Changes in Descending Pain Modulation During Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy: A Prospective Study in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Spondyloarthritis.

Objective: In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), managing persistent pain remains challenging. Little is known regarding impaired pain pathways in these patients and the impact of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). The objective of the Rheumatism Pain Inhibitory Descending Pathways study was to assess pain thresholds and descending pain modulation in patients with active RA or SpA following introduction of a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi).

Real-world assessment of the efficacy and tolerability profile of JAK inhibitors in difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of JAK inhibitors (JAKi) in patients with difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (D2TRA) in clinical practice.

Methods: We included RA patients initiating a JAKi between 2018 and 2022. Patients meeting EULAR criteria for D2TRA were compared to active non-D2TRA patients.

SerpinA3N limits cartilage destruction in osteoarthritis by inhibiting macrophage-derived leucocyte elastase.

Objectives: Inflammatory mediators such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) are known to activate catabolic responses in chondrocytes during osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to investigate the role of a downstream target gene of IL-6, the serine protease inhibitor SerpinA3N, in the development of cartilage damage in OA.

Methods: RNA sequencing was performed in murine primary chondrocytes treated with IL-6, and identified target genes were confirmed in human and murine OA cartilage samples.