Patient-Reported and Economic Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: Results from the National Health and Wellness Survey.

Introduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, autoimmune form of arthritis that is associated with a substantial humanistic and economic burden. Potential differences in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and economic outcomes among groups of varying PsA severity and different races/ethnicities have not been well studied.

Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed sociodemographic data, PROs, and economic outcomes for participants with PsA from the National Health and Wellness Survey (2018-2020).

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Treatment Initiation Among Patients with Newly Diagnosed Psoriatic Arthritis: A Retrospective Medicaid Claims Database Study.

Introduction: In patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), potential differences in care by race/ethnicity have not been well studied.

Methods: This retrospective, observational cohort analysis utilized the IBM MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid database. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with two or more PsA-related claims between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019, and ≥ 12 months of continuous enrollment before the first diagnosis of PsA (index date) were included.

Knee Arthrocentesis in Adults.

Arthrocentesis of the knee is a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the knee joint, and synovial fluid is aspirated. An arthrocentesis can be diagnostic or therapeutic. Synovial fluid may be removed for testing to determine the nature of the knee effusion.

A Rare Case of Concomitant Septic Arthritis, Osteomyelitis, and Pyomyositis Caused by Salmonella.

A common causative organism in osteomyelitis in sickle cell disease is . Septic arthritis and muscle infection due to are much less common. We present a case of a 28-year-old woman with sickle cell disease who presented with left shoulder and elbow pain for two days.

Atypical Sjögren's Syndrome Initially Presenting as Lymphocytic Interstitial Pneumonitis followed by Immune Thrombocytopenia.

Background: Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease characterized primarily by decreased exocrine gland function leading to eye and mouth dryness. Extraglandular manifestations occur less frequently. .

A Case Control Study to Evaluate the Impact of Colchicine on Patients Admitted to the Hospital with Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Infection.

Background: Colchicine has been used in conditions such as periodic febrile illness, acute pericarditis, and gouty arthritis, all having a common hyperinflammatory response as seen in moderate to severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This project was carried out during the rapid surge of cases in New York City, and the goal was to assess the efficacy of colchicine in treating patients with COVID-19.

Methods: Patients admitted to two distinct pulmonary oriented floors of the BronxCare Hospital Center were compared.

Post-chikungunya rheumatic disorders in travelers after return from the Caribbean.

Background: Due to increasing concerns about post-chikungunya (pCHIK) rheumatic disorders in Latin America we aimed to evaluate its occurrence in travelers returning to NYC from the Caribbean.

Method: Patients diagnosed with chikungunya (CHIK) during 2014 at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center (Bronx, NewYork) were identified by reviewing laboratory and electronic medical records. Patients and caregivers of pediatric patients were interviewed by phone ≥9 months after the CHIK diagnosis to survey for chronic symptomatology and current health care needs.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is instrumental in the pathogenesis of antibody-mediated nephritis in mice.

Objective: The mechanism by which anti-DNA antibodies mediate lupus nephritis has yet to be conclusively determined. Previously, we found that treatment of mesangial cells with anti-DNA antibodies induced high expression of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), an iron-binding protein up-regulated in response to kidney injury. We undertook this study to determine whether NGAL is instrumental in the pathogenesis of nephritis, is induced as part of repair, or is irrelevant to damage/repair pathways.

Diffuse calcifications of the spleen: a novel association with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: While anatomical and physiological changes in the spleen are reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex autoimmune disease that can affect most organ systems, calcifications have not been described as a characteristic feature. We report 4 lupus patients with extensive splenic calcifications with no apparent cause except for their primary disease. The relevant literature on calcifications of the spleen in SLE is also reviewed.

Sex and autoantibody titers determine the development of neuropsychiatric manifestations in lupus-prone mice.

Emotional disturbances are among the most common neuropsychiatric manifestations of SLE, a systemic autoimmune disease with a strong female predominance. In this study, we evaluated young MRL/lpr mice, directly comparing males and females. MRL/lpr females exhibited significant depression as early as 5 weeks (at which time elevated levels of autoantibodies were already present), as compared to MRL/lpr males, where depression was noted only at 18 weeks.

Effects of medications on post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis.

Background And Aims: Drug-induced pancreatitis accounts for about 2% of acute pancreatitis. The aim of this study is to determine whether propofol and other medications are associated with increased risk for post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a single tertiary care hospital.

Prolactin, systemic lupus erythematosus, and autoreactive B cells: lessons learnt from murine models.

The predominant prevalence of autoimmune diseases in women of reproductive age has led to the investigation of the effects of sex hormones on immune regulation and in autoimmune diseases, in particular the prototypic systemic autoimmune disease lupus. The female hormone prolactin has receptors beyond the reproductive axis including immune cells, and it is thought to promote autoimmunity in human and murine lupus. Induced hyperprolactinemia in experimental lupus models, regardless of gender, exacerbates disease activity and leads to premature death.

B-cell-directed therapies in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Owing to their ability to promote the onset and flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), B-cells are now established as key players in the pathogenesis of the disease, and, therefore, have become a major therapeutic focus in SLE. In this article, we review the literature on B-cell-directed therapies for SLE focusing on B-cell depletion, B-cell tolerance, costimulatory signals, and cytokines that affect B-cell survival and activation.

Methods: The clinical trials reviewed in this article were accessed from the PubMed database (www.