Blockades in the Pathway of Specialty Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Report Based on Indian Rheumatology Association Database.

Aim: The study aims to identify factors influencing referral patterns and delays in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients across clinical settings in India.

Materials And Methods: A prospective, multicenter, observational study collected data from eight centers using the Indian Rheumatology Association (IRA) database. Patient-related factors and referral factors were determined based on patient narration.

MRI predictors of infectious etiology in patients with unilateral sacroiliitis.

Background: Unilateral presentation of sacroiliitis is a diagnostic dilemma, especially between infection and inflammatory sacroiliitis associated with spondyloarthritis, requiring an early and accurate diagnosis.

Objective: To assess the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating infective versus inflammatory etiology in unilateral sacroiliitis.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of the MRI of 90 patients with unilateral sacroiliitis, having an established final diagnosis.

A pilot study of childhood-onset Takayasu arteritis using whole exome sequencing suggests oligogenic inheritance involving classical complement, collagen, and autoinflammatory pathways.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease affecting the aorta and its branches. Paediatric TA (pTA) may present from 6 months after birth till the adolescent age group. Genetics and pathogenesis of pTA are not fully understood.

Angiogenesis related genes in Takayasu Arteritis (TAK): robust association with Tag SNPs of IL-18 and FGF-2 in a South Asian Cohort.

We performed genetic association study for genes encoding angiogenic and angiostatic proteins in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK). A total of 96 SNPs involving 60 genes were studied. Genotyping was performed in Fluidigm 96.

Current Diagnosis and Management of Takayasu Arteritis.

Takayasu arteritis (TA or TAK) is a chronic large vessel vasculitis with predilection to affect the aorta and its branches. The new 2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis incorporated imaging characteristics as an absolute requirement. ESR and CRP fails in accuracy as disease activity markers.

HPV and molecular mimicry in systemic lupus erythematosus and an impact of compiling B-cell epitopes and MHC-class II binding profiles with evidence.

Epidemiological link between HPV and SLE is evolving. The possibility of HPV infection-induced molecular mimicry and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was elucidated through detailed analyses. Conserved regions in the structural protein sequences of high-risk HPV types were inferred, and sequence homologies between viral and human peptides were identified to delineate proteins implicated in SLE.

Mental healthcare for young and adolescent LGBTQ+ individuals in the Indian subcontinent.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a significant change in the way healthcare is dispensed. During the pandemic, healthcare inequities were experienced by various sections of society, based on gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The LGBTQ individuals were also affected by this inequity.

Takayasu Arteritis: JACC Focus Seminar 3/4.

Takayasu arteritis is a rare idiopathic large-vessel vasculitis that typically affects young women. An early "prepulseless" stage is often missed, associated with nonspecific constitutional symptoms (fever, malaise, and weight loss) and elevated inflammatory markers. Unchecked disease progression leads to the "pulseless" stage, manifest clinically by missing pulses, vascular tenderness, and ischemic symptoms (limb claudication, dizziness, angina, and renovascular hypertension), and is characterized pathologically by arterial wall thickening and stenotic/occlusive lesions or aneurysm formation.

Outcomes of Percutaneous Intervention in Patients With Takayasu Arteritis.

Background: The status of vascular lesion treatment using percutaneous intervention (PI) in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) remains unresolved.

Objectives: This study sought to develop PI strategies appropriate for TAK.

Methods: A prospectively maintained single-center database of TAK PI procedures from 1996 to 2022 was analyzed retrospectively.

Clinical and angiographic outcomes of mycophenolate versus methotrexate in South Asian patients of Takayasu arteritis: Results from an open-label, outcome-assessor blinded randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the clinical and angiographic responses of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) versus methotrexate (MTX) in Takayasu arteritis (TAK).

Methods: This was an open-label, outcome assessor-blinded trial. Adult patients with active TAK were randomized 1:1 to MMF 1 g twice daily or MTX 20 mg once weekly by a computer-generated program.

