Fetal growth and preterm birth in children exposed to maternal or paternal rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide cohort study.

Objective: To assess indicators of fetal growth and risk of preterm birth in children of parents with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Through linkage of Danish national registries, we identified all children born in Denmark between 1977 and 2008. We used general linear regression models to estimate mean differences in indicators of fetal growth among children with a parent with RA compared to unexposed children.

Monitoring patients with rheumatoid arthritis in routine care: experiences from a treat-to-target strategy using the DANBIO registry.

Objectives: Advances in aggressive use of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) as well as biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) have improved the treatment armamentarium for rheumatologists, and modern treatment principles include a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy. However, little is known about the feasibility of a T2T strategy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated in routine care. The aim of the present study was to (i) present the annual number of patients included in DANBIO between 2006 and 2013 and their disease characteristics and (ii) estimate coverage of DANBIO by 2013.

CRP genotype and haplotype associations with serum C-reactive protein level and DAS28 in untreated early rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Introduction: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene are implicated in the regulation of the constitutional C-reactive protein (CRP) expression and its response to proinflammatory stimuli. Previous reports suggest that these effects may have an impact on clinical decision-making tools based on CRP, such as the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28). We aimed to investigate the possible association between seven CRP SNPs, their haplotypes and the serum levels of CRP, as well as DAS28 scores, in two cohorts of untreated active early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients followed during their initial treatment.

Soluble OX40L is associated with presence of autoantibodies in early rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: OX40 and its ligand OX40L are key components in the generation of adaptive memory response and provide necessary co-stimulatory signals for activated effector T cells. Here we investigate the dual roles of the membrane and soluble (s) forms of OX40 and OX40L in plasma and synovial fluid and their association with autoantibodies and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Soluble OX40 and sOX40L plasma levels were measured in treatment-naïve early RA patients (eRA) at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment with methotrexate and adalimumab (n = 39) and with methotrexate alone (n = 37).

The association of fatigue, comorbidity burden, disease activity, disability and gross domestic product in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Results from 34 countries participating in the Quest-RA program.

Objectives: The aim is to assess the prevalence of comorbidities and to further analyse to which degree fatigue can be explained by comorbidity burden, disease activity, disability and gross domestic product (GDP) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Nine thousands eight hundred seventy-four patients from 34 countries, 16 with high GDP (>24.000 US dollars [USD] per capita) and 18 low-GDP countries (<24.

Which factors influence radiographic progression during treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in clinical practice? Results from 930 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the nationwide Danish DANBIO registry.

Objective: To investigate baseline characteristics associated with radiographic progression and the effect of disease activity, drug, switching, and withdrawal on radiographic progression in tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor-naive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) followed for about 2 years after anti-TNF initiation in clinical practice.

Methods: DANBIO-registered patients with RA who had available radiographs (anti-TNF initiation and ∼2 yrs followup) were included. Radiographs were scored, blinded to chronology with the Sharp/van der Heijde method and linked with DANBIO data.

CXCL13 predicts disease activity in early rheumatoid arthritis and could be an indicator of the therapeutic 'window of opportunity'.

Introduction: A key phenomenon in rheumatoid arthritis is the formation of lymphoid follicles in the inflamed synovial membrane. C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13) is central in this process as it attracts C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5)-expressing B cells and T follicular helper cells to the follicle. We here examine the role of CXCL13 and its association with disease in patients with treatment-naïve early rheumatoid arthritis.

Interactions between smoking, increased serum levels of anti-CCP antibodies, rheumatoid factors, and erosive joint disease in patients with early, untreated rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To determine to what extent shared epitopes, smoking, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies are associated with disease activity and erosive disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at disease onset.

Method: RA patients not previously treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and with a disease duration of < 6 months (CIMESTRA study) were examined for shared epitopes, anti-CCP antibodies, immunoglobulin M rheumatoid factor (IgM-RF) and IgA-RF, radiographic erosive changes in hands and feet, and clinical disease activity.

Results: The study comprised 153 patients, of whom 104 (68%) were ever-smokers.

Association between tobacco smoking and response to tumour necrosis factor α inhibitor treatment in psoriatic arthritis: results from the DANBIO registry.

Objectives: To investigate the association between tobacco smoking and disease activity, treatment adherence and treatment responses among patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) initiating the first tumour necrosis factor α inhibitor therapy (TNFi) in routine care.

Methods: Observational cohort study based on the Danish nationwide DANBIO registry. Kaplan-Meier plots, logistic and Cox regression analyses by smoking status (current/previous/never smoker) were calculated for treatment adherence, ACR20/50/70-responses and EULAR-good-response.

Anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis patients is associated with genetic variation in the NLRP3-inflammasome.

Objective: Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) benefit from tumor necrosis factor-α blocking treatment (anti-TNF), but about one third do not respond. The objective of this study was to replicate and extend previously found associations between anti-TNF treatment response and genetic variation in the TNF-, NF-κB- and pattern recognition receptor signalling pathways.

Methods: Forty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 34 functional, in 28 genes involved in inflammatory pathways were assessed in 538 anti-TNF naive Danish RA patients with clinical data.

Impact of different infliximab dose regimens on treatment response and drug survival in 462 patients with psoriatic arthritis: results from the nationwide registries DANBIO and ICEBIO.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe dose regimens, dose escalation and clinical outcomes in TNF-α inhibitor (TNFi)-naive patients with PsA treated with infliximab in routine rheumatology care.

Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study based on the nationwide Danish Rheumatologic Database (DANBIO) and Center for Rheumatology Research (ICEBIO) registries. Stratified by country, characteristics of patients treated with ≤3 mg infliximab/kg body weight, 3-5 mg/kg or ≥5 mg/kg every 8 weeks were described.

Contact frequency, travel time, and travel costs for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives. To investigate travel time, and travel cost related to contacts with health care providers for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during a three-month period. Methods.

A novel ECG-index for prediction of ventricular arrhythmias in patients after myocardial infarction.

Background: Risk prediction of ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction (MI) is still insufficient. Prolonged QTc is a known risk marker of mortality and ventricular arrhythmias. QTc has not achieved clinical importance in predicting arrhythmic events in patients after MI.

Diagnostic delay in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: results from the Danish nationwide DANBIO registry.

Background/purpose: Early diagnosis of inflammatory rheumatic diseases is important in order to improve long-term outcome. We studied whether delay in diagnosis (time between onset of symptoms and establishment of diagnosis) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PSA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) changed from year 2000 to 2011.

Methods: Month and year of initial symptoms and diagnosis, gender, hospital, year of birth and date of first data entry were obtained for 13,721 patients with RA, PSA or AS who had been registered in the DANBIO registry.

A treat-to-target strategy with methotrexate and intra-articular triamcinolone with or without adalimumab effectively reduces MRI synovitis, osteitis and tenosynovitis and halts structural damage progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the OPERA randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate whether a treat-to-target strategy with methotrexate and intra-articular glucocorticosteroid injections suppresses MRI inflammation and halts structural damage progression in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA), and whether adalimumab provides an additional effect.

Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 85 disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naïve patients with ERA were randomised to receive methotrexate, intra-articular glucocorticosteroid injections and placebo/adalimumab (43/42). Contrast-enhanced MRI of the right hand was performed at months 0, 6 and 12.

Determining a magnetic resonance imaging inflammatory activity acceptable state without subsequent radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis: results from a followup MRI study of 254 patients in clinical remission or low disease activity.

Objective: To assess the predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected subclinical inflammation for subsequent radiographic progression in a longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission or low disease activity (LDA), and to determine cutoffs for an MRI inflammatory activity acceptable state in RA in which radiographic progression rarely occurs.

Methods: Patients with RA in clinical remission [28-joint Disease Activity Score-C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) < 2.6, n = 185] or LDA state (2.

Differentiation between early rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy persons by conventional and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: To identify the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameter that best differentiates healthy persons and patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to investigated responsiveness to treatment of various MRI parameters.

Method: Conventional MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI of the hand were performed once for 26 healthy persons, and before and after 6 and 12 months of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment for 14 early RA patients, using a 1.0-T MRI unit.

Increased soluble programmed death-1 (sPD-1) is associated with disease activity and radiographic progression in early rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is an immunoregulatory molecule functioning by down-regulating immune responses. PD-1 is present on follicular helper T cells (TFH) and is important in the formation of plasma cells. PD-1 exists in a bioactive soluble form (sPD-1) and is thought to be implicated in disease activity in chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

M-ficolin levels reflect disease activity and predict remission in early rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To assess plasma M-ficolin concentrations in disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to investigate the correlation of M-ficolin concentrations with disease activity markers, and to determine the predictive value of M-ficolin with respect to the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28).

Methods: The study group included 180 DMARD-naive patients with early RA who participated in a randomized controlled trial of methotrexate and intraarticular glucocorticoids plus either adalimumab or placebo/adalimumab. One hundred healthy control subjects and 51 patients with chronic RA were also assessed.

Upregulated baseline plasma CCL19 and CCR7 cell-surface expression on monocytes in early rheumatoid arthritis normalized during treatment and CCL19 correlated with radiographic progression.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure, in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, the concentration of CC-chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19) in plasma and the cell-surface expression of CC-chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) on circulating monocytes and CD4+ T lymphocytes and to analyse correlations with disease activity and 5-year radiographic progression.

Method: In disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD)-naïve RA patients (disease duration < 6 months), we measured plasma CCL19 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (n = 160) and CCR7 cell-surface expression on monocytes and CD4+ T lymphocytes by flow cytometry (n = 40) at baseline and after 1 year of treatment with methotrexate (MTX) or methotrexate+cyclosporin A (MTX/CyA). Radiographic progression was scored by the van der Heijde-modified Total Sharp Score (TSS) from 0 to 5 years.

Gain in quality-adjusted life-years in patients with rheumatoid arthritis during 1 year of biological therapy: a prospective study in clinical practice.

Objective: The quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) is used to measure outcome in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) studies; identification of drivers of a gain in QALY might help predict a treatment response. We investigated how changes in components of the Disease Activity Score-28 joints (DAS28) were associated with the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) responses; and what baseline variables predicted the change in QALY following 1 year of biological therapy.

Methods: Data were collected at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months of biological therapy in Danish patients with RA and included bDAS28, sociodemographic data, comorbidity, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and EQ-5D scored using the Danish algorithm.

Periarticular and generalised bone loss in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis: influence of alendronate and intra-articular glucocorticoid treatment. Post hoc analyses from the CIMESTRA trial.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the influence of alendronate and intra-articular betamethasone treatment on bone mineral density (BMD) changes in hand, lumbar spine and femoral neck during 1 year of a treat-to-target study (Cyclosporine, Methotrexate, Steroid in RA (CIMESTRA)).

Patients And Methods: A hundred and sixty patients with early, active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) received methotrexate, intra-articular betamethasone and ciclosporin /placebo-ciclosporin. Patients with Z-score ≤0 also started alendronate 10 mg/day.