Publications by authors named "Lisa Christopher-Stine"

Objective: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are a group of heterogeneous, systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by specific clinical features and, frequently, skeletal muscle inflammation. Specific subtypes of IIMs can be characterized by myositis-specific autoantibodies and are associated with distinct clinical phenotypes. Here, we focus on anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5)-positive myositis and anti-signal recognition particle (SRP)-positive myositis, both of which exhibit seasonality but lack known environmental triggers.

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  • Anti-HMGCR-positive immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM) is linked to IgG autoantibodies against HMGCR and specific HLA-DR alleles, but HMGCR-specific CD4T-cells had not been previously identified in affected patients.
  • This study demonstrated that patients with anti-HMGCR+IMNM show heightened CD4T-cell responses to HMGCR compared to those with dermatomyositis, with a significant correlation between these responses and the levels of anti-HMGCR antibodies.
  • The presence of distinct HMGCR-reactive CD4T-cells in both blood and muscle tissues highlights their potential role in the disease's development.
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  • - The study aimed to analyze the frequency and relationship of two autoantibodies, anti-CCAR1 and anti-Sp4, in adult dermatomyositis (DM) patients and their link to cancer.
  • - Researchers studied data from 305 anti-TIF1γ-positive DM patients at Johns Hopkins and Stanford, discovering that about one-third were positive for each antibody, with 20% positive for both.
  • - Results indicated that those without anti-Sp4 or anti-CCAR1 had a stronger association with cancer, whereas patients positive for either antibody had a lower risk; nevertheless, half of the patients were negative for both and may need closer cancer monitoring.
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Objective: This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CA-125 and PET/CT in detecting cancer among adult patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of a single-centre cohort of adult IIM patients enrolled from 2003 to 2020. Data on CA-125 and PET/CT tests conducted within five years of IIM symptom onset were extracted from electronic medical records.

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Background: Validated patient-reported outcome measures to assess disease impact in patients with adult idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are needed. The objective of this study was to assess the construct validity of PROMIS Pain Interference, Fatigue, and Physical Function measures in comparison with core disease activity measures.

Methods: Adults with IIM, excluding inclusion body myositis, from OMERACT Myositis Working Group (MWG) clinic sites completed PROMIS Short Form v1.

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Objective: Dermatomyositis (DM) symptoms negatively affect the quality of life of individuals living with the disease. Disease-specific, patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments are needed to assess symptoms important to individuals with DM. This study aimed to conceptualize patient DM experience and disease activity definition to refine the development of the Dermatomyositis Disease Symptom Questionnaire (DM-DSQ), a novel PRO instrument capturing patient-reported symptoms.

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  • * The review aims to gather and assess existing MRI scoring systems to create an evidence-based foundation for a universal standardized system that can be used in both research and clinical settings.
  • * A systematic search of electronic databases will be conducted to consolidate information on MRI scanning protocols for evaluating muscle involvement in IIMs, with the goal of producing guidelines for consistent clinical and research practices.
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  • A study explored the incidence and effects of postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) in adults with systemic autoimmune diseases, focusing on risk factors and symptomology.
  • Out of 1,615 participants, 590 reported a COVID-19 infection, and 29.8% of those who responded to surveys experienced PASC, predominantly neurological or psychological symptoms that significantly impacted their quality of life.
  • The research indicated that fewer vaccinations prior to infection and a higher rate of reinfection were associated with an increased risk of PASC, highlighting the importance of vaccinations and efforts to prevent reinfections.
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Objectives: Autoantibodies targeting intracellular proteins are common in various autoimmune diseases. In the context of myositis, the pathologic significance of these autoantibodies has been questioned due to the assumption that autoantibodies cannot enter living muscle cells. This study aims to investigate the validity of this assumption.

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Background: International focus groups with patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) conducted by the OMERACT Myositis Working Group over the years demonstrated the pain as an important symptom experienced by these patients. In this study, we aimed to examine the frequency and degree of pain interference, the aspects of daily life impacted by pain, and the factors associated with pain interference in adults with IIM.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study with two visits.

