Impact of Age on Rheumatic Immune-related Adverse Events: Experience from the Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-Oncology (CanRIO).

Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized cancer outcomes but are limited by immunerelated adverse events (irAE), including rheumatic irAEs (Rh-irAE). Aging is associated with increased inflammation, referred to as "inflamm-aging". In this study, we explore the impact of age on severity, frequency, and treatment of Rh-irAEs.

A Bayesian adaptive feasibility design for rare diseases.

It is important for researchers to carefully assess the feasibility of a clinical trial prior to the launch of the study. One feasibility aspect that needs to be considered includes whether investigators can expect to successfully achieve the sample size needed for their trial. In this manuscript, we present a Bayesian design in which data collected during a pilot study is used to predict the feasibility of a planned phase III trial.

Characterization of Incident Interstitial Lung Disease in Late Systemic Sclerosis.

Objective: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common and potentially lethal complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Screening by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is recommended in all patients with risk factors, including early disease. Little is known on late presentations of ILD.

Anti-SMN autoantibodies in mixed connective tissue disease are associated with a severe systemic sclerosis phenotype.

Objectives: The survival of motor neuron (SMN) complex has an essential role in the assembly of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (RNP). Recent reports have described autoantibodies (aAbs) to the SMN complex as novel biomarkers in anti-U1RNP+ myositis patients. The aim of this study was to compare phenotypic features of anti-U1RNP+ mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) patients with and without anti-SMN aAbs.

Capillary pathology with prominent basement membrane reduplication is the hallmark histopathological feature of scleromyositis.

Aims: We aim to perform ultrastructural and histopathological analysis of muscle biopsies from a large group of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients, including some with early/mild SSc features, and examine whether capillary pathology differentiates 'scleromyositis' (SM) from other auto-immune myositis (AIM) subsets.

Methods: Muscle biopsies from a total of 60 SM patients and 43 AIM controls from two independent cohorts were examined by electron microscopy, collagen-4 immunofluorescence (Col4IF) and routine light microscopy.

Results: Ultrastructural examination revealed prominent capillary basement membrane (BM) reduplication (4+ layers in >50% of capillaries) in 65% of SM vs 0% of AIM controls (p < 0.