Clinical and experimental rheumatology最新文献

{"title":"Role of ultrasound in the interception of psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis.","authors":"Niccolò Possemato, Alessandra Rai, Marianna Oliva, Nicolò Girolimetto, Carlo Salvarani, Antonio Marchesoni","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/vudu1q","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/vudu1q","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Skin psoriasis (PsO) often precedes the development of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), with a PsO to PsA conversion rate of about 1.5-2% per year. A careful observation of the PsO patients may allow early detection, treatment, and maybe even prevention, of the rheumatic condition. In PsA patients, musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK-US) imaging can be used to investigate the presence of enthesitis, synovitis, tenosynovitis, and paratenonitis and this imaging technique has been shown to be more sensitive than clinical examination. MSK-US may reveal the presence of synovial and entheseal inflammation even in PsO patients without musculoskeletal symptoms and these findings might be considered indicative of subclinical PsA, although a clinical evaluation is essential to prevent overdiagnosis and overtreatment. This narrative review provides an overview of the transition from PsO to PsA with a focus on the value of US examination in this context.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal trends in overall infection incidence in patients with inflammatory arthritides treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: a nationwide cohort study.","authors":"Aron Hjalti Bjornsson, Telma Thrastardottir, Bjorn Gudbjornsson, Thorvardur Jon Love","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/ijo29l","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/ijo29l","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To investigate temporal trends in infection rates among patients with inflammatory arthritides receiving tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and explore whether the incidence of infections among patients starting TNFi treatment has changed with increasing access to TNFi.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this nationwide matched cohort study, we extracted information on all adult biologic-naive patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and spondyloarthritides initiating treatment with a TNFi from the ICEBIO registry. Each patient was randomly matched on age, sex, and calendar time to five general population comparators. Patients were observed for two years before and after TNFi initiation. All ICD-10 infection codes and information on filled prescriptions were extracted from nationwide registries. The data were split into four-year periods, and incidence rate (IR) per 1000 patient-years and IR ratios (IRR) of serious infections (SI) and prescriptions for each period were calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 1387 individuals initiating their first TNFi treatment in 2003-2018 and 6936 general population comparators. The between-period IRR for SI was 0.48 (0.25-0.94, p=0.03) for the TNFi-treated patients in the last period compared to the first, while it was 1.05 (0.93-1.2) for antimicrobial prescriptions. The IRR for comparators was stable for SI but increased for antimicrobial prescriptions (1.2 (1.1-1.3)).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study found that the IRR of serious infections associated with TNFi in patients with inflammatory arthritides has decreased over the years. The trend of diminishing SI incidence needs to be considered when analysing data over long periods or comparing recent research to previously published data.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retention rate and predictors of discontinuation for secukinumab treatment: real-life data in a cohort of patients with spondyloarthritis.","authors":"Elisa Bellis, Mariele Gatto, Gloria Crepaldi, Valeria Data, Claudia Lomater, Elena M Marucco, Silvia Perrone, Marta Saracco, Annamaria Iagnocco","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/cruuvo","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/cruuvo","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study evaluated the real-world retention rate and predictors of discontinuation for secukinumab therapy in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This observational, retrospective cohort study included SpA patients treated with secukinumab at a referral centre. Baseline demographic and clinical data were recorded, covering comorbidities, prior biologic/targeted synthetic therapies, and disease duration. Secukinumab retention rates were analysed at 12 months and at the end of the study (last observation or discontinuation). Drug retention rate (DRR) was assessed using time-to-discontinuation, with log-rank testing for comparisons. Cox proportional hazards regression models identified baseline predictors of discontinuation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 178 patients (64.6% female) were included. The overall DRR for secukinumab was 64%, with the highest retention rate of 78% at 1 year. Discontinuation reasons included secondary inefficacy (57.8%), primary inefficacy (25%), and adverse events (17.2%), with infections being the most common adverse event. Higher body mass index (BMI) (HR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12, p=0.010) and previous treatments (HR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03-1.73, p=0.030) predicted long-term discontinuation. For 12-month discontinuation, peripheral phenotype (HR 4.28, 95% CI: 1.26-14.48, p=0.019) and prior biologic/targeted synthetic therapies (HR 1.76, 95% CI: 1.24-2.51, p=0.002) were predictors, while axial involvement was protective (HR 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17-0.83, p=0.016).