Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, Carl E Allen, Deepika Bhatla, John Carter, May Chien, Robert Cooper, Lauren Draper, Olive S Eckstein, Rabi Hanna, J Allyson Hays, Michelle L Hermiston, Ashley P Hinson, Patricia M Hobday, Michael S Isakoff, Michael B Jordan, Jennifer W Leiding, Renee Modica, Taizo A Nakano, Abiola Oladapo, Sachit A Patel, Priti Pednekar, Mona Riskalla, Susmita N Sarangi, Prakash Satwani, Anand Tandra, Kelly J Walkovich, John D Yee, Adi Zoref-Lorenz, Edward M Behrens
{"title":"Emapalumab Treatment in Patients With Rheumatologic Disease-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in the United States: A Retrospective Medical Chart Review Study.","authors":"Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, Carl E Allen, Deepika Bhatla, John Carter, May Chien, Robert Cooper, Lauren Draper, Olive S Eckstein, Rabi Hanna, J Allyson Hays, Michelle L Hermiston, Ashley P Hinson, Patricia M Hobday, Michael S Isakoff, Michael B Jordan, Jennifer W Leiding, Renee Modica, Taizo A Nakano, Abiola Oladapo, Sachit A Patel, Priti Pednekar, Mona Riskalla, Susmita N Sarangi, Prakash Satwani, Anand Tandra, Kelly J Walkovich, John D Yee, Adi Zoref-Lorenz, Edward M Behrens","doi":"10.1002/art.42985","DOIUrl":"10.1002/art.42985","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Rheumatologic disease-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare, life-threatening, systemic hyperinflammatory syndrome, occurs as a complication of underlying rheumatologic disease. Real-world evidence is lacking on emapalumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the proinflammatory