[Successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis complicated with myasthenia gravis with low-dose rituximab: A case report].

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are two distinct autoimmune diseases. Compared with the general population, the incidence of RA is notably higher among patients with MG. Similarly, the rate of MG in patients diagnosed with RA is also significantly increased.

[IgA vasculitis with necrosis of the small intestine secondary to monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance: A case report].

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance combined with renal damage is named monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance. There are few reports about IgA vasculitis in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Here, we report a case of monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance, who had manifestations of IgA vasculitis, including purpura, gastrointestinal bleeding and joint pain.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients harbour aberrant enteric bacteriophages with autoimmunity-provoking potential: a paired sibling study.

Objectives: Viruses have been considered as important participants in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the profile of enteric virome and its role in RA remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the atlas and involvement of virome in RA pathogenesis.

Proinflammatory phenotype of B10 and B10pro cells elicited by TNF-α in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: B10 and B10pro cells suppress immune responses via secreting interleukin (IL)-10. However, their regulators and underlying mechanisms, especially in human autoimmune diseases, are elusive. This study aimed to address these questions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), one of the most common highly disabling autoimmune diseases.

Elevated serum soluble CD27 levels are associated with both disease activity and humoral immune activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To investigate the serum level of soluble CD27 (sCD27) and its potential clinical significance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Serum sCD27 levels in RA patients, idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) patients, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and healthy controls (HCs) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The medical information and laboratory data of the patients were collected.

Increased human neutrophil lipocalin and its clinical relevance in adult-onset Still's disease.

Background: Human neutrophil lipocalin (HNL) has been used extensively to differentiate acute bacterial infection from febrile diseases as a biomarker to reflect the activation of the neutrophil. The serum HNL levels in the adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) patients with and without infection, as well as the healthy controls (HCs), were analyzed statistically in this study to evaluate the value of HNL for the diagnosis of AOSD.

Methods: A total of 129 AOSD patients were enrolled, from whom blood samples were drawn and the AOSD diagnosis was confirmed through the review of the medical records, where the systemic score, demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, and laboratory parameters were also collected for the patients; in addition, a total of 40 HCs were recruited among the blood donors from the healthcare center with the relevant information collected.

Intestinal butyrate-metabolizing species contribute to autoantibody production and bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis.

The imbalance between pathogenic and beneficial species of the intestinal microbiome and metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclarified. Here, using shotgun-based metagenome sequencing for a treatment-naïve patient cohort and a "quasi-paired cohort" method, we observed a deficiency of butyrate-producing species and an overwhelming number of butyrate consumers in RA patients. These outcomes mainly occurred in patients with positive ACPA, with a mean AUC of 0.

A Clinical Risk Model to Predict Rapidly Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease Incidence in Dermatomyositis.

Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) is a fatal complication of dermatomyositis (DM) and clinically amyopathic DM (CADM). The objective of this study was to evaluate risk markers associated with RP-ILD incidence in patients with DM/CADM and to develop a RP-ILD risk prediction (RRP) model. The clinical records of 229 patients with DM/CADM from Peking University People's Hospital, and 97 patients from four other independent clinical centers were retrospectively reviewed.

Nomogram to predict dermatomyositis prognosis: a population-based study of 457 cases.

Objectives: Dermatomyositis (DM) is a systemic autoimmune disease, which typically affects the striated muscle with a variable involvement of the skin and other organs. Clinically amyopathic DM (CADM) is a combination of hypomyopathic DM (HDM) and amyopathic DM (ADM), with a characteristic of skin-predominant lesions. To date, large-scale studies on the prognostic factors of DM/CADM have been limited.

The GOUT-36 prediction rule for inpatient gout flare in people with comorbid gout: derivation and external validation.

Objectives: To develop and validate a gout flare risk stratification tool for people with gout hospitalized for non-gout conditions.

Methods: The prediction rule for inpatient gout flare was derived from a cohort of 625 hospitalized people with comorbid gout from New Zealand. The rule had four items: no pre-admission gout flare prophylaxis, no pre-admission urate-lowering therapy, tophus and pre-admission serum urate >0.

