High prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Takayasu arteritis: increased cardiovascular risk and lower adiponectin serum levels.

Objective: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) tends to be high among rheumatic patients, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in these conditions. We aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA) and its association with risk factors and adipokine and cytokine levels.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 45 consecutive women with TA and 47 healthy controls matched by age and body mass index.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Brazilian version of the Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ).

The Scleroderma Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ) is a feasible multisystem specific tool that has been extensively used as an additional assessment for systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aim of this study is to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Brazilian version of the SHAQ. Construct validity was assessed based on the correlations between SHAQ and both the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2™) and the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI).

Impaired aerobic exercise capacity and cardiac autonomic control in primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

Primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Aerobic capacity and cardiac autonomic control are also associated with these risks. The aim of our study was to assess aerobic capacity and cardiac autonomic control in PAPS patients.

Prevalence of sarcopenia and associated risk factors by two diagnostic criteria in community-dwelling older men: the São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH).

Unlabelled: Sarcopenia is an aging syndrome that can be characterized by many criteria adjusted or not by fat mass. This study suggested that the optimal criteria should be selected according to body mass index (BMI) in older men and identified age, BMI, race, smoking, physical activity, hip bone mineral density (BMD) as risk factors for this syndrome.

Introduction: This study aims to analyze the prevalence of sarcopenia and associated risk factors using appendicular skeletal mass (ASM)/height(2) and ASM adjusted for total fat mass criteria in older men from community.

Vaccinations in juvenile chronic inflammatory diseases: an update.

Vaccination is a powerful tool to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in paediatric patients with chronic rheumatic diseases. Live attenuated vaccines are not recommended for profoundly immunosuppressed patients, but nonlive vaccines have adequate safety and efficacy profiles in the few (admittedly underpowered) studies published to date. No severe vaccine-specific or disease-specific adverse events have been observed in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who have been vaccinated with live or nonlive agents.

High disease activity: an independent factor for reduced immunogenicity of the pandemic influenza a vaccine in patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Recent findings demonstrated a reduced immunogenicity of the influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccine in juvenile rheumatic diseases. However, a point of concern is whether the vaccine could induce disease flares. The aim of this study was to assess the disease safety of and the possible influence of disease parameters and therapy on nonadjuvant influenza A H1N1 vaccine response of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

Clinical and immunological features of 888 Brazilian systemic lupus patients from a monocentric cohort: comparison with other populations.

Epidemiological studies with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have been reported worldwide but, until now, a large evaluation had not been performed in Brazil. Therefore, we determined the clinical and immunological features of 888 SLE patients followed at our service from 2008 to 2012. The mean age at SLE onset and the mean disease duration were 29.

Dyslipidaemia in juvenile dermatomyositis: the role of disease activity.

Objectives: To evaluate the presence of dyslipidaemia in JDM and its possible risk factors.

Methods: Twenty-five JDM patients were compared to 25 healthy controls according to demographic data, body composition, fasting lipoproteins, glycaemia, insulin, antibodies and muscle enzymes. JDM scores were assessed: CMAS, MMT, DAS, MYOACT and MYTAX.

Creatine supplementation in fibromyalgia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of creatine supplementation in fibromyalgia patients.

Methods: A 16-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial was conducted. Fibromyalgia patients were randomly assigned to receive either creatine monohydrate or placebo in a double-blind manner.

Exercise training in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled randomized trial.

Introduction: Exercise training has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract physical dysfunction in adult systemic lupus erythematosus. However, no longitudinal studies have evaluated the effects of an exercise training program in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (C-SLE) patients. The objective was to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of a supervised aerobic training program in improving the cardiorespiratory capacity in C-SLE patients.

Immunogenicity of influenza H1N1 vaccination in mixed connective tissue disease: effect of disease and therapy.

Objective: To assess the potential acute effects regarding the immunogenicity and safety of non-adjuvanted influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccine in patients with mixed connective tissue disease and healthy controls.

Methods: Sixty-nine mixed connective tissue disease patients that were confirmed by Kasukawa's classification criteria and 69 age- and gender-matched controls participated in the study; the participants were vaccinated with the non-adjuvanted influenza A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) virus-like strain. The percentages of seroprotection, seroconversion, geometric mean titer and factor increase in the geometric mean titer were calculated.

Anti-ribosomal P protein: a novel antibody in autoimmune hepatitis.

Background: Autoantibodies to ribosomal P proteins (anti-rib P) are specific serological markers for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and are associated with liver involvement in this disease. The similarity in autoimmune background between autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and SLE-associated hepatitis raises the possibility that anti-rib P antibodies might also have relevance in AIH.

Aims: To evaluate the frequency and clinical significance of anti-rib P antibodies in a large AIH cohort.

Intra-articular methotrexate associated to lipid nanoemulsions: anti-inflammatory effect upon antigen-induced arthritis.

Objective: Commercial methotrexate formulations (MTX) have poor anti-inflammatory action for intra-articular treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Our aim was to investigate whether an association between methotrexate and lipidic nanoemulsions (LDE) could improve MTX intra-articular action.

Methods: For its association to LDE, MTX was previously esterified with dodecyl bromide.

Testicular Sertoli cell function in ankylosing spondylitis.

To assess the testicular Sertoli cell function according to inhibin B levels in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and the possible effect of anti-TNF therapy on this hormone production, 20 consecutive AS patients and 24 healthy controls were evaluated. At study entry, AS patients were not receiving sulfasalazine/methotrexate and never have used biological/cytotoxic agents. They were assessed by serum inhibin B levels, hormone profile, urological examination, testicular ultrasound, seminal parameters, and clinical features.

