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Eur J Rheumatol 2022 Aug 9. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Department of Rheumatology, Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Vall D'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is a powerful tool of major importance in rheumatology. MSUS is ideally suited for the evaluation of pediatric patients because it is a safe technique with a high patient acceptability, it does not require sedation, and it is excellent for exploring multiple joints. It is also the most operator-dependent imaging modality, and assessing joints in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is particularly challenging due to the unique features of the growing skeleton. Read More

Eur J Rheumatol 2022 Aug 9. Epub 2022 Aug 9.

Department of General Peadiatric, Asklepios Clinic Sankt Augustin, Sankt Augustin, Germany; Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Univerity Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.

Objective: Subcutaneous methotrexate injections are considered to be more effective or work faster than oral methotrexate. Therefore, the extent and the kinetics of response were analyzed in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients treated with oral versus subcutaneous methotrexate.

Methods: The BIKER databank was searched for biologics-naive juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients treated with methotrexate as initial treatment. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 22;13:891822. Epub 2022 Jul 22.

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.

Background: Modern pharmacological research found that the chemical components of are mainly curcumin and turmeric volatile oil. Several recent randomized controlled trials (RCT) have shown that curcumin improves symptoms and inflammation in patients with arthritis.

Methods: Pubmed, Cochran Library, CNKI, and other databases were searched to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Read More

Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 2022 Jul 30;20(1):57. Epub 2022 Jul 30.

Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Aims: 1) To delineate latent classes of treatment response to biologics in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients in the first 16 weeks after initiation. 2) To identify predictors of early disease response.

Methods: The study population was drawn from four biologics trials in polyarticular course JIA: Etanercept 2000, Abatacept 2008, TRial of Early Aggressive Therapy (TREAT) 2012 and Tocilizumab 2014. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2022 Jul 30. Epub 2022 Jul 30.

Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine and has been implicated in pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). CD 74 is the receptor for MIF and IgA antiCD74 autoantibodies have been described from different parts of the world in patients with AS. As enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) is a form of juvenile spondyloarthropathy, we studied the serum and synovial fluid levels of MIF in ERA and looked for the IgA antiCD74 antibodies in patients with ERA in our population. Read More

Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 2022 Jul 29;20(1):55. Epub 2022 Jul 29.

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.

Background: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease in children. Overproduction of inflammatory cytokines in SJIA resembles that in adult onset Still disease. Chronic inflammation causes insulin resistance and consequently leading to abnormal glucose metabolism. Read More

Med J Malaysia 2022 Jul;77(4):415-419

University of Baghdad, College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Baghdad, Iraq.

Introduction: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic condition that develops during child age and adolescence. Unbalanced production of proinflammatory cytokines is suggested to participate in the etio-pathogenesis of JIA, so the objective of this study is to evaluate the role of interleukins (IL), IL-37 and IL-38, in patients with JIA.

Materials And Methods: Sixty patients with JIA (19 males, 41 females) and 90 healthy controls (35 males, 55 females) were included in this study. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 6;13:888392. Epub 2022 Jul 6.

Department of Immunology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Background: The cytokine interleukin (IL)-1 plays a pivotal role in immune-mediated disorders, particularly in autoinflammatory diseases. Targeting this cytokine proved to be efficacious in treating numerous IL-1-mediated pathologies. Currently, three IL-1 blockers are approved, namely anakinra, canakinumab and rilonacept, and two additional ones are expected to receive approval, namely gevokizumab and bermekimab. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022 Jul;102(28):2210-2214

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases (NCRC-DID), Ministry of Science & Technology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100730, China.

The data of 33 patients with adult-onset still's disease (AOSD)-associated macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) were retrospectively collected from January 2013 to December 2020 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)-2004 criteria, macrophage activation syndrome/juvenile idiopathic arthritis (MS-Score) and hemophagocytic syndrome diagnostic score (HScore) were used to diagnose AOSD-associated MAS, respectively. The time of diagnosis of AOSD-associated MAS by MS-Score was 19. Read More

Clin J Gastroenterol 2022 Jul 14. Epub 2022 Jul 14.

Department of Endoscopy, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan.