Dickkopf-1 perpetuated synovial fibroblast activation and synovial angiogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), a regulatory molecule of the Wnt pathway, is elevated and leads to bone resorption in patients with RA. This study is aimed to investigate the contribution of Dkk-1 to synovial inflammation and synovial fibroblast-mediated angiogenesis in RA.

Methods: The expression of Dkk-1 in RA synovial fibroblasts (RASF) and osteoarthritis synovial fibroblasts (OASF) was detected by real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress perpetuated toll-like receptor signalling-mediated inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis via X-box-binding protein-1.

Objectives: Multiple physiological and pathological conditions interfere with the function of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, much remains unknown regarding the impact of ER stress on toll-like receptors (TLRs) -induced inflammatory responses in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to reveal the effects of ER stress and its regulator, X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1), on the inflammatory response of RA synovial fibroblasts (RASF) to different TLRs ligands.

Macrophage activation syndrome as an initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus.

In a recent article on 2019; 7: 3859-3865, Sun et al reported a case of 36-year-old female with macrophage activity syndrome as an onset of systemic lupus erythematosus. Although this is a very interesting case, some concerns still need to be addressed. First, the patient had an extremely elevated serum ferritin but a normal C-reactive protein level, which was unparallel with the inflammatory condition before she received any treatments.

Effect of sustained intensive therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis: a 5-year real-world consecutive study.

Background: Intensive therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has been reported to improve the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, real-world study on the effect of intensive therapy on RA sustained remission is still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the outcome of sustained intensive DMARD therapy (SUIT) for RA in a real-world 5-year consecutive cohort.

Serum homocysteine levels and their association with clinical characteristics of inflammatory arthritis.

Objective: The aim of our study was to explore the serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy) and its association with clinical characteristics in patients with different types of inflammatory arthritis.

Methods: A total of 242 patients diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis (which included rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and gout), 49 with osteoarthritis (OA), and 36 with hyperuricaemia (HUA) and 81 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled for comparisons.

Results: The serum Hcy levels of patients with RA, AS, and OA were comparable with those of the HC group (P > 0.

Clinical manifestations of Kawasaki disease in different age groups: retrospective data from Southwest China.

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to identify the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of children with Kawasaki disease (KD) in different age groups and to recognize and treat KD in a timely manner.

Methods: A total of 213 children with KD were divided into the following age groups: (1) infants, (2) toddlers, and (3) preschool age. Retrospective analysis of clinical data was performed among the groups.

CD70-mediated CD27 expression downregulation contributed to the regulatory B10 cell impairment in rheumatoid arthritis.

Regulatory B10 cells have been shown to exhibit impaired functions in autoimmune diseases. However, the underlying mechanism is still obscure. In the present study, we aimed to understand the regulatory characteristics of regulatory B10 cells and how these cells are involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The Immunomodulatory Effect of Alpha-Lipoic Acid in Autoimmune Diseases.

Αlpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring antioxidant in human body and has been widely used as an antioxidant clinically. Accumulating evidences suggested that -lipoic acid might have immunomodulatory effects on both adaptive and innate immune systems. This review focuses on the evidences and potential targets involved in the immunomodulatory effects of -lipoic acid.

Clinical deep remission and related factors in a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Clinical remission is the treatment target in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to investigate clinical remission and related factors in a large cohort of patients with RA.

Methods: This study composed of 342 patients with RA.

Distribution of abnormal IgG glycosylation patterns from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis patients by MALDI-TOF-MS.

Glycosylation is a post-translational modification essential for maintaining the structure and function of proteins. Abnormal N-glycan patterns have been found in various diseases compared to healthy controls. A decrease in terminal galactosylated N-glycans of serum IgG in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) may be involved in their immunopathogenesis.

Technetium-99 Conjugated with Methylene Diphosphonate Ameliorates Glucocorticoid Induced Osteoporosis by Inhibiting Osteoclastogenesis.

Technetium-99 conjugated with methylene diphosphonate (Tc-MDP) is an effective anti-inflammatory drug in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for over 15 years in China. However, as a special form of bisphosphonate, the antiosteoporotic effect of Tc-MDP is unclear. We systematically investigated the effects of Tc-MDP on cancellous and cortical bone, respectively, in glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis (GIO) animal models.