Publications by authors named "Peter C Taylor"

Introduction: We aim to assess the association of patient-reported pain and remission or low disease activity (LDA) at 3 months (M) in patients receiving baricitinib or other treatments in RA-BE-REAL.

Methods: RA-BE-REAL reports on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were prescribed, for the first time, baricitinib (cohort A) or a tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) (cohort B-TNFi) or any other mode of action (OMA) (cohort B-OMA). Pain was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) (0-100 mm) and clinically meaningful pain improvement thresholds of ≥ 30%, ≥ 50% and ≥ 70% from baseline to 3, 6, 12 and 24 M.

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Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are a promising admixture that can provide internal curing to freshly cast concrete and enhance concrete properties. Although many reviews have explored aspects of SAPs, the links among SAPs' chemical and physical properties, internal curing behaviors, concrete performance, and their large-scale applications are often weakly elucidated. This paper provides an additional review of the chemical structures and physical dimensions of SAPs and their effects on the internal curing kinetic behavior as well as on concrete properties, such as workability, strength, and durability.

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  • Cardiac symptoms can affect individuals who had mild COVID-19 and no prior heart issues, and cardiac MRI can detect these hidden issues linked to long-term heart problems.
  • This study tests a new treatment combining low-dose prednisolone and losartan against a placebo in people with post-COVID heart inflammation, with assessments like cardiac MRI and exercise testing.
  • The main goal is to see if the treatment improves left ventricular ejection fraction after 16 weeks, while also monitoring changes in symptoms and safety over a year for 280 participants.
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  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease causing chronic inflammation in joints and other organs, leading to potential joint damage and increased health risks if not properly managed.
  • Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a key cytokine involved in RA, making it a significant target for treatment; therapies like tocilizumab can block IL-6 receptors and help reduce inflammation.
  • Personalizing RA treatment based on individual patient profiles and addressing related health issues can improve outcomes, with a focus on a 'treat-to-profile' strategy that considers the patient's overall health.
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This commentary explores the potential cardiovascular (CV) benefits of combining methotrexate (MTX) and Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While European guidelines recommend MTX as first-line treatment, concerns about the CV risks associated with JAKis have emerged. This article reviews the existing literature to assess the role of concomitant MTX in reducing CV risk when used with JAKis.

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  • Researchers studied a medicine called filgotinib to see if it helps people with moderately active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who weren't getting better with other treatments.
  • They tested filgotinib against a placebo and another medicine called adalimumab, finding that more patients on filgotinib felt better and had less disease activity after 12 and 24 weeks.
  • The safety of filgotinib was similar to adalimumab, with infections being the most common side effect, and the benefits lasted for at least a year.
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  • The study aimed to evaluate how initial rheumatoid factor (RF) levels affect the effectiveness and drug concentrations of two rheumatoid arthritis treatments: certolizumab pegol (CZP) and adalimumab (ADA).
  • Conducted over 104 weeks, the research analyzed data based on patients' RF levels, specifically comparing those with RF levels below or above 204 IU/ml.
  • Results indicated that CZP maintained drug concentration and effectiveness better in patients with higher RF levels compared to ADA, suggesting CZP might be a more effective treatment option for these individuals.
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The mechanisms of endotoxin tolerance (ET), which down-regulate inflammation, are well described in response to exogenous toll-like receptor ligands, but few studies have focused on ET-associated mechanisms in inflammatory disease. As blocking TNF can attenuate the development of ET, the effect of anti-TNF on the expression of key ET-associated molecules in inflammatory auto-immune disease was measured; changes in inflammatory gene expression were confirmed using an ET bioassay. The expression of immunomodulatory molecules was measured in a murine model of arthritis treated with anti-TNF and the expression of ET-associated molecules was measured in whole blood in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, before and after therapy.

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Introduction: This study compared the clinical effectiveness of switching from tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) to upadacitinib (TNFi-UPA), another TNFi (TNFi-TNFi), or an advanced therapy with another mechanism of action (TNFi-other MOA) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Data were drawn from the Adelphi RA Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey administered to rheumatologists and their consulting patients in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, Canada, and the USA from May 2021 to January 2022. Patients who switched treatment from an initial TNFi were stratified by subsequent therapy of interest: TNFi-UPA, TNFi-TNFi, or TNFi-other MOA.

