Are ultrasound salivary parenchymal lesions more severe in primary Sjögren patients with a longer disease duration? A cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Salivary gland ultrasound (SGUS) has an interest in primary Sjögren's disease (pSD) for diagnosis, but the evolution of parenchymal lesions over time is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the severity of ultrasound abnormalities in relation to pSD duration from the time of buccal dryness onset.

Methods: In this cross-sectional international multicentre study, patients with pSD according to the 2002 or 2016 ACR/EULAR classification criteria were included.

Description of self-efficacy for managing symptoms and emotions in a large rheumatology clinic population.

Objectives: Self-efficacy is the inner confidence in one's ability to manage specific goals or tasks. The purpose of this study was to describe self-efficacy for people living with various rheumatologic disease and explore its associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of patients in a large rheumatology division who had office visits and completed questionnaires from May 2022 to January 2023.

The self-efficacy for regular meditation practice scale (SERMS): Development and psychometric validation.

The health benefits of meditation are well-documented, yet people struggle to practice regularly. Domain-specific self-efficacy is an important modifiable driver of health behavior change that is poorly understood in the meditation context. As such, the present study developed the Self-Efficacy for Regular Meditation Practice Scale (SERMS) assessing confidence in one's capacity to meditate frequently and in a way that favorably impacts well-being, including securing the psychological, social, and structural supports needed for ongoing practice.

Construct validity of PROMIS pain interference, fatigue, and physical function as patient-reported outcomes in adults with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: An international study from the OMERACT myositis working group.

Background: Validated patient-reported outcome measures to assess disease impact in patients with adult idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are needed. The objective of this study was to assess the construct validity of PROMIS Pain Interference, Fatigue, and Physical Function measures in comparison with core disease activity measures.

Methods: Adults with IIM, excluding inclusion body myositis, from OMERACT Myositis Working Group (MWG) clinic sites completed PROMIS Short Form v1.

The impact of pain on daily activities in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: Report from the OMERACT myositis working group.

Background: International focus groups with patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) conducted by the OMERACT Myositis Working Group over the years demonstrated the pain as an important symptom experienced by these patients. In this study, we aimed to examine the frequency and degree of pain interference, the aspects of daily life impacted by pain, and the factors associated with pain interference in adults with IIM.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study with two visits.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in patients with cancer and pre-existing systemic sclerosis.

Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies have dramatically improved outcomes in multiple cancers. ICI's mechanism of action involves immune system activation to augment anti-tumor immunity. Patients with pre-existing autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc), were excluded from initial ICI clinical trials due to concern that such immune system activation could precipitate an autoimmune disease flare or new, severe immune related adverse events (irAE).

Reliability Exercise of Ultrasound Salivary Glands in Sjögren's Disease: An International Web Training Initiative.

Introduction: Major salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) demonstrated its good metric properties as an outcome measure for diagnosing primary Sjögren's disease (SD). The objective was to assess SGUS reliability among sonographers with different levels of experience, using web training.

Methods: Sonographers from expert centers participated in the reliability exercise.

Feasibility and acceptability of using a meditation app in adults with rheumatic disease.

Objective: Meditation is a stress-reduction and contemplative technique that can improve emotional distress in people with chronic disease and may be especially beneficial for patients with rheumatic diseases. However, patient access to in-person programs is challenging. The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility/acceptability associated with physician-directed use of a widely available smartphone application (app), Calm©.

Effect of Coping Strategies on Patient and Physician Perceptions of Disease Severity and Disability in Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) results in impaired function, disability, and reduced health-related quality of life. We investigated the effect of coping strategies on the patient global assessment of health (PtGA) and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), after controlling for clinical characteristics and disease activity. We also explored the relationship between coping strategies and the correlation between the PtGA and physician global assessment (PGA) in SSc.

Assessing the content validity of patient-reported outcome measures in adult myositis: A report from the OMERACT myositis working group.

Objective: To investigate the content validity of several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM).

Methods: Seven individual PROM instruments were selected by the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Myositis Working Group relating to the following domains: pain, fatigue, physical function and physical activity. Twenty patients from the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center were selected for one-on-one face-to-face or phone interviews for cognitive interviewing of individual PROMs to assess comprehension and content validity.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Purpose Of Review: Despite advances in pharmacologic management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) remains popular adjuncts to therapy among patients for ongoing symptomatology.