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Secukinumab demonstrates sustained effectiveness in SpA patients, with a significant proportion maintaining therapy over time. Retention is influenced by BMI, prior treatments, and disease phenotype, suggesting that outcomes may be optimised through tailored patient selection and early intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy and safety of fasinumab in the treatment of osteoarthritis.","authors":"Haiyang Kou, Bo Chen","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/6fd0dc","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/6fd0dc","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of this meta-analysis and systematic review was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of fasinumab in the treatment of osteoarthritis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>RevMan 5.4 was utilised to conduct a meta-analysis after relevant data on randomised controlled trials of therapeutic interventions for patients with osteoarthritis were gathered from literature databases such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 7 randomised controlled studies were included, including 32407 patients with osteoarthritis. Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, fasinumab intervention yielded more benefit, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) pain (3 mg, week 8) (MD = -0.88, 95% CI [-1.22 to -0.53]; Z=5.04; p<0.00001), WOMAC pain (3 mg, week 16) (MD = -0.72, 95% CI [-1.34 to -0.10]; Z=2.27; p=0.02), WOMAC function (3 mg, week 8) (MD = -1.02, 95% CI [-1.36 to -0.69]; Z=6.05; p<0.00001) and WOMAC function (3 mg, week 16) (MD = -0.97, 95% CI [-1.35 to -0.59]; Z=4.98; p<0.00001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Fasinumab is a monoclonal antibody medication used to treat osteoarthritis and lessen pain. Fasinumab enhanced scores on the WOMAC function, WOMAC pain subscale, and numerical rating scale. Naturally, one cannot overlook the restrictions or difficulties brought on by limited sample sizes and demographic variety. Future research should promote the inclusion of bigger populations and larger sample sizes in order to develop an osteoarthritis treatment that is both affordable and effective.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vision-related quality of life in spondyloarthritis patients with acute anterior uveitis on golimumab: the GO-VISION study.","authors":"Inês Leal, Ana Teresa Melo, Carolina Ochôa Matos, Catarina Ferreira, Catarina Tenazinha, Cláudia Vaz, Eduardo Dourado, Fernando Pimentel, Filipe Cunha Santos, Henrique Fernandes, Joana Fonseca Ferreira, Manuel Silvério-António, Margarida Faria, Marta Guedes, Miguel Cordeiro, Miguel Santos, Nikita Khmelinskii, Patrícia José, Patrícia Pinto, Rafael Barão, Sara Dinis, Sofia Mano, Sofia Fonseca, Carlos Marques-Neves, Elsa Vieira-Sousa, João Eurico Fonseca","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/adr1j3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/adr1j3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Acute anterior uveitis (AAU) associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a common extra-articular manifestation, significantly impacting the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The GO-VISION aimed to evaluate the effects of GOL on visual related (VR) and HRQoL, as well as health-related work productivity (HRWP), in individuals diagnosed with SpA and a history of SpA-AAU.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This prospective, multicentre study included 20 SpA patients with recent SpA-AAU, treated with GOL and followed for 48 weeks. Data from the 2 years before and 48 weeks after GOL initiation were analysed to assess flare rates. QoL was evaluated using three standardised questionnaires: the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25), the Short-Form 36 questionnaire (SF-36), and the EuroQol five-dimension scale questionnaire (EQ-5D). Additionally, the impact on HRWP was also studied. The differences between baseline, 24 and 48 weeks were assessed using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 20 patients (55% male, 75% tumour necrosis factor-inhibitors (TNFi)-naive, mean age 45.2), AAU flares decreased from 50 in 2 years pre-GOL to 2 during treatment, reducing the incidence rate from 1.82 to 0.10 per 100 patient-years (p<0.01). Significant improvements were seen in NEI VFQ-25 total score (71.85-90.10), EQ index (0.74-0.89), SF-36 physical/mental scores (39.89/49.95 to 60.09/65.86), and hours lost to uveitis (4 to 0; all p<0.02). Two patients experienced mild TNFi-related adverse events.