Genetic Association of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis With Adult Rheumatic Disease.

Importance: Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) may develop adult rheumatic diseases later in life, and prolonged or recurrent disease activity is often associated with substantial disability; therefore, it is important to identify patients with JIA at high risk of developing adult rheumatic diseases and provide specialized attention and preventive care to them.

Objective: To elucidate the full extent of the genetic association of JIA with adult rheumatic diseases, to improve treatment strategies and patient outcomes for patients at high risk of developing long-term rheumatic diseases.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this genetic association study of 4 disease genome-wide association study (GWAS) cohorts from 2013 to 2024 (JIA, rheumatoid arthritis [RA], systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], and systemic sclerosis [SSc]), patients in the JIA cohort were recruited from the US, Australia, and Norway (with a UK cohort included in the meta-analyzed cohort), while patients in the other 3 cohorts were recruited from US and Western European countries.

Rhaponticin Alleviates Collagen-induced Arthritis by Inhibiting NLRP3/GSDMD-mediated Neutrophil Extracellular Traps.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play an important role in the inflammatory response and progressive joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rhaponticin (Rha) is a stilbene glycoside compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of Rha in RA, with a specific focus on its effects on NETs and on the underlying mechanisms of Rha.

A Triple Therapeutic Regiment Consisted of Colchicine, Thalidomide and Total Glucosides of Paeony Is Effective and Well-Tolerated for Treating Mucocutaneous Involvement in Patients With Behcet's Disease.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a triple therapy consisting of colchicine, thalidomide and total glucosides of paeony (TGP) in Behcet's disease (BD) patients with mucocutaneous involvement.

Methods: Totally 355 newly diagnosed BD patients with mucocutaneous involvement were recruited, who received dexamethasone and colchicine for the first 2 weeks, then they were categorized into "sustained triple-therapy (ST)" (n = 231) and "colchicine to triple-therapy (CT)" (n = 124) groups respectively: for ST group, patients received colchicine, thalidomide plus TGP from Month (M)0.5 to M12; for CT group, patients received colchicine from M0.

Preclinical RA: How to halt its progression.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder with a complex pathogenesis that evolves through various stages before clinical symptoms emerge. This review outlines the natural history of RA, starting from genetic predisposition and environmental triggers to preclinical autoimmunity and subsequent joint inflammation. Key genetic factors interact with environmental elements like smoking and infections, producing autoantibodies such as anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor, which precede clinical manifestations by several years.

Metabolic Reprogramming of Macrophages by Biomimetic Melatonin-Loaded Liposomes Effectively Attenuates Acute Gouty Arthritis in a Mouse Model.

Gouty arthritis is characterized by an acute inflammatory response triggered by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals deposited in the joints and periarticular tissues. Current treatments bring little effects owing to serious side effects, necessitating the exploration of new and safer therapeutic options. Macrophages play a critical role in the initiation, progression, and resolution of acute gout, with the cellular profiles closely linked to their activation and polarization.

Macrophage metabolic reprogramming: A trigger for cardiac damage in autoimmune diseases.

Macrophage metabolic reprogramming has a central role in the progression of autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases. The heart is a major target organ in many autoimmune conditions and can sustain functional and structural impairments, potentially leading to irreversible cardiac damage. There is mounting clinical evidence pointing to a link between autoimmune disease and cardiac damage.

The comprehensive relationship between combined anti-inflammatory and healthy diets and all-cause mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: results from NHANES 2003-2018.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune inflammatory disorder. Diet is recognized as a modifiable factor that may influence inflammation and potentially accelerate RA progression. Nevertheless, the effects of diverse dietary patterns and their combined impact on RA progression and long-term mortality remain inadequately understood.

HFD aggravated the arthritis and atherosclerosis by altering the intestinal status and gut microbiota.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are both the chronic inflammatory disease. To investigate the influence of secondary atherosclerosis on arthritis mice, we treated the ApoE mice with K/BxN serum and high fat diet (HFD), and subsequently assessed the phenotypes as well as immune profiles of K/BxN serum and HFD induced ApoE mice. We found that HFD treatment aggravated the hyperlipidemia, atherosclerotic lesions, ankle swelling and arthropathy of mice.

Molecular insights into the therapeutic mechanisms of Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv decoction for ankylosing spondylitis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic rheumatic immune disease characterized by high disability rates, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. BuShen-QiangDu-ZhiLv Decoction (BQZD), developed by the renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Jiao Shude, has been traditionally used for AS treatment. However, the bioactive components and the precise mechanisms underlying BQZD's therapeutic effects remain largely unexplored.

Epstein-Barr virus hijacks B cell metabolism to establish persistent infection and drive pathogenesis.

When B cells engage in an immune response, metabolic reprogramming is key to meeting cellular energetic and biosynthetic demands. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a highly prevalent gamma-herpesvirus, latently infecting B cells for the human host's lifetime. By hijacking signaling pathways of T cell-dependent humoral immunity, EBV activates B cells in a T cell-independent manner, forcing lymphoblastoid transformation.

Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook.f. & Thomson vines ameliorates hyperuricemia by inhibiting synthesis and promoting excretion of uric acid through targeting NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook.f.

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific burden of diarrhoeal diseases, their risk factors, and aetiologies, 1990-2021, for 204 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Background: Diarrhoeal diseases claim more than 1 million lives annually and are a leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years. Comprehensive global estimates of the diarrhoeal disease burden for specific age groups of children younger than 5 years are scarce, and the burden in children older than 5 years and in adults is also understudied. We used results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021 to assess the burden of, and trends in, diarrhoeal diseases overall and attributable to 13 pathogens, as well as the contributions of associated risk factors, in children and adults in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021.

Update on Autoimmune Pancreatitis and IgG4-Related Disease.

