Comparative effectiveness of baricitinib and alternative biological DMARDs in a Swiss cohort study of patients with RA.

Objectives: This observational study compares the effectiveness of baricitinib (BARI), a targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (tsDMARD), with alternative biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), from a prospective, longitudinal cohort.

Methods: We compared patients initiating a treatment course (TC) of BARI, tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) or bDMARDs with other modes of action (OMA), during a period when all these DMARDs were available in Switzerland. The primary outcome was drug maintenance; secondary outcomes included discontinuation rates related specifically to ineffectiveness and adverse events.

Gut microbiome and intestinal inflammation in preclinical stages of rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Faecal , and other microbes, have been associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and preclinical RA. We have performed a quantitative microbiome profiling study in preclinical stages of RA.

Methods: First-degree relatives of patients with RA (RA-FDRs) from the SCREEN-RA cohort were categorised into four groups: controls, healthy asymptomatic RA-FDRs; high genetic risk, asymptomatic RA-FDRs with two copies of the shared epitope; autoimmunity, asymptomatic RA-FDRs with RA-associated autoimmunity; and symptomatic, clinically suspect arthralgias or untreated new-onset RA.

A potential role for chlamydial infection in rheumatoid arthritis development.

Objectives: To assess the relationship between self-reported and serologic evidence of prior chlamydial infection, rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related autoantibodies and risk of RA-development.

Methods: This is a nested study within a prospective Swiss-based cohort including all first-degree relatives of RA patients (RA-FDR) who answered a question on past chlamydial infections. Primary outcome was systemic autoimmunity associated with RA (RA-autoimmunity) defined as positivity for anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) and/or rheumatoid factor (RF).

Brief report: can COVID-19 infection trigger rheumatoid arthritis-associated autoimmunity in individuals at risk for the disease? A nested cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the association between severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and subsequent development of autoimmunity or pre-clinical manifestations associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in at risk population.

Methods: This is a nested study within a prospective cohort of first-degree relatives of RA patients (RA-FDR). Participants are tested for RA-associated autoantibodies (anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA)/rheumatoid factor (RF)) and clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of early disease.

Brief report: Assessment of mucosal barrier integrity using serological biomarkers in preclinical stages of rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: The pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is believed to initiate at mucosal sites. The so-called 'mucosal origin hypothesis of RA' postulates an increased intestinal permeability before disease onset. Several biomarkers, including lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), have been proposed to reflect gut mucosa permeability and integrity, while serum calprotectin is a new inflammation marker proposed in RA.

Predicting the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.

Various scores have attempted to predict the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In particular, EULAR proposed a simple rule to identify new-onset arthralgia suspicious for progression to RA. However, its specificity would likely be higher if serological tests were included.

Global epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that predominantly affects the joints. The prevalence of RA varies globally, with generally a higher prevalence in industrialized countries, which may be explained by exposures to environmental risk factors, but also by genetic factors, differing demographics and under-reporting in other parts of the world. Over the past three decades, strong trends of the declining severity of RA probably reflect changes in treatment paradigms and overall better management of the disease.

Periodontitis in First Degree-Relatives of Individuals With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Short Narrative Review.

Periodontal disease (PD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic inflammatory diseases with a bi-directional relationship. Both share common genetic and environmental risk factors and result in the progressive destruction of bone and connective tissue. First degree relatives of patients with RA (FDR-RA) are one of the at-risk populations for RA.

Incidence of COVID-19 in patients treated with infliximab compared with patients treated with rituximab.

Objective: To determine whether patients with inflammatory autoimmune diseases treated with rituximab (RTX) have more severe forms of COVID-19 compared with patients treated with anticytokine therapies, such as Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) inhibitors.

Methods: We included all patients who were on either RTX or infliximab (IFX) in two Swiss cantons during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected self-reported symptoms compatible with COVID-19, PCR-confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 and the evolution of COVID-19 infections.

Associations between serum antibodies to periodontal pathogens and preclinical phases of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To examine whether serum antibodies against selected periodontal pathogens are associated with early symptoms of RA development in healthy individuals at risk of developing the disease.

Methods: Within an ongoing study cohort of first-degree relatives of patients with RA (RA-FDRs), we selected four groups corresponding to specific preclinical phases of RA development (n = 201). (i) RA-FDR controls without signs and symptoms of arthritis nor RA-related autoimmunity (n = 51); (ii) RA-FDRs with RA-related autoimmunity (n = 51); (iii) RA-FDRs with inflammatory arthralgias without clinical arthritis (n = 51); and (iv) RA-FDRs who have presented at least one swollen joint ('unclassified arthritis') (n = 48).

The Role of Nutritional Factors and Intestinal Microbiota in Rheumatoid Arthritis Development.

Evidence about the role of nutritional factors and microbiota in autoimmune diseases, and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in particular, has grown in recent years, however many controversies remain. The aim of this review is to summarize the role of nutrition and of the intestinal microbiota in the development of RA. We will focus on selected dietary patterns, individual foods and beverages that have been most consistently associated with RA or with the occurrence of systemic autoimmunity associated with RA.

Associations between gut microbiota and genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis in the absence of disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that is associated with reduced life expectancy. The disease is heritable and an extensive repertoire of genetic variants have been identified. The gut microbiota might represent an environmental risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis.

Mini-Review: Human Microbiome and Rheumatic Diseases.

Rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathy are the most common inflammatory rheumatic diseases. As the human microbiome is involved in the immune homeostasis, it has the potential to be a key factor in the development of autoimmune diseases and rheumatic diseases. In this article, we review the role of various human microbiota on the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases, focusing on spondylarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

[Fecal microbiota transplantation : current status and prospects].

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is approved as a safe and effective treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infections. The technique is now being studied for other indications, usually involving chronic inflammation, metabolic disorders, or autoimmunity, for which the gut microbiota appears to play a key role. We detail thereafter, according to their degree of evidence, the potential future indications, in which FMT has already been tried on Humans.

in individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with a relative expansion of faecal Prevotellaceae. To determine the microbiome composition and prevalence of spp. in a group of individuals at increased risk for RA, but prior to the development of the disease.

CD73 expression in normal and pathological human hepatobiliopancreatic tissues.

Background: The tumor-expressed CD73 ectonucleotidase generates immune tolerance and promotes invasiveness via adenosine production from degradation of AMP. While anti-CD73 blockade treatment is a promising tool in cancer immunotherapy, a characterization of CD73 expression in human hepatobiliopancreatic system is lacking.

Patients And Methods: CD73 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in a variety of non-neoplastic and neoplastic conditions of the liver, pancreas, and biliary tract.