Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Integr Med (Encinitas) 2017 Apr;16(2):55-60

A 9-y-old boy with severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who had been recommended for bilateral hip replacement received treatment for more than 8 y from an interprofessional group of clinicians. The clinicians provided chiropractic, naturopathic, and acupuncture care, in addition to pediatrics, rheumatology, orthopedics, and physical therapy care. This process was not easy; the patient used crutches for 2 y during treatment and experienced severe pain secondary to multiple joint pathology. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Mar 14;9(1):4579. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Department of Immunology, Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a complex rheumatic disease with both autoimmune and autoinflammatory components. Recently, familial cases of systemic-onset JIA have been attributed to mutations in LACC1/FAMIN. We describe three affected siblings from a Moroccan consanguineous family with an early-onset chronic, symmetric and erosive arthritis previously diagnosed as rheumatoid factor (RF)-negative polyarticular JIA. Read More

J Clin Med 2019 Mar 12;8(3). Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yonsei-ro 50, Seodaemun-gu, C.P.O. Box 8044, Seoul 03722, Korea.

The 1858T allele in the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) locus shows one of the strongest and most consistent genetic associations with autoimmune diseases. We synthesized all meta-analyses reporting a genetic association of the PTPN22 1858T C/T polymorphism with autoimmune diseases. This work examined their validity to discover false positive results under Bayesian methods. Read More

Scand J Rheumatol 2019 Mar 5:1-8. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

g Department of Medicine , Jyväskylä Central Hospital , Jyväskylä , Finland.

Objectives: Healthcare service needs have changed with the use of effective treatment strategies. Using data from the modern era, we aimed to explore and compare health service-related direct costs in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA).

Methods: We linked a longitudinal, population-based clinical data set from Finland's largest non-university hospital's rheumatology clinic with an administrative database on health service-related direct costs in 2014. Read More

Rheumatol Ther 2019 Mar 5. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.

Introduction: The primary goals of treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients are to maximize long-term health-related quality of life through control of symptoms and inflammation, prevention of progressive structural damage, and preservation of function. The objective of this study was to describe treatment patterns (persistence, discontinuations, and switch) in the 2 years following the initiation of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) therapy in AS patients.

Methods: Adult patients with ≥ 2 AS diagnostic codes (ICD-9: 720. Read More

Biochem Pharmacol 2019 Feb 27. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Rheumatology Department, Nantes University Hospital, Nantes, France; INSERM UMR 1238, Nantes Faculty of Medicine, France.

Micro-RNAs are an area of research exponentially expanding over the past years. These small sequences of 20-22 nucleotides have a strong role as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Inflammatory arthritis pathophysiology involves various key players from innate to adaptive immunity, as well as various signalling pathways of inflammation. Read More

Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2019 Apr 26;3(4):255-263. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Clinic of Paediatrics and Rheumatology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, and Maternal and Child Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: To our knowledge, the characteristics and burden of childhood arthritis have never been studied on a worldwide basis. We aimed to investigate, with a cross-sectional study, the prevalence of disease categories, treatment methods, and disease status in patients from across different geographical areas and from countries with diverse wealth status.

Methods: In this multinational, cross-sectional, observational cohort study, we asked international paediatric rheumatologists from specialised centres to enrol children with a diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to International League of Associations for Rheumatology criteria, who were seen consecutively for a period of 6 months. Read More

Int J Rheum Dis 2019 Feb 27. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Objective: To clarify the development of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to adult-onset autoimmune diseases in a population-based study in Taiwan.

Methods: We analyzed data of 107 433 children born between 1990 and 1997 from the National Taiwan Health Insurance Database. There were 262 JIA patients and 107 171 individuals without JIA who were selected and followed up until December 2013 to investigate their outcomes of adult-onset autoimmune diseases after reaching 16 years of age. Read More

PLoS Med 2019 Feb 26;16(2):e1002750. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background: Joint inflammation is the common feature underlying juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Clinicians recognize patterns of joint involvement currently not part of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification. Using unsupervised machine learning, we sought to uncover data-driven joint patterns that predict clinical phenotype and disease trajectories. Read More

Expert Rev Proteomics 2019 Feb 22:1-16. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

a Comparative Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease , University of Liverpool , Liverpool , UK.