Autoimmune pancreatitis is an increasingly recognized inflammatory type of subacute pancreatitis; two subtypes of autoimmune pancreatitis have been identified so far: the "lymphoplasmacytic" type 1 variant and the "neutrophilic" type 2 variant. Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis represents the most common manifestation of IgG4-related disease, a fibro-inflammatory disorder characterized by elevated IgG4 levels in the serum and affected tissues. Type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis is a pancreas-specific disorder that frequently occurs in the context of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Efficacy and Safety of Juan Bi Pill with Add-on Methotrexate in Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: A 48-Week, Multicentre, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of Juan Bi Pill (JBP) in treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: From February 2017 to May 2018, 115 participants from 4 centers were randomly divided into JBP group (57 cases) and placebo group (58 cases) in a 1:1 ratio using a random number table method. Participants received a dose of JBP (4 g, twice a day, orally) combined with methotrexate (MTX, 10 mg per week) or placebo (4 g, twice a day, orally) combined with MTX for 12 weeks.

Dual-targeted halofuginone hydrobromide nanocomplexes for promotion of macrophage repolarization and apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes in adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and excessive proliferation of the synovium. Currently, treatment options focus on either reducing inflammation or inhibiting synovial hyperplasia. However, these modalities are unsatisfactory in achieving the desired therapeutic outcomes.

The adjuvant effect of manganese on tuberculosis subunit vaccine Bfrb-GrpE.

Protein subunit vaccines, lacking pathogen-associated molecular patterns that trigger immune responses, rely on adjuvants to induce robust immune responses against the target pathogen. Thus, selection of adjuvants plays a crucial role in the design of protein subunit vaccines. Recently, there has been growing interest in utilizing cGAS-STING agonists as vaccine adjuvants.

[Advances in roles of Parabacteroides distasonis and its regulation by traditional Chinese medicines].

Parabacteroides distasonis is a gram-negative bacterium initially isolated from a clinical specimen in the 1930s. The strain was re-classified to form the new genus Parabacteroides in 2006. P.

aPKC/Par3/Par6 polarity complexes regulate podocyte motility and crescent formation in the progression of ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Objectives: Podocyte bridging may be a key initial event occurring early in crescent formation. This study aims to probe the underlying mechanism of atypical protein kinase C (aPKC)/protease-activated receptor 3(Par3)/Par6 polarity complexes on podocyte motility and crescent formation during the progression of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: The effects of anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody (mAb) on the crescent formation, localization and expression of aPKC/Par3/Par6 polarity complexes, and activities of small GTPases (Rho/Rac1/Cdc42) were explored in an AAV mouse model.

Non-negligible prevalence of focal lymphocytic sialadenitis in minor salivary glands of non-Sjögren's disease individuals.

Objectives: Focal lymphocytic sialadenitis (FLS) in minor salivary gland biopsy (MSGB) has long been regarded as a histologic hallmark of Sjögren's disease (SjD), but it can also occur in non-SjD individuals. This study aimed to define the prevalence of FLS in labial minor salivary glands of non-SjD individuals via both an autopsy study and a meta-analysis.

Methods: A total of 214 genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) volunteers was included in the autopsy study, and FLS in labial minor salivary gland was evaluated.

CFAP47 is Implicated in X-Linked Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Introduction: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a well-described condition in which approximately 80% of all cases have a genetic explanation; and among sporadic cases without a family history, the genetic bases remain unclear in approximately 30% of cases. This study aimed to identify genes associated with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in patients with sporadic cystic kidney disease in which a clear genetic change was not identified in established genes.

Methods: A next-generation sequencing panel analyzed known genes related to kidney cysts in 118 sporadic cases, followed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 47 unrelated individuals without identified candidate variants.

An artesunate-modified half-sandwich iridium(iii) complex inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and metastasis through the STAT3 pathway.

Colon cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and is recognized as the most aggressive tumor of the digestive system. Aberrant activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is associated with proliferation, metastasis and immunosuppression of the tumor cells. Here, to inhibit the STAT3 pathway and suppress metastasis in colon cancer cells, the half-sandwich iridium complex Ir-ART containing an artesunate-derived ligand was synthesized.

A non-invasive model for diagnosis of primary Sjogren's disease based on salivary biomarkers, serum autoantibodies, and Schirmer's test.

Background: Minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsy is a critical but invasive method for the classification of primary Sjögren's disease (pSjD). Here we aimed to identify salivary proteins as potential biomarkers and to establish a non-invasive prediction model for pSjD.

Methods: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was conducted on whole saliva samples from patients with pSjD and non-Sjögren control subjects (non-pSjD).

Development of differential diagnostic models for distinguishing between limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy.

Objective: Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is usually confused with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) in clinical practice. Our study aimed to establish convenient and reliable diagnostic models for distinguishing between LGMD and IIM.

Methods: A total of 71 IIM patients, 24 LGMDR2 patients and 22 LGMDR1 patients diagnosed at our neuromuscular center were enrolled.

[Analysis of the clinical features and prognosis of neuro-Behcet's syndrome in 5 children].

To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of neuro-Behçet's syndrome (NBS) in children. The clinical, brain magnetic resonance imaging and laboratory data of 5 children with NBS diagnosed in the Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University and Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from April 2014 to April 2024 were analyzed retrospectively. The follow-up method was retrospective outpatient or inpatient visit to evaluate the treatment effect of NBS.

[Analysis of characteristics related to the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus and construction of an evaluation model].

Objective: To stratify systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients clinically, to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with and without disease activity, and to explore the application va-lue of key clinical indicators in assessing disease activity, as well as to construct an evaluation model.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of the SLE patients diagnosed at Peking University People' s Hospital from May 1995 to April 2014. Demographic information, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and antibody detection results were collected.