Abatacept (ABT) is a recombinant fusion protein consisting of the Fc domain fragment of human IgG1 and the extracellular domain of human cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4). The function of ABT is similar to that of CTLA-4, which selectively regulates T-cell activation by inhibiting the co-stimulation of CD80/CD86 on antigen-presenting cells and CD28 on T lymphocytes. ABT is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Read More

Saudi J Ophthalmol 2021 Oct-Dec;35(4):341-346. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Department of Ophthalmology, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, New Delhi, India.

An iris cyst is a nonkeratinized squamous epithelial-lined space involving a layer of iris. The presentation of iris cyst can be variable-innocuous or presenting with secondary complications. The identification of whether the cyst is primary or secondary is important. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 20;9:926573. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder is the second most common chronic pain condition affecting the general population after back pain. It encompasses a complex set of conditions, manifesting with jaw pain and limitation in mouth opening, influencing chewing, eating, speaking, and facial expression. TMJ dysfunction could be related to mechanical abnormalities or underlying inflammatory arthropathies, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Read More

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2022 Jul 5. Epub 2022 Jul 5.

Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, Second Department of Paediatrics, 'P. & A. Kyriakou' Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.

Objectives: Mass vaccination is the most effective strategy for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the 6-month immunogenicity after BNT162b2-COVID-19 vaccination in adolescents with JIA on TNFi treatment.

Methods: This single-center study included adolescents with JIA treated with TNFi for at least 18 months. Read More

Cureus 2022 May 27;14(5):e25396. Epub 2022 May 27.

Orthopaedic Surgery, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata, JPN.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that can cause joint destruction and multiple arthritis. We retrospectively investigated bone and joint destruction during the perinatal period in adult patients with RA and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in our hospitals in the last decade.

Methods: The study included 15 women, with 20 pregnancies, 19 childbirths, and one fetal death recorded between 2009 and 2018. Read More

J Arthroplasty 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama.

Objective: To develop updated American College of Rheumatology/American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons guidelines for the perioperative management of disease-modifying medications for patients with rheumatic diseases, specifically those with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) or elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: We convened a panel of rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and infectious disease specialists, updated the systematic literature review, and included currently available medications for the clinically relevant population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes (PICO) questions. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to rate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations using a group consensus process. Read More

PLoS Comput Biol 2022 06 22;18(6):e1010112. Epub 2022 Jun 22.

Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Cell-cell communication is mediated by many soluble mediators, including over 40 cytokines. Cytokines, e.g. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama.

Objective: To develop updated guidelines for the perioperative management of disease-modifying medications for patients with rheumatic diseases, specifically those with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) or elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: We convened a panel of rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and infectious disease specialists, updated the systematic literature review, and included currently available medications for the clinically relevant population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes (PICO) questions. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to rate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations using a group consensus process. Read More

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2022 Jun 19. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama.

Objective: To develop updated guidelines for the perioperative management of disease-modifying medications for patients with rheumatic diseases, specifically those with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), undergoing elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) or elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: We convened a panel of rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and infectious disease specialists, updated the systematic literature review, and included currently available medications for the clinically relevant population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes (PICO) questions. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to rate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations using a group consensus process. Read More

Mod Rheumatol 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Objectives: To investigate an optimal composite score for disease activity in adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) from the viewpoint of the subsequent changes in physical function.

Methods: Patients with JIA under the following conditions were enrolled: 1) disease onset < 18 years; 2) registered in the Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis database by Tokyo Women's Medical University for the first time between 2000 and 2020; and 3) ≥18 years old at the time of registration. The baseline of each patient was their initial entry into the database. Read More

EClinicalMedicine 2022 Jun 5;48:101425. Epub 2022 May 5.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.

Background: Abatacept is a selective T-cell costimulation modulator approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. Reports were recently published on hepatitis B virus reactivation (HBVr) in patients who were treated with abatacept. However, the literature is limited to case reports and series, and no study has investigated the relationship between HBVr and abatacept using extensive population-based databases. Read More

Chest 2022 06;161(6):e371-e376

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR. Electronic address:

Case Presentation: A 34-year-old man presented to our institution with lightheadedness and dyspnea on exertion. His medical history included chronic pancreatitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), gastroesophageal reflux disease, hypertension, lumbar degenerative disc disease, seizure disorder, anterior uveitis, and multiple vertebral fractures. In addition, he was a cigarette smoker with a 10-pack-year smoking history. Read More

J Clin Rheumatol 2022 Jun 3. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

From the Servicio de Reumatología, Hospital Universitario de Navarra.

