Influence of Education on Disease Activity and Damage in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Data From the 1000 Canadian Faces of Lupus.

Objective: To determine whether socioeconomic status assessed by education is associated with disease activity and the risk of organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: Data from the 1000 Canadian Faces of Lupus, a multicenter database of adult SLE patients, was used to compare education as either low (did not complete high school) or high (completed high school or further) for disease activity and damage. Education was also studied as a continuous variable.

Imatinib in active diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: Results of a six-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept pilot study at a single center.

Objective: To better understand the feasibility of using imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, to treat active diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc).

Methods: We performed a 6-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept pilot study of imatinib in patients with active dcSSc. Data on safety, modified Rodnan skin thickness scores (MRSS), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores, patient's and physician's global assessments (100-mm visual analog scale), and biomarkers in serum and skin biopsy samples were collected.