Development of a lupus nephritis suboptimal response prediction tool using renal histopathological and clinical laboratory variables at the time of diagnosis.

Objective: Lupus nephritis (LN) is an immune complex-mediated glomerular and tubulointerstitial disease in patients with SLE. Prediction of outcomes at the onset of LN diagnosis can guide decisions regarding intensity of monitoring and therapy for treatment success. Currently, no machine learning model of outcomes exists.

Neuromyelitis Optica (Devic's Syndrome): an Appraisal.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), previously known as Devic's syndrome, are a group of inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by severe, immune-mediated demyelination and axonal damage, predominantly targeting optic nerves and the spinal cord typically associated with a disease-specific serum NMO-IgG antibody that selectively binds aquaporin-4 (AQP4). The classic and best-defined features of NMOSD include acute attacks of bilateral or rapidly sequential optic neuritis (leading to visual loss) or transverse myelitis (often causing limb weakness and bladder dysfunction) or both with a typically relapsing course. The diagnosis of NMO/NMOSD requires a consistent history and examination with typical clinical presentations, findings on spinal cord neuroimaging with MRI, cerebrospinal fluid analysis along with determination of AQP4-IgG serum autoantibody status, and exclusion of other disorders.

Systemic sclerosis and the heart.

Heart disease, either clinically apparent or silent, is a frequent complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) and may affect both patients with diffuse cutaneous and limited cutaneous SSc. The availability of more sensitive modalities has led to an increased awareness of scleroderma heart disease, which often involves the pericardium, myocardium, and cardiac conduction system. This awareness of cardiac involvement requires attention and interventions led by internists, cardiologists, and rheumatologists.