Factors associated with COVID-19 severity in patients with spondyloarthritis: Results of the French RMD COVID-19 cohort.

Objectives: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the severity of COVID-19 and identify factors associated with severe disease outcomes in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), a chronic inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD).

Methods: We utilized patient data from the French national multicenter RMD COVID-19 cohort (NCT04353609). The primary outcome was to describe COVID-19 characteristics in patients with SpA based on disease severity of COVID-19 (mild, moderate or severe) with serious infection including moderate and severe cases.

Uveitis occurrence in early inflammatory back pain. Five years data from the prospective French nationwide DESIR cohort.

Objective: Uveitis is a frequent extra rheumatological manifestation in axial Spondyloarthritis (SpA). The aim of study was to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of uveitis over the first five years of a prospective nationwide cohort of patients with high suspicion of early axial SpA, and to evaluate its associated factors.

Methods: DESIR is a prospective observational cohort of patients with recent onset inflammatory back pain (more than 3 months, less than 3 years), suggestive of axial SpA, All available factors in the database were compared between patients with and without uveitis at 5 years, by uni and then multivariate analysis.

Spondyloarthritis-Associated IgA Nephropathy.

Introduction: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) can be associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA). The course of SpA-associated IgAN remains largely unknown due to the absence of large cohorts.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with biopsy-proven IgAN and definite SpA.

Crowdsourced assessment of common genetic contribution to predicting anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects millions world-wide. While anti-TNF treatment is widely used to reduce disease progression, treatment fails in ∼one-third of patients. No biomarker currently exists that identifies non-responders before treatment.

Genome-wide association study and gene expression analysis identifies CD84 as a predictor of response to etanercept therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF) biologic therapy is a widely used treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is unknown why some RA patients fail to respond adequately to anti-TNF therapy, which limits the development of clinical biomarkers to predict response or new drugs to target refractory cases. To understand the biological basis of response to anti-TNF therapy, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of more than 2 million common variants in 2,706 RA patients from 13 different collections.

Genome-wide association analysis of anti-TNF drug response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Treatment strategies blocking tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) have proven very successful in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a significant subset of patients does not respond for unknown reasons. Currently, there are no means of identifying these patients before treatment.

Dissociated responses to newer antimyeloma drugs identify a subset of refractory patients with an extremely poor prognosis.

We describe the striking and unexpected evolution of 10 patients with de novo multiple myeloma treated with novel-agent based induction therapy, who displayed a dissociated evolution characterised by an apparent good response contrasting with the concomitant development of aggressive non-secreting plasmocytomas immediately before, or just after, autologous stem cell transplantation. Patients did not respond to salvage therapies. Eight of them died from progression less than 12 months after diagnosis.

Combination of the Schirmer I and phenol red thread tests as a rescue strategy for diagnosis of ocular dryness associated with Sjögren's syndrome.

Purpose: To define a combination of the Schirmer I and phenol red thread (PRT) tests that improves the screening of patients with ocular sicca syndrome.

Methods: The PRT test was performed before (PRT1) and after (PRT2) the Schirmer I test, in both eyes of 143 patients complaining of ocular dryness secondary to Sjögren's syndrome or sicca asthenia polyalgia syndrome (SAPS; 72 and 71 patients, respectively), and in 40 control patients. Groups were matched by age and sex.

Critical care management and outcome of severe Pneumocystis pneumonia in patients with and without HIV infection.

Background: Little is known about the most severe forms of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) in HIV-negative as compared with HIV-positive patients. Improved knowledge about the differential characteristics and management modalities could guide treatment based on HIV status.

Methods: We retrospectively compared 72 patients (73 cases, 46 HIV-positive) admitted for PCP from 1993 to 2006 in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital.

Association of transforming growth factor beta1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha polymorphisms with anti-SSB/La antibody secretion in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective: To determine whether cytokine gene polymorphisms of interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) predispose subjects to the development of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

Methods: Single-base-exchange cytokine gene polymorphisms were analyzed in 129 French patients with primary SS who fulfilled the American-European Consensus Group criteria, as well as in 96 unrelated healthy subjects.

Results: The frequency of the TNF-308A (TNF2) allele was significantly higher in the SS patients (26% versus 11%).