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>GO-VISION suggests the effectiveness of GOL in preventing SpA-AAU flares, improving HRQoL, and enhancing productivity, highlighting the importance of patient-reported outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144636292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disease activity and quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a validation study using the SLE-DAS.","authors":"Fung Lam, Kar Li Chan, Chi Hung To, Chi Chiu Mok","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/1n8j8d","DOIUrl":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/1n8j8d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To study the relationship between disease activity and quality of life (QoL) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using the SLE disease activity score (SLE-DAS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Consecutive patients fulfilling the ACR/SLICC criteria for SLE were recruited. Participants were asked to complete the validated Chinese version of the LupusPRO for QoL evaluation before disease activity assessment by SLE-DAS, SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI)-2K and Physician Global Assessment (PGA). Correlation between disease activity and LupusPRO scores, and the effect of SLE-DAS remission on QoL was studied. Patients with active SLE at baseline, defined as a PGA≥0.5, were re-evaluated after 6 months. The change in LupusPRO score was correlated with the change in SLE-DAS.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 510 patients were studied (92.9% women; age 48.6 ±13.3 years). At baseline, SLE-DAS remission (score ≤2.08), mild (2.08-7.64) and moderate/high disease activity (>7.64) was present in 364(71.3%), 75(14.7%) and 71(13.9%) patients, respectively. SLE-DAS index-based remission (score ≤2.08 and prednisone ≤5 mg/day) was achieved in 337(66.1%) patients. SLE-DAS correlated significantly with SLEDAI-2K and PGA (rho 0.92 and 0.62, respectively; p<0.01 in both). Patients with SLE-DAS index-based remission reported a significantly higher LupusPRO health-related (HR) QoL score compared to those without (76.8 ±16.2 vs. 69.0 ±16.8; p<0.01). A total of 139 patients with PGA ≥0.5 at baseline were reassessed at month 6: 77(55.4%) patients had improvement in SLE-DAS and 61(43.9%) patients achieved SLE-DAS index-based remission. The change in SLE-DAS was significantly associated with an improvement in LupusPRO HRQoL score (rho -0.30; p<0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>SLE-DAS remission was associated with better QoL in patients with SLE. Reduction in SLE-DAS over time correlates significantly with improvement in health-related QoL.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":"1227-1234"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143647410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive analysis of trends and inequalities in rheumatoid arthritis burden among women of childbearing age: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.","authors":"Cun Li, Shaohui Zong","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/r9rruc","DOIUrl":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/r9rruc","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To assess the trends and inequalities in the burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among women of childbearing age (WCBA) and projects future trends at the global, regional, and national levels.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data on RA prevalence, incidence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and deaths for WCBA were sourced from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2021. Percentage change (PC), estimated annual percentage change (EAPC), and the ARIMA model were used to analyse trends and project the burden through 2050.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 2021, the global prevalence, incidence, and DALYs cases of RA among WCBA were 4.45 million, 326.6 thousand, and 650.75 thousand, respectively, with significant increases since 1990 (PC: 88%, 68%, and 71%). Over the past 32 years, global rates for prevalence, incidence, and DALYs have all risen, with EAPC values of 0.89 (95% UI: 0.87-0.92), 0.54 (95% UI: 0.51-0.56), and 0.61 (95% UI: 0.57-0.64), respectively. Death cases and rates have decreased globally and in most regions. Among the five Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions, the high Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) region reported the highest rates of RA burden. By age, older age groups had higher prevalence, incidence, and DALYs, with the 45-49 age group showing the highest incidence in 2021 (59.22 thousand cases, rate of 25.13 per 10,000). However, younger groups, particularly those aged 15-19, experienced the fastest incidence growth (EAPC 0.64). By 2050, RA prevalence and DALYs rates are projected to rise to 266.34 and 37.63 per 100,000, while incidence will stabilise and deaths will continue to decline.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The RA burden among WCBA has significantly increased over the past 32 years, with a notable shift in risk towards younger populations. Higher SDI regions bore a disproportionately greater burden. These findings emphasise the need for increased investments and targeted RA interventions for WCBA, supporting the achievement of WHO's Sustainable Development Goal 3.