Navigating antiphospholipid syndrome: from personalized therapies to cutting-edge research.

APS is an autoimmune disorder characterized by thrombosis and pregnancy complications, primarily driven by aPLs such as LA, aCL and anti-β2 glycoprotein I (a-β2GPI). Despite advances in anticoagulation therapies, managing refractory APS cases remains challenging. Emerging therapies, including rituximab, eculizumab and HCQ, show potential in addressing the underlying mechanisms of APS.

Molecular Factors in PAD2 () and PAD4 () Are Associated with Interstitial Lung Disease Susceptibility in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Around 50% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients show some extra-articular manifestation, with the lung a usually affected organ; in addition, the presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) is a common feature, which is caused by protein citrullination modifications, catalyzed by the peptidyl arginine deiminases (PAD) enzymes. We aimed to identify single nucleotide variants (SNV) in and genes (PAD2 and PAD4 proteins, respectively) associated with susceptibility to interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA patients and the PAD2 and PAD4 levels. Material and methods: 867 subjects were included: 118 RA-ILD patients, 133 RA patients, and 616 clinically healthy subjects (CHS).

Entheseal Involvement in Spondyloarthritis (SpA) and Gout: An Ultrasound Comparative Study.

Objective: To compare the assessment of entheses in subjects with spondyloarthritis (SpA) with patients with gout by the Madrid Sonographic Enthesis Index (MASEI).

Method: This cross-sectional study includes videos of entheses evaluated by ultrasound (US) of 30 patients with SpA diagnosed according to the ASAS criteria and 30 patients with gout established by the presence of monosodium urate crystals. Entheses were evaluated for MASEI in 2 Institutes located in two different countries.

Synovial fluid analysis for the enhanced clinical diagnosis of crystal arthropathies in a tertiary care institution.

Introduction/objectives: Few studies have addressed the detection and clinical impact of different crystals in patients with diverse rheumatologic diagnoses in Latin America. The aim of this study was to assess the consistency between the clinical referring diagnosis and the identification of crystals, such as monosodium urate (MSU) and calcium pyrophosphate (CPP), in the synovial fluid (SF) of patients from a Mexican tertiary care institution.

Methods: We reviewed the results of 264 SF analyses to identify any changes in diagnosis upon SF analysis.

Methotrexate and rheumatoid arthritis associated interstitial lung disease.

Question Addressed By The Study: Methotrexate (MTX) is a key anchor drug for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management. Fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common complication of RA. Whether MTX exposure increases the risk of ILD in patients with RA is disputed.

Correction to: Serum substance P: an indicator of disease activity and subclinical inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

Following publication, it was brought to the authors' attention by Dr. Julia Toscano-Garibay that she did not participate as a reviewer of the final version of this manuscript prior to its submission and publication in Clinical Rheumatology.

Plasma let-7i, miR-16, and miR-221 levels as candidate biomarkers for the assessment of ankylosing spondylitis in Mexican patients naïve to anti-TNF therapy.

Novel biomarkers are needed for the diagnosis and clinical assessment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Our objective was to investigate plasma microRNAs differentially expressed between AS patients and controls and to evaluate their potential as biomarkers in Mexican subjects. A cross-sectional study including 15 AS patients naïve to anti-TNF therapy and 13 controls was performed.

Levels of Cytokines and MicroRNAs in Individuals With Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia and Ultrasonographic Findings of Gout: A Bench-to-Bedside Approach.

Objective: To assess potential associations among serum cytokines and microRNA (miR) levels with ultrasound (US) findings suggestive of urate deposits in chronic asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gout.

Methods: All participants underwent musculoskeletal US and measurements of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide 78, as well as miR-146a, miR-155, and miR-223 levels.

Results: Thirty individuals with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, 31 normouricemic controls, and 30 patients with gout were included.

Serum substance P: an indicator of disease activity and subclinical inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

The aim of the is study is to examine the role of serum substance P (SP) levels as a simple biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity, its correlation with other markers of disease activity, and with selected clinical parameters. The study comprised 90 RA patients and 24 healthy controls. RA activity was assessed by means of the disease activity 28-C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) index and ultrasound power Doppler (USPD) by the German ultrasound score based on seven joints.

Reliability of ultrasound grading traditional score and new global OMERACT-EULAR score system (GLOESS): results from an inter- and intra-reading exercise by rheumatologists.

This study aims to test the reliability of ultrasound to graduate synovitis in static and video images, evaluating separately grayscale and power Doppler (PD), and combined. Thirteen trained rheumatologist ultrasonographers participated in two separate rounds reading 42 images, 15 static and 27 videos, of the 7-joint count [wrist, 2nd and 3rd metacarpophalangeal (MCP), 2nd and 3rd interphalangeal (IPP), 2nd and 5th metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints]. The images were from six patients with rheumatoid arthritis, performed by one ultrasonographer.

Ambroxol for fibromyalgia: one group pretest-posttest open-label pilot study.

A consistent line of investigation proposes that fibromyalgia is a sympathetically maintained neuropathic pain syndrome. Dorsal root ganglia sodium channels may play a major role in fibromyalgia pain transmission. Ambroxol is a secretolytic agent used in the treatment of various airway disorders.

Joint involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome: an ultrasound "target area approach to arthritis".

Objective: To characterize the ultrasound (US) pattern of joint involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: Seventeen patients with pSS, 18 with secondary Sjögren's syndrome (sSS), and 17 healthy controls underwent US examinations of various articular regions. Synovitis (synovial hypertrophy/joint effusion), power Doppler (PD) signals, and erosions were assessed.

Sternoclavicular joint involvement in rheumatoid arthritis: clinical and ultrasound findings of a neglected joint.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of sternoclavicular (SC) joint involvement and the relationship between clinical and ultrasound (US) findings in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: One hundred three consecutive patients with RA and 103 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were enrolled. Clinical evaluation and blinded US examinations of the SC joint were performed bilaterally in both groups.

Joint and tendon subclinical involvement suggestive of gouty arthritis in asymptomatic hyperuricemia: an ultrasound controlled study.

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to investigate ultrasonographic (US) changes suggestive of gouty arthritis in the hyaline cartilage, joints and tendons from asymptomatic individuals with hyperuricemia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, controlled study including US examinations of the knees and first metatarsal-phalangeal joints (first MTPJs), as well as of the tendons and enthesis of the lower limbs. Differences were estimated by χ² or unpaired t-tests as appropriate.

Pan-American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR) recommendations and guidelines for musculoskeletal ultrasound training in the Americas for rheumatologists.

Objective: To develop guidelines for Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKUS) training for rheumatologists in the Americas.

Methods: A total of 25 Rheumatologists from 19 countries of the American Continent participated in a consensus-based interactive process (Delphi method) using 2 consecutive electronic questionnaires. The first questionnaire included the following: the relevance of organizing courses to teach MSKUS to Rheumatologists, the determination of the most effective educational course models, the trainee levels, the educational objectives, the requirements for passing the course(s), the course venues, the number of course participants per instructor, and the percentage of time spent in hands-on sessions.