Trabecular bone score to assess bone microarchitecture in end-stage renal disease patients.

Rationale: This study evaluates TBS for estimating bone microarchitecture in ESRD patients using HR-pQCT as the reference technique.

Main Results: TBS correlates significantly with vBMD and bone microarchitecture, unlike aBMD.

Significance: TBS may complement bone health assessment in ESRD patients by offering additional information alongside aBMD.

Association of fibrotic-related extracellular vesicle microRNAs with lung involvement in systemic sclerosis.

Background: There is a pressing need to identify early biomarkers of lung involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) to start as soon as possible antifibrotic therapy. We aimed to identify extracellular vesicle-derived microRNAs (EV-miRNAs) that are differentially expressed between SSc patients with and without interstitial lung disease (ILD), explore their diagnostic value and investigate their functional properties.

Methods: Small EVs (sEVs) derived from plasma were isolated from 91 well-characterised SSc patients with ILD (SSc-ILD, n=45), without ILD (SSc-no ILD, n=46) and 43 matched healthy subjects (HS).

Automated AI-based image analysis for quantification and prediction of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis patients.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disease associated with rapidly evolving interstitial lung disease (ILD), driving its mortality. Specific imaging-based biomarkers associated with the evolution of lung disease are needed to help predict and quantify ILD.

Methods: We evaluated the potential of an automated ILD quantification system (icolung) from chest CT scans, to help in quantification and prediction of ILD progression in SSc-ILD.

Breathomics to monitor interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis.

https://bit.ly/4aKMYif.

Effectiveness of methotrexate and bridging glucocorticoids with or without early introduction of a 6-month course of etanercept in early RA: results of the 2-year, pragmatic, randomised CareRA2020 trial.

Objectives: To investigate if patients with early rheumatoid arthritis responding insufficiently to initial methotrexate (MTX) and bridging glucocorticoids (GCs) could benefit from early but temporary etanercept introduction as a second remission-induction attempt.

Methods: CareRA2020 (NCT03649061) was a 2-year, open-label, multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Treatment-naïve patients started MTX and GC bridging (COBRA-Slim: CS).