Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 as a predictive biomarker of treatment response in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases initiating biologics: secondary analyses based on the prospective BELIEVE cohort study.

Background: Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers for predicting treatment response in chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs).

Objective: To determine whether serum microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) levels can predict the treatment response to biological therapy in patients with CIDs.

Methods: The BELIEVE study was originally designed as a prospective, multi-center cohort study of 233 patients with either rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis, initiating treatment with a biologic agent (or switching to another).

Assessment of the Inflammatory Effects of Gut Microbiota from Human Twins Discordant for Ulcerative Colitis on Germ-free Mice.

Disturbances in gut microbiota are prevalent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis (UC). However, whether these disturbances contribute to development of the disease or are a result of the disease is unclear. In pairs of human twins discordant for IBD, the healthy twin has a higher risk of developing IBD and a gut microbiota that is more similar to that of IBD patients as compared with healthy individuals.

Impact of fibre and red/processed meat intake on treatment outcomes among patients with chronic inflammatory diseases initiating biological therapy: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Biologic disease-modifying drugs have revolutionised the treatment of a number of chronic inflammatory diseases (CID). However, up to 60% of the patients do not have a sufficient response to treatment and there is a need for optimization of treatment strategies.

Objective: To investigate if the treatment outcome of biological therapy is associated with the habitual dietary intake of fibre and red/processed meat in patients with a CID.

Longitudinal multi-omics analysis identifies early blood-based predictors of anti-TNF therapy response in inflammatory bowel disease.

Background And Aims: Treatment with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) antagonists in IBD patients suffers from primary non-response rates of up to 40%. Biomarkers for early prediction of therapy success are missing. We investigated the dynamics of gene expression and DNA methylation in blood samples of IBD patients treated with the TNF antagonist infliximab and analyzed the predictive potential regarding therapy outcome.

Multiomics analysis of rheumatoid arthritis yields sequence variants that have large effects on risk of the seropositive subset.

Objectives: To find causal genes for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its seropositive (RF and/or ACPA positive) and seronegative subsets.

Methods: We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 31 313 RA cases (68% seropositive) and ~1 million controls from Northwestern Europe. We searched for causal genes outside the HLA-locus through effect on coding, mRNA expression in several tissues and/or levels of plasma proteins (SomaScan) and did network analysis (Qiagen).

Validation of GWAS-Identified Variants for Anti-TNF Drug Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Meta-Analysis of Two Large Cohorts.

We aimed to validate the association of 28 GWAS-identified genetic variants for response to TNF inhibitors (TNFi) in a discovery cohort of 1361 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients monitored in routine care and ascertained through the REPAIR consortium and DANBIO registry. We genotyped selected markers and evaluated their association with response to TNFi after 6 months of treatment according to the change in disease activity score 28 (ΔDAS28). Next, we confirmed the most interesting results through meta-analysis of our data with those from the DREAM cohort that included 706 RA patients treated with TNFi.

Lipid molecular timeline profiling reveals diurnal crosstalk between the liver and circulation.

Diurnal regulation of whole-body lipid metabolism plays a vital role in metabolic health. Although changes in lipid levels across the diurnal cycle have been investigated, the system-wide molecular responses to both short-acting fasting-feeding transitions and longer-timescale circadian rhythms have not been explored in parallel. Here, we perform time-series multi-omics analyses of liver and plasma revealing that the majority of molecular oscillations are entrained by adaptations to fasting, food intake, and the postprandial state.

Cost-consequence analysis of self-administration of medication during hospitalization: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in a Danish hospital setting.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the costs and consequences of introducing "self-administration of medication" (SAM) during hospitalization as compared with nurse-led dispensing and administration of medication.

Methods: This pragmatic randomized controlled trial was performed in a Danish Cardiology Unit. Patients ⩾18 years old capable of self-administering medication were eligible.

The Relation between Red Meat and Whole-Grain Intake and the Colonic Mucosal Barrier: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The Colonic Mucosal Barrier (CMB) is the site of interaction between the human body and the colonic microbiota. The mucus is the outer part of the CMB and is considered as the front-line defense of the colon. It separates the host epithelial lining from the colonic content, and it has previously been linked to health and diseases.

