Objective: To determine the reasons for changing treatment from mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) to azathioprine (AZA) or vice versa in lupus patients and to evaluate the effect of the change.
Methods: Lupus patients were identified from the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic database. Global disease activity in the 6 months prior to the change in therapy and 6 months after the change was calculated. The reasons for changing therapy were identified.
Results: One hundred eight switches occurred among 92 lupus patients: 89 switches from AZA to MMF and 19 from MMF to AZA. There was significant improvement in disease activity in the 6 months after drug switching compared to the 6 months prior to the switch when the reason was a drug failure. There was no statistically significant deterioration in disease activity in the 6 months after drug switching when the reason for the switch was a side effect, pregnancy, renal transplant, or financial. In the 19 patients who switched because of side effects, 15 (79%) had resolution of the side effects.
Conclusion: Switching from AZA to MMF is most often due to AZA failure, whereas switching from MMF to AZA is mostly due to side effects and pregnancy. When the reason for the switch was drug failure, improvement in disease activity occurred and there was a reduction of steroid dose after 6 months. When the reason for switching was something other than drug failure, there was no deterioration in global disease activity. Switching for side effects usually resulted in elimination of the side effect.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/acr.22364 | DOI Listing |
Gut Microbes
December 2025
Department of Pediatrics, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Ministry of Education), West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe, life-threatening inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, especially affecting preterm infants. This review consolidates evidence from various biomedical disciplines to elucidate the complex pathogenesis of NEC, integrating insights from clinical, microbial, and molecular perspectives. It emphasizes the modulation of NEC-associated inflammatory pathways by probiotics and novel biologics, highlighting their therapeutic potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDig Dis Sci
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.
Background: Ulcerative colitis patients who undergo ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) without mucosectomy may develop inflammation of the rectal cuff (cuffitis). Treatment of cuffitis typically includes mesalamine suppositories or corticosteroids, but refractory cuffitis may necessitate advanced therapies or procedural interventions. This review aims to summarize the existing literature regarding treatments options for cuffitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetab Brain Dis
January 2025
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre, CEP 90610-000, RS, Brazil.
Phenylketonuria is a genetic disorder characterized by high phenylalanine levels, the main toxic metabolite of the disease. Hyperphenylalaninemia can cause neurological impairment. In order to avoid this symptomatology, patients typically follow a phenylalanine-free diet supplemented with a synthetic formula that provides essential amino acids, including L-carnitine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Rheumatol
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Objectives: To investigate the clinical and laboratory features of Sjögren's syndrome-associated autoimmune liver disease (SS-ALD) patients and identify potential risk and prognostic factors.
Methods: SS patients with or without ALD, who visited Tongji Hospital between the years 2011 and 2021 and met the 2012 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Sjögren's syndrome, were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical and laboratory data of the enrolled patients, including autoimmune antibodies, were collected and analyzed with principal component analysis, correlation analysis, LASSO regression, and Cox regression.
Geroscience
January 2025
National Institute On Aging, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, a non-thermal light therapy using nonionizing light sources, has shown therapeutic potential across diverse biological processes, including aging and age-associated diseases. In 2023, scientists from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Intramural and Extramural programs convened a workshop on the topic of PBM to discuss various proposed mechanisms of PBM action, including the stimulation of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase, modulation of cell membrane transporters and receptors, and the activation of transforming growth factor-β1. They also reviewed potential therapeutic applications of PBM across a range of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, retinal disease, Parkinson's disease, and cognitive impairment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!