Consistency in the Assessment of Dried Blood Spot Specimen Size and Quality in U.K. Newborn Screening Laboratories.

In 2015, U.K. newborn screening (NBS) laboratory guidelines were introduced to standardize dried blood spot (DBS) specimen quality acceptance and specify a minimum acceptable DBS diameter of ≥7 mm.

Variability in Kidney Cancer Treatment and Survival in England: Results of a National Cohort Study.

Aims: To establish whether there are geographic differences in treatments and outcomes for patients with kidney cancer (KC) in England which could potentially be improved by the creation of national guidelines.

Materials And Methods: A multidisciplinary group convened by the charity Kidney Cancer UK developed Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs) for the treatment of KC. Adherence to these QPIs was reported for all patients with a histological diagnosis of KC diagnosed in England between 2017 and 2018.

Estimation of kidney doses from [Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE PRRT using single time point post-treatment SPECT/CT.

Background: Dosimetry after [Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE therapy can be demanding for both patients and the clinical service due to the need for imaging at several time points. In this work we compare three methods of single time point (STP) kidney dosimetry after [Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE therapy with a multiple time point (MTP) dosimetry method.

Method: Method 1 (MTP): Kidney doses were calculated from 31 patients including 107 therapy cycles.

Retrospective Review of Positive Newborn Screening Results for Isovaleric Acidemia and Development of a Strategy to Improve the Efficacy of Newborn Screening in the UK.

Since the UK commenced newborn screening for isovaleric acidemia in 2015, changes in prescribing have increased the incidence of false positive (FP) results due to pivaloylcarnitine. A review of screening results between 2015 and 2022 identified 24 true positive (TP) and 84 FP cases, with pivalate interference confirmed in 76/84. Initial C5 carnitine (C5C) did not discriminate between FP and TP with median (range) C5C of 2.

Prognostic role of minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production slope for perioperative morbidity and long-term survival in resectable patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer: a prospective study using propensity score overlap weighting.

Background: The role of minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production ( / CO 2 ) slope, a ventilation efficiency marker, in predicting short-term and long-term health outcomes for patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing lung resection has not been well investigated.

Material And Methods: This prospective cohort study consecutively enrolled NSCLC patients who underwent a presurgical cardiopulmonary exercise test from November 2014 to December 2019. The association of / CO 2 slope with relapse-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and perioperative mortality was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards and logistic models.

Horizon scan: State-of-the-art therapeutics for psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a common immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) that can present with a heterogenous clinical phenotype. The advent of advanced therapies has substantially improved patient outcomes, but many patients still have suboptimal or unsustained response, resulting in morbidity, structural damage and functional impairment. There remains a need for better therapeutic options and precision medicine approaches to improve outcomes for patients with PsA.

Biomarkers predictive of treatment response in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: a systematic review.

Aims: The ability to predict response to treatment remains a key unmet need in psoriatic disease. We conducted a systematic review of studies relating to biomarkers associated with response to treatment in either psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library from their inception to 2 September 2020, and conference proceedings from four major rheumatology conferences.

A comparison of clinical examination and ultrasound enthesitis indices in patients with psoriatic arthritis, adjusted for concomitant fibromyalgia.

Objectives: To: (a) determine the extent of ultrasound (US)-detected peripheral enthesitis in a cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA); (b) compare this with three clinical examination (CE) enthesitis indices; and (c) determine the effect of concurrent fibromyalgia on the evaluation of enthesitis.

Methods: A prospective single-centre cross-sectional study of consecutive outpatients with established PsA undergoing clinical examination for enthesitis and US examination for inflammatory and structural lesions of enthesitis. Multivariable analyses tested for association between US scores, CE enthesitis indices and influence of concurrent fibromyalgia.

Prevalence of axial spondyloarthritis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease using cross-sectional imaging: a systematic literature review.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an excess burden of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), which, if left untreated, may significantly impact on clinical outcomes. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of axSpA, including previously undiagnosed cases, in IBD patients from studies involving cross-sectional imaging and identify the IBD features potentially associated with axSpA.

Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched systematically between 1990 and 2018.

Burkitt Lymphoma International Prognostic Index.