Introduction: Synovial fluid (SF) is in close proximity to tissues which are primarily altered during articular disease and has significant potential to better understand the underlying disease pathogeneses of articular pathologies and biomarker discovery. Although development of mass spectrometry-based methods has allowed faster and higher sensitivity techniques, interrogation of the SF proteome has been hindered by its large protein concentration dynamic range, impeding quantification of lower abundant proteins. Areas covered: Recent advances have developed methodologies to reduce the large protein concentration dynamic range of SF and subsequently allow deeper exploration of the SF proteome. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Feb 16;112:108583. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Third-Grade Pharmacological Laboratory on Chinese Medicine Approved by State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, 443002, China. Electronic address:

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that are only 21-25 nt long. Many studies have shown that miRNA dysfunction is closely related to the occurrence and development of diseases. By combining with the 3' noncoding region of target gene mRNA, miRNAs can mediate the degradation or translation inhibition of mRNA and exert a powerful regulation effect on gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, mainly inhibiting the translation or degradation of targets. Read More

Arthritis Res Ther 2019 Feb 15;21(1):60. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Solna, Center of Molecular Medicine (CMM), Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-17176, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Signs of inflammation in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of rheumatoid arthritis patients correlate positively with fatigue, a central nervous system (CNS)-related symptom that can be partially suppressed by TNF blockade. This suggests a possible role for CNS inflammation in arthritis that may be affected by TNF blockade. We therefore investigated the effects of TNF blockade on the arthritis CSF proteome and how candidate proteins related to clinical measures of disease activity and inflammation. Read More

J Clin Pharm Ther 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey.

What Is Known And Objective: Anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-α) therapy is known to raise the risk of granulomatous infections, leading to development of risk management strategies at national or global level. This study aimed to determine the relative risk (RR) of tuberculosis (TB) due to anti-TNF-α usage in patients with rheumatologic diseases (RDs) in a nationwide basis.

Method: This retrospective cohort study included patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) that treated with or without anti-TNF-α agents, as registered in the national prescription information system between years 2013 and 2015. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 14;9:3168. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, and the Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Autoantibody production occurs in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and numerous other autoimmune diseases. In some conditions, the autoantibodies are clearly pathogenic, whereas in others the roles are less defined. Here we review various autoantibodies associated with JIA, with a particular focus on antinuclear antibodies and antibodies recognizing citrullinated self-antigens. Read More

Hosp Pract (1995) 2019 Feb 6:1-5. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

d Pathology , Lehigh Valley Health Network , Allentown , PA , USA.

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP) is a chronic, progressive diffuse inflammatory condition that leads to thickening of the dura mater and can be idiopathic or associated with sarcoidosis among other disorders. In this case report, we present a rare case of cervical spine HP in a 29-year-old woman in the post-partum period, who had a history of pituitary adenoma and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine revealed a soft tissue mass and moderate cord compression. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Department of Pediatrics and Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA.

Objective: To investigate whether the discontinuation of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) during pregnancy is associated with any changes of the disease course in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Pregnant women from the U.S. Read More

Joint Bone Spine 2019 Jan 17. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

GREPI, EA 7408, University Grenoble Alpes, 38700 La Tronche, France; Sinnovial SAS, avenue de Kimberley, 38130 Échirolles, France.

Calprotectin is a calcium binding protein produced by neutrophils and monocytes locally at the site of inflammation in order to trigger the innate immunity receptors. This unique characteristic makes it a good proxy for evaluation of local inflammation in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Complete data suggest, in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, a relevant role of calprotectin in the inflammatory process. Read More

Clin Immunol 2019 Mar 3;200:10-15. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

We evaluated the clinical performance of anti-CEP-1 in a Chinese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohort. A total of 264 subjects were tested, including 101 RA patients, 38 juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients, 46 disease control (DC) and 79 healthy controls (HC). The presence of anti-CEP-1 in patients with RA, JIA, DCs and HC were 61. Read More

Reumatol Clin 2018 Dec 27. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social, Asunción, Paraguay.

Objective: Analyze adverse events (AE) and survival associated with biologic therapies (BT) in the Biobadaguay, the Paraguayan Uruguayan registry of adverse events.

Methods: Prospective, observational study of undetermined duration. Patients on BT at initiation and controls were included. Read More

Arthritis Res Ther 2018 Dec 27;20(1):285. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Clinica Pediatrica e Reumatologia, PRINTO, Via Gaslini, 5, 16147, Genoa, Italy.

