Serum fatty acid profiles in systemic lupus erythematosus and patient reported outcomes: The Michigan Lupus Epidemiology & Surveillance (MILES) Program.

Introduction: Despite progress in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treatment, challenges persist in medication adherence due to side effects and costs. Precision nutrition, particularly adjusting fatty acid intake, offers a cost-effective strategy for enhancing SLE management. Prior research, including our own, indicates that increased consumption of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) correlates with improved outcomes in SLE patients.

From Ridge 2 Reef: An interdisciplinary model for training the next generation of environmental problem solvers.

Regional and global environmental challenges have become increasingly complex and require broader solutions than a single discipline can provide. Although there is a growing need for interdisciplinary research, many graduate education programs still train students within the confines of a particular discipline or specialty. The Ridge 2 Reef research traineeship program at the University of California, Irvine, aimed to provide transferable and interdisciplinary skill training to prepare graduate students from different disciplines to address current and future environmental challenges.

Measuring Frailty in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Recent research has explored frailty in systemic lupus erythematosus using multiple measures. We examined the agreement among frailty measures and the association of each with cross-sectional and longitudinal health outcomes.

Methods: We used data from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study to examine the following measures of frailty: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) Frailty Index (SLICC-FI), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, and Loss of Weight (FRAIL) scale questionnaire.

Utility of the 2019 EULAR/ACR SLE classification criteria for predicting mortality and hospitalisation: development and cross-validation of ominosity score.

Objective: The 2019 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) classification criteria score (≥20 points) has been associated with poor outcomes. We aimed to evaluate its utility as a predictor for mortality and hospitalisation and to derive and validate an ominosity score based on the SLE classification criteria set.

Methods: Incident patients with SLE in a population-based cohort were included.

The Face and Features of RNU4-2: A New, Common, Recognizable, Yet Hidden Neurodevelopmental Disorder.

Background: RNU4-2 is a newly identified, noncoding gene responsible for a significant proportion of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Diagnosis is hampered by the inability of commonly employed clinical testing methods, including exome sequencing and currently formulated multigene panels, to detect variants in the noncoding region. The relatively high prevalence of this condition, predicted to affect thousands of undiagnosed children with NDDs, makes it even more relevant to have better tools to facilitate diagnosis.

Clinical Presentation, Care Pathways, and Delays in Access to Specialized Care in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Study From Lupus Midwest Network (LUMEN).

Objective: We aimed to characterize presentation and care pathways of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and delays in access to SLE-specialized care.

Methods: We included patients with incident SLE from the Lupus Midwest Network registry. Time from the first medical encounter for SLE clinical manifestation to access to SLE-specialized care, physician diagnosis, and treatment was estimated.

Efficacy and safety of a lipid-containing artificial tear compared with a non-lipid containing tear: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent condition affecting over 16 million patients in the USA. DED and the symptoms of ocular discomfort are debilitating and a significant burden on patients. If left untreated, DED can progress to cause severe pathology.

Family History of Arthritis, Osteoporosis, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Risk of These Conditions Among US Adults.

Objective: The aim was to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of associations between family history of arthritis, osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome and prevalence in a real-world population, uncovering family histories of related conditions that may increase risk because of shared heritability, condition pathophysiology, or social/environmental factors.

Methods: Using data from 156,307 participants in the All of Us (AoU) Research Program, we examined associations between self-reported first-degree family history of five common types of arthritis (fibromyalgia, gout, osteoarthritis [OA], rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE]), osteoporosis, and carpal tunnel syndrome and prevalence. We evaluate associations across seven conditions and performed stratified analyses by race and ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic differences, body mass index, and type of affected relative.

A novel multi-ingredient supplement significantly improves ocular symptom severity and tear production in patients with dry eye disease: results from a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Introduction: Dry eye disease (DED) is multifactorial and characterized by a loss of tear film homeostasis that causes a cycle of tear film instability, tear hyperosmolarity, and inflammation. While artificial tears are the traditional mainstay of treatment, addressing the underlying pathophysiology could relieve symptoms and prevent progression. Increasing evidence indicates a role for oral nutritional supplementation in multiple ophthalmic diseases, including DED.

Positive psychosocial factors may protect against perceived stress in people with systemic lupus erythematosus with and without trauma history.

