Publications by authors named "Hermine Brunner"

Objective: Prognostic factors associated with medication discontinuation in children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) remain largely elusive. We aim to identify the predictors of medication-free remission (MFR) in children with JDM.

Methods: In this retrospective study, patients diagnosed with JDM according to Peter & Bohan criteria and followed for ≥18 months at a tertiary care center from 2006 through 2022 were included.

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Article Synopsis
  • Over 300,000 children in the U.S. have pediatric rheumatic diseases (PRDs), with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), and juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) being the most prevalent.
  • The first biologic therapy for JIA, Etanercept, was approved in 1999, followed by other similar treatments that have significantly improved disease outcomes, though options for cSLE and JDM remain limited.
  • The review explores the challenges in treating various PRDs, highlights advancements in treatment, and discusses current regulatory conditions affecting bDMARD and tsDMARD approvals.
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  • The syndrome of undifferentiated recurrent fevers (SURF) is marked by recurring fevers and inflammation without a clear hereditary cause, differing from PFAPA syndrome.
  • A study involving 46 patients highlighted that those with SURF often exhibited more skin rashes and joint pain, while having fewer cases of throat infections and swollen lymph nodes compared to PFAPA patients.
  • The results also indicated that patients with SURF showed higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and frequently needed biologic treatments, suggesting distinct clinical features and potential genetic factors that warrant further investigation.
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Background: Uveitis is an inflammatory ocular disease secondary to disruption of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and blood retinal barrier (BRB). Known clinical factors do not accurately predict uveitis risk in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Tear fluid is easily obtained for biomarker study.

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Objective: This work aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of upadacitinib, an oral selective JAK inhibitor, in pediatric patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA).

Methods: In an open-label, phase 1 study (SELECT-YOUTH), enrolled patients, aged 2 to <18 years with pcJIA, received body weight-based upadacitinib doses using a twice-daily oral solution or once-daily extended-release tablet based on their body weight and ability to swallow tablets. The study included a 7-day pharmacokinetic assessment, followed by a long-term efficacy and safety evaluation for up to 156 weeks, including an additional long-term safety cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Current treatment decisions often rely on general clinical trial data or insurance policies, rather than considering the individual characteristics of the patient and the unique effects of treatments.
  • * A proposed solution is to use digital health technology to create a tool that incorporates real-world patient data, enabling personalized treatment decisions through shared discussions between families and rheumatologists.
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Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate occupational and hobby exposures to silica, solvents, and heavy metals and the odds of having the idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) phenotypes dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) versus inclusion body myositis (IBM), lung disease plus fever or arthritis (LD+), and systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease-associated overlap myositis (OM).

Methods: The sample included 1,390 patients (598 with DM, 409 with PM, and 383 with IBM) aged ≥18 years from a national registry. Of these, 218 (16%) were identified with LD+, and 166 (12%) with OM.

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Objective: To assess changes in gene expression following tofacitinib treatment and investigate transcription patterns as potential predictors of treatment response in patients with active juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Whole-blood samples were collected from patients with JIA at baseline and after 18 weeks of open-label tofacitinib treatment. Patients who achieved a JIA-American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response of 70% or above at week 18 were classified as treatment responders (TRs), whereas those with at most a JIA-ACR30 were classified as poor responders (PRs).

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Objective: We compared the measurement properties of a traditional physician global assessment of disease activity (PhGA) 10-cm visual analog scale (PhGA) with that of the three-point numeric scale (PhGA) in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) as part of the childhood Lupus Low Disease Activity State (cLLDAS).

Methods: We used a secondary data analysis from a convenience sample of 100 patients with cSLE followed every three months for up to seven visits. Ratings of PhGA, PhGA, parent assessment of patient well-being (ParGA) (range: 0= very poorly, 10 = very well), disease activity as measured by the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2k), Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment (SELENA) SLEDAI, and the British Isles International Lupus Activity Group index (BILAG; A = 9, B = 3, C = 1, D/E = 0) were compared.

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  • Some experts and patients worked together to create a set of important data to help study childhood lupus, a disease that affects children.
  • They made two datasets: a Core Dataset with 46 necessary items and an Expanded Dataset with 26 extra items, to help gather more information.
  • This new information will help researchers around the world study childhood lupus better by using the same important facts and details.
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Objective: To validate the ankle-specific Pediatric Arthritis Ultrasound Scoring System (PAUSS-ankle) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of JIA prospectively underwent a standard clinical assessment and musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) of one or both ankles. B-mode and Power-Doppler mode MSUS images were acquired and scored according to the PAUSS-ankle protocol.

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Objective: We examine levels of candidate blood-based biomarkers (CBBs) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treated with tofacitinib.

Methods: Patients with JIA who participated in clinical trial NCT02592434 received tofacitinib from baseline to week 18. Serial serum samples were assayed for CBBs (S100A8/9, S100A12, interleukin-18 [IL-18], serum amyloid A, resistin, vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2, matrix metalloproteinase 8 [MMP8], MMP2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1, leptin, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 9, soluble IL-2 receptor, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor, IL-6, IL-23, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 18 [CCL18], and CCL20).