Background: The availability of methotrexate and the introduction of multiple biological agents have revolutionized the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Several international and national drug registries have been implemented to accurately monitor the long-term safety/efficacy of these agents. This report aims to present the combined data coming from Pharmachild/PRINTO registry and the national registries from Germany (BiKeR) and Sweden. Read More

Indian J Ophthalmol 2019 Jan;67(1):165-167

INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Neuroinflammation, Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne-Paris-Cité, Institut Imagine, Paris, France; Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Blau syndrome (BS) is a rare autoinflammatory disorder characterized by the clinical triad of arthritis, uveitis, and dermatitis due to heterozygous gain-of-function mutations in the NOD2 gene. BS can mimic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ocular tuberculosis. We report a family comprising a mother and her two children, all presenting with uveitis and arthritis. Read More

Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 2018 Dec 14;16(1):79. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Rheumatology, Ajou University of medical school, 164 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea.

Tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) agent, is indicated as a treatment for several autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). IL-6 plays roles in both immune system dysregulation and inflammation, and thus efforts to extend the utility of tocilizumab in patients with autoinflammatory conditions are ongoing. Here, we survey the literature on the off-label use of tocilizumab in patients with juvenile-onset rheumatic diseases including juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), juvenile dermatomyositis (DM), vasculitis, juvenile scleroderma, and other autoinflammatory diseases. Read More

Arthritis Res Ther 2018 Dec 13;20(1):275. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Rheumatology, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, Carrer Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Calprotectin is a biomarker of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and predicts relapse in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Higher drug trough serum levels are associated with a good response in patients treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). Power Doppler ultrasound synovitis is predictive of relapse and structural damage progression in patients in clinical remission. Read More

Front Vet Sci 2018 20;5:288. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States.

Galectins are potent regulators of cell adhesion, growth and apoptosis in diverse cell types, including chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts. Elevations in synovial fluid galectin-3 have been observed in rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and experimental inflammatory arthritis in animal models, whereas galectin-1 is thought to be protective. Less is known about galectins-1 and-3 in osteoarthritis (OA). Read More

Minerva Pediatr 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea -

Introduction: To investigate the IL-10 polymorphisms (-1082 G/A, -819 C/T, and -592 C/A) were associated with susceptibility to JIA.

Evidence Acquisition: A meta-analysis was conducted after database search for relevant articles (MEDLINE and EMBASE).

Evidence Synthesis: A total of seven studies involving 1,495 patients and 1,670 controls were considered in the meta-analysis. Read More

Mod Rheumatol 2018 Nov 30:1-15. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

a Department of Lifetime Clinical Immunology , Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) , Tokyo , Japan.

Objective: To evaluate the difference between adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA, starting at <16 years) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) .

Methods: Data on 128 adult JIA patients were from the National Database of Rheumatic Diseases in Japan (NinJa), 2014, divided into 4 groups by period of disease onset (Group 1: 2000-2013, n = 32; Group 2: 1981-1999, n = 32; Group 3: 1966-1980, n = 31; Group 4: ∼1965, n = 33). Disease activity, treatment and long-term prognosis of adult JIA patients was compared with RA patients matched for sex- and disease duration in each era. Read More

J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2018 Dec;24(12):1240-1246

1 The Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Background: FDA-required labeling summarizes certain data that the FDA relies on in its drug approval process. However, when determining coverage of specialty drugs, health care payers may consider dissimilar evidence.

Objective: To compare evidence cited by the largest U. Read More

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2019 Mar 14;28(3):296-304. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.

Purpose: To describe the use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFis) among pregnancies ending in a live birth and with a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: We identified pregnancies among women aged 15 to 54 years between 01/01/2004 and 09/30/2015 from 16 health plans participating in Sentinel. We inferred indication using ICD-9-CM codes in the 183-day period before conception. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Nov 9;19(11). Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Laboratory of Immune Regulation, World Premier International Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

Interleukein-6 (IL-6), is produced locally from infectious or injured lesions and is delivered to the whole body via the blood stream, promptly activating the host defense system to perform diverse functions. However, excessive or sustained production of IL-6 is involved in various diseases. In diseases, the IL-6 inhibitory strategy begins with the development of the anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab (TCZ). Read More

Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 2018 Nov 9;16(1):69. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Department of Rheumatology, The Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.

