Treat-to-target fixed dose rituximab retreatment versus fixed interval retreatment with disease activity-guided rituximab dose optimisation for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled superiority trial focusing on long-term disease impact (RITUXERA).

Background: The optimal retreatment strategy with rituximab for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains a point of discussion. Depending on local guidelines, rituximab can either be administered at fixed intervals or when losing disease control, balancing therapeutic effectiveness with drug overexposure. However, treatment based on loss of disease control may significantly affect patients' lives, provoking uncertainty and potentially leading to progressive joint damage.

Effectiveness of methotrexate and bridging glucocorticoids with or without early introduction of a 6-month course of etanercept in early RA: results of the 2-year, pragmatic, randomised CareRA2020 trial.

Objectives: To investigate if patients with early rheumatoid arthritis responding insufficiently to initial methotrexate (MTX) and bridging glucocorticoids (GCs) could benefit from early but temporary etanercept introduction as a second remission-induction attempt.

Methods: CareRA2020 (NCT03649061) was a 2-year, open-label, multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Treatment-naïve patients started MTX and GC bridging (COBRA-Slim: CS).

Definitions of rheumatoid arthritis flare and how they relate to patients' perspectives: A scoping review of qualitative and quantitative evidence.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by intermittent flares of disease activity with a significant impact on patients' lives. However, distinguishing flare from daily symptom variation may be approached differently by patients and healthcare providers, potentially hampering shared decision-making when treating RA.

Objectives: To provide a comprehensive overview of RA flare definitions reported in the published literature, and to compare these with patients' perceptions of the flare concept according to qualitative evidence.

Patients' and rheumatologists' perceptions on dose reduction of rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: The recommended dose of a rituximab course for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) consists of two infusions of 1000 mg with a 2-week interval. Evidence is growing that a lower dose could be as effective. We aimed to investigate patients' and rheumatologists' perceptions on dose reduction of rituximab.

To flare or not to flare: patients' and rheumatologists' perceptions on the on-flare retreatment strategy of rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Several retreatment strategies exist for rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In some countries, reimbursement criteria require a loss of disease control for rituximab retreatment. Understanding the patients' and rheumatologists' perceptions regarding this retreatment strategy would be informative in identifying the optimal treatment administration schedule.

Patient-physician discordance impairs outcomes in early rheumatoid arthritis through less consistent treat-to-target implementation.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether patient-physician discordance regarding disease activity affects T2T-implementation and clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This was an analysis of the 2-year T2T-guided trial Care in early RA (CareRA). During year 1, DMARD escalations were mandated by the protocol when DAS28-CRP was >3.

Effectiveness and feasibility of a mobile health self-management intervention in rheumatoid arthritis: study protocol for a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial (AEGORA).

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) considerably impacts patients' lives. Patients' confidence in their ability to manage this impact, or self-efficacy, can be supported with self-management interventions. One approach is to use mobile health (mHealth) applications, which can additionally provide insight into disease impact by remotely monitoring patient-reported outcomes.

Viewpoint: Supporting mental health in the current management of rheumatoid arthritis: time to act!

Although clinical outcomes of RA have vastly improved in recent years, the disease's mental health impact has seemingly not decreased to the same extent. Even today, learning to live with RA is an active process involving several psychological, cognitive, behavioural and emotional pathways. Consequently, mental health disorders are more common in the context of RA than in the general population, and can be particularly detrimental both to patients' quality of life and to clinical outcomes.

Diagnostic yield of combined cranial and large vessel PET/CT, ultrasound and MRI in giant cell arteritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To estimate the diagnostic accuracy of combined cranial and large vessel imaging by PET/CT, ultrasound and MRI for giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science databases were searched from inception till August 31, 2022. Studies were included if they involved patients with suspected GCA and assessed the diagnostic accuracy of combined cranial and large vessel imaging by PET/CT, ultrasound or MRI with the final clinical diagnosis as reference standard.

Glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis: Balancing benefits and harm by leveraging the therapeutic window of opportunity.

Glucocorticoids have been available since the early 1950s and have since become an integral part of the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Due to their rapid effect, glucocorticoids have an appealing profile for treating flares or as "bridging" agents in early RA. The efficacy of glucocorticoids to treat RA has been well established, both to control disease activity and to delay the progression of joint damage.

Engagement and attrition with eHealth tools for remote monitoring in chronic arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Although eHealth tools are potentially useful for remote disease monitoring, barriers include concerns of low engagement and high attrition. We aimed to summarise evidence on patients' engagement and attrition with eHealth tools for remotely monitoring disease activity/impact in chronic arthritis.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for original articles and abstracts published before September 2022.

Validation and predictive capacity of a Dutch version of the FLARE-RA questionnaire within the context of a TNFi-tapering trial.

Flare Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis (FLARE-RA) is a self-administered tool aiming to capture current or recent flares in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to externally validate the FLARE-RA instrument and its existing cutoffs for flare detection within a bDMARD-tapering context in established RA. Data were analyzed from the Tapering Etanercept in Rheumatoid Arthritis (TapERA) trial, which studied the feasibility of tapering etanercept in patients with established RA in sustained remission.

Longitudinal trajectories of fatigue in early RA: the role of inflammation, perceived disease impact and early treatment response.

Objective: Fatigue is common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to explore its longitudinal course, predictors and association with disease activity in early RA.

Methods: Data came from the 2-year treat-to-target trial CareRA (Care in early RA) and its 3-year extension.

Psychological stress in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic scoping review.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) considerably impacts patients' mental health. However, it is largely unclear how people suffering from RA experience psychological stress beyond depression or anxiety, and what drives stress in these patients.

Objective: To examine the impact of RA on psychological stress, as follows: 1) How is stress defined and described in studies on RA? 2) Do patients with RA experience more stress than the general population or people suffering from other chronic conditions? 3) What are risk factors for developing stress in this context?

Methods: We systematically searched EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection and Cochrane Library for English language peer-reviewed reports published up to 19 April 2020.

New indicator for discordance between patient-reported and traditional disease activity outcomes in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To unravel disease impact in early RA by separately quantifying patient-reported (PRF), clinical (CF) and laboratory (LF) factors. We propose a new indicator, the discordance score (DS), for early identification and prediction of patient's unmet needs and of future achievement of sustained remission (SR) and RA-related quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Factor-scores obtained by factor analysis in the CareRA trial, allowed to compute DS, reflecting the difference between PRF and the mean of CF and LF.

Psychosocial Burden Predicts Sustained Remission in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Unraveling the Complex Interplay of Well-Being and Disease Activity.

Objective: This study investigated how psychosocial aspects of disease affect the probability of achieving sustained remission in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and explored the directionality of this relationship.

Methods: Data were analyzed from the randomized controlled Care in Early RA trial. Sustained remission was defined as a continued Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the C-reactive protein level (DAS28-CRP) of <2.

The perception of stakeholders on the applicability of nurse-led clinics in the management of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: RA should be treated to target in a process of shared decision-making with patients. Person-centred care is essential to meeting specific patient needs. Nurse-led clinics, where a nurse is responsible for care, have demonstrated added value in some countries but are still not implemented widely.

Treatment response and several patient-reported outcomes are early determinants of future self-efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Self-efficacy, or patients' confidence in their ability to control disease and its consequences, was recently prioritised in EULAR recommendations for inflammatory arthritis self-management strategies. However, it remains unclear which factors influence self-efficacy in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Data were analysed from the 2-year RCT Care in early RA (CareRA), which studied remission-induction treatment regimens for early RA.