Dramatic improvement with colchicine in antihistamine- and omalizumab-resistant chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is defined as the presence of recurrent urticaria, angioedema or both without any specific triggers, which persists for ≥ 6 weeks. Refractory cases to standard therapeutic regimens including antihistamines, immunosuppressants and biologics have been reported. Therefore, it is crucial to evolve novel therapeutic strategies through accumulating refractory CSU cases, which are successfully treated.

A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label Trial of Early versus Late Favipiravir Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Favipiravir is an oral broad-spectrum inhibitor of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that is approved for treatment of influenza in Japan. We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial of favipiravir for the treatment of COVID-19 at 25 hospitals across Japan. Eligible patients were adolescents and adults admitted with COVID-19 who were asymptomatic or mildly ill and had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1.

Efficacy and safety of sodium RISedronate for glucocorticoid-induced OsTeoporosis with rheumaTOid arthritis (RISOTTO study): A multicentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: No evidence has shown the efficacy of Sodium Risedronate (Risedronate) for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of Risedronate for GIO complicated with RA.

Methods: This was a six-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 95 patients with GIO complicated with RA from 19 centers.

Calcineurin inhibitors for adult-onset Still's disease: a multicentre retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To clarify the efficacy and safety of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) for treating adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD).

Methods: This multicentre historical cohort study enrolled the consecutive patients with AOSD according to Yamaguchi classification criteria. The endpoints were set as the time from the initiation of treatment to events, the persistency rate of CNI and safety.

Crystalglobulinemia manifesting as chronic arthralgia and acute limb ischemia: A clinical case report.

Rationale: Crystalglobulinemia is a rare disease caused by monoclonal immunoglobulins, characterized by irreversible crystallization on refrigeration. It causes systemic symptoms including purpura, arthralgia, and vessel occlusive conditions to be exacerbated by exposure to cold. We report a patient with crystalglobulinemia associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) manifesting as chronic arthralgia and recurrent acute arterial occlusion.

Maintenance treatment using abatacept with dose reduction after achievement of low disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (MATADOR) - A prospective, multicenter, single arm pilot clinical trial.

Objectives: To preliminarily evaluate the feasibility of maintenance therapy with reduced dose of intravenous abatacept (ABT) to 250 mg/body/month after achieving remission or low disease activity (LDA).

Patients And Methods: RA patients treated with ABT at 13 sites were enrolled in this prospective interventional pilot study during the period between March 2013 and March 2015. Inclusion criteria were (1) age at 20 years or older, (2) under treatment with monthly intravenous ABT at approved doses, (3) DAS28-CRP lower than 2.

Semi-Automated Quantification of Finger Joint Space Narrowing Using Tomosynthesis in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The purpose of the study is to validate the semi-automated method using tomosynthesis images for the assessment of finger joint space narrowing (JSN) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), by using the semi-quantitative scoring method as the reference standard. Twenty patients (14 females and 6 males) with RA were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent radiography and tomosynthesis of the bilateral hand and wrist.

Tomosynthesis can facilitate accurate measurement of joint space width under the condition of the oblique incidence of X-rays in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Accurate evaluation of joint space width (JSW) is important in the assessment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In clinical radiography of bilateral hands, the oblique incidence of X-rays is unavoidable, which may cause perceptional or measurement error of JSW. The objective of this study was to examine whether tomosynthesis, a recently developed modality, can facilitate a more accurate evaluation of JSW than radiography under the condition of oblique incidence of X-rays.

AP-VAS 2012 case report: an atypical case of microscopic polyangiitis presenting with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis without glomerular change.

Renal involvement in myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA)-associated vasculitis is frequently characterized by focal segmental crescentic and/or necrotizing glomerulonephritis. However, a few cases of only tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) involvement without any apparent glomerular lesions have been reported. Here we report just such a case.

Antigenic structures recognized by anti-beta2-glycoprotein I auto-antibodies.

Beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2-GPI) is a major antigen for anti-cardiolipin antibodies and their epitopes are cryptic. Conformation of each domain of beta2-GPI was optimized from its crystal structure by energy minimization and by molecular dynamics simulation. Three electrostatic interactions, i.