Background: The advent of new treatments for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) has prompted interest in systematically studying the outcomes of patients treated in the 'modern era'. Such data provide both benchmarks for assessing local outcomes and important information for use in counselling families of newly diagnosed patients. While data are available for cohorts in Europe and North America, no such data exist for Australian patients. Read More

Eur J Rheumatol 2018 Nov 6:1-4. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

Instituto de Rehabilitación Psicofísica, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Objective: The blockade of inflammatory mediators produced by biological therapies is associated with an increased risk of opportunistic infections, as for example Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT). Given the endemic situation of tuberculosis (TB) in some countries and immunosuppression/anergy of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis, we wonder whether it is necessary to monitor the MT infection after starting the biological treatment. To evaluate the frequency of the tuberculin skin test (TST) conversion and its association with an active TB infection and other disease variables. Read More

Curr Rheumatol Rep 2018 Nov 8;20(12):83. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UG12 8TA, UK.

Purpose Of Review: Given the recent increase in the profile and use of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKinibs) in adult patients with rheumatic diseases, we aimed to review the current evidence accruing for use in paediatric rheumatology patients.

Recent Findings: Significant advances have been made in the management of rheumatic diseases in the past two decades. The introduction of biologic agents in both adults and children has provided significant improvements to patient outcomes and led to better quality of life. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2019 Mar 29;38(3):785-791. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Pediatric Research Center, Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, PL 435, 00029, Helsinki, Finland.

Objectives: Across diagnosis groups, transition of adolescents and young adults from children's hospitals to adult care associates with decreased treatment adherence and suboptimal treatment results. Our aim was to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and disease activity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients after the transfer of care to the adult clinic and adult patients in the same outpatient clinic.

Methods: All consecutive JIA patients aged 16 to 20 years who visited the transition clinic between September 2016 and August 2017 and all consecutive adult onset arthritis patients between December 2016 and August 2017 in the rheumatology outpatient clinic of Helsinki University Hospital were evaluated. Read More

J Craniofac Surg 2019 Jan;30(1):169-174

OMFS-IMPATH Research Group, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

The aim was to postoperatively evaluate a conservative treatment approach to bilateral condylar resorption after orthognathic surgery. A retrospective study was carried out on 730 consecutive patients undergoing sagittal split osteotomy, 2013 to 2016. The mean follow-up period was 2. Read More

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2018 Oct 24. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

University of Twente, Department of Psychology, Health and Technology, Enschede, The Netherlands.

Background: The implementation of value based healthcare (VBHC) in inflammatory arthritis (IA) requires a standardized set of modifiable outcomes and risk-adjustment variables that is feasible to implement worldwide.

Methods: The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) assembled a multidisciplinary working group, consisting of 24 experts from six continents, including six patient representatives, to develop a Standard Set of outcomes for IA. The process followed a structured approach using a modified Delphi process to reach consensus on 1) conditions covered by the set, 2) outcome domains, 3) outcome measures, 4) risk-adjustment variables. Read More

Quintessence Int 2018 ;49(10):855-861

A growing patient population is adolescents and young adults who have had one or more serious medical problems and are aging into adulthood. This group of patients has unique medical needs, which has resulted in the development of a specialized area of medicine: transitional care medicine. The case reviews of two of these patients are described. Read More

Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 2018 Nov;26(4):599-613

Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta, 8440 - 112 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2B7, Canada.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has traditionally only played a small role in the clinical care of most patients with arthritis. However, with modern therapeutic strategies, early diagnosis is now more important than ever before. Consequently, advanced MRI techniques and applications now play a crucial role in managing an increasing proportion of rheumatology patients. Read More

Clin Oral Investig 2018 Oct 11. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Laboratory of Oral Histopathology, Health Sciences Faculty, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.

Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate evidence about the prevalence of degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ).

Materials And Methods: We performed search on electronic databases and gray literature from their inception to January 2018. Studies reporting prevalence data of DJD on TMJ were included. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2018 Nov 6;38(11):2157-2162. Epub 2018 Oct 6.