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Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a multisystemic involvement diagnosed during childhood. The disease is marked by the production of autoantibodies targeting self-antigens, often before symptoms emerge. The presentation, clinical course, and outcome vary significantly among patients with cSLE.

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Objective: To report pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, clinical effect, and safety of intravenous (IV) golimumab in children with active polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA) who participated in A Study to Evaluate the Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Golimumab in Pediatric Participants With Active Polyarticular Course Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Despite Methotrexate Therapy (GO-VIVA)'s open-label, long-term extension (LTE) through week 252.

Methods: GO-VIVA participants who continued IV golimumab (80 mg/m every 8 weeks) after week 52 were included. PK and safety were assessed through week 244 (last dose) and week 252, respectively, and clinical response through week 116.

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Background: The safety and efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for lupus nephritis (LN) treatment is established in adults and in some children. MMF is rapidly converted to the biologically active metabolite mycophenolic acid (MPA) whose pharmacokinetics (PK) is characterized by large inter- and intra-individual variability.

Methods/design: This randomized, double-blind, active comparator, controlled clinical trial of pediatric subjects with proliferative LN compares pharmacokinetically-guided precision-dosing of MMF (MMF, i.

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Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) comprises a heterogeneous group of conditions that can cause marked disability and diminished quality of life. Data on predictors of clinical response are insufficient to guide selection of the appropriate biologic agent for individual patients. This study aimed to investigate the propensity of S100A8/9 and S100A12 as predictive biomarkers of abatacept response in polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluates the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of tofacitinib in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in a long-term extension (LTE) study.
  • Out of 225 patients treated with tofacitinib, a high percentage experienced adverse events (AEs), although serious AEs were relatively low, with a focus on infection rates and disease activity.
  • Results showed significant improvement in disease activity scores over time, with a notable increase in patients achieving inactive disease status after 48 months of treatment.
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Purpose Of Review: This review will provide updates in the outcomes in the common rheumatologic diseases with kidney involvement. Covered are also advances in therapeutics for the use of pediatric rheumatologic diseases with kidney involvement, as well as the potential kidney complications from other rheumatologic diseases and their medications.

Recent Findings: Two of the more common rheumatologic diseases with kidney involvement, lupus and vasculitis, continue to show inadequate response to initial therapy of renal disease and practice continues to be driven by results of adult studies.

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Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous tocilizumab (SC-TCZ) treatment in a long-term extension (LTE) of clinical trials in polyarticular or systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA or sJIA).

Methods: Patients with pJIA or sJIA from two open-label, 52-week phase 1b core trials of SC-TCZ who had adequate response per investigator assessment entered the LTE and continued SC-TCZ treatment according to body weight-based dosing regimens until commercial availability or up to 5 years. Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy were assessed for up to 3 years, and safety for up to 5 years in the LTE.

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Objective: The aim of this study was to report the interim 5-year safety and effectiveness of abatacept in patients with JIA in the PRINTO/PRCSG registry.

Methods: The Abatacept JIA Registry (NCT01357668) is an ongoing observational study of children with JIA receiving abatacept; enrolment started in January 2013. Clinical sites enrolled patients with JIA starting or currently receiving abatacept.

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The substantial morbidity and mortality associated with refractory systemic JIA underlies the need for new treatment approaches. However, progress in this area has been limited by the difficulty of enrolling these patients in clinical trials with traditional designs, particularly in patients presenting with the life-threatening macrophage activation syndrome. At the NextGen 2022 conference, there was group consensus that using historical cohorts as a control group to avoid the need for a placebo-arm or drug withdrawal was highly desirable and might be acceptable for clinical trials in MAS to support medication efficacy and safety.

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Objective: The scope of clinical practice of pediatric rheumatology has been difficult to define. The lack of definition prevents an accurate understanding of the knowledge and skills required of practicing pediatric rheumatologists. A practice analysis process was used with the goal of establishing a precise definition of clinical pediatric rheumatology practice.

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Objective: To describe the efficacy and safety data of children with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA) treated with abatacept (ABA) + methotrexate (MTX) or ABA monotherapy when prior MTX use was either ineffective or not tolerated.

Methods: Posthoc analysis of 2 phase III trials of subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous (IV) ABA over 2 years in patients with pcJIA (aged 2-17 years). Patients were stratified by treatment with ABA + MTX or ABA monotherapy and further by prior biologic use.

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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease of high unmet therapeutic need. The challenge of accurately measuring clinically meaningful responses to treatment has hindered progress towards positive outcomes in SLE trials, impeding the approval of potential new therapies. Current primary end points used in SLE trials are based on legacy disease activity measures that were neither specifically designed for the clinical trial context, nor developed according to contemporary recommendations for clinical outcome assessments (COAs), such as that substantial patient input should be incorporated into their design.

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