Polyarteritis nodosa presenting with severe upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a case report.

Background: Polyarteritis nodosa is a relatively uncommon type of systemic necrotizing vasculitis that primarily affects medium-sized arteries. While gastrointestinal involvement is known in polyarteritis nodosa, heavy gastrointestinal bleeding due to gastric ulceration is relatively uncommon. We present the case of an 81-year-old male of Chinese ethnicity who experienced severe gastrointestinal bleeding as a result of polyarteritis nodosa and an innovative treatment approach for a better patient outcomes.

Expansion of exhausted CD8+ T cells associates with increased pulmonary fungal infection risk in anti-melanoma differentiation associated gene 5 dermatomyositis.

Objectives: Anti-MDA5+ dermatomyositis was associated with poor prognosis due to the high incidence of rapid progressive interstitial lung disease, pulmonary infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the abundance and clinical relevance of exhaustion markers on peripheral CD8 T cells from patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).

Methods: Twenty-nine healthy controls (HCs) and 71 patients with IIM were enrolled, including 42 with anti-MDA5+ and 18 with anti-MDA5- dermatomyositis (DM) and 11 with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS).

Contribution of Necroptosis to Myofiber Death in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies.

Objective: Myofiber necrosis is a significant pathologic characteristic of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), and its molecular mechanism is largely unknown. Necroptosis is a recently identified form of regulated necrotic cell death, and its activation might have crucial biologic consequences. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of necroptosis in IIM muscle damage.

Infection is not rare in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and characteristics of infections in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and analyse risk factors for infection using clinical presentation and biochemical findings of IIM.

Methods: Retrospective review of the medical records of patients with IIM followed up in a single medical centre from January 2008 to January 2018.

Results: Of the 779 patients with IIM, 215 (27.

Clinical characteristics of anti-isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase antibody associated syndrome and comparison with different patient cohorts.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the clinical features of anti-isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (OJ) antibodies in Chinese patients and to compare with previously published cohorts. We reviewed the clinical data of anti-OJ antibody positive patients, including their long-term follow-up.

Results: Anti-OJ antibodies were present in 10 of 1269 (0.

Aberrantly Expressed Galectin-9 Is Involved in the Immunopathogenesis of Anti-MDA5-Positive Dermatomyositis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background: Dermatomyositis (DM) associated rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) has high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Galectin-9 (Gal-9) plays multiple functions in immune regulation. We investigated Gal-9 expression in DM patients and its association with DM-ILD.

Rapid Onset of Efficacy of Baricitinib in Chinese Patients with Moderate to Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results from Study RA-BALANCE.

Introduction: Baricitinib is an oral, selective inhibitor of Janus kinase which demonstrates clinical efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This report aims to analyze the onset time of baricitinib in Chinese patients with moderately to severely active RA who had an inadequate response to methotrexate.

Methods: This post hoc analysis evaluated clinical improvements of Chinese patients treated with baricitinib 4 mg once daily compared with placebo, based on data from a phase 3 study RA-BALANCE.

Increased Levels of Soluble CD206 Associated with Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Dermatomyositis.

Objective: Soluble CD206 (sCD206) is considered a macrophage activation marker, and a previous study proved it as a potential biomarker to predict the severity of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5- (anti-MDA-5-) positive dermatomyositis- (DM-) associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). To investigate the role of sCD206 in various subtypes of DM, we evaluated the serum level of sCD206 in patients with different myositis-specific autoantibodies besides anti-MDA-5 and clarified its clinical significance.

Methods: Commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to detect serum concentrations of sCD206 in 150 patients with DM and 52 healthy controls (HCs).

A novel autoantibody targeting calreticulin is associated with cancer in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-calreticulin autoantibodies (anti-CRT Ab) in a large cohort of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) patients.

Methods: Sera from 469 patients with IIM, 196 patients with other connective tissue diseases, 28 patients with solid tumors and 81 healthy controls were screened for anti-CRT Ab by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using human recombinant CRT protein. Sera from 35 IIM patients were tested using an immunoprecipitation assay to confirm the presence of anti-CRT Ab.

Efficacy and Safety of Baricitinib in Chinese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and the Subgroup Analyses: Results from Study RA-BALANCE.

Introduction: Baricitinib is an oral selective inhibitor of Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and JAK 2, which has demonstrated significant efficacy in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This analysis aims to describe the efficacy and safety of baricitinib in Chinese RA patients with an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX-IR), and to analyze the effects of baseline characteristics on the efficacy of baricitinib treatment.

Methods: In this 52-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 231 Chinese patients with moderately to severely active RA who had MTX-IR were randomly assigned to placebo (n = 115) or baricitinib 4 mg once daily (n = 116).

Anti-Mi-2 antibodies characterize a distinct clinical subset of dermatomyositis with favourable prognosis.

Background: Anti-Mi-2 antibody is a type of myositis-specific autoantibody found in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy patients.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical features and long-term outcomes in anti-Mi-2-positive dermatomyositis (DM) patients.

Materials And Methods: Serum anti-Mi-2β antibodies were detected in 357 DM patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and possible associated clinical features were investigated based on cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.

Identification of a novel autoantibody against heat shock factor 1 in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.

Objectives: Myositis autoantibodies show great utility in the diagnosis and clinico-serological phenotyping of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). We identified a novel autoantibody against heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) and further evaluated its disease specificity and clinical significance in IIM patients.

Methods: A human protein microarray was used to identify autoantibodies in myositis sera.

Survival rate, causes of death, and risk factors in systemic sclerosis: a large cohort study.

To investigate the clinical pattern, survival rate, causes of death and risk factors in a large cohort of Chinese Han patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Inpatients treated from 2002 to 2014 were included in this study. Patients were classified into diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc), limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc), and SSc-overlap syndrome groups.

Targeted capture sequencing identifies novel genetic variations in Chinese patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Objectives: Previous association studies have identified genetic variants in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex as substantial risk factors for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs). However, a great number of genes are located in the HLA region, and thus fine mapping is quite necessary.

Methods: Targeted capture sequencing were performed on the whole HLA region in 42 IIM patients and 24 healthy controls.

The prevalence and clinical significance of anti-PUF60 antibodies in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.

Autoantibodies against poly-U-binding factor 60 kDa protein (PUF60) have been reported in Caucasian dermatomyositis (DM) patients. However, their clinical significance in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) remains to be fully clarified. Our objective was to analyze the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-PUF60 antibodies in a large cohort of Chinese IIM patients.

An efficacy analysis of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis and follow-up of polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Objectives: To evaluate the value of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WBMRI) in diagnosing muscular and extra muscular lesions in patients with polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of WBMRI data from PM/DM patients who met the Bohan and Peter diagnostic criteria was performed. X2 test was used to compare the rate of positive diagnosis of newly diagnosed patients using WBMRI, serum creatine kinase test, and EMG.

A simple method for removing low-density granulocytes to purify T lymphocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Objective: Low-density granulocytes (LDGs) can form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) spontaneously and excessively. When peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are used for studying T lymphocytes, LDGs contained in the PBMCs may decrease the threshold of activating T lymphocytes by forming NETs. This study focused on the profiles of LDGs in common autoimmune diseases and methods for removing LDGs from PBMCs.

Value of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging for screening multifocal osteonecrosis in patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis.

Objective: To assess the value of coronal short-tau inversion recovery whole-body MRI (STIR-WBMRI) for screening osteonecrosis in patients with polymyositis (PM)/dermatomyositis (DM).

Methods: The imaging and medical records of 129 patients with PM/DM who met the Bohan and Peter diagnostic criteria were retrospectively analyzed. STIR-WBMRI was performed in all patients.

The application of T2W SPIR-FLAIR in the diagnosis of hip synovitis in patients with spondyloarthritis.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of T weighted spectral pre-saturation inversion recovery combined with fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2W SPIR-FLAIR) in the diagnosis of hip synovitis in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA).

Methods: 10 volunteers underwent a T2W SPIR and 4 T2W SPIR-FLAIR sequence scans with different inversion times (TIs) to determine the optimum TI that could effectively suppress the intra-articular fluid signals. Hip MRI including T2W SPIR-FLAIR and enhanced T weighted (T1W) SPIR sequences was performed in 45 patients with SpA and totally 90 hips were evaluated.

Transcriptomic profiling of long non-coding RNAs in dermatomyositis by microarray analysis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are prevalently transcribed in the genome and have been found to be of functional importance. However, the potential roles of lncRNAs in dermatomyositis (DM) remain unknown. In this study, a lncRNA + mRNA microarray analysis was performed to profile lncRNAs and mRNAs from 15 treatment-naive DM patients and 5 healthy controls.

Dietary intake and risk of rheumatoid arthritis-a cross section multicenter study.

Environmental factors play an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among these factors, smoking is generally considered to be an established risk factor for RA. Data regarding the impact of diet on risk of RA development is limited.

A randomized, controlled trial of efficacy and safety of Anbainuo, a bio-similar etanercept, for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis inadequately responding to methotrexate.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept (Anbainuo) treatment in Chinese moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX-IR); 600 patients (360 in phase III-1 and 240 in phase III-2) poorly responding to MTX were enrolled in the study and randomized at a ratio of 2:1 into an Anbainuo treatment or control group. The study was designed as a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled period followed by a 12-week open-label study. The primary endpoint was the ACR20 response rate at week 12.

Primary Sjögren syndrome in Han Chinese: clinical and immunological characteristics of 483 patients.

The epidemiological characteristics of Sjögren syndrome (SS) are significantly varied in different countries. We conducted the present study to survey the epidemiological characteristics of primary SS in China. We recruited 483 primary SS patients from 16 Chinese medical centers nationwide from January 2009 to November 2011 and assessed salivary and lacrimal gland dysfunction, organ involvement, and autoimmunity in these patients.