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":"1321-1331"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144076349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Thumb Rule - an approach to optimise musculoskeletal ultrasound scanning in Rheumatology.","authors":"Emilio Filippucci, Lene Terslev, Søren T Torp-Pedersen, Edoardo Cipolletta","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/dpq2qm","DOIUrl":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/dpq2qm","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":"1213-1217"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144224543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infections preceding diagnosis associated with myositis phenotypes in a national patient registry.","authors":"Takuma Ohnishi, Jesse Wilkerson, Nastaran Bayat, Payam N Farhadi, Abdullah Faiq, Charles F Dillon, Adam Schiffenbauer, Christine G Parks, Hermine I Brunner, Bob Goldberg, Frederick W Miller, Lisa G Rider","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/tjpsdy","DOIUrl":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/tjpsdy","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We investigated the association of antecedent infections with clinical subgroups and phenotypes in the idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adult IIM patients (362 with dermatomyositis (DM), 250 with polymyositis (PM), and 256 with inclusion body myositis (IBM)) enrolled in a national myositis patient registry. One hundred thirty-four patients had symptoms of lung disease plus fever and/or arthritis (LD+), and 103 with systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease-associated overlap myositis (OM). Self-reported infections and antibiotic usage within 12 months prior to IIM diagnosis were examined. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated across IIMs. LD+ and OM analyses were performed excluding IBM patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Infections before IIM diagnosis were more frequent in DM and PM than IBM. Febrile illness and gastroenteritis were more frequent in DM than IBM (OR 2.82 and 3.30, respectively), and in PM than IBM (OR 3.27 and 3.26, respectively). Patients with LD+ and OM had higher odds of reported infections than those without these phenotypes, with pneumonia the most strongly associated infection (OR 5.26 95% CI 2.59-10.71 in LD+, OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.25-6.06 in OM). Antibiotic usage within 1 year before diagnosis did not differ among DM, PM and IBM patients, nor in OM. Antibiotics were used more frequently used in patients with LD+ compared to no LD, but this was attenuated after adjusting for infections.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Antecedent infections, particularly respiratory and gastrointestinal infections may contribute to adult IIM phenotypes. Pneumonia showed the strongest association with myositis phenotypes accompanied by frequent lung disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":"1204-1212"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144483353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and validation of fibroblast-related biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis by bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq analysis.","authors":"Ying Kai Wu, Lei Zhou, Gang Chang, Rui Qiang Wang","doi":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/x6am51","DOIUrl":"10.55563/clinexprheumatol/x6am51","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by chronic inflammation of the synovium, resulting in joint destruction, disability, and a shortened lifespan. Fibroblasts play a crucial role in the progression of RA, therefore, the identification of fibroblast-related biomarkers may provide novel insights for therapeutic intervention.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We employed single cell analysis to identify distinct cellular subtypes. Following the identification of fibroblast cells, we conducted high-dimensional weighted gene co-expression network analysis to isolate modules closely associated with these fibroblasts. We then extracted differentially expressed genes between RA and normal samples from the training set, which comprised GSE55235 and GSE55457. Protein-protein interaction network was used to prioritise the top 40 fibroblast-related differential expression genes. Then three machine learning methods - least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, support vector machine recursive feature elimination, and random forest - were utilised to identify fibroblast-related biomarkers that are highly correlated with RA. After validating these findings using an external dataset (GSE77298), we developed a diagnostic model based on the identified biomarkers. Finally, we performed western blot analyses to confirm the expression levels of these biomarkers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Two fibroblast-related biomarkers, AIM2 and PSMB9, were successfully identified and validated, demonstrating a strong association with RA. The nomogram developed from these biomarkers exhibited excellent performance in diagnosing and predicting patient outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study not only identified and rigorously validated two fibroblast-related biomarkers for RA, but also provided valuable insights into the early diagnosis of the disease and the formulation of patient management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":10274,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and experimental rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":"1303-1312"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}