Translational Potential of Metabolomics on Animal Models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-A Systematic Critical Review.

In the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the gut microbiota has been established as a key factor. Recently, metabolomics has become important for understanding the functional relevance of gut microbial changes in disease. Animal models for IBD enable the study of factors involved in disease development.

Self-administration of medication: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of the impact on dispensing errors, perceptions, and satisfaction.

Background: Our aim was to investigate whether self-administration of medication (SAM) during hospitalization affects the number of dispensing errors, perceptions regarding medication, and participant satisfaction when compared with nurse-led medication dispensing.

Methods: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial was performed in a Danish cardiology unit. Patients aged ⩾ 18 years capable of SAM were eligible for inclusion.

NFKB2 polymorphisms associate with the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and response to TNF inhibitors: Results from the REPAIR consortium.

This study sought to evaluate the association of 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within NFKB and inflammasome pathway genes with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and response to TNF inhibitors (TNFi). We conducted a case-control study in a European population of 1194 RA patients and 1328 healthy controls. The association of potentially interesting markers was validated with data from the DANBIO (695 RA patients and 978 healthy controls) and DREAM (882 RA patients) registries.

Biomarkers of Whole-Grain and Cereal-Fiber Intake in Human Studies: A Systematic Review of the Available Evidence and Perspectives.

High whole-grain consumption is related to better health outcomes. The specific physiological effect of these compounds is still unrevealed, partly because the accurate estimation of the intake of whole grains from dietary assessments is difficult and prone to bias, due to the complexity of the estimation of the intake by the consumer. A biomarker of whole-grain intake and type of whole-grain intake would be useful for quantifying the exposure to whole-grain intake.

Identification of Disease-associated Traits and Clonotypes in the T Cell Receptor Repertoire of Monozygotic Twins Affected by Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Background And Aims: Intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] is thought to be T cell mediated and therefore dependent on the interaction between the T cell receptor [TCR] and human leukocyte antigen [HLA] proteins expressed on antigen presenting cells. The collection of all TCRs in one individual, known as the TCR repertoire, is characterised by enormous diversity and inter-individual variability. It was shown that healthy monozygotic [MZ] twins are more similar in their TCR repertoire than unrelated individuals.

Correction: Polymorphisms at phase I-metabolizing enzyme and hormone receptor loci influence the response to anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The original version of this Article contained an error in the spelling of the author Ana Rodríguez-Ramos, which was incorrectly given as Ana Rodríguez Ramos. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Polymorphisms at phase I-metabolizing enzyme and hormone receptor loci influence the response to anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate whether 47 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in steroid hormone-related genes are associated with the risk of RA and anti-TNF drug response. We conducted a case-control study in 3 European populations including 2936 RA patients and 2197 healthy controls. Of those, a total of 1985 RA patients were treated with anti-TNF blockers.

Genetically determined high activities of the TNF-alpha, IL23/IL17, and NFkB pathways were associated with increased risk of ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) results from the combined effects of susceptibility genes and environmental factors. Polymorphisms in genes regulating inflammation may explain part of the heritability of AS.

Methods: Using a candidate gene approach in this case-control study, 51 mainly functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes regulating inflammation were assessed in 709 patients with AS and 795 controls.

Impact of red and processed meat and fibre intake on treatment outcomes among patients with chronic inflammatory diseases: protocol for a prospective cohort study of prognostic factors and personalised medicine.

Introduction: Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) are frequently treated with biological medications, specifically tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi)). These medications inhibit the pro-inflammatory molecule TNF alpha, which has been strongly implicated in the aetiology of these diseases. Up to one-third of patients do not, however, respond to biologics, and lifestyle factors are assumed to affect treatment outcomes.

A Proposal for a Study on Treatment Selection and Lifestyle Recommendations in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases: A Danish Multidisciplinary Collaboration on Prognostic Factors and Personalised Medicine.

Chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel diseases, IBD), rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthritides, hidradenitis suppurativa, and immune-mediated uveitis, are treated with biologics targeting the pro-inflammatory molecule tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF) (i.e., TNF inhibitors).