COVID-19 on patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease: a comparative study of disease activity, fatigue, and psychological distress over six months.

Objectives: To compare the impact of COVID-19 on the clinical status and psychological distress of patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease (IMRD) caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection with that of noninfected IMRD controls during a 6-month follow-up period.

Methods: The ReumaCoV Brazil is a longitudinal study designed to follow IMRD patients for 6 months after COVID-19 (patients) compared with IMRD patients without COVID-19 (controls). Clinical data, disease activity measurements and current treatments regarding IMRD and COVID-19 outcomes were evaluated in all patients.

Factors Associated With Mortality in Patients With Immune-Mediated Rheumatic Diseases and COVID-19 From Latin America: Data From Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.

Objective: To describe characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) from Argentina, Mexico and Brazil, and to assess factors associated with mortality in this population.

Methods: Data from 3 national registries, SAR-COVID (Argentina), CMR-COVID (Mexico), and ReumaCoV-Brasil (Brazil), were combined. Adult patients with IMIDs and SARS-CoV-2 infection were recruited.

PPARγ partial agonist LPSF/GQ-16 prevents dermal and pulmonary fibrosis in HOCl-induced systemic sclerosis (SSc) and modulates cytokine production in PBMC of SSc patients.

Thiazolidinediones (TZD) are synthetic molecules that have a range of biological effects, including antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory, and they may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aim of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory and antifibrotic properties of LPSF/GQ-16, a TZD derivative, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from SSc patients and in a murine model of SSc HOCl-induced. The PBMC of 20 SSc patients were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and treated with LPSF/GQ-16 for 48 h, later cytokines in the culture supernatants were quantified by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or cytometric bead array (CBA).

Development of a Prediction Model for COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases: Results From the Global Rheumatology Alliance Registry.

Objective: Some patients with rheumatic diseases might be at higher risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We aimed to develop a prediction model for COVID-19 ARDS in this population and to create a simple risk score calculator for use in clinical settings.

Methods: Data were derived from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Registry from March 24, 2020, to May 12, 2021.

Guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases: a Brazilian Society of Rheumatology task force.

Objective: To provide guidelines on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRD) to rheumatologists considering specific scenarios of the daily practice based on the shared-making decision (SMD) process.

Methods: A task force was constituted by 24 rheumatologists (panel members), with clinical and research expertise in immunizations and infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients, endorsed by the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (BSR), to develop guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination in patients with IMRD. A consensus was built through the Delphi method and involved four rounds of anonymous voting, where five options were used to determine the level of agreement (LOA), based on the Likert Scale: (1) strongly disagree; (2) disagree, (3) neither agree nor disagree (neutral); (4) agree; and (5) strongly agree.

Brazilian recommendations on the safety and effectiveness of the yellow fever vaccination in patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Background: In Brazil, we are facing an alarming epidemic scenario of Yellow fever (YF), which is reaching the most populous areas of the country in unvaccinated people. Vaccination is the only effective tool to prevent YF. In special situations, such as patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (CIMID), undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, as a higher risk of severe adverse events may occur, assessment of the risk-benefit ratio of the yellow fever vaccine (YFV) should be performed on an individual level.