Lana Pine

Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have elevated interleukin-23 (IL-23) levels have been linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and disease activity.

The US FDA has approved belimumab for the treatment of active lupus nephritis in children aged 5 to 17 who are currently receiving standard therapy.

“The psychosocial burden of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been shown to have a negative effect on the quality of life of the patients. In PsA, psychological disorders can both cause and exacerbate disease development.”

“Qualitative research has identified that caregivers face many challenges that affect their well-being, including balancing their child’s demands with their own psychological needs when feeling depressed or stressed, and accompanying the child to the frequent health appointments.”

The analysis determined improvement based on a variety of clinical assessments, including the Leeds Enthesitis Index (LEI), Leeds Dactylitis Index (LDI), and modified Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (mNAPSI) scores, at baseline and week 24.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 23, 2022.

The feasibility study, “Fatigue – Reducing if Effects through individualized support Episodes in Inflammatory Arthritis” (FREE-IA), tested the practicality of training, intervention delivery, and outcome collection prior to a trial that would analyze clinical and cost-effectiveness.

25% of patients presented with extensive blood-brain barrier leakage, which was linked to both cognitive impairment and shorter disease duration.

“Understanding the impact of COVID-19 infection on children and young people with RMDs is important to inform national protection, education (such as school attendance), and vaccination guidance."

Previous assessments of the prevalence of lupus were conducted in short periods of time, therefore limiting the insight into long-term trends and potential explanations for the observed patterns.

C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase protein produced mainly by liver hepatocytes in response to interleukin-6 (IL-6), is a non-specific marker of inflammation.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 16, 2022.

"COVID-19 raises special concerns regarding its course and outcome among patients with IMIDs," investigators stated.

Further research examining a possible association between smoking, which was found more frequently in nADAb-positive patients, is warranted.

“These results show that emotional distress is associated with higher frequency of PFAPA attacks, thus may be considered as an environmental trigger for PFAPA attack," investigators stated.

Additional doses improved seroconversion and most vaccinated patients with lupus experienced a generally mild course of the disease.

John K. Botson MD, RPh, CCD, weighs in on the recent FDA approval of pegloticase injection plus methotrexate for the treatment of uncontrolled gout.

Iwasaki and her team analyzed 3220 unique sequences of endogenous retroviruses that are a part of the human genetic make up or genome to understand if retroviruses cause or worsen this disease.

Data suggests baricitinib not only significantly reduced the time to flares but also the frequency of flares in patients with JIA when compared with placebo.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 9, 2022.

The decision was based on results from the MIRROR trial, which evaluated the concomitant use of pegloticase with methotrexate.

The French national healthcare database (SNDS) was used to evaluate malignancy between patients with RA initiating bDMARDs and those continuing csDMARDs.

David Felson, MD, MPH, discusses his recent study, “Meaning of patient global assessment when joint counts are low in rheumatoid arthritis.”

In the prospective, open-labeled trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive either low-dose benzbromarone or low-dose febuxostat for 12 weeks.

Previous attempts to make associations between JIA and prenatal maternal infection is difficult due to the rarity of JIA diagnosis and recall bias.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 2, 2022.

“The differential contribution of IL-6 and IL-17 pathways to the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis is not fully understood,” investigators stated.

Take a few minutes to check out Rheumatology Network's top expert interviews from Q2 2022.

The approval and implementation of new drugs can vastly improve quality of life and reduce signs and symptoms of disease burden in patients with rheumatic and dermatologic diseases.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommends approving upadacitinib 15 mg, once daily, for the treatment of active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in adults patients with inflammation and inadequate response to NSAIDs.