C-reactive protein thresholds for discriminating active disease in psoriatic arthritis may be different in early versus established disease.

Objectives: Inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) lack discriminatory capacity to detect active disease in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Our aim was to find CRP thresholds capable of discriminating active disease in both early and established PsA.

Methods: We included a total of 345 PsA patients (215 early-onset not exposed to high-impact therapies and 130 with established disease under biologics and oral targeted therapies).

Do the Activity Indices Used in Axial Spondyloarthritis Capture the Relationships Between Obesity, Smoking and Disease Activity in the Same Way?

Obesity and smoking have been related to increased disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), but these associations might vary depending on the composite index chosen to assess disease activity. We aimed to check this possibility. Three hundred and thirty consecutive patients were recruited from the monographic axSpA unit of a university center.

Searching for a Novel HLA-Cw6-Linked Cardiometabolic Endotype in Psoriatic Disease.

Background/objectives: In recent years, a possible connection between HLA-Cw6 and a distinctive cardiometabolic (CM) profile in patients with psoriatic disease (PsD) has been proposed, although there is still little support for this. Our aim was to further investigate this possible association by studying a large population of PsD patients.

Methods: For this study, three different cohorts of patients with PsD were analyzed: two with a majority of cutaneous psoriasis, pooled n: 600, and a third with only psoriatic arthritis-PsA-cases, n: 340.

Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis-Related Enthesitis and Persistence on Tofacitinib Under Real-World Conditions.

Objective: Information on the persistence of tofacitinib (TOF) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is scarce in real-world conditions. Our objective was to analyze the persistence and safety of TOF under these conditions.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective longitudinal observational study of all patients with PsA who received at least 1 dose of TOF.

EULAR recommendations for the management of psoriatic arthritis with pharmacological therapies: 2023 update.

Objective: New modes of action and more data on the efficacy and safety of existing drugs in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) required an update of the EULAR 2019 recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of PsA.

Methods: Following EULAR standardised operating procedures, the process included a systematic literature review and a consensus meeting of 36 international experts in April 2023. Levels of evidence and grades of recommendations were determined.

Altered sleep in axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis: Post hoc comparative study based on a sleep-specific question from the ASAS health index.

Background And Aims: Sleep problems are common in spondyloarthritis (SpA), but the factors associated with them are only partially known. In this study, responses to item #16 from the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society-Health Index (ASAS HI) that explores the sleep category according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) were compared between psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial SpA (axSpA).

Methods: Post hoc analysis of a multicentre cross-sectional study included a total of 201 consecutive patients.

Ultrasound in Psoriatic Arthritis: Still Many Pending Issues.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic and complex joint disease associated with extraordinary variability in its clinical phenotype. This variability means that the diagnosis, the evaluation of the different disease domains, as well as the therapeutic approach, remain authentic challenges even for rheumatologists with wide experience in PsA.

Managing psoriatic arthritis in different clinical scenarios.

Introduction: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease characterized by synovio-entheseal inflammation. It is estimated to affect around 30% of patients with psoriasis and significantly reduces patients' physical function and quality of life. There is a growing number of treatment options for PsA, but due to the heterogeneous clinical features of the disease and prevalence of comorbidities, managing PsA can be challenging.

Interleukin-17-targeted treatment in patients with spondyloarthritis and associated cardiometabolic risk profile.

Spondyloarthritis is a group of immune-mediated rheumatic disorders that significantly impact patients' physical function and quality of life. Patients with spondyloarthritis experience a greater prevalence of cardiometabolic disorders, such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus, and these comorbidities are associated with increased spondyloarthritis disease activity and risk of cardiovascular events. This narrative review summarizes the evidence for a physiological link between inflammatory status and cardiometabolic comorbidities in spondyloarthritis, as well as the impact of interleukin (IL)-17 blockade versus other molecular mechanisms in patients with cardiometabolic conditions.

Retrospective study of the epidemiological risk and serological diagnosis of human babesiosis in Asturias, Northwestern Spain.

Background: Babesiosis is a globally growing tick-borne disease in humans. Severe babesiosis caused by Babesia divergens has been reported in two patients from Asturias (Northwestern Spain), suggesting an undetected risk for the disease. To analyze this risk, we retrospectively evaluated the seroprevalence of babesiosis in the Asturian population from 2015 through 2017, a period covering the intermediate years in which these two severe cases occurred.

HIV medical care interruption among people living with HIV in Spain, 2004-2020.

Objective: We estimated the incidence rate of HIV medical care interruption (MCI) and its evolution over a 16-year-period, and identified associated risk factors among HIV-positive individuals from the Cohort of the Spanish AIDS Research Network in 2004-2020.

Design: We included antiretroviral-naive individuals aged at least 18 years at enrolment, recruited between January 1, 2004, and August 30, 2019, and followed-up until November 30, 2020.

Methods: Individuals with any time interval of at least 15 months between two visits were defined as having a MCI.

Chronic Gastro-Duodenal Ulcerative Disease and the Death of Father Stephan Schätzl from Viechtwang (Austria).

Stephan Schätzl was the parish priest of Viechtwang, Upper Austria. He lived in the aftermath of the Peace of Augsburg in a period of schism between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. His portrait, depicted only 6 days before his demise in 1590, shows that he had extreme ante mortem cachexia.

Treatment Retention and Safety of Ixekizumab in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Real Life Single-Center Experience.

Background and objectives: Information on the performance of ixekizumab (IXE) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in clinical practice is scarce. We aimed to analyze the retention rate and safety of IXE in patients with PsA in routine clinical practice. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal observational single-center study of all patients with PsA who had received at least one dose of IXE.

An International Multidisciplinary Delphi-Based Consensus on Heat Therapy in Musculoskeletal Pain.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal pain (MP) is prevalent in our society, having a strong negative impact on physical and psychosocial quality of life. Heat therapy (HT) has been frequently described as a treatment strategy for musculoskeletal pain, but scientific evidence is still poor. The aim of the present Delphi method study is to gather a consensus among European experts on the role of HT in MP.

Potential Differences in the Cardiometabolic Risk Profile of Patients with Psoriatic Disease according to Their HLA-C∗06 Status.

The human leukocyte antigen-C∗06 (HLA-C∗06, formerly HLA-Cw6) is the main genetic biomarker in psoriatic disease. It has been related to several phenotypic traits in psoriatic disease, but its role in relation to cardiometabolic comorbidities is unknown at present. Here, we analyze the potential connections between this biomarker and the cardiometabolic profile of these patients.

Do NSAIDs Take Us Away From Treatment Goals in Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Story About Dysbiosis or Just a Matter of Bias?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain the mainstay of treatment for spondyloarthritides (SpA), a group of entities with common clinical and pathophysiological aspects, but also with differential features. Although NSAIDs provide significant symptomatic relief, especially for joint pain and morning stiffness, their role in achieving and maintaining the treatment goals advocated by the treat to target strategy in SpA is not entirely clear. These agents can induce changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota, also favoring an alteration of the barrier function in the gut epithelium.