Background: With the arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in 2020, it was proposed to make the change from intravenous (IV) tocilizumab (TCZ) to its subcutaneous formulation, in order to avoid rheumatological patients having to go to the day hospital and guarantee enough IV TCZ for those critical patients with COVID who needed it. The aim of this study was to describe the rate and reasons for switching back to IV TCZ from subcutaneous TCZ.

Methods: We included patients from the rheumatology service that were on treatment with IV TCZ in February 2020 and were followed up until March 2021. Read More

Semin Arthritis Rheum 2022 08 28;55:152038. Epub 2022 May 28.

University College London Hospital, Department of adolescent and young adult Rheumatology, 250 Euston Road, London NW1 2PG UK; Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology Versus Arthritis, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK. Rayne Institute, 5 University St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6JF UK; Biomedical Research Centre UCLH UK. Electronic address:

Objectives: To analyse and compare drug-survival of adalimumab and etanercept (and their biosimilars) in biologic-naïve patients with ERA (Enthesitis-Related Arthritis).

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, conventional statistics and machine-learning were applied to compare drug-survival (adalimumab, etanercept and their biosimilars initiated: 2009-2019) in ERA and identify determinants. The primary outcome was discontinuation of treatment due to primary- or secondary-failure and adverse drug-reactions. Read More

Reumatologia 2022 28;60(1):26-34. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

Pediatric Infectious Research Center, Mofid Children's Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Objectives: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a childhood autoimmune rheumatoid disease. Past studies have confirmed that JIA is a complex disease, which means that genes and environmental factors affect the aetiology of the disease. In this study, we analysed the expression of interleukin 32, forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), methyl-CpG binding domain protein 1 (MBD1), and methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of children with JIA in comparison with the expression of those in healthy children. Read More

Eur J Med Genet 2022 Jul 28;65(7):104534. Epub 2022 May 28.

Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central, EPE, Lisboa, Portugal.

The clinical features associated with WAC haploinsufficiency include recognizable dysmorphic facial features, variable degrees of developmental delay and intellectual disability that were recently delineated as DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome (OMIM 616708). We describe a patient with DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome caused by a novel frameshift variant in WAC gene (NM_016628.4(WAC):c. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2022 06;28(6):1289-1291

We identified an unusual subtype of a Cryptosporidium sp. horse genotype as the cause of cryptosporidiosis in a 13-year-old girl in Poland who was undergoing immunosuppressive treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. The same subtype was identified in a horse the girl had ridden. Read More

Ann Rheum Dis 2022 06;81(6):906

Joint Bone Spine 2022 Apr 30;89(5):105399. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

INSERM U987, Paris, France; Centre d'évaluation et traitement de la douleur, GHU Paris centre-Cochin, Paris, France; Université de Paris, Paris, France.

The major therapeutic challenge in inflammatory rheumatic diseases is the persistence of pain despite good responses to specific therapies. Central sensitization, which can be assessed clinically by psychophysical measurements, including quantitative sensory testing (QST), is a widely proposed mechanism for chronic pain. In this systematic review, we explored the scientific literature addressing quantitative sensory testing in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Read More

Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi 2022 May;60(5):474-475

Department of Rheumatism and Immunology, Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020,China.

Autoimmunity 2022 08 28;55(5):275-284. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

United Medix Laboratories, Helsinki, Finland.

Introduction: The prevalence of immune-mediated diseases has increased in the past decades and despite the use of biological treatments all patients do not achieve remission. The aim of this study was to characterise the reasons for short interruptions during treatment with two commonly used TNF-inhibitors infliximab and adalimumab and to analyse the possible effects of the interruptions on immunisation and switching the treatment.

Material And Methods: This case-control study was based on retrospective analyses of patient records and a questionnaire survey to clinicians. Read More