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Alsancak Nevvar Salih Isgoren State Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a cytokine that plays a well-established, key role as a central mediator of inflammation and immune regulation. TNF-α and its receptors are suggested to play a critical role in a number of chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), juvenile chronic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). TNF-α inhibitors are currently used in the treatment of these diseases. Read More

Mod Rheumatol 2018 Oct 5:1-20. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

b Departments of Orthopedics , Osaka Medical College , Osaka , Japan.

Objective: We researched the findings of musculoskeletal ultrasound sonography (MSUS) on primary Sjogren's syndrome in childhood (pSS-C) with articular manifestations. The correlation of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) were investigated to evaluate the usefulness of MSUS on their articular prognosis.

Method: The objective patients are pSS-C cases who visited our hospital complaining joint pain and/or joint swelling and for whom MSUS was performed. Read More

J Rheumatol 2019 Feb 1;46(2):190-197. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

From Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Direzione Scientifica; IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Clinica Pediatrica e Reumatologia, Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization (PRINTO), and Università degli Studi di Genova; IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Servizio di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Genoa, Italy; University Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Department of Allergology, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Department of Paediatric Rheumatology, Alder Hey Children's National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust; Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Hospital General de Mexico, Departamento de Reumatología, Mexico City, Mexico; Hospital Pedro de Elizalde, Rheumatology Section, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Pediatrics, New Hyde Park, New York; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Division of Rheumatology, Cincinnati, Ohio; Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA; Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Mumbai, India; The Hospital for Sick Children, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario; British Columbia Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatric Immunology and Rheumatology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Objective: To revise the current juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification criteria with an evidence-based approach, using clinical and routine laboratory measures available worldwide, to identify homogeneous clinical groups and to distinguish those forms of chronic arthritis typically seen only in children from the childhood counterpart of adult diseases.

Methods: The overall project consists of 4 steps. This work represents Step 1, a Delphi Web-based consensus and Step 2, an international nominal group technique (NGT) consensus conference for the new provisional Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization JIA classification criteria. Read More

Arch Dis Child 2018 Nov 27;103(11):1087-1089. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Cureus 2018 Jul 21;10(7):e3019. Epub 2018 Jul 21.

Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Queens Hospital Center, New York, USA.

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare diagnosis. In small percentage of cases, AOSD is associated with other autoimmune diseases including schizophrenia. Despite the lack of sufficient studies, both conditions may share similar autoimmune pathogenic pathways. Read More

BioDrugs 2018 Oct;32(5):507-510

Springer, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 0754, New Zealand.

SB5 (Imraldi) is a biosimilar of the reference anti-TNF monoclonal antibody adalimumab. It is approved for use in the following indications for which reference adalimumab is approved: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis [polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) and enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA)], axial spondyloarthritis [ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA)], psoriatic arthritis (PsA), psoriasis, pediatric plaque psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), Crohn's disease, pediatric Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), and non-infectious uveitis. SB5 has similar physicochemical and pharmacodynamic properties to those of reference adalimumab, and the pharmacokinetic similarity of these agents has been shown in healthy volunteers and patients with RA. Read More

Clin Rehabil 2019 Feb 19;33(2):171-182. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Objective:: To investigate the effectiveness of backward walking in the treatment of people with gait impairments related to neurological and musculoskeletal disorders.

Design:: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized control studies.

Data Sources:: Searched from the date of inception to March 2018, and included PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PEDro, CINAHL, and the MEDLINE databases. Read More

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2018 Sep 17. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

Children's Research Centre, Starship Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.

Objective: To describe the incidence, demographics, diagnostic clinical manifestations and severity of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) in Maori and Pacific Island children compared to European children.

Method: A chart review was conducted of all children with JIA seen by Auckland Pediatric and Rheumatology services between 2000 and 2015. Demographic data and diagnostic clinical manifestations including poor prognostic features were collated. Read More

Rom J Ophthalmol 2018 Apr-Jun;62(2):105-113

"Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.

Purpose: Non-infectious uveitis has been long controlled with the use of corticosteroids with many side effects and poor control in some cases. The purpose of this paper was to assess the different biologic agents (in this case infliximab and adalimumab) and to compare their efficacy in the treatment of uveitis.

Results: Adalimumab has been proven very successful in replacing or aiding corticosteroid therapy in different autoimmune mediated uveitis (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis) whereas infliximab has been used intravenously and recently intravitreally with very promising results in controlling Behcet's related uveitis. Read More