Impact of the longitudinal quantitative assessment of juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus severity on the disease outcome.

Objectives: This study on juvenile SLE patients aimed to evaluate retrospectively the impact of a tertiary center's management policy of the disease severity on its long-term progression and cumulative damage development as well as provision of quality-driven medical care (QmC).

Methods: Disease activity was assessed by the Physician Global Assessment and SLEDAI-2K, flares by SELENA/SLEDAI, and damage by the pediatric SLICC/DI at diagnosis, 6 months post-diagnosis, and annually thereafter. At the same time, QmC was evaluated by relevant indices and quality of life was captured by the Greek version of the General Health Questionnaire only at the last visit.

The Greek version of the Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR).

The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) is a new parent/patient-reported outcome measure that enables a thorough assessment of the disease status in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We report the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the parent and patient versions of the JAMAR in the Greek language. The reading comprehension of the questionnaire was tested in 10 JIA parents and patients.

Methotrexate withdrawal at 6 vs 12 months in juvenile idiopathic arthritis in remission: a randomized clinical trial.

Context: Novel therapies have improved the remission rate in chronic inflammatory disorders including juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Therefore, strategies of tapering therapy and reliable parameters for detecting subclinical inflammation have now become challenging questions.

Objectives: To analyze whether longer methotrexate treatment during remission of JIA prevents flares after withdrawal of medication and whether specific biomarkers identify patients at risk for flares.

Antenatal betamethasone does not influence lymphocyte apoptosis in preterm neonates.

Despite the widespread use of antenatal glucocorticosteroids (GCs), the possibility of adverse effects on the immune response in preterm neonates remains a major concern. GCs stimulate lymphocyte apoptosis, resulting in lymphopenia and functional disorders, which have been associated with sepsis-related death in critically ill neonates. We sought to assess the effect of antenatal betamethasone (BM) on lymphocyte apoptosis in preterm neonates.

IL-18 is correlated with type-2 immune response in children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome.

Children with steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) is thought to have dysregulated type-1/type-2 cytokine network. Interleukin (IL)-18 is a cytokine, which may enhance both type-1 and type-2 responses, depending on the cytokines milieu. This prospective study aimed to assess type-1/type-2 cytokine synthesis and production profile in different stages of SSNS and define the potent involvement of IL-18.

The significance of persistent newly developed autoantibodies in JIA patients under long-term anti-TNF treatment.

Objective: To study the significance of persistent (12 months) new autoantibodies, in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) patients treated with either Infliximab (INFL) or Etanercept (ET) for 2 years.

Patients-methods: 26 children under INFL (n=12) or ET (n=14) were prospectively studied. A large panel of autoantibodies was tested using indirect immunofluorescence (ANA, anti-dsDNA, anti-ENA, SMA, LKM, AMA, PCA, anti-R1, ATA), ELISA (ANA, anti-ENA, anti-cardiolipin, ANCA), immunoblotting assay (anti-ENA: anti-Ro, anti-La, anti-Sm, anti-URNP, anti-Jo, anti-Scl70, anti-centromere, anti-ribosomal and anti-histone) and rate nephelometry (RF).

Proxy-reported health-related quality of life of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization multinational quality of life cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the proxy-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its determinants in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: In this multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional study, HRQOL of patients with JIA was assessed through the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) and was compared with that of healthy children of similar age from the same geographic area. Potential determinants of HRQOL included demographic data, physician's and parent's global assessments, measures of joint inflammation, Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Plasma RANTES increase during the first month of life independently of the feeding mode.

The chemokine RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted) plays a significant role in the innate immunity, which is particularly important in the neonatal period. In this study, we aimed to investigate the ability of the neonate to increase plasma levels of RANTES in the first month of life, and the possible impact of breast feeding on this ability. The study population consisted of 125 healthy term neonates that were exclusively breast-fed (n = 62) or formula-fed (n = 63) for at least 1 month after birth.

The Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization/American College of Rheumatology provisional criteria for the evaluation of response to therapy in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus: prospective validation of the definition of improvement.

Objective: To use the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization (PRINTO) core set of outcome measures to develop a validated definition of improvement for the evaluation of response to therapy in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Thirty-seven experienced pediatric rheumatologists from 27 countries, each of whom had specific experience in the assessment of juvenile SLE patients, achieved consensus on 128 patient profiles as being clinically improved or not improved. Using the physicians' consensus ratings as the gold standard measure, the chi-square, sensitivity, specificity, false-positive and false-negative rates, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and kappa level of agreement for 597 candidate definitions of improvement were calculated.

Intracellular and plasma cytokine profile in neonates born to non-atopic parents: the impact of breast feeding.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to profile the changes in intracellular and plasma cytokines during the neonatal period and evaluate the impact of breast feeding on these parameters. For this purpose, we measured the interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 producing CD3+/CD69+ T-cells using flow cytometry and plasma concentrations of interferon (IFN)-gamma and IL-4 using ELISA, in 122 healthy term neonates, aged 6-12 h, born to non-atopic parents, and 25 healthy children aged 1-12 years. A total of 42/122 neonates exclusively breast-fed (BF) and 39/122 formula fed (FF) were studied again on the 30th day of life for the above parameters.

In vivo effect of rhGM-CSF And rhG-CSF on monocyte HLA-DR expression of septic neonates.

Objective: To investigate the effect of rhGM-CSF and rhG-CSF on the monocyte HLA-DR expression of septic neonates.

Subjects: 60 septic neonates and 41 healthy ones. Septic neonates were randomly assigned into three treatment groups, the GM-CSF group [n=20, rhGM-CSF 5 mcg/kg/d for 4 days, intravenously over 2h (IV)], the G-CSF group (n=20, rhG-CSF 10 mcg/kg/d for 4 days, IV) and the placebo group (n=20, normal saline for 4 days, IV).