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Statins are widely used crucial drugs for the primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Although generally well tolerated, statin intolerance can unfortunately limit statin use, with statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) being the most common side effect associated with its discontinuation. Statin intolerance is an inability to tolerate a dose of statin required to sufficiently reduce an individual's cardiovascular risk, limiting the effective treatment of patients at risk of or with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

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Objectives: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) can present with acute IIM-related lung injury and respiratory failure, leading to a high mortality risk in intensive care units (ICU). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in acute respiratory distress syndrome can be lifesaving. We aimed to report a case series of IIM patients that received ECMO.

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Purpose Of Review: Hyperlipidemia is the major cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk factor. Statins are the first-line treatment for hyperlipidemia. Statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) are the main reason for the discontinuation of statins among patients.

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Systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs) are distinct from autoimmune diseases. The former primarily results from abnormal innate immune response and genetic testing is crucial for disease diagnosis. Similar cutaneous involvement is a main feature for both SAID and dermatomyositis (DM), so they can be confused with each other.

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Myositis International Health and Research Collaborative Alliance (MIHRA) is a newly formed purpose-built non-profit charitable research organization dedicated to accelerating international clinical trial readiness, global professional and lay education, career development and rare disease advocacy in IIM-related disorders. In its long form, the name expresses the community's scope of engagement and intent. In its abbreviation, MIHRA, conveys linguistic roots across many languages, that reflects the IIM community's spirit with meanings such as kindness, community, goodness, and peace.

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  • Myositis is an autoimmune muscle disease characterized by autoantibodies that target proteins within muscle cells, but their impact on disease development was previously unclear.* -
  • This study utilized confocal microscopy and bulk RNA sequencing on muscle biopsies to investigate the presence and effects of these autoantibodies, revealing they accumulate in muscle fibers and disrupt the normal function of their target proteins.* -
  • Findings showed that the internalization of these autoantibodies led to significant changes in gene expression and function, indicating that they play a crucial role in causing the pathology associated with myositis.*
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  • Increased understanding of disease mechanisms and outcome measures has led to a surge in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies clinical trials, averaging five trials per site in the past three years.* -
  • Despite the positive momentum, there are concerns about trial designs, including competition among trials, lengthy placebo periods, and the underrepresentation of minority groups among participants.* -
  • The viewpoint emphasizes the need for patient input in trial designs and proposes innovative approaches to address issues like outdated classification criteria and the effectiveness of existing outcome measures.*
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Dermatomyositis (DM), antisynthetase syndrome (AS), immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), and inclusion body myositis (IBM) are four major types of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). Muscle biopsies from each type of IIM have unique transcriptomic profiles. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), thereby regulating their expression and modulating transcriptomic profiles.

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The aim of this review is to examine and evaluate published literature associated with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) based on myositis specific autoantibodies (MSA) and the potential clinical significance of each autoantibody subtype for the practicing clinician. The review is a comprehensive search of literature published in PubMed from the year 2005 and onward coinciding with the surge in the discovery of new MSAs. Additionally, we comment on recommended multidisciplinary longitudinal care practices for patients with IIM-ILD with regard to imaging and other testing.

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IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD)is a chronic fibroinflammatory disease typically characterized by inflammation or tumefaction of the organs involved. Skeletal muscle is not one of the typical organs involved in IgG4-RD. Isolated myositis related to IgG4-RD without common organ involvement such as lacrimal or salivary glands or retroperitoneal fibrosis is a controversial and debatable entity.

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Objectives: Myositis is a heterogeneous family of diseases including dermatomyositis (DM), immune-mediated necrotising myopathy (IMNM), antisynthetase syndrome (AS) and inclusion body myositis (IBM). Myositis-specific autoantibodies define different subtypes of myositis. For example, patients with anti-Mi2 autoantibodies targeting the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4)/NuRD complex (a transcriptional repressor) have more severe muscle disease than other DM patients.

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