Deciphering miRNA signatures in axial spondyloarthritis: The link between miRNA-1-3p and pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. Early detection of axSpA is crucial to slow disease progression and maintain remission or low disease activity. However, current biomarkers are insufficient for diagnosing axSpA or distinguishing between its radiographic (r-axSpA) and non-radiographic (nr-axSpA) subsets.

Plasma heat shock protein 90 levels in patients with spondyloarthritis and their relation to structural changes: a cross-sectional study.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone regulating immune response. We aimed to assess systemic Hsp90 as a biomarker for spondyloarthritis (SpA). Total of 80 axial SpA (axSpA) and 22 psoriatic arthritis patients and a corresponding number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were included.

Publisher Correction: Metabolites of type I, II, III, and IV collagen may serve as markers of disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Metabolites of type I, II, III, and IV collagen may serve as markers of disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis.

Local inflammation in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) leads to the release of collagen metabolites from the disease-affected tissue. We investigated whether collagen metabolites were associated with disease activity and could distinguish non-radiographic(nr)-axSpA from ankylosing spondylitis (AS). A total of 193 axSpA patients (nr-axSpA, n = 121 and AS, n = 72) and asymptomatic controls (n = 100) were included.

Serum visfatin levels in patients with axial spondyloarthritis and their relationship to disease activity and spinal radiographic damage: a cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the visfatin levels in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and to investigate the association between visfatin, disease activity and radiographic spinal damage. Serum visfatin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 64 patients with axSpA (46 with radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA) and 18 with non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA)) and 61 age-/sex-matched healthy individuals. Patients with r-axSpA were further divided into two subsets based on radiographic spinal damage using modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (mSASSS = 0 and mSASSS ≥ 1).

Cross-sectional study of patients with axial spondyloarthritis fulfilling imaging arm of ASAS classification criteria: baseline clinical characteristics and subset differences in a single-centre cohort.

Objective: This study compared demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics between patients with radiographic and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

Methods: In this single-centre cross-sectional study, a total of 246 patients with axSpA fulfilling the imaging arm of Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society classification criteria were recruited. A total of 140 patients were diagnosed as non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), and 106 patients had ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Metabolites of C-reactive protein and vimentin are associated with disease activity of axial spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: Non-radiographic (nr-axSpA) and radiographic (AS) forms of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) share clinical features, but have different radiographic patterns. Radiographic progression is not associated with the current disease activity biomarkers. We investigated a matrix metalloproteinase mediated metabolite of C-reactive protein (CRPM) and two biomarkers of citrullinated vimentin (VICM and anti-MCV) as novel biomarkers of disease activity.

Association between circulating miRNAs and spinal involvement in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: Dysregulation of miRNAs and their target genes contributes to the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases. Circulating miRNAs may serve as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers. We aimed to investigate the association between circulating miRNAs, disease activity and spinal involvement in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA).

Relationship between serum calprotectin (S100A8/9) and clinical, laboratory and ultrasound parameters of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A large cohort study.

Background: Calprotectin may be a sensitive biomarker of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity.

Objectives: In the current study, we investigated whether calprotectin is a better biomarker than CRP for predicting clinical activity and ultrasound parameters in patients with RA.

Methods: A total of 160 patients with RA underwent clinical (swollen joint count-SJC, tender joint count-TJC, Disease Activity Score-DAS28, Clinical Disease Activity Index-CDAI, and simplified Disease Activity Index-SDAI) and ultrasound (German US7) examination.

The relationship between synovitis quantified by an ultrasound 7-joint inflammation score and physical disability in rheumatoid arthritis - a cohort study.

Background: Restoring normal physical functioning is a major therapeutic aim in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is unknown, whether the extent of synovial inflammation quantified by musculoskeletal ultrasound (US) can predict current or future capacity for physical functioning. To answer this question we investigated the longitudinal relationship between physical function assessed by the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) and the German 7-joint ultrasound score (US7S) in a prospective cohort of patients with RA.

[Differential diagnosis of monoarthritis].

Making the diagnosis of monoarthritis can be quite difficult, because in contrast with polyarthritis just a few clinical data is available and wide diagnostic spectrum is present.The diagnosis of inflammatory rheumatic disease is usually in responsibility of a rheumatologist, but we know from experience that is necessary to carry out the basal differential diagnostic assessment as soon as possible to begin the optimal therapy. General practitioners and orthopaedists are usually first to face this problem.

