Towards the Lowest Efficacious Dose: Results From a Multicenter Noninferiority Randomized Open-Label Controlled Trial Assessing Tocilizumab or Abatacept Injection Spacing in Rheumatoid Arthritis in Remission.

Objective: We assess the clinical and structural impact at two years of progressively spacing tocilizumab (TCZ) or abatacept (ABA) injections versus maintenance at full dose in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in sustained remission.

Methods: This multicenter open-label noninferiority (NI) randomized clinical trial included patients with established rheumatoid arthritis in sustained remission receiving ABA or TCZ at a stable dose. Patients were randomized to treatment maintenance (M) at full dose (M-arm) or progressive injection spacing (S) driven by the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints every 3 months up to biologics discontinuation (S-arm).

Cancer screening in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

Cancer is a major public health concern, and screening for cancer is a on-going issue in our practice. The risk of cancer in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases varies according to their personal medical history, underlying rheumatic disease and its treatment. However, to date, no rheumatology learned society has established specific recommendations for cancer screening in patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases.

A Risk Score to Detect Subclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease.

Objective: Patients at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) would benefit from being identified before the onset of respiratory symptoms; this can be done by screening patients with the use of chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Our objective was to develop and validate a risk score for patients who have subclinical RA-ILD.

Methods: Our study included a discovery population and a replication population from 2 prospective RA cohorts (ESPOIR and TRANSLATE2, respectively) without pulmonary symptoms who had received chest HRCT scans.

Positive impact on 10-year outcome of the window of opportunity for conventional synthetic DMARDs in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the ESPOIR cohort.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on 10-year outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients with RA from the ESPOIR cohort with complete data on Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints (DAS28) and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) at 10 years (n=418) and complete radiographic data at baseline and 10 years (n=343) were included in this study. Outcomes were favourable outcome (FavOut) at 10 years, defined as DAS28 of <2.

National reimbursement databases: Use and limitations for rheumatologic studies.

The aim was to review and analyze the current knowledge on the use and limitations of National Reimbursement Databases (NRD) in rheumatology. Three main categories of NRDs were identified, according to the data available in these databases: NRDs without details from clinical practice (such as the French and Quebec NRDs), NRDs with diagnosis details from clinical practice (such as the British NRD), and NRDs linkable to clinical databases (such as the Swedish NRD). NRDs allow the construction of cohorts with prospective data collection and with important statistical power, and therefore enable better knowledge of the rheumatic diseases' epidemiology, notably about the risk-benefit balance of available therapies as well as about the economic burden of these diseases and treatments to Society.

Machine learning approaches to improve disease management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: review and future directions.

Introduction: Although the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has improved in major way over the last decades, this disease still leads to an important burden for patients and society, and there is a need to develop more personalized approaches. Machine learning (ML) methods are more and more used in health-related studies and can be applied to different sorts of data (clinical, radiological, or 'omics' data). Such approaches may improve the management of patients with RA.

Analysing and reporting of observational data: a systematic review informing the EULAR points to consider when analysing and reporting comparative effectiveness research with observational data in rheumatology.

Objectives: To evaluate the analysis and reporting of comparative effectiveness research with observational data in rheumatology, informing European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology points to consider.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review searching Ovid MEDLINE for original articles comparing drug effectiveness in longitudinal observational studies, published in key rheumatology journals between 2008 and 2019. The extracted information focused on reporting and types of analyses.

Wearable activity trackers and artificial intelligence in the management of rheumatic diseases : Where are we in 2021?

Wearable activity trackers are playing an increasingly important role in healthcare. In the field of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), various applications are currently possible. This review will present the use of activity trackers to promote physical activity levels in rheumatology, as well as the use of trackers to measure health parameters and detect flares using artificial intelligence.

Lymphoma complicating rheumatoid arthritis: results from a French case-control study.

Objectives: To study the characteristics of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) or Hodgkin lymphoma complicating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to identify RA-related factors associated with their occurrence.

Methods: A multicentre case-control study was performed in France. Cases were patients with RA fulfilling ACR-EULAR 2010 criteria in whom B-cell NHL or Hodgkin lymphoma developed after the diagnosis of RA.

Inflammation-targeted therapies and cancer.

Objective: To review and analyze the current knowledge on the risk of malignancy associated with inflammation-targeted therapies in rheumatic diseases.

Methods: We performed a non-systematic literature review on PubMEd MEDLINE by screening randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, reviews, and observational studies focusing on malignancies and inflammation-targeted therapies including TNF inhibitors, other biologics and JAK inhibitors in rheumatic diseases.

Results: Data from literature are reassuring regarding the overall risk of incident and recurrent cancer with TNF inhibitors.

Current status of use of big data and artificial intelligence in RMDs: a systematic literature review informing EULAR recommendations.

Objective: To assess the current use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed in PubMed MEDLINE in November 2018, with key words referring to big data, AI and RMDs. All original reports published in English were analysed.

EULAR points to consider for the use of big data in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Background: Tremendous opportunities for health research have been unlocked by the recent expansion of big data and artificial intelligence. However, this is an emergent area where recommendations for optimal use and implementation are needed. The objective of these European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) points to consider is to guide the collection, analysis and use of big data in rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders (RMDs).

A Case Of Recurrent Prosthetic Joint Infection In An HIV-Infected Man.

We describe the case of an HIV-infected man who developed twice a prosthetic joint infection. In our knowledge, it is the first case to date. Furthermore, it illustrates the fact that this bacterium is difficult to isolate and that recurrences can occur even after apparently successful treatment.

Lewis-Sumner syndrome in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: Link between rheumatoid arthritis and demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathies.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathies are a group of autoimmune neuropathies with a chronic course. Lewis-Sumner syndrome is a variant of this disease, characterized by an asymmetrical distal and mostly motor involvement, predominating at upper limb. We report the case of a patient who developed almost currently rheumatoid arthritis and Lewis-Sumner syndrome, which raised the problem of therapeutic intensification for his rheumatism when methotrexate proved to be ineffective.