The association between sarcopenic obesity, sarcopenia and functional dependence, malnutrition, and mortality: the phenomenon of obesity paradox in sarcopenic obesity.

The aim of this study is to investigate the association between four phenotypes of sarcopenia/obesity in older individuals and functional disability, malnutrition, and all-cause mortality. This study is a cross-sectional study, survival is 3 years. A total of 487 Chinese older adults were included with 283 (58.

Axial spondyloarthritis.

Axial spondyloarthritis manifests as a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the sacroiliac joints and spine. Although chronic back pain and spinal stiffness are typical initial symptoms, peripheral (ie, enthesitis, arthritis, and dactylitis) and extra-musculoskeletal (ie, uveitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis) manifestations are also common. Timely and accurate diagnosis is challenging and relies on identifying a clinical pattern with a combination of clinical, laboratory (HLA-B27 positivity), and imaging findings (eg, structural damage on pelvic radiographs and bone marrow oedema on MRI of the sacroiliac joints).

Efficacy, safety, and target engagement of dazukibart, an IFNβ specific monoclonal antibody, in adults with dermatomyositis: a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

Background: Dermatomyositis is a chronic autoimmune disease with distinctive cutaneous eruptions and muscle weakness, and the pathophysiology is characterised by type I interferon (IFN) dysregulation. This study aims to assess the efficacy, safety, and target engagement of dazukibart, a potent, selective, humanised IgG1 neutralising monoclonal antibody directed against IFNβ, in adults with moderate-to-severe dermatomyositis.

Methods: This multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial was conducted at 25 university-based hospitals and outpatient sites in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and the USA.

DNA-binding affinity and specificity determine the phenotypic diversity in BCL11B-related disorders.

BCL11B is a Cys2-His2 zinc-finger (C2H2-ZnF) domain-containing, DNA-binding, transcription factor with established roles in the development of various organs and tissues, primarily the immune and nervous systems. BCL11B germline variants have been associated with a variety of developmental syndromes. However, genotype-phenotype correlations along with pathophysiologic mechanisms of selected variants mostly remain elusive.

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and adverse outcomes among vaccinated patients with tuberculosis.

Objectives: Limited data are available to assess breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections, medical utilization, and mortality in patients with tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to examine the risk of COVID-19 and severe outcomes in patients with TB between January 2020 and March 2022.

Study Design: US electronic medical records were used to identify TB and non-TB patients who completed the primary series of vaccination and had no prior COVID-19.

Neurogenic inflammation and itch in barrier tissues.

Once regarded as distinct systems, the nervous system and the immune system are now recognized for their complex interactions within the barrier tissues. The neuroimmune circuitry comprises a dual-network system that detects external and internal disturbances, providing critical information to tailor a context-specific response to various threats to tissue integrity, such as wounding or exposure to noxious and harmful stimuli like pathogens, toxins, or allergens. Using the skin as an example of a barrier tissue with the polarized sensory neuronal responses of itch and pain, we explore the molecular pathways driving neuronal activation and the effects of this activation on the immune response.

Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Bimekizumab in Axial Spondyloarthritis: 2-Year Results from Two Phase 3 Studies.

Objectives: Bimekizumab, a monoclonal IgG1 antibody that selectively inhibits interleukin (IL)‑17F in addition to IL-17A, previously demonstrated efficacy and was well tolerated to 1 year in patients with non-radiographic (nr-) and radiographic (r-) axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Here, we report bimekizumab safety and efficacy to 2 years.

Methods: Patients completing week 52 in the phase 3 studies BE MOBILE 1 (nr-axSpA; NCT03928704) and 2 (r‑axSpA; NCT03928743) were eligible for an ongoing open‑label extension (OLE; NCT04436640).

Ethnicity-specific patterns of epigenetic age acceleration in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an age-related chronic inflammatory disease which may include accelerated biological ageing processes in its pathogenesis. To determine if increased biological age is associated with risk of RA and/or is present once disease is established. We used DNA methylation to compare biological age (epigenetic age) of immune cells in adults at risk of RA and those with confirmed RA, including twins discordant for RA.

The role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of cognitive impairement, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis.

Age-related cognitive impairment and dementia pose a significant global health, social, and economic challenge. While Alzheimer's disease (AD) has historically been viewed as the leading cause of dementia, recent evidence reveals the considerable impact of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), which now accounts for nearly half of all dementia cases. The Mediterranean diet-characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil-has been widely recognized for its cardiovascular benefits and may also reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Effectiveness for remission maintenance rate and safety of different rituximab regimens for treating anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis in Japan: a J-CANVAS study.

Rituximab (RTX) has been reported to effectively maintain remission in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). In this multicenter study involving 57 patients who achieved remission after 24 weeks, we evaluated the effectiveness of RTX in maintaining remission in patients with AAV. Patients were divided into three groups based on RTX administration: continuous, induction phase-only, and maintenance phase-only groups.

A Challenging Case of IgG4-Related Kidney Disease Accompanied With Positive Serologic Tests of Lupus Erythematosus.

The case report presents a male patient in his mid-60s with a history of hypertension, benign prostatic hyperplasia and chronic kidney disease (CKD). He presented with gradually increasing serum creatinine levels and hyperglobulinemia, leading to suspicion of multiple myeloma. However, subsequent testing revealed features consistent with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and IgG4-related kidney disease (IgG4-RKD).

Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Anti-Ku Antibodies: A Case Series of 19 Patients.

Antibodies against Ku have been described in patients with various connective tissue diseases. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical, functional, and imaging characteristics of interstitial lung disease in patients with anti-Ku antibodies. : This single-center, retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary referral institution.

How We Treat ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: A Focus on the Maintenance Therapy.

Recent progress has notably improved outcomes for patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV), namely granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis. Since 2021, several international scientific societies have recommended rituximab (RTX) as the preferred primary treatment for maintaining remission in AAV patients. Decisions regarding retreatment with RTX are based on individual patient risk factors for disease flare-ups and the potential consequences of such flares.

Differences in Salivary Cytokinome and Pathogen Load Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Disease Patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease with complex pathogenesis, is characterized by an immune imbalance reflected, e.g., in the disturbed cytokines' profile.

PostCOVID-19 Impact on Perinatal Outcomes.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during pregnancy was associated with a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and stillbirth. The virus persistence can last for a long time, and the consequences of a previous coronavirus infection are currently under study. This study aimed to establish the clinical features of the course of pregnancy and childbirth in women with a history of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Automated Detection and Differentiation of Stanford Type A and Type B Aortic Dissections in CTA Scans Using Deep Learning.

Background/objectives: To develop and validate a model system using deep learning algorithms for the automatic detection of type A aortic dissection (AD), and differentiate it from normal and type B AD patients.

Methods: In this retrospective study, a deep learning model is developed, based on aortic computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans of 498 patients using training, validation and test sets of 398, 50 and 50 patients, respectively. An independent test set of 316 patients is used to validate and evaluate its performance.

Breaking research silos to achieve equitable precision medicine in rheumatology.

Health disparities in rheumatic disease are well established and urgently need addressing. Obstacles to precision medicine equity span both the clinical and the research domains, with a focus placed on structural barriers limiting equitable health care access and inclusivity in research. Less articulated factors include the use of inaccurate population descriptors and the existence of research silos in rheumatology research, which creates a knowledge gap that precludes addressing the health disparities and fulfilling the goals of precision medicine to understand the 'full patient'.

Associations between surrogate insulin resistance indexes and osteoarthritis: NHANES 2003-2016.

Insulin resistance (IR) and abdominal obesity are key in osteoarthritis (OA) development. The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index, along with indicators such as the visceral adiposity index (VAI), and lipid accumulation product (LAP), are increasingly used to measure IR. This study aims to explore the associations between surrogate IR indexes and OA, assessing their diagnostic efficacy within American populations.

Translational and clinical comparison of whole genome and transcriptome to panel sequencing in precision oncology.

Precision oncology offers new cancer treatment options, yet sequencing methods vary in type and scope. In this study, we compared whole-exome/whole-genome (WES/WGS) and transcriptome sequencing (TS) with broad panel sequencing by resequencing the same tumor DNA and RNA as well as normal tissue DNA for germline assessment, from 20 patients with rare or advanced tumors, who were originally sequenced by WES/WGS ± TS within the DKFZ/NCT/DKTK MASTER program from 2015 to 2020. Molecular analyses resulted in a median number of 2.

AMPD1 and MTHFR genes are not associated with calcium levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients with methotrexate therapy in Indonesia.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic and progressive autoimmune disease that affects synovial tissues has greater risk of developing secondary osteoporosis (OP). In particular, polymorphisms in Adenosine Monophosphate Deaminase 1 (AMPD1) and Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) affect the outcome of methotrexate (MTX) treatment in patients with RA. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association of AMPD1 rs17602729, MTHFR C677T, and MTHFR A1298C polymorphisms with MTX activity in RA patients.

Construct validity and responsiveness of ASAS Health Index assessed in two longitudinal studies of tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitor initiation and dose reduction in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

Background: The Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society Health Index (ASAS HI) is a novel questionnaire of global functioning for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA).

Objective: The objective was to assess the construct validity, discriminatory ability and responsiveness of ASAS HI in relation to patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), MRI and radiography.

Methods: Data from two longitudinal studies with tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) initiation (novel MRI And biomarkers in Golimumab-treated patients with axial spondyloarthritis (MANGO): n=45) respectively tapering (Dose adjustment of Biological treatment in patients with SpA (DOBIS): n=106) were used.

Nuclear translocation of RON receptor tyrosine kinase. New mechanistic and functional insights.

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are membrane sensors that monitor alterations in the extracellular milieu and translate this information into appropriate cellular responses. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most well-known model in which gene expression is upregulated by mitogenic signals through the activation of multiple signaling cascades or by nuclear translocation of the full-length EGFR protein. RON (Receptuer d'Origine Nantatise, also known as macrophage stimulating 1 receptor, MST1R) has recently gained attention as a therapeutic target for human cancer.

Efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological, pharmacological and surgical treatments for hand osteoarthritis in 2024: a systematic review.

Background: We aimed to update the 2018 systematic literature review on the efficacy and safety of treatments for hand osteoarthritis (OA), which was based on 126 studies.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search on randomised controlled trials from June 2017 up to 31 December 2023. Risk of bias was assessed using the RoB2 tool.