Objective: Trauma history is associated with SLE onset and worse patient-reported outcomes; perceived stress is associated with greater SLE disease activity. Stress perceptions vary in response to life events and may be influenced by psychosocial factors. In an SLE cohort, we examined whether stressful events associated with perceived stress, whether psychosocial factors affected perceived stress, and whether these relationships varied by prior trauma exposure.

Informing Digital Programs for Lupus Self-Management Education: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Objective: We describe the characteristics, content, and effectiveness of digital self-management (SM) education programs for lupus and other chronic conditions to identify gaps and inform the improvement of future programs in lupus.

Methods: Three bibliographic databases were searched for articles published between May 2012 and April 2022. The search was cast to capture the breadth of digital SM education programs in the following conditions: lupus, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell anemia, Sjögren syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Investigating eco-evolutionary processes of microbial community assembly in the wild using a model leaf litter system.

Microbial communities are not the easiest to manipulate experimentally in natural ecosystems. However, leaf litter-topmost layer of surface soil-is uniquely suitable to investigate the complexities of community assembly. Here, we reflect on over a decade of collaborative work to address this topic using leaf litter as a model system in Southern California ecosystems.

Economic insecurities and patient-reported outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the USA: a cross-sectional analysis of data from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study.

Background: Social determinants of health are consistently associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) outcomes. However, social determinants of health are typically measured with conventional socioeconomic status factors such as income or education. We assessed the association of economic insecurities (ie, food, housing, health care, and financial insecurity) with patient-reported outcomes in a cohort of patients with SLE.

Clinical and Serologic Phenotyping and Damage Indices in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With and Without Fibromyalgia.

Objective: Given fibromyalgia (FM) frequently co-occurs with autoimmune disease, this study was initiated to objectively evaluate FM in a multiracial/ethnic cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Patients with SLE were screened for FM using the 2016 FM classification criteria during an in-person rheumatologist visit. We evaluated hybrid Safety of Estrogens in Lupus National Assessment (SELENA)-SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores, SLE classification criteria, and Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics damage index.

Bladder instillation patterns in a cohort of women with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

Purpose: To determine intravesical instillation patterns among women receiving treatment for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).

Methods: Using the Veterans Affairs Informatics and Computing Infrastructure, active female users of the Veterans Affairs system with an ICD-9 diagnosis of IC/BPS (595.1) were randomly sampled.

Associations between CD70 methylation of T cell DNA and age in adults with systemic lupus erythematosus and population controls: The Michigan Lupus Epidemiology & Surveillance (MILES) Program.

Background: Environmental factors can influence epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, potentially contributing to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) development and progression. We compared methylation of the B cell costimulatory CD70 gene, in persons with lupus and controls, and characterized associations with age.

Results: In 297 adults with SLE and 92 controls from the Michigan Lupus Epidemiology and Surveillance (MILES) Cohort, average CD70 methylation of CD4 T cell DNA across 10 CpG sites based on pyrosequencing of the promoter region was higher for persons with SLE compared to controls, accounting for covariates [β = 2.

Multimorbidity in systemic lupus erythematosus in a population-based cohort: the Lupus Midwest Network.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and incidence of multimorbidity and its association with the SLICC/ACR damage index (SDI) among patients with SLE.

Methods: Using prevalent and incident population-based cohorts of patients with SLE and their matched comparators, we assessed 57 chronic conditions. Chronic conditions were categorized as SDI-related or SDI-unrelated.

Testing the contribution of dispersal to microbial succession following a wildfire.

Identifying the mechanisms underlying microbial community succession is necessary for predicting how microbial communities, and their functioning, will respond to future environmental change. Dispersal is one mechanism expected to affect microbial succession, yet the difficult nature of manipulating microorganisms in the environment has limited our understanding of its contribution. Using a dispersal exclusion experiment, this study isolates the specific effect of environmental dispersal on bacterial and fungal community assembly over time following a wildfire.

Creating rare epilepsy cohorts using keyword search in electronic health records.

Objective: Administrative codes to identify people with rare epilepsies in electronic health records are limited. The current study evaluated the use of keyword search as an alternative method for rare epilepsy cohort creation using electronic health records data.

Methods: Data included clinical notes from encounters with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for seizures, epilepsy, and/or convulsions during 2010-2014, across six health care systems in New York City.