Short and long-term effects of pandemic unadjuvanted influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 vaccine on clinical manifestations and autoantibody profile in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Despite WHO recommendations about the A/California/7/2009/H1N1-like virus vaccination, studies evaluating its possible influence on clinical manifestations and autoantibody profile in primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible influence of the unadjuvanted A/California/7/2009/H1N1-like virus vaccination on clinical manifestations and autoantibody profile in SS in the short/long-term. Thirty-six SS patients (The American-European Consensus Group Criteria, 2002) and 36 healthy controls with comparable mean age and gender were evaluated before and 21-days after this vaccination regarding seroprotection/seroconversion, factor increase in geometric mean titer (FI-GMT) and side effects.

NT-proBNP levels may be influenced by inflammation in active ankylosing spondylitis receiving TNF blockers: a pilot study.

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a strong marker of cardiovascular disease with recent evidence that inflammation may also influence its levels; discrimination of this confounding variable is of particular interest in rheumatic diseases. Therefore, we evaluated NT-proBNP in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients pre- and post-TNF blocker to determine the possible association between NT-proBNP levels and inflammatory parameters. Forty-five consecutive AS patients without previous/current cardiovascular disease or systolic myocardial dysfunction, who were eligible to anti-TNF therapy, were prospectively enrolled.

Vertebral fracture assessment by dual X-ray absorptiometry: a valid tool to detect vertebral fractures in community-dwelling older adults in a population-based survey.

Objective: Vertebral fractures are associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Since 70% of vertebral fractures are clinically silent, a radiologic image of the spine has to be acquired for the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with radiographs to identify vertebral fractures in community-dwelling older adults.

Pandemic unadjuvanted influenza A (H1N1) vaccine in dermatomyositis and polymyositis: immunogenicity independent of therapy and no harmful effect in disease.

The goal of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccine on dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM) disease parameters and the potential deleterious effect of therapy on immune response. Thirty-seven DM and 21 PM patients (Bohan and Peter's criteria) were gender- and age-matched to 116 healthy controls. Seroprotection, seroconversion, the geometric mean titers (GMTs) and the factor increase (FI) in the GMTs were calculated.

Serum phosphate and hip bone mineral density as additional factors for high vascular calcification scores in a community-dwelling: the São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH).

Objective: To analyze the association between abdominal aortic calcification scores (AACS) and bone metabolism parameters in a well-characterized general population of older adults.

Background: Several studies suggest a link between bone mineral metabolism disorders and vascular calcification; although only few of them analyze bone mineral density(BMD), laboratory bone markers and cardiovascular parameters at the same time and none were done in a miscegenated population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 815 subjects ≥ 65 years old.

Low sclerostin levels: a predictive marker of persistent inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis during anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy?

Introduction: Sclerostin levels have been reported to be low in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but there is no data regarding the possible role of this Wnt inhibitor during anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. The present study longitudinally evaluated sclerostin levels, inflammatory markers and bone mineral density (BMD) in AS patients under anti-TNF therapy.

Methods: Thirty active AS patients were assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 months after anti-TNF therapy regarding clinical parameters, inflammatory markers, BMD and baseline radiographic damage (mSASSS).

Effective seroconversion and safety following the pandemic influenza vaccination (anti-H1N1) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objectives: To assess the vaccine response in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) as an extension of previous observation of immunogenicity and safety of a non-adjuvanted influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccine in a large population of juvenile rheumatic diseases. Moreover, to assess the possible influence of demographic data, disease subtypes, disease activity, and treatment on immunogenicity and the potential deleterious effect of the vaccine in the disease itself, particularly in the number of arthritis and inflammatory markers.

Methods: A total of 95 patients with JIA and 91 healthy controls were evaluated before and 21 days after vaccination, and serology for anti-H1N1 was performed by haemagglutination inhibition assay (HIA).

Penile alterations with severe sperm abnormalities in antiphospholipid syndrome associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

This study aims to perform global gonadal and sexual function assessments in systemic lupus erythematosus-related antiphospholipid syndrome (SLE-APS) patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in ten SLE-APS male patients and 20 healthy controls. They were assessed by demographic data, clinical features, urological examination, sexual function, testicular ultrasound, seminal parameters, sperm antibodies, and hormone profile.

EBV reactivation serological profile in primary Sjögren's syndrome: an underlying trigger of active articular involvement?

Antibody to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) early antigen diffuse (anti-EA-D) is associated with viral replication. However, their possible associations with clinical/therapeutic features in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) were not established. We evaluated 100 pSS patients (American-European Criteria) and 89 age/gender/ethnicity-matched healthy controls.

Abatacept and reduced immune response to pandemic 2009 influenza A/H1N1 vaccination in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of abatacept (ABA) and associated contributing factors on pandemic 2009 influenza A/H1N1 vaccine immunogenicity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Methods: The response to a nonadjuvanted monovalent pandemic 2009 influenza A/H1N1 killed virus vaccine was analyzed in 11 RA patients using ABA (RA-ABA), most with concomitant nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS), and compared to 33 age-matched RA patients on methotrexate (MTX) and 55 healthy controls, all without previous seroprotection. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were performed before and 21 days after vaccination.

Adipocytokines in primary antiphospholipid syndrome: potential markers of low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.

Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate a possible association of adipocytokines with metabolic syndrome (MetS), inflammation and other cardiovascular risk factors in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS).

Methods: Fifty-six PAPS patients and 72 controls were included. Adiponectin, leptin, visfatin, resistin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), lipoprotein (a), glucose, ESR, CRP, uric acid and lipid profiles were measured.