-year efficacy, safety, and imaging outcomes in SELECT-AXIS 2. Patients who received continuous upadacitinib, and those who switched from placebo

Serum protein abundance was assessed in adult and juvenile dermatomyositis (DM and JDM) patients to determine differentially regulated proteins, altered pathways, and candidate disease activity biomarkers. Serum protein expression from 17 active adult DM and JDM patients each was compared to matched, healthy control subjects by a multiplex immunoassay. Pathway analysis and protein clustering of the

Patient trust plays a central role in the patient-physician relationship. This study aimed to determine whether the number of outpatient visits with a covering rheumatologist is associated with patient trust in their usual rheumatologist. Japanese adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who met the 1997 revised classification criteria of the American College of Rheumatology and had outpatient

Neuropsychiatric manifestations, such as cognitive impairment, are relatively prevalent in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. This study aimed to investigate the resting state (RS) functional alternations of SSc patients and the potential influenced factors. Forty-four SSc patients (mean age, 46.3 ± 11.4 years; 40 females) and 19 age and sex comparable healthy volunteers (mean age, 42.6 ± 11.3 years;

Our objective was to ascertain the most recent prevalence and trends of hyperuricemia among adolescents, stratified by sex and race/ethnicity subgroups, as well as to investigate potential risk factors associated with hyperuricemia in US adolescents. Data were obtained from adolescents aged 12–17 years in the 1999–2018 NHANES cycles. Hyperuricemia for adolescents was defined as ≥ 5.5 mg/dL. The prevalence

To investigate the frequency of difficult-to-treat (D2T) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients early escalated to biologic/targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) after failure of treat-to-target with methotrexate (MTX). From a prospective cohort of early RA, all patients with their first access in the years 2005–2018, and eventually starting a b/tsDMARD before the end

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is linked to host gut dysbiosis. Here we performed faecal gut microbiome sequencing to investigate SLE-pathogenic gut microbes and their potential mechanisms. There were 134 healthy controls (HCs) and 114 SLE cases for 16 S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing and 97 HCs and 124 SLE cases for shotgun metagenomics. Faecal microbial changes and associations with clinical

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by increased levels of inflammation that primarily manifests in the joints. Macrophages act as key drivers for the progression of RA, contributing to the perpetuation of chronic inflammation and dysregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1 (IL-1). The goal of this study was to develop a macrophage-based cell

Skeletal muscle dysfunction is the primary cause of functional limitations in osteoarthritis, associated biomarkers have the potential as targets for early disease identification, diagnosis, and prevention of osteoarthritis disability. This review aimed to identify associations between biomarkers and lower limb skeletal muscle function in individuals with osteoarthritis. A systematic literature review

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) commonly experience a high prevalence of multiple metabolic diseases (MD), leading to higher morbidity and premature mortality. Here, we aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of MD in RA patients (RA_MD) through an integrated multi-omics approach. Fecal and blood samples were collected from a total of 181 subjects in this study for multi-omics analyses, including

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a clinically heterogeneous and complex autoimmune disease, making the prediction of therapeutic responses a significant challenge. This study aims to assess the role of clinical and synovial biomarkers in predicting poor response to adalimumab treatment in RA patients. This single-center prospective study included 56 RA patients who had an inadequate response to methotrexate

Patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) frequently show spontaneous improvement of skin fibrosis. Our aim was to examine whether an improvement in skin fibrosis predicts lower likelihood of visceral organ progression and better survival. Patients from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) cohort with dcSSc, baseline modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) ≥7, and valid

To investigate the roles of Ca2+ influx-regulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) in T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The expression profile of circRNAs in Jurkat cells, co-cultured with and without ionomycin, was analyzed by next-generation sequencing and validated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The identified Ca2+ influx-regulated circRNAs were further examined

Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis (anti-MDA5-positvie DM) is a subtype of dermatomyositis with a poor prognosis, characterized by rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD). The study aims to investigate the significance of serum cytokines profiles and peripheral lymphocytes in predicting prognoses of anti-MDA5-positvie DM with RP-ILD.

Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) often manifests as cognitive deterioration, with activated microglia and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption implicated in these neurological complications. Wnt-inhibitory factor-1 (WIF-1), a secreted protein, has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of NPSLE patients. However, the contribution of WIF-1 in contributing to lupus cognitive

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is more effective than conventional immunosuppressive therapies (CIT) in improving the outcome of patients with rapidly progressive diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). So far, there is still a paucity of data comparing AHSCT with rituximab (RTX). Aim of the study is to retrospectively compare, in patients with dcSSc, the effectiveness

Abnormal oxysterol metabolism has been observed in the peripheral blood of SLE patients, but its role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) skin lesions remains unclear. Targeted oxidized lipid metabolomics analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was performed to quantify oxysterols in SLE skin lesions. Immunohistochemical staining and single-cell sequencing data analysis confirmed