Mindin (SPON2) Is Essential for Cutaneous Fibrogenesis in a Mouse Model of Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis is a fibrotic disease that initiates in the skin and progresses to internal organs, leading to a poor prognosis. Unraveling the etiology of a chronic, multifactorial disease such as systemic sclerosis has been aided by various animal models that recapitulate certain aspects of the human pathology. We found that the transcription factor SNAI1 is overexpressed in the epidermis of patients with systemic sclerosis, and a transgenic mouse recapitulating this expression pattern is sufficient to induce many clinical features of the human disease.

Gender equity in rheumatology leadership in the Asia-Pacific.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore gender equity in rheumatology leadership in the Asia-Pacific region as represented by the member national organizations (MNOs) of the Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology (APLAR).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional review of gender representation among the presidents of MNOs of APLAR in April 2022. We used the official website of each organization to acquire names and terms in the office of current and past presidents of each organization.

2022 American College of Rheumatology/EULAR classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis.

Objective: To develop and validate new classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis (TAK).

Methods: Patients with vasculitis or comparator diseases were recruited into an international cohort. The study proceeded in six phases: (1) identification of candidate criteria items, (2) collection of candidate items present at diagnosis, (3) expert panel review of cases, (4) data-driven reduction of candidate items, (5) derivation of a points-based classification score in a development data set and (6) validation in an independent data set.

2022 American College of Rheumatology/EULAR Classification Criteria for Takayasu Arteritis.

Objective: To develop and validate new classification criteria for Takayasu arteritis (TAK).

Methods: Patients with vasculitis or comparator diseases were recruited into an international cohort. The study proceeded in 6 phases: 1) identification of candidate criteria items, 2) collection of candidate items present at diagnosis, 3) expert panel review of cases, 4) data-driven reduction of candidate items, 5) derivation of a points-based classification score in a development data set, and 6) validation in an independent data set.

Efficacy and safety of colchicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials.

Objective: Colchicine, an approved treatment for gout, has been trialed in many diseases including osteoarthritis (OA) due to its anti-inflammatory effects. However, its efficacy and safety remain unclear in OA. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of colchicine for the treatment of OA.

Advances in Takayasu arteritis: An Asia Pacific perspective.

Takayasu Arteritis (TA) is a rare form of chronic granulomatous large vessel vasculitis that is more common in Asia compared to other parts of the world. There have been several developments in the field of Takayasu arteritis in relation to genetics, classification, clinical features, imaging, disease activity assessment and management and much of these works have been done in the Asia Pacific region. We will be discussing selected few in the current review.

Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling in CD8 T-Cells and Gamma Delta T-Cells of Asian Indian Patients With Takayasu Arteritis.

Takayasu's Arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects aorta and its main branches at their origin. Genetic, pathological and functional studies have shown that CD8 and Gamma delta (γ/δ) T-lymphocytes are involved in inflammatory processes in affected regions of arteries causing vascular damage. The molecular function of these lymphocytes remains unclear and currently no epigenetic studies are available in TA.

Burden of osteoarthritis in India and its states, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of disease study 2019.

Objective: To describe the burden of osteoarthritis (OA) in India from 1990 to 2019.

Design: Data from Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 were used. The burden of OA -knee OA, hip OA, hand OA, and other OA- was estimated for India and its states from 1990 to 2019 through a systematic analysis of prevalence, incidence, years lived with disability (YLD), and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) using methods reported in GBD 2019 study.

Mycophenolate in scleroderma-associated interstitial lung disease: Real-world data from rheumatology and pulmonology clinics in South Asia.

Introduction: There is a paucity of real-world data on mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolate sodium in systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease.

Aim: To study the efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil/ mycophenolate sodium in systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease.

Methods: In this single-centre study, clinical, laboratory and imaging details of consecutive patients with systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease receiving mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolate sodium from rheumatology and pulmonology clinics between January 2008 and March 2017 were retrospectively retrieved.

Common mental disorders in South Asian patients with systemic sclerosis: a CIS-R-based cross-sectional study.

There are not many studies looking at psychological impact of physical morbidities amongst patients with systemic sclerosis. Our aim was to describe the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) in systemic sclerosis patients, as against the population prevalence of CMDs. We also wanted to assess the utility of revised clinical interview schedule (CIS-R), a standardised interview technique for screening CMDs in systemic sclerosis (SSc).