Disease Safety, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of Recombinant Herpes Zoster Vaccine (RZV or Shingrix) in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: Launching a Randomized Phase 4 Study.

Background: Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) are at an increased risk for herpes zoster (HZ). Vaccination is recommended for this population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of vaccination with the recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) in ARD patients, humoral immunogenicity (HI), cellular immunogenicity (CI), and the incidence of HZ.

The Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) Consensus-Based Expert Definition of Difficult-to-Manage, including Treatment-Refractory, Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: To develop a consensus-based expert definition of difficult-to-manage (D2M) axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), incorporating treatment-refractory (TR) disease.

Methods: A literature review was conducted in 2022 to identify potential definitions for D2M/TR axSpA from prior studies, followed by a 2-round Delphi consensus process conducted in 2022 and 2023 to identify components of D2M axSpA. Based on the results of the Delphi process, a draft of the D2M axSpA definition was developed and presented to the expert task force, including patient representation, and, subsequently, to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) membership for endorsement in January 2024.

The role of protective genetic variants in modulating epigenetic aging.

Several progeroid syndromes' causative mutations have been linked to epigenetic age acceleration as measured via several epigenetic clocks. At the same time, several protective variants have also been discovered that can reduce the risk of developing certain age-related disorders. However, the impact of these protective variants on epigenetic aging has not been well elucidated.

Effectiveness of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans on smoking prevalence, initiation and cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) have the potential to influence smoking behaviour. However, many countries are yet to implement such strategies.

Objective: This study aimed to synthesise contemporary evidence on the effectiveness of TAPS bans on smoking prevalence, initiation and cessation.

CIROZ is dispensable in ancestral vertebrates but essential for left-right patterning in humans.

Four genes-DAND5, PKD1L1, MMP21, and CIROP-form a genetic module that has specifically evolved in vertebrate species that harbor motile cilia in their left-right organizer (LRO). We find here that CIROZ (previously known as C1orf127) is also specifically expressed in the LRO of mice, frogs, and fish, where it encodes a protein with a signal peptide followed by 3 zona pellucida N domains, consistent with extracellular localization. We report 16 individuals from 10 families with bi-allelic CIROZ inactivation variants, which cause heterotaxy with congenital heart defects.