Upadacitinib in active ankylosing spondylitis: results of the 2-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled SELECT-AXIS 1 study and open-label extension.

Introduction: Long-term safety and efficacy of upadacitinib in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has not been previously reported.

Methods: In SELECT-AXIS 1, patients receiving placebo were switched to upadacitinib 15 mg once daily at week 14 while patients initially randomised to upadacitinib continued their regimen through week 104. Efficacy was assessed using as-observed (AO) and non-responder imputation (NRI).

Efficacy of Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil in secondary Raynaud's phenomenon.

Objective: The RhoA/Rho kinase pathway plays a pivotal role in cold-induced vasoconstriction, vascular smooth muscle cells function, and vascular homeostasis. This study evaluates the efficacy of fasudil, a RhoA/Rho kinase inhibitor, to reverse cold-induced vasospasm in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) secondary to systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma).

Methods: This is a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, 3-period crossover study of oral fasudil (40 mg or 80 mg) or placebo administered 2 hours before a standardized cold challenge.

Effects of glucocorticoids on weight change during the treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis.

Objective: Weight gain is a side effect of glucocorticoid (GC) use, but the natural history and health implications of changes in weight that occur during the treatment of inflammatory disease are not understood.

Methods: We evaluated data from the Wegener's Granulomatosis Etanercept Trial. Patients were categorized according to clinical outcome at 1 year: remission (no disease flares), single flare, or multiple flares.

Therapeutics of Wegener's granulomatosis.

The treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis, one of the most common forms of systemic vasculitis, has changed substantially over the past two decades. The principal aims of therapy are to control the disease swiftly, to limit the extent and severity of permanent organ damage, and to minimize the short-term and long-term morbidities that often result from therapy. This review provides an overview of the treatment regimens that are currently available for inducing and maintaining remission in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis, and also discusses newer agents that might have a role in the management of this disease in the future.

Herpes zoster in immunocompromised patients: incidence, timing, and risk factors.

Purpose: To evaluate the risk factors for herpes zoster as well as the incidence and timing of this complication in patients who were treated with immunosuppression because of active Wegener's granulomatosis.

Subjects And Methods: We studied the 180 Wegener's granulomatosis patients in the Wegener's Granulomatosis Etanercept Trial (WGET). Herpes zoster events during WGET were documented prospectively.