Changes in DNA methylation are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus flare remission and clinical subtypes.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has numerous symptoms across organs and an unpredictable flare-remittance pattern. This has made it challenging to understand drivers of long-term SLE outcomes. Our objective was to identify whether changes in DNA methylation over time, in an actively flaring SLE cohort, were associated with remission and whether these changes meaningfully subtype SLE patients.

Positive psychosocial factors may protect against perceived stress in people with systemic lupus erythematosus with and without trauma history.

Objective: Trauma history is associated with SLE onset and worse patient-reported outcomes; perceived stress is associated with greater SLE disease activity. Stress perceptions vary in response to life events and may be influenced by psychosocial factors. In an SLE cohort, we examined whether stressful events associated with perceived stress, whether psychosocial factors affected perceived stress, and whether these relationships varied by prior trauma exposure.

American College of Rheumatology White Paper: The Effects of Climate Change on Rheumatic Conditions-An Evolving Landscape and a Path Forward.

Objective: Increases in global temperatures and extreme weather events associated with climate change have complex yet poorly understood detrimental impacts on human health. We reviewed the current published literature on climate change-related effects and rheumatic conditions.

Methods: To summarize our current understanding of the likely effects of climate change, including increased air pollution, on rheumatic disease, we searched the published, peer-reviewed English-language literature from January 2000 to December 2022.

Economic insecurities and patient-reported outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the USA: a cross-sectional analysis of data from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study.

Background: Social determinants of health are consistently associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) outcomes. However, social determinants of health are typically measured with conventional socioeconomic status factors such as income or education. We assessed the association of economic insecurities (ie, food, housing, health care, and financial insecurity) with patient-reported outcomes in a cohort of patients with SLE.

Screening of Environmental Chemicals to Characterize Exposures in Participants With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: There is a need to characterize exposures associated with the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this pilot study, we explore a hypothesis-free approach that can measure thousands of exogenous chemicals in blood ("exposome") in patients with SLE and unaffected controls.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed a cohort of patients with prevalent SLE (n = 285) and controls (n = 106).

Cell-Specific Transposable Element Gene Expression Analysis Identifies Associations with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Phenotypes.

There is an established yet unexplained link between interferon (IFN) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The expression of sequences derived from transposable elements (TEs) may contribute to production of type I IFNs and generation of autoantibodies. We profiled cell-sorted RNA-seq data (CD4+ T cells, CD14+ monocytes, CD19+ B cells, and NK cells) from PBMCs of 120 SLE patients and quantified TE expression identifying 27,135 TEs.

Local Ancestry at the Major Histocompatibility Complex Region is Not a Major Contributor to Disease Heterogeneity in a Multiethnic Lupus Cohort.

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease resulting in debilitating clinical manifestations that vary in severity by race and ethnicity with a disproportionate burden in African American, Mestizo, and Asian populations compared with populations of European descent. Differences in global and local genetic ancestry may shed light on the underlying mechanisms contributing to these disparities, including increased prevalence of lupus nephritis, younger age of symptom onset, and presence of autoantibodies.

Methods: A total of 1,139 European, African American, and Mestizos patients with SLE were genotyped using the Affymetrix LAT1 World array.

Reframing health disparities in SLE: A critical reassessment of racial and ethnic differences in lupus disease outcomes.

Health disparities in the prevalence and outcomes of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are well documented across racial and ethnic groups. Similar to other chronic diseases, differences in disease severity among individuals with SLE are likely influenced by both genetic predisposition and multiple social determinants of health. However, research in SLE that jointly examines the genetic and environmental contributions to the disease course is limited, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the biologic and social mechanisms that underly health disparities.

Perceived Stress and Prediction of Worse Disease Activity and Symptoms in a Multiracial, Multiethnic Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Cohort.

Objective: Studies have suggested a potential link between traumatic experiences, psychological stress, and autoimmunity, but the impact of stress on disease activity and symptom severity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unclear. The present study was undertaken to examine whether increases in perceived stress independently associate with worse SLE disease outcomes over 3 years of follow-up.

Methods: Participants were drawn from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study (CLUES).

The association of trauma with self-reported flares and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Objectives: Trauma has been linked to incident SLE, but its relationship with SLE disease activity is unknown. This analysis examines associations between trauma exposures and patient-reported SLE disease activity and flares.

Methods: Data were from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study (CLUES).

Mer-tyrosine kinase: a novel susceptibility gene for SLE related end-stage renal disease.

Objective: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common and severe manifestation of SLE. The genetic risk for nephritis and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with LN remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to identify novel genetic associations with LN, focusing on subphenotypes and ESRD.

Dynamics of Methylation of CpG Sites Associated With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Subtypes in a Longitudinal Cohort.

Objective: Findings from cross-sectional studies have revealed associations between DNA methylation and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) outcomes. This study was undertaken to investigate the dynamics of DNA methylation by examining participants from an SLE longitudinal cohort using samples collected at 2 time points.

Methods: A total of 101 participants from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study were included in our analysis.

Race, Ethnicity, and Disparities in the Risk of End-Organ Lupus Manifestations Following a Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Diagnosis in a Multiethnic Cohort.

Objective: Data on the onset of lupus manifestations across multiple organ domains and in diverse populations are limited. The objective was to analyze racial and ethnic differences in the risk of end-organ lupus manifestations following systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosis in a multiethnic cohort.

Methods: The California Lupus Epidemiology Study (CLUES) is a longitudinal study of SLE.

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals cell type-specific molecular and genetic associations to lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease. Knowledge of circulating immune cell types and states associated with SLE remains incomplete. We profiled more than 1.

The Contribution of Genetics and Epigenetics to Our Understanding of Health Disparities in Rheumatic Diseases.

Socioeconomic determinants of health are associated with worse outcomes in the rheumatic diseases and contribute significantly to health disparities. However, genetic and epigenetic risk factors may affect different populations disproportionally and further exacerbate health disparities. We discuss the role of genetics and epigenetics to the health disparities observed in rheumatic diseases.

Transcriptomic analysis of immune cells in a multi-ethnic cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus patients identifies ethnicity- and disease-specific expression signatures.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which outcomes vary among different racial groups. We leverage cell-sorted RNA-seq data (CD14+ monocytes, B cells, CD4+ T cells, and NK cells) from 120 SLE patients (63 Asian and 57 White individuals) and apply a four-tier approach including unsupervised clustering, differential expression analyses, gene co-expression analyses, and machine learning to identify SLE subgroups within this multiethnic cohort. K-means clustering on each cell-type resulted in three clusters for CD4 and CD14, and two for B and NK cells.

Concomitant Guillain-Barre syndrome with COVID-19: a case report.

Background: During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, different neurological manifestations have been observed. However, only a few cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and COVID-19 have been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate a case of concomitant GBS with COVID-19 in Colombia.

Author Correction: Multiplexed droplet single-cell RNA-sequencing using natural genetic variation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Major Depression and Adverse Patient-Reported Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Results From a Prospective Longitudinal Cohort.

Objective: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is reduced in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), partly driven by comorbid depression. Among patients with SLE, the association between major depression and HRQoL, measured using the NIH's Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), is not well characterized. The objective was to determine an association between major depression and HRQoL as measured by PROMIS.

Impact of Limited Health Literacy on Patient-Reported Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Health disparities in patient-reported outcomes by income and education are well documented; however, the impact of health literacy on patient-reported outcomes has received less attention. We examined independent effects of income, education, and health literacy on patient-reported outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Data from the California Lupus Epidemiology Study (n = 323 participants) were used.