Recent Findings: Mind-body interventions are becoming increasingly popular, including yoga and meditation. Randomized controlled trials have found these interventions to be helpful regarding pain, mood, and energy in RA patients.

Anxiety impacts rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and health-related quality of life even at low levels.

Objectives: We explored the burden of symptoms of anxiety and depression on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Adults with RA participating in an observational cohort completed PROMIS tests of depression, anxiety, fatigue, physical function (PF), pain interference (PI), sleep disturbance, and participation in social roles and activities at the baseline visit. Clinical measures of disease status were also obtained.

2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee.

Objective: To develop an evidence-based guideline for the comprehensive management of osteoarthritis (OA) as a collaboration between the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Arthritis Foundation, updating the 2012 ACR recommendations for the management of hand, hip, and knee OA.

Methods: We identified clinically relevant population, intervention, comparator, outcomes questions and critical outcomes in OA. A Literature Review Team performed a systematic literature review to summarize evidence supporting the benefits and harms of available educational, behavioral, psychosocial, physical, mind-body, and pharmacologic therapies for OA.

2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee.

Objective: To develop an evidence-based guideline for the comprehensive management of osteoarthritis (OA) as a collaboration between the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Arthritis Foundation, updating the 2012 ACR recommendations for the management of hand, hip, and knee OA.

Methods: We identified clinically relevant population, intervention, comparator, outcomes questions and critical outcomes in OA. A Literature Review Team performed a systematic literature review to summarize evidence supporting the benefits and harms of available educational, behavioral, psychosocial, physical, mind-body, and pharmacologic therapies for OA.

Self-Efficacy and the Role of Non-Pharmacologic Treatment Strategies to Improve Pain and Affect in Arthritis.

Purpose Of Review: There is increasing evidence that adjunctive, non-pharmacologic treatment programs are beneficial in the management of arthritis when added to traditional disease-modifying medications. This review focuses on non-pharmacologic management strategies that impact pain and affect, with a focus on self-efficacy, for those with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Recent Findings: We reviewed both office-based and internet-based self-management strategies, mindfulness based interventions (MBIs), and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) for patients with arthritis.

Patient-Reported Outcomes in Adult Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies.

Purpose Of Review: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) have considerable impact on patient symptoms and quality of life. We have reviewed the evolution of patient-centered care and use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for adults with IIM.

Recent Findings: Use of PROMs in myositis care and research is limited, although the importance of incorporation into routine practice and trials has become increasingly recognized.

Cannabinoid effects on responses to quantitative sensory testing among individuals with and without clinical pain: a systematic review.

There has been an explosion of interest in the utility of cannabinoids as potential analgesics. This systematic review critically synthesizes the evidence for cannabinoid analgesic effects on quantitative sensory testing outcomes in both healthy adults and patients with chronic noncancer pain. Our systematic review protocol is preregistered on PROSPERO (CRD42018117367).

The Relationship Between Autonomic Dysfunction of the Gastrointestinal Tract and Emotional Distress in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis.

Background/objectives: We hypothesized that emotional distress in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with moderate to severe gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is associated with dysautonomia. We sought to determine (1) the clinical characteristics associated with emotional distress in SSc, (2) the odds of having dysautonomia in those with emotional distress, and (3) whether GI dysautonomia, as measured by the Survey of Autonomic Symptoms (SAS), correlates with GI dysautonomia on the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31 (COMPASS-31).

Methods: Clinical and demographic features from our prospective cohort study were compared among SSc patients with and without GI-associated emotional distress (University of California at Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Purpose Of Review: To determine the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on clinical and patient-reported outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Recent Findings: We identified randomized clinical trials from inception through April 2018 from MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and hand searches. After screening 338 references, we included five trials with one post-hoc analysis that evaluated MBIs and collectively included 399 participants.

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Mimicking a Discrete Brain Mass: A Case Report and Literature Review.

The differential diagnosis for a focal brain lesion in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is broad and includes infection, malignancy, and vascular and inflammatory etiologies. One rarely considered vascular pathology is cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), which is often associated with a delay in diagnosis because of variable presentation and rare incidence. We present the case of a young woman with a new discrete brain lesion that appeared in the context of highly active SLE and was ultimately diagnosed with a CVT.

Using Big Data to Evaluate the Association between Periodontal Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

An association between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis is believed to exist. Most investigations into a possible relationship have been case-control studies with relatively low sample sizes. The advent of very large clinical repositories has created new opportunities for data-driven research.