Evidence of persistent glial cell dysfunction in the anterior cingulate cortex of juvenile idiopathic arthritis children: a proton MRS study.

Background: This study aims to investigate whether the neurometabolites of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) were distinct in patients with active and inactive juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) using the proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Methods: We measured the levels of total N-acetylaspartate (tNAA), choline (Cho), myo-inositol (ml), glutamate (Glu) and the complex of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) relative to total creatine (tCr) in ACC of each participant.

Results: Compared with the healthy controls, a significant decrease of total Cho/tCr and Glx/tCr ratio in ACC occurred in active and inactive JIA group.

Clinical and laboratory features, treatment, and outcomes of macrophage activation syndrome in 80 children: a multi-center study in China.

Background: Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric rheumatology. We aimed to further understand the clinical features, treatment, and outcome of MAS in China.

Methods: A multi-center cohort study was performed in seven hospitals in China from 2012 to 2018.