Low-dose IL-2 (Ld-IL2) has shown favorable therapeutic effects in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) therapy. However, previous clinical trials reported an SLE Responder Index-4 (SRI-4) response rate of 65.52%-68%, with approximately half failing to achieve the primary endpoint by week 24. Our study aims to determine the real-world use of Ld-IL2 and to identify determinants of its effectiveness in

Arthritis notably elevates mortality risk. It remains unclear whether the cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics improves the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with all types of arthritis. This study data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to probe the link between CVH and all-cause mortality among arthritis sufferers in the United States. CVH evaluation employed the Life's

Activated fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are drivers of synovitis and structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Despite the use of disease-modifying drugs, only about 50% of RA patients reach remission in real-world settings. We used an unbiased approach to investigate the effects of standard-of-care methotrexate (MTX) and a Janus kinase inhibitor, tofacitinib (TOFA), on gene expression

Correction: Arthritis Res Ther 25, 136 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03127-2. Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error under the Abstract, Result sub-section. The sentence currently reads: In both diagnoses, the proportion of patients with moderate depressive symptoms was 8% and 21% with severe symptoms. The sentence should read: In both diagnoses

Mechanobiological mechanisms of osteoarthritis (OA) are unclear. Our objectives were to explore: 1) changes in knee joint physiology using a large panel of synovial fluid biomarkers from before to one year after high tibial osteotomy (HTO) surgery, and 2) the association of changes in the synovial fluid biomarkers with the changes in MRI measures of knee effusion-synovitis and articular cartilage composition

Pain, the primary complaint in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is multifaceted, and may be driven by inflammatory disease activity and central sensitisation. We aimed to ascertain what proportion of RA pain severity is explained by markers of inflammation and quantitative sensory testing (QST) indices of central sensitisation. This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from individuals with clinically

Patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA) are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular events. Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) have shown a protective effect against incident cardiovacular events. However, the incidence of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with r-axSpA with a history of cardiovascular events, and the effect of TNFi on recurrent cardiovascular

CXC chemokine CXCL12 is involved in the pathological development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through abnormal migration of peripheral immune cells in the joint. Although low dose methotrexate (MTX) is clinically used to treat RA patients, CXCL12 signaling responses to MTX-mediated treatments is still not well understood. In this study, we examined the expression of CXCR4 (cognatic receptor for CXCL12)

to evaluate over a 48-month follow-up period the: 1) long-term effectiveness and safety; 2) drug retention rate (DRR); 3) impact of comorbidities and bDMARDs line on MDA and DAPSA remission/low disease activity (LDA) of secukinumab in a multicenter Italian cohort of PsA patients. Consecutive PsA patients receiving secukinumab were followed prospectively in Italian centers between 2016 and 2023. Disease

Based on the recent evidence of IL-1 inhibition in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and concomitant type 2 diabetes (T2D), we evaluated the synovial tissue expression of IL-1 related genes in relationship to the ubiquitin–proteasome system and the effects of insulin on ubiquitinated proteins in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs). The synovial expression of IL-1 pathway genes was compared in

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are essential for maintenance of vascular homeostasis and stability, key processes in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the role and phenotypic characterization of EPCs populations in SLE have not been completely elucidated. To identify EPCs specific subpopulations in patients with SLE using a novel flow cytometry tool. Peripheral blood

Little is known about the symptoms at the onset of Sjögren’s Disease (SjD) and it is unclear whether SjD starts with characteristic symptoms that could be differentiated from dryness of other origin (sicca syndrome). The aim of this study was to investigate patients’ recollection of initial events and first symptoms of SjD. The second aim was to verify and quantify these aspects in a representative

Untreated acute ankle sprains often result in chronic ankle instability (CAI) and can ultimately lead to the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). At present, a typical animal model of ankle instability in mice is established by transecting the ligaments around the ankle joint. This study aimed to establish a grade I acute ankle sprain animal model by rapid stretching of peri-ankle joint

Small extracellular vesicles (sEV) derived from synovial fibroblasts (SF) represent a novel molecular mechanism regulating cartilage erosion in osteoarthritis (OA). However, a comprehensive evaluation using disease relevant cells has not been undertaken. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterise sEV from OA SF and to look at their ability to regulate OA chondrocyte effector responses relevant

This study investigated whether serum syndecan1 at diagnosis reflects activity at diagnosis and predicts poor outcomes during follow-up in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). The study included 79 patients with AAV from the cohort of Korean patients diagnosed with AAV. AAV-specific indices, including the Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS),

The aims of this study were to suggest patient-adjusted optical spectral transmission (OST) cut-off values for the first time and to develop clinical models that predict the probability of an early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis based on OST findings and the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria as a reference standard. OST