Rheumatology Commons^™

False Positive Anti-Topoisomerase I (Scl-70) Antibody Results In Clinical Practice: A Case Series From A Scleroderma Referral Center, Brian H Lam, Shervin Assassi, Julio Charles, Rana Taherian, Marka A Lyons, Bochra Jandali, Maureen D Mayes, Brian Skaug

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To determine if some patients who tested positive for anti-Scl-70 antibody in clinical practice, but did not have classifiable systemic sclerosis, were negative for anti-Scl-70 antibody by the more specific immunodiffusion method of testing.

METHODS: Patients evaluated by a rheumatologist at a Scleroderma referral center who had tested positive for anti-Scl-70 antibody prior to referral, but did not have classifiable SSc based on clinical criteria, were invited to undergo testing for anti-Scl-70 antibody by immunodiffusion. Patient demographics and clinical features were recorded at the time of their evaluation, and diagnostic testing results were reviewed using the medical records.

RESULTS: …

Minimal Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Disease Activity And Health-Related Quality Of Life In Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis Receiving Bimekizumab: Exploratory Analyses From A Phase 2b Open-Label Extension Study, Philip C Robinson, Pedro M Machado, Nigil Haroon, Lianne S Gensler, John D Reveille, Vanessa Taieb, Thomas Vaux, Carmen Fleurinck, Marga Oortgiesen, Natasha De Peyrecave, Atul Deodhar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), has been variable. Here, we assess disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) through the pandemic in patients with AS.

METHODS: In the open-label extension (OLE) of the phase 2b BE AGILE study, patients with AS received 160 mg of subcutaneous bimekizumab every 4 weeks. We assessed Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) scores in the OLE immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic …

Biological Treatment Usage In Patients With Hiv And Rheumatic Disease, 2003-2021: Long-Term Safety And Follow-Up, Benjamin Sornrung Naovarat, Gloria Salazar, Mariko Ishimori, Francis M Williams, John D Reveille

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the safety and efficacy of biological agents, especially tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, for HIV-positive rheumatology patients refractory to standard therapy.

METHODS: This study is a retrospective case series including patients derived from a community HIV clinic as well as from two academic centres. Initial visit data collected included: sociodemographic characteristics, CD4 counts, HIV viral load and medication use. Patients with persistent disease activity despite standard conservative therapy were begun on biological agents.The main outcomes were patient and physician global assessment of treatment response and medication side effects in patients with rheumatological disorders treated with biological …

Does Gender Impact A Diagnosis Of Ankylosing Spondylitis?, Mark C Hwang, Martin Rozycki, David Kauffman, Theresa Arndt, Esther Yi, Michael H Weisman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: The study objective was to explore differences in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) diagnosis experiences between men and women by examining the coding of health events over the 2 years preceding AS diagnosis.

Methods: Claims data (January 2006-April 2019) from the MarketScan databases were examined. Patients who had received two or more AS diagnoses at least 30 days apart and had at least 2 years of insurance enrollment before their first AS diagnosis were analyzed. Men were matched 1:1 to women by age, diagnosis date, insurance type, and enrollment duration. Health events (diagnosis and provider codes) were examined over 2 years …

Perifollicular Hypopigmentation In Systemic Sclerosis: Associations With Clinical Features And Internal Organ Involvement, Melody P Chung, Christopher A Mecoli, Jamie Perin, Carrie Richardson, Zsuzsanna H Mcmahan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether perifollicular hypopigmentation in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with demographics, distinct clinical features, and autoantibody profiles.

METHODS: Patients with SSc were prospectively enrolled, with a standardized data form used to collect anatomic distribution of perifollicular hypopigmentation. Associations between hypopigmentation and features of SSc were assessed.

RESULTS: Of 179 adult patients with SSc, 36 (20%) patients had perifollicular hypopigmentation. Of these 36 patients, 94% (n = 34) were female and 33% (n = 12) had limited cutaneous SSc. In univariable logistic regression, Black race (odds ratio [OR] 15.63, 95% CI 6.6-37.20,

CONCLUSION: Perifollicular hypopigmentation is observed in …

The Nephrocheck Bedside System For Detecting Stage 3 Acute Kidney Injury After Open Thoracoabdominal Aortic Repair, Mark Hwang, Michael H Weisman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Translating Research Into Practice-Implementation Recommendations For Pediatric Rheumatology; Proceedings Of The Childhood Arthritis And Rheumatology Research Alliance 2020 Implementation Science Retreat, Cagri Yildirim-Toruner, Rajdeep Pooni, Y Ingrid Goh, Emily Becker-Haimes, James W Dearing, Maria E Fernandez, Esi M Morgan, Gareth Parry, Jon M Burnham, Stacy P Ardoin, Fatima Barbar-Smiley, Joyce C Chang, Peter Chiraseveenuprapund, Vincent Del Gaizo, Guy Eakin, Lisa C Johnson, Yukiko Kimura, Andrea M Knight, Melanie Kohlheim, Erica F Lawson, Mindy S Lo, Nancy Pan, Andrea Ring, Tova Ronis, Rebecca E Sadun, Emily A Smitherman, Alysha J Taxter, Janalee Taylor, Richard K Vehe, Sheetal S Vora, Jennifer E Weiss, Emily Von Scheven, Mas For The Carra Implementation Science Workgroup

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The translation of research findings into clinical practice is challenging, especially fields like in pediatric rheumatology, where the evidence base is limited, there are few clinical trials, and the conditions are rare and heterogeneous. Implementation science methodologies have been shown to reduce the research- to- practice gap in other clinical settings may have similar utility in pediatric rheumatology. This paper describes the key discussion points from the inaugural Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Implementation Science retreat held in February 2020. The aim of this report is to synthesize those findings into an Implementation Science Roadmap for pediatric rheumatology research. …

Targeting Type I Interferons In Systemic Lupus Erythematous, Sebastian Bruera, Thandiwe Chavula, Riya Madan, Sandeep K Agarwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease with systemic clinical manifestations including, but not limited to, rash, inflammatory arthritis, serositis, glomerulonephritis, and cerebritis. Treatment options for SLE are expanding and the increase in our understanding of the immune pathogenesis is leading to the development of new therapeutics. Autoantibody formation and immune complex formation are important mediators in lupus pathogenesis, but an important role of the type I interferon (IFN) pathway has been identified in SLE patients and mouse models of lupus. These studies have led to the development of therapeutics targeting type I IFN and related pathways for …

Modulation Of Hedgehog Signaling By Kappa Opioids To Attenuate Osteoarthritis, Alexander E Weber, Omid Jalali, Sean Limfat, Ruzanna Shkhyan, Robert Van Der Horst, Siyoung Lee, Yucheng Lin, Liangliang Li, Erik N Mayer, Liming Wang, Nancy Q Liu, Frank A Petrigliano, Jay R Lieberman, Denis Evseenko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: Inhibition of hedgehog (HH) signaling prevents cartilage degeneration and promotes repair in animal models of osteoarthritis (OA). This study, undertaken in OA models and in human OA articular cartilage, was designed to explore whether kappa opioid receptor (KOR) modulation via the inhibition of HH signaling may have therapeutic potential for achieving disease-modifying activity in OA.

METHODS: Primary human articular cartilage and synovial tissue samples from patients with knee OA undergoing total joint replacement and from healthy human subjects were obtained from the National Disease Research Interchange. For in vivo animal studies, a partial medial meniscectomy (PMM) model of knee …