Asymptotic Confidence Interval, Sample Size Formulas and Comparison Test for the Agreement Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient in Inter-Rater Reliability Studies.

The agreement intra-class correlation coefficient (ICCa) is a suitable statistical index for inter-rater reliability studies. With balanced Gaussian data, we prove the explicit form of ICCa asymptotic normality (ASN), valid both with analysis of variance (ANOVA), maximum likelihood (ML), or restricted ML (REML) estimates. An asymptotic confidence interval is then derived and its performances are examined by simulation compared to the most commonly used methods, under small, moderate and large sample size designs.

French protocol for the diagnosis and management of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Because Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a rare disease, and due to the significant prognostic impact of early management, a diagnosis confirmed by a physician with experience in SLE is recommended, for example from an expert center. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, existing manifestations should be identified in particular, renal involvement by an assessment of proteinuria, disease activity and severity should be determined, potential complications anticipated, associated diseases searched for, and the patient's socioprofessional and family context noted. Therapeutic management of SLE includes patient education on recognizing symptoms, understanding disease progression as well as when they should seek medical advice.

Prognostic value of 18 FDG-PET at diagnosis and follow-up in giant cell arteritis: An observational restrospective study.

Objectives: To evaluate the ability of FDG PET/CT, at diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and during follow-up, to predict occurrence of relapse in large-vessel GCA (LV-GCA).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using the French Study Group for Large-Vessel Vasculitis (GEFA) network. Data from patients with LV-GCA diagnosed by PET/CT and who had PET/CT in the following year were collected.

Clinical trial outcomes for SLE: what we have and what we need.

The paradigm of drug approval in SLE currently relies on successful large phase III randomised controlled trials and a set of primary, secondary and additional end points. Taken together, these outcomes offer a nuanced understanding of the efficacy and safety of the investigational agent. In this review, we thoroughly examine the main outcomes used in SLE trials and highlight unmet requirements as well as potential venues for future trial design in SLE.

Changes in Taste Perception in Patients with Minor and Major Cognitive Impairment Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Recorded by Gustatory Evoked Potentials.

Background: The need for early diagnosis biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is growing. Only few studies have reported gustatory dysfunctions in AD using subjective taste tests.

Objective: The main purpose of the study was to explore gustatory functions using subjective taste tests and recordings of gustatory evoked potentials (GEPs) for sucrose solution in patients with minor or major cognitive impairment (CI) linked to AD, and to compare them with healthy controls.

Health-related quality of life, remission and low lupus disease activity state in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: To measure the association between SLE remission and scores of patients-reported outcome (PRO) measures.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of SLE patients with a 2-year follow-up, using Lupus Patient-Reported Outcome (LupusPRO), Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Quality of Life (SLEQOL) and 36-item Short Form (SF-36) questionnaires. Remission was defined as remission off treatment (ROFT) and remission on treatment (RONT) according to the definitions of remission in SLE consensus.

[Correlation between Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) and knowledge examination scores and analysis of factors associated with better OSCE success in fourth and fifth year medicine students at Dijon university hospital].

Rationale: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) were introduced to evaluate students not only on their knowledge, but also on their clinical skills and attitudes. The objectives were to study the correlation between OSCE scores and scores obtained to traditional knowledge examinations and to analyse factors associated with better OSCE performance in DFASM1 and 2 students at Dijon university hospital.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted among all fourth and fifth year medical students in Dijon.

Score to assess the probability of relapse in granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis.

Objective: To develop a score assessing the probability of relapse in granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA).

Methods: Long-term follow-up data from GPA and MPA patients included in five consecutive randomised controlled trials were pooled. Patient characteristics at diagnosis were entered into a competing-risks model, with relapse as the event of interest and death the competing event.

The mediating effect of fatigue in impaired quality of life in systemic lupus erythematosus: mediation analysis of the French EQUAL cohort.

Objectives: Mediation analyses were conducted to measure the extent to which musculoskeletal (MSK) flares and depression affected physical health through excessive fatigue.

