December 2024 to March 2025
Authors: Antony Psarras and Rositsa Dacheva
Differences in the response to TNF inhibitors at distinct joint locations in patients with psoriatic arthritis: results from nine European registries
Ciurea A, et al. (doi:10.1186/s13075-025-03488-w) investigated potential variations in the responsiveness to a first tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) among joints at distinct locations in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A total of 1729 bionaive patients from nine European countries were included if ≥ 1 joint was swollen at the initiation of a first TNFi as monotherapy or added to methotrexate. Higher rate of resolution of joint swelling (HR, 95% CI) was observed for the shoulder (1.65, 1.16–2.35) and elbow (1.90, 1.38–2.61), while a lower rate was found for the wrist (0.72, 0.62–0.83) compared to the joints of digit 3. Within fingers, and using the same reference, joint swelling resolved fastest in digit 4 (1.77, 1.49–2.11) and digit 5 (1.88, 1.53–2.31). A lower rate of resolution of joint swelling was found for the knee in comparison to the elbow, the corresponding joint on the upper limb (0.56, 0.40–0.78).
Trajectories of forced vital capacity in patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease
Distler O, et al. (doi:10.1186/s13075-025-03524-9) assessed the trajectory of FVC in two groups of patients: 1. patients who received nintedanib in SENSCIS and continued nintedanib in SENSCIS-ON (n = 197) and in 2. patients who received placebo in SENSCIS and initiated nintedanib in SENSCIS-ON (n = 231). In patients who received nintedanib in SENSCIS, the mean decline in FVC in the 52 week peiod prior to the last on-treatment measurement in SENSCIS was − 41.5 mL and the mean decline in FVC from baseline to week 52 of SENSCIS-ON was − 58.3 mL. In patients who received placebo in SENSCIS, the mean FVC decline in 52 weeks prior to the last on-treatment measurement in SENSCIS was − 96.8 mL and the mean decline in FVC from baseline to week 52 of SENSCIS-ON (when patients received nintedanib) was − 42.8 mL. These findings illustrate the progressive nature of SSc-ILD and support the efficacy of nintedanib in slowing decline in lung function over the long term.
Predicting rheumatoid arthritis progression from seronegative undifferentiated arthritis using machine learning: a deep learning model trained on the KURAMA cohort and externally validated with the ANSWER cohort
Fujii T, et al. (doi:10.1186/s13075-025-03541-8) investigates a machine learning (ML) model to predict the progression from seronegative undifferentiated arthritis (UA) to RA using clinical and laboratory parameters. Data from the KURAMA cohort as a training dataset and data from the ANSWER cohort as a validation dataset was used. 210 patient with were included. The model utilized only clinical and laboratory parameters obtained in routine clinical settings. In 57 patients with RA progression, RA diagnosis was made based on presence of joint synovitis, tenosynovitis, bone oedema, or bone erosion identified using sonography or MRI (46 patients), meeting ACR/EULAR criteria (6 patients), radiographic progression (3 patients), and clinical judgement (4 patients).
Burden and determinants of multi-b/tsDMARD failure in psoriatic arthritis
Haberman R, et al. (doi:10.1186/s13075-025-03518-7) assessed multi- b/tsDMARD failure defines as requiring ≥ b/tsDMARDs in 960 patients diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis. Seven hundred twenty-five patients (75%) used ≥ 1 b/tsDMARD during their disease course. Individuals with multi-b/tsDMARD failure disease (exposed to 4 or more b/tsDMARDs) were compared to those who had only been exposed to 1 b/tsDMARD. 17% patients with PsA experienced multi-b/tsDMARD failure. Compared to those requiring 1 b/tsDMARD, female sex (OR 2.3; 95%CI 1.4–3.8), axial disease (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.2–3.6), depression (OR 2.0; 95%CI 1.1–3.7), and obesity (OR 1.7; 95%CI 1.0–2.8) were risk factors for multi-b/tsDMARD failure. These patients were more likely to higher active disease activity and longer disease duration.
Antony Psarras
Antony is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Rheumatology at the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals. His research interest lies in immune regulation of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). He is currently focusing on high dimensional single cell multi –omic approaches to investigate the immunometabolic reprogramming in preclinical autoimmunity and SLE. Antony is a member of the EMEUNET Newsletter sub-committee.
Rositsa Dacheva
Rositsa Dacheva is a rheumatologist from Sofia, Bulgaria. Rositsa is a member of EMEUNET Newsletter Sub-Committee. Her interests include SLE, systemic sclerosis, interstitial lung disease, musculoskeletal ultrasound.