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To evaluate tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) drug-levels and presence of anti-drug antibodies (ADAb) in patients with inflammatory arthritis who taper TNFi compared to TNFi continuation. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or axial spondyloarthritis on stable TNFi dose and in low disease activity ≥ 12 months were randomised (2:1) to disease activity-guided tapering or control. Blood samples at baseline, 12- and 18-months were evaluated for TNFi drug-levels and ADAb.

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  • The study investigates the impact of baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on clinical response to filgotinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), comparing NLR-High and NLR-Low groups across three clinical trials.
  • Results indicate that patients with a high baseline NLR generally had poorer responses to placebo treatments, but those receiving filgotinib showed significantly better outcomes compared to NLR-Low patients, especially in those who had inadequate responses to methotrexate.
  • The findings suggest that a baseline NLR of 2.7 can help identify RA patients who are more likely to benefit from filgotinib therapy, potentially improving treatment decision
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Infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are common. Real-time PCR assays targeting vanA and vanB facilitate screening of patients in healthcare settings to limit the risk of dissemination, especially amongst those at high-risk of infection or with limited treatment options. Such assays are commonly performed as reflex testing procedures where they augment phenotypic techniques and shorten turnaround time to benefit timely clinical management.

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Objectives: To investigate the efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of nipocalimab in participants with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inadequate response or intolerance to ≥1 antitumour necrosis factor agent.

Methods: In this phase 2a study, participants with RA seropositive for anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) or rheumatoid factors were randomised 3:2 to nipocalimab (15 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks) or placebo from Weeks 0 to 10. Efficacy endpoints (primary endpoint: change from baseline in Disease Activity Score 28 using C reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) at Week 12) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed through Week 12.

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Background: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a proinflammatory cytokine overproduced in several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including axial spondyloarthritis. Namilumab is a human IgG1 monoclonal anti-GM-CSF antibody that potently neutralises human GM-CSF. We aimed to assess the efficacy of namilumab in participants with moderate-to-severe active axial spondyloarthritis.

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Objectives: To determine the proportion of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with severe persisting pain and to identify predictive factors despite treatment-controlled disease activity.

Methods: This prospective multicentre study included outpatients with RA scheduled for escalation of anti-inflammatory treatment due to active disease and severe pain (Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28)>3.2 and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)>50).

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Background: Chikungunya fever is an emerging global infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that manifests as an acute febrile illness with joint pain and can lead to chronic arthritis. The mechanism underlying chronic joint damage remains unclear; however, chronic chikungunya arthritis shares similarities with rheumatoid arthritis. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs have revolutionized rheumatoid arthritis treatment by preventing joint damage.

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  • The analysis looked at how filgotinib affects pain management in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, based on data from the FINCH 1-3 studies.
  • Results showed that filgotinib started reducing pain by week 2, with sustained improvement observed throughout the studies.
  • In comparison to other treatments, filgotinib 200 mg led to better pain reduction and higher rates of patients achieving low pain levels and remission compared to filgotinib 100 mg and adalimumab.
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Objectives: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of once-daily baricitinib 4 mg or 2 mg in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who had inadequate response (IR) to MTX, csDMARDs or bDMARDs.

Methods: Data from three completed phase III studies-RA-BEAM (MTX-IR), RA-BUILD (csDMARD-IR) and RA-BEACON (bDMARD-IR)-and one completed long-term extension study (RA-BEYOND) were analysed up to 6.5 years [340 weeks (RA-BEAM) and 336 weeks (RA-BUILD and RA-BEACON)].

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Pain is a common and often debilitating symptom for people living with rheumatoid arthritis. Although pain is a generic feature of inflammation and often improves with successful treatment that targets inflammatory pathways, pain experience can persist. Emerging data suggest that the magnitude of pain relief might vary according to the therapeutic target of pharmacological intervention within the inflammatory cascade.

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Background: Despite highly effective targeted therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, about 40% of patients respond poorly, and predictive biomarkers for treatment choices are lacking. We did a biopsy-driven trial to compare the response to rituximab, etanercept, and tocilizumab in biologic-naive patients with rheumatoid arthritis stratified for synovial B cell status.

Methods: STRAP and STRAP-EU were two parallel, open-label, biopsy-driven, stratified, randomised, phase 3 trials done across 26 university centres in the UK and Europe.

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