Methods: Mediation analyses were performed in a large multicentre cohort of SLE patients. Domains of the LupusQoL and SLEQOL questionnaires were selected as outcomes, MSK flares according to the SELENA-SLEDAI flare index (SFI-R) score and depression defined by Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D) scale as exposures and different fatigue domains from MFI-20 and LupusQoL questionnaires as mediators.

Risk of livedo with antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Livedo is a well-known skin condition in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which correspond to small vessels involvement. The influence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) on the occurrence of livedo is controversial. The aim of our study was to estimate the risk of livedo associated with aPL in patients with SLE.

[Colchicine and non-severe ocular inflammation excluding Behcet's disease: 16 cases and literature review].

Introduction: Colchicine is a narrow therapeutic margin drug that does not have the adverse effects of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Its use in non-severe ocular inflammatory disease excluding Behcet's disease has not been studied.

Methods: We included patients seen in the internal medicine department of Dijon University Hospital consecutively between September 2020 and September 2021 if they had received colchicine during their pathology.

PET/CT of cranial arteries for a sensitive diagnosis of giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: To investigate the performance of cranial PET/CT for the diagnosis of GCA.

Methods: All patients with a suspected diagnosis of GCA were prospectively enrolled in this study and had a digital PET/CT with evaluation of cranial arteries if they had not started glucocorticoids >72 h previously. The diagnosis of GCA was retained after at least 6 months of follow-up if no other diagnosis was considered by the clinician and the patient went into remission after at least 6 consecutive months of treatment.

T-cell immune response predicts the risk of critical SARS-Cov2 infection in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify markers of disease worsening in patients hospitalized for SARS-Cov2 infection.

Patients And Methods: Patients hospitalized for severe recent-onset (<1 week) SARS-Cov2 infection were prospectively included. The percentage of T-cell subsets and plasma IL-6 at admission (before any steroid therapy) were compared between patients who progressed to a critical infection and those who did not.

Quality of Life in the First Year after Ischemic Stroke Treated with Acute Revascularization Therapy.

(1) Background: we aimed to describe the disease-specific quality of life (QoL) of ischemic stroke patients treated with acute revascularization therapy, its evolution from 6 months to 12 months, and associated factors. (2) Methods: QoL was assessed with the SS-QoL in consecutive patients treated with either intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Variables associated with QoL scores and its evolution were studied using multivariate mixed models, and interaction with time.

Pre-existing brain damage and association between severity and prior cognitive impairment in ischemic stroke patients.

Background: We evaluated whether pre-existing brain damage may explain greater severity in cognitively-impaired patients with ischemic stroke (IS).

Methods: IS patients were retrieved from the population-based registry of Dijon, France. Pre-existing damage (leukoaraiosis, old vascular brain lesions, cortical and central brain atrophy) was assessed on initial CT-scan.

Assessment of Prescriptions in Elderly Patients Hospitalized in Medicine Departments.

Drug-related iatrogenesis is an important issue in the elderly population, and preventing iatrogenic accidents helps to reduce hospitalizations. Our study's objective was to evaluate prescriptions in the geriatric population of our establishment. The study conducted is a targeted clinical audit.

Cognitive assessment scale for stroke patients (CASP): A multicentric validation study.

Background: The Mini Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment are commonly used as short screening batteries for assessing cognitive impairment after stroke. However, aphasia or hemispatial neglect may interfere with the results. For this reason, we developed the Cognitive Assessment scale for Stroke Patients (CASP), which takes these conditions into consideration and previously demonstrated its superiority over these scales in terms of feasibility.

Improvement of Treg immune response after treatment with tocilizumab in giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: To study the percentage, suppressive function and plasticity of Treg in giant cell arteritis (GCA), and the effects of glucocorticoids and tocilizumab.

Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 40 controls and 43 GCA patients at baseline and after treatment with glucocorticoids + IV tocilizumab ( = 20) or glucocorticoids ( = 23). Treg percentage and phenotype were assessed by flow cytometry.