Publications by authors named "Meliha C Kapetanovic"

Article Synopsis
  • - Gout is a chronic condition caused by the immune system's reaction to monosodium urate crystals due to high uric acid levels, and recent research sheds light on its inflammatory mechanisms.
  • - A large genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2.6 million people identified 377 genetic locations linked to gout, with a focus on 149 new loci related to urate and gout inflammation.
  • - The study also pinpointed candidate genes influencing the inflammatory response in gout, including those affecting NLRP3 inflammasome activity, and suggests a potential causal role of specific genetic factors in developing the disease.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis rates in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients to those in a general population, highlighting specific SSc-related factors influencing BMD.
  • It involved 211 SSc patients (majority women) and 505 control participants, measuring BMD at the hip and lumbar spine using X-ray technology, with specific criteria for osteopenia and osteoporosis.
  • Results showed significantly lower BMD in SSc patients, particularly women, with factors like age, BMI, menopause, and certain SSc symptoms (like finger ulcers) contributing to decreased BMD, highlighting the need for bone health evaluations in all SSc patients.
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Objective: This report from the NORD-STAR (Nordic Rheumatic Diseases Strategy Trials and Registries) trial aimed to determine if obesity is associated with response to conventional and biological antirheumatic treatment in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This report included 793 participants with untreated early RA from the randomised, longitudinal NORD-STAR trial, all of whom had their body mass index (BMI) assessed at baseline. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m.

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Objective: Patients with RA treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) are at increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ). The objective of this study was to investigate the serological immunogenicity and safety of the HZ subunit (HZ/su) vaccine in RA patients treated with JAKi, for which little is known.

Methods: RA patients treated with JAKi (n = 82) at the Department of Rheumatology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund and Malmö, Sweden, and healthy controls (n = 51) received two doses of the HZ/su vaccine (Shingrix).

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Background: Dysregulated complement activation, increased protein citrullination, and production of autoantibodies against citrullinated proteins are hallmarks of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Citrullination is induced by immune cell-derived peptidyl-Arg deiminases (PADs), which are overactivated in the inflamed synovium. We characterized the effect of PAD2- and PAD4-induced citrullination on the ability of the plasma-derived serpin C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) to inhibit complement and contact system activation.

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Background: The optimal first-line treatment in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is debated. We compared clinical and radiographic outcomes of active conventional therapy with each of three biological treatments with different modes of action.

Methods: Investigator-initiated, randomised, blinded-assessor study.

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Objectives: To elucidate antibody responses after the second and third dose of COVID-19 vaccine in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) treated with biologic/targeted disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (b/ts DMARDs).

Methods: Antibody levels to antigens representing spike full length protein and spike S1 were measured before vaccination, 2-12 weeks after the second dose, before and after the third dose using multiplex bead-based serology assay. Positive antibody response was defined as antibody levels over cut off (seropositivity) in seronegative individuals or ≥ 4-fold increase in antibodies in individuals seropositive for both spike proteins.

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Objectives: To develop EULAR recommendations for screening and prophylaxis of chronic and opportunistic infections in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD).

Methods: An international Task Force (TF) (22 members/15 countries) formulated recommendations, supported by systematic literature review findings. Level of evidence and grade of recommendation were assigned for each recommendation.

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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of infections; therefore, immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases is important. Methotrexate (MTX) impairs the antibody response to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in patients with arthritis, and the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we investigate the potential role of the innate immune system in the faltering antibody response following PCV vaccination in RA patients treated with MTX.

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Methotrexate (MTX) impairs antibody response after pneumococcal vaccination. We aimed to investigate differences in phenotypes of circulating B and T cells after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients on MTX (MTX group), RA without disease-modifying drugs (0DMARD), and controls (HC). MTX group (n = 11), 0DMARD (n = 12) and HC (n = 13) were studied.

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Objective: To compare the real-life effectiveness of biologic therapy (a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug plus methotrexate [MTX]) versus triple therapy (MTX plus sulfasalazine plus hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine) for sustained remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: RA patients who were registered in the nationwide Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register between 2000 and 2012 and were receiving biologic or triple therapy as a first treatment strategy after MTX monotherapy were included. Sustained remission was defined as a Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) of <2.

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In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an unmet clinical need for the guidelines on vaccination of patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD). This position paper summarises the current data on COVID-19 infection in patients with AIIRD and development of vaccines against COVID-19, discusses the aspects of efficacy and safety of vaccination, and proposes preliminary considerations on vaccination against COVID-19 in patients with AIIRD, mainly based on the expert opinion and knowledge on the use of other vaccines in this population of patients.

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Background: Gout is predicted by a number of comorbidities and lifestyle factors. We aimed to identify discrete phenotype clusters of these factors in a Swedish population-based health survey. In these clusters, we calculated and compared the incidence and relative risk of gout.

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Objective: To explore whether a prime-boost vaccination strategy, i.e., a dose of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and a dose of 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23), enhances antibody response compared to single PCV dose in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases treated with different immunosuppressive drugs and controls.

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Objective: To estimate the prevalence and incidence of non-gout crystal arthropathy in relation to socioeconomic factors in southern Sweden.

Methods: All patients (age ≥ 18 years) with at least one visit to a physician with the diagnosis of interest in the Skåne region (population of 1.3 million) in 1998-2014 were identified.

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Objectives: The aims of this study were to update the evidence on the incidence and prevalence rates of vaccine preventable infections (VPI) in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) and compare the data to the general population when available.

Methods: A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase and Cochrane library (October 2009 to August 2018). The primary outcome was the incidence or prevalence of VPI in the adult AIIRD population.

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Aim: To present a systematic literature review (SLR) on efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of vaccination in adult patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD), aiming to provide a basis for updating the EULAR evidence-based recommendations.

Methods: An SLR was performed according to the standard operating procedures for EULAR-endorsed recommendations. Outcome was determined by efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of vaccination in adult patients with AIIRD, including those receiving immunomodulating therapy.

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To update the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for vaccination in adult patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) published in 2011. Four systematic literature reviews were performed regarding the incidence/prevalence of vaccine-preventable infections among patients with AIIRD; efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of vaccines; effect of anti-rheumatic drugs on the response to vaccines; effect of vaccination of household of AIIRDs patients. Subsequently, recommendations were formulated based on the evidence and expert opinion.

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Objectives: The aim of this study of patients with RA in Sweden was to investigate secular trends in achieving sustained remission (SR), i.e. DAS28 <2.

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Objective: To examine cause-specific mortality beyond cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in patients with gout compared to the general population.

Methods: We included all residents of Skåne (Sweden) age ≥18 years in the year 2002. Using the Skåne Healthcare Register, we identified subjects with a new diagnosis of gout (2003-2013) and matched each person with gout with 10 comparators free of gout, by age and sex.

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Background: Pneumococcal vaccination is recommended to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). However, little is known whether the diseases influence pneumococcal vaccine response. This study aimed to investigate antibody response and functionality of antibodies following immunization with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in RA patients or pSS patients without disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD), compared to patients with RA treated with DMARD or to healthy controls.

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Background: Hyperuricemia (HU) is in the causal pathway for developing clinical gout. There are few population-based assessments of the absolute and relative risk of clinically diagnosed incident gout in subjects with HU. We aimed to explore the long-term risk of developing incident gout among asymptomatic adults with different levels of serum urate (SU).

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