Anti-carbamylated protein antibodies: are they useful for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis?

Objectives: ACR/EULAR-2010 classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rely heavily on the presence of anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA). The role of anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarP) in this context is uncertain. We aimed to investigate the value of anti-CarP for RA classification in patients with early inflammatory arthritis.

T-cell subset abnormalities predict progression along the Inflammatory Arthritis disease continuum: implications for management.

The presence of a disease continuum in inflammatory arthritis (IA) is a recognised concept, with distinct stages from at-risk stage (presence of anti citrullinated-peptide autoantibody) to diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including therapy-induced remission. Despite T-cell dysregulation being a key feature of RA, there are few reports of T-cell phenotyping along the IA-continuum. We investigated the disturbances of naïve, regulatory and inflammation related cell (IRC) CD4+ T-cell subsets in 705 individuals across the IA-continuum, developing a simple risk-score (summing presence/absence of a risk-associated with a subset) to predict progression from one stage to the next.

Serum IL-7 as diagnostic biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis, validation with EULAR 2010 classification criteria.

Objectives: Despite the well-established value of currently used classification criteria for the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) there is a constant demand for novel biomarkers notably in autoantibody-negative patients. Interleukin 7 (IL-7) has been reported as a candidate diagnostic biomarker based on ACR-1987 criteria. However, clinical practice has moved to using the EULAR 2010 classification criteria.

Cytokines as biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis.

RA is a complex disease that develops as a series of events often referred to as disease continuum. RA would benefit from novel biomarker development for diagnosis where new biomarkers are still needed (even if progresses have been made with the inclusion of ACPA into the ACR/EULAR 2010 diagnostic criteria) and for prognostic notably in at risk of evolution patients with autoantibody-positive arthralgia. Risk biomarkers for rapid evolution or cardiovascular complications are also highly desirable.

An immunological biomarker to predict MTX response in early RA.

Objectives: The therapeutic goal for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is clinical remission. This is best achieved by early diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic intervention. RA is associated with dysregulation of T-cell subsets (naïve, regulatory (Treg) and inflammation-related cells (IRC)) early in the disease.