Purpose: Burkitt lymphoma (BL) has unique biology and clinical course but lacks a standardized prognostic model. We developed and validated a novel prognostic index specific for BL to aid risk stratification, interpretation of clinical trials, and targeted development of novel treatment approaches.

Methods: We derived the BL International Prognostic Index (BL-IPI) from a real-world data set of adult patients with BL treated with immunochemotherapy in the United States between 2009 and 2018, identifying candidate variables that showed the strongest prognostic association with progression-free survival (PFS).

The risks of applying normative values in paediatric cardiopulmonary exercise testing: a case report.

https://bit.ly/36WgOSO.

Multidisciplinary working in the management of axial and peripheral spondyloarthritis.

Multidisciplinary (MD) care is essential in the management of patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and is one of the main pillars of disease management and patient care. However, evidence supporting the effectiveness and benefits of this strategy in SpA is scarce. In this review we discuss the three types of MD care models: (i) combined clinics (MD units), including 'face to face', 'parallel' and 'circuit approach' clinics; (ii) MD team meetings; (iii) group consultations.

Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) has increased dramatically in Western countries, including the UK, over the past 30 years. It usually presents , but is often preceded by Barrett's oesophagus (BO), a premalignant condition whereby the normal squamous epithelium is replaced by columnar lined epithelium with intestinal metaplasia. The main risk factors for BO include male sex, obesity and chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux of acid and bile.

Human osteoarthritic synovial fluid increases excitability of mouse dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons: an in-vitro translational model to study arthritic pain.

Objectives: Knee OA is a leading global cause of morbidity. This study investigates the effects of knee SF from patients with OA on the activity of dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons that innervate the knee (knee neurons) as a novel translational model of disease-mediated nociception in human OA.

Methods: Dissociated cultures of mouse knee neurons were incubated overnight or acutely stimulated with OA-SF (n = 4) and fluid from healthy donors (n = 3, Ctrl-SF).

Th17 cell responses in spondyloarthritis.

Targeting IL-17 has become an important option in the current treatment of spondyloarthritis (SpA). To place this therapeutic advancement in context, we review the discovery and properties of this cytokine, noting those which predispose to inflammation and led to it being considered as an attractive target for the treatment of arthritis, especially SpA. The processes that regulate the differentiation of IL-17-producing cells, particularly Th17 CD4+ T cells, have been investigated thoroughly, including the role of IL-23, as these point to additional potential therapies as alternatives to direct IL-17 blockade.

Trajectory of radiographic change over a decade: the effect of transition from conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs to anti-tumour necrosis factor in patients with psoriatic arthritis.

Objectives: To describe the trajectory of radiographic progression among patients with PsA who transitioned from conventional synthetic DMARDs to anti-TNF-α inhibitors in routine care.

Methods: A retrospective sample of patients with PsA (ClASsification criteria for Psoriatic ARthritis) was taken from the Bath longitudinal cohort. All patients had radiographs of the hands and feet taken: 5 years before (T0), at the time of (T1) and 5 years after (T2) commencing anti-TNF treatment.

Serum bone-turnover biomarkers are associated with the occurrence of peripheral and axial arthritis in psoriatic disease: a prospective cross-sectional comparative study.

Background: A recent systematic review identified four candidate serum-soluble bone-turnover biomarkers (dickkopf-1, Dkk-1; macrophage-colony stimulating factor, M-CSF; matrix metalloproteinase-3, MMP-3; osteoprotegerin, OPG) showing possible association with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We aimed to: (i) confirm and determine if these four biomarkers are associated with PsA; (ii) differentiate psoriasis cases with and without arthritis; and (iii) differentiate PsA cases with and without axial arthritis.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional comparative two-centre study recruited 200 patients with psoriasis without arthritis (PsC), 127 with PsA without axial arthritis (pPsA), 117 with PsA with axial arthritis (psoriatic spondyloarthritis, PsSpA), 157 with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) without psoriasis, and 50 matched healthy controls (HC).

A rare coding allele in is protective for psoriatic arthritis.

Objectives: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis. While many common risk alleles have been reported for association with PsA as well as psoriasis, few rare coding alleles have yet been identified.

Methods: To identify rare coding variation associated with PsA risk or protection, we genotyped 41 267 variants with the exome chip and investigated association within an initial cohort of 1980 PsA cases and 5913 controls.