Serum Calprotectin Discriminates Subclinical Disease Activity from Ultrasound-Defined Remission in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Clinical Remission.

Objective: Clinical remission in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be associated with ongoing synovial inflammation that is not always detectable on clinical examination or reflected by laboratory tests but can be visualized by musculoskeletal ultrasound. The goal of our study was to determine the levels of serum calprotectin, a major leukocyte protein, in patients with RA in clinical remission and to investigate the ability of serum calprotectin levels to distinguish patients in ultrasound-defined remission from those with residual ultrasound subclinical inflammation.

Methods: Seventy RA patients in clinical remission underwent clinical and ultrasound examination.

Serum calprotectin (S100A8/9): an independent predictor of ultrasound synovitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Calprotectin, a heterodimeric complex of S100A8/9 (MRP8/14), has been proposed as an important serum biomarker that reflects disease activity and structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this cross-sectional study was to test the hypothesis that calprotectin is associated with clinical and ultrasound-determined disease activity in patients with RA.

Methods: A total of 37 patients with RA (including 24 females, a mean disease duration of 20 months) underwent a clinical examination and 7-joint ultrasound score (German US-7) of the clinically dominant hand and foot to assess synovitis by grey-scale (GS) and synovial vascularity by power Doppler (PD) ultrasound using semiquantitative 0-3 grading.

High levels of metastasis-inducing S100A4 protein and treatment outcome in early rheumatoid arthritis: data from the PERAC cohort.

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of S100A4 as a biomarker in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). S100A4 levels were measured in 59 patients with early RA and in 41 healthy controls. The association between the S100A4 levels and the treatment outcome after 12 months was determined using multivariate regression analysis.

A tailored approach to reduce dose of anti-TNF drugs may be equally effective, but substantially less costly than standard dosing in patients with ankylosing spondylitis over 1 year: a propensity score-matched cohort study.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness, safety and costs of standard versus individually tailored reduced doses of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) drugs in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) after achieving low-disease activity.

Methods: This was a single-centre prospective observational study performed within the ATTRA registry. The anti-TNF dose tapering strategy was chosen by treating physicians, without prespecified protocol.

Quantiferon TB Gold and tuberculin skin tests for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection in patients treated with tumour necrosis factor alpha blocking agents.

Objectives: The risk of activation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is increased in patients treated with anti-TNF-α drugs. Tuberculin skin test (TST) and Quantiferon-TB Gold test (QFT) are used to detect LTBI before and during anti-TNF-α treatment. We describe here a relation of these tests at various timepoints and also longitudinal QFT data.

Tofacitinib or adalimumab versus placebo in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Tofacitinib (CP-690,550) is a novel oral Janus kinase inhibitor that is being investigated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods: In this 12-month, phase 3 trial, 717 patients who were receiving stable doses of methotrexate were randomly assigned to 5 mg of tofacitinib twice daily, 10 mg of tofacitinib twice daily, 40 mg of adalimumab once every 2 weeks, or placebo. At month 3, patients in the placebo group who did not have a 20% reduction from baseline in the number of swollen and tender joints were switched in a blinded fashion to either 5 mg or 10 mg of tofacitinib twice daily; at month 6, all patients still receiving placebo were switched to tofacitinib in a blinded fashion.

The level of serum visfatin (PBEF) is associated with total number of B cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and decreases following B cell depletion therapy.

Objective: Visfatin, also known as pre-B cell colony-enhancing factor, was recently characterized as a potent pro-inflammatory mediator in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of B cell depletion with rituximab on serum visfatin levels in patients with active RA.

Methods: We evaluated 31 patients with RA starting rituximab therapy at baseline and after 16 and 24 weeks using disease activity score (DAS28).

A phase 2 randomized, double-blind study of AMG 108, a fully human monoclonal antibody to IL-1R, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Preclinical work has suggested that IL-1 plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of a long-acting IL-1 receptor inhibitor, AMG 108, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-dosing study in patients with active RA who were receiving stable methotrexate (15 to 25 mg/week).

Methods: Patients were randomized equally to receive placebo or 50, 125, or 250 mg AMG 108 subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 6 months.

COL6A1, the candidate gene for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament, is associated with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis in Japanese.

Study Design: Genetic screening of collagen 6A1 gene (COL6A1) in patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) recruited in Japan and the Czech Republic.

Objective: To investigate allelic associations between DISH and nucleotide variants of COL6A1.

Summary Of Background Data: DISH is a skeletal hyperostotic disease characterized by ligamentous ossification of the anterolateral side of the spine.