Modern Rheumatology

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate gender-based differences in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), with a particular focus on patient-reported outcomes, utilizing data obtained through the international COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune disease (COVAD) e-survey. METHODS: Patient-reported outcomes including fatigue, pain, and physical function were extracted from the COVAD database and compared between genders, adjusting for demographics and IIM subgroups by multivariable analysis...

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Intra-articular corticosteroid injection (IACI) is a safe first-line or adjunct therapy that can be used in any subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). However, limited studies evaluated the effect of IACI on cartilage. As a result, our study aimed to examine the distal femoral cartilage thickness of patients with JIA who received IACI to the knee joint using ultrasound imaging. METHODS: We randomly selected JIA patients who performed IACI in the knee joint...

OBJECTIVE: Real-world evidence regarding prevalence, patient characteristics and treatment patterns for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Japan is limited. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study analysing Japan's Medical Data Vision (MDV) database from April-2008 to September-2020. Prevalence, incidence, patient characteristics, treatment patterns and use of vasodilators by treatment line were evaluated. RESULTS: Prevalence of PAH was 0...

OBJECTIVES: To identify the specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in IgG4-related dacryoadenitis and sialadenitis (IgG4-DS) and predict the targeted genes. METHODS: MiRNAs in the serum of 9 patients with IgG4-DS, 3 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome, and 3 healthy controls were analyzed using the human miRNA chip, and miRNAs that exhibited significant fluctuation in expression in IgG4-DS patients were extracted. The respective target genes were predicted using an existing database, and expression of the target genes was evaluated in actual submandibular gland tissues affected by IgG4-DS...

OBJECTIVES: We previously reported that heating of the neck or elbows alleviated Raynaud's phenomenon in patients with systemic sclerosis and upregulated capillary extension factor angiopoietin-1 (Angpt-1) in the fingertips. Here, we investigated which cases responded better to the effect of heating of the neck or elbows. METHODS: The pre- to post-heating change in the visual analogue scale for Raynaud's phenomenon (ΔVAS) was examined for correlation with age, disease duration, autoantibodies, disease types, corticosteroid dose, capillaroscopic nailfold capillary damage, fingertip Angpt-1 concentrations at baseline, and increased rate of Angpt-1 concentration...

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of anifrolumab 300 mg, alongside standard therapy, in patients from Japan with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the TULIP-LTE trial (NCT02794285). METHODS: TULIP-LTE was a 3-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled long-term extension (LTE) of the TULIP trials. The primary safety outcome included serious adverse events (SAEs) and AEs of special interest (AESIs) during the LTE period. Exploratory efficacy outcomes included SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) scores and glucocorticoid use...

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Frozen shoulder (FS) is a common disorder characterized by spontaneous onset of shoulder pain accompanied by progressive loss of range-of-motions. The cause of FS is still unclear and radical therapy has not been established. With the final aim of preventing or curing FS at an earlier stage, we reviewed the pathological and biological features of this disease. Many studies indicate that the main pathology of FS is inflammation initially and fibrosis later. There are inflammatory cytokines, immune cells, fibrotic growth factors, and type-III collagen in the synovium and the joint capsule...

OBJECTIVES: To address improvements in quality of life (QOL), we analysed the relative contributions of factors to EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) in abatacept-treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in the ORIGAMI study. METHODS: Patients who were evaluable for disease activity through to Week 52 in the ORIGAMI study were divided into those achieving Simplified Disease Activity Index-remission/low disease activity (remission/LDA; n=178) and patients with moderate/high disease activity (MDA/HDA; n=99)...

OBJECTIVES: Osteoporosis animal models are used extensively to determine the mechanisms of disease pathology and identify potential biological targets. The study aimed to establish a bone loss model, identify pain-related behavior in neighboring joints using an adjuvant-induced osteoporosis (AO) model, and examine the therapeutic effect of bisphosphonates (BP). METHODS: Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) was injected subcutaneously into the back of the right foot of 8-week-old female ddY mice...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse the radiological characteristics and clinical diversity of Japanese patients with synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome, a heterogeneous disorder. METHODS: Radiographs and clinical information from 115 Japanese patients (female/male: 81/34, mean age at onset: 48.7 years) diagnosed with SAPHO syndrome between January 2007 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Additionally, the treatment for SAPHO syndrome was explored...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of sarilumab on unacceptable pain [UP; visual analogue scale (VAS) >40 mm] and inflammation in patients with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: In this post hoc analysis of the KAKEHASI study, 243 patients received methotrexate with sarilumab 150 or 200 mg or placebo every other week, over 52 weeks. The proportion of patients with UP and correlations of changes in pain VAS from baseline with uncontrolled inflammation (C-reactive protein ≥1 mg/dl) and disease activity indices were assessed...

BACKGROUND: Pediatric uveitis poses challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic presentations and high rates of intraocular complications. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize clinical manifestations and treatment approaches of pediatric uveitis patients in a northern Portuguese tertiary hospital. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective study was conducted involving forty-one patients diagnosed with uveitis between 2006 and 2021...

OBJECTIVES: We investigated differential diagnoses that should be noted with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and useful variables for differentiation in a large Japanese cohort. METHODS: Patients aged ≥13 years who were clinically suspected of having FMF by Livneh criteria were studied 1 year after MEFV genetic testing. Patients ultimately diagnosed with other diseases were studied, and the association among each disease, patient characteristics, and clinical variables were analyzed using multiple correspondence analysis...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by nurses engaged in rheumatology care in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey of nurses in Japan in 2020 on challenges experienced in rheumatology care. The participants were nurses certified by the Japan Rheumatism Foundation. Participants' answers were coded and categorized based on relevant phrases and words. Content analysis was performed on the findings. RESULTS: Responses were collected from 162 participants, and a total of 228 issues were identified...

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effect of belimumab (BEL) on achieving low disease activity (LDA) and remission as an additive molecular-targeting agent to standard of care (SoC) in patients with SLE. METHODS: Clinical information was retrospectively collected from patients with SLE who received BEL additive to SoC (BEL+SoC), and from patients treated with SoC alone as a control arm. Disease activity was measured by SLE-disease activity score (SLE-DAS). The proportion of patients in LDA and remission at 12 months was compared after propensity score matching...

OBJECTIVES: Pain, discomfort, and cost may result in incomplete or inconclusive electrodiagnostic studies to assess the severity of carpal tunnel syndrome. We aimed to develop a clinical instrument for stratifying patients based on easy-to-measure variables to assess carpal tunnel syndrome severity. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data from patients diagnosed with a diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome using a factor analysis of mixed data. In total, 1037 patients (405; 39...

OBJECTIVES: In clinical trials, tocilizumab (TCZ) is efficacious in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). This study evaluated the real-world tolerability and effectiveness of TCZ in Japanese patients with GCA. METHODS: In this multicentre, prospective, phase 4, large-scale, observational study, patients with GCA (with no TCZ treatment 6 months before the study) were recruited from 71 centres across Japan. Patients received subcutaneous TCZ 162 mg weekly (observation period, 52 weeks)...

OBJECTIVES: Aging and obesity are major risk factors for osteoarthritis (OA), a widespread disease currently lacking efficient treatments. Senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) display early-onset aging phenotypes, including OA. This study investigates the impacts of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity on OA development in SAMP8. METHODS: SAMP8 at five weeks were fed either a normal chow diet or an HFD for ten weeks to induce obesity. Parameters related to obesity, liver function, and lipid and glucose metabolism were analyzed...

OBJECTIVE: Predicting the efficacy of biological disease-modifying anti-rhematic drugs (bDMARDs) is challenging. In this study, we aimed to explore markers that predict the efficacy of abatacept in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: Thirty RA patients receiving abatacept were recruited, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the participants were subjected to DNA microarray analysis. The expression of CCR4, which was selected by the result of DNA microarray, was determined by flow cytometry in 16 newly diagnosed treatment-naïve RA patients...