August 2023 to November 2023
Authors: Aleksandra Opinc-Rosiak and Giacomo Cafaro
Arthritis Research & Therapy
HFA-PEFF score in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
Shi et al. (doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03131-6) investigated the utility of the HFA-PEFF score in detecting HFpEF in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). HFA-PEFF correlated with disease activity and all-cause mortality in IIM. Patients with AMA-M2 antibody were found to have worse prognosis.
Adipose injections in knee OA
Yang et al. (doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03134-3) performed a meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy of injections of autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and an adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (ADSVF) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Single and multiple intra-articular injections of ASCs or ADSVF were found to alleviate the pain in the short term, improve function and cartilage condition in MRI examination.
Lipid- lowering agents in autoimmune diseases
Xie et al. (doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03122-7) assessed the impact of lipid- lowering agents on the risk of autoimmune diseases. It was found that PCSK9 inhibitor significantly reduced the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus with OR: 0.47 yet increased the risk of asthma (OR: 1.15) and Crohn’s disease (OR: 1,38). HMGCR inhibitor increased the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and Crohn’s disease with OR of, 1,58, 1.21 and 1,60, respectively.
Sjögren’s syndrome and malignancy
Jia et al. (doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03157-w) evaluated the association between Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) and malignancies with the use of the Mendelian randomization (MR) method. SS were significantly associated with an increased risk of lymphomas (OR: 1.0010, 95% CI: 1.0005 to 1.0015) and reduced risks of prostate cancer (OR: 0.9972, 95% CI: 0.9960 to 0.9985) and endometrial cancer (OR: 0.9414, 95% CI: 0.9158 to 0.9676).
Upadacitinib in psoriatic arthritis
Luchetti Gentiloni et al. (doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03182-9) presented results of a real-life study evaluating the effectiveness of and safety of upadacitinib in patients with psoriatic arthritis, the majority of which were resistant to previous therapies. At 24 weeks, MDA status, DAPSA remission, and ASDAS-CRP inactive disease were achieved in 47%, 23%, and 48% of patients. Minor, moderate, and major DAPSA improvement was observed in 67%, 39%, and 23%, respectively. Higher efficacy was observed in males, bio-naïve patients, and patients with initially elevated CRP. No serious adverse events were noted.
Microscopic polyangiitis in Japanese patients
Kotani et al. (doi.org/10.1186/s13075-023-03210-8)conducted univariate and multivariate analyses of the REVEAL cohort, which is a multicentre Japanese registry of patients with vasculitis. 194 patients with newly diagnosed microscopic polyangiitis were followed up for the median of 202.5 months. Higher smoking index, lower serum albumin levels, higher serum C-reactive protein levels, higher Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS), higher Five-Factor Score, and a more severe European Vasculitis Study Group (EUVAS) categorization system were associated with poorer prognosis. A risk prediction model based on BVAS and EUVAS was proposed.
Aleksandra Opinc-Rosiak
Aleksandra is a research and teaching assistantat the Medical University of Lodz, Poland, and a trainee in rheumatology at the USK-WAM Hospital in Lodz. Her main research interests are idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and autoantibodies. Aleksandra is a member of the Newsletter sub-committee.
Giacomo Cafaro
Giacomo is an Assistant Professor of Rheumatology and Consultant Rheumatologist at University of Perugia, Italy. His main research interests are T cell biology in autoimmune diseases, psoriatic arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and ultrasound in rheumatology. Giacomo is a member of the Newsletter sub-committee.