2024 Update of the Japan College of Rheumatology Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis - secondary publication.

Objectives: To update the Japan College of Rheumatology Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (CPG for RA).

Methods: The recommendations were developed based on the evidence published until the end of June 2022 using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). The steering committee, CPG panel, systematic review (SR) group, and SR support team were organised.

Efficacy of imeglimin treatment versus metformin dose escalation on glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes treated with a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor plus low-dose metformin: A multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group comparison study (MEGMI study).

Aims: To compare the efficacy of adding imeglimin versus that of metformin dose escalation on glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes treated with a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor plus low-dose metformin (500-1000 mg/day).

Materials And Methods: In this multicentre, open-labelled, prospective, randomized, parallel-group comparison study, the addition of imeglimin (2000 mg/day) or metformin escalation was applied for 24 weeks in eligible subjects. The primary endpoint was the mean change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) over 24 weeks.

Loss of aquaporin-4 impairs cerebrospinal fluid solute clearance through cerebrospinal fluid drainage pathways.

The aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channel is essential in neurofluid dynamics. AQP4 loss impairs solute exchange between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF). However, whether AQP4 expression affects solute clearance from the CSF space to the extracranial space remains unclear.

Efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis refractory to biologic therapy: 2-year clinical and radiographic results from the open-label extension of the SELECT-AXIS 2 study.

Background: The efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and inadequate response/intolerance to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD-IR) were evaluated through 1 year in the SELECT-AXIS 2 study. Here, we assess 2-year efficacy, safety, and imaging outcomes in SELECT-AXIS 2.

Methods: Patients who received continuous upadacitinib, and those who switched from placebo to upadacitinib at week 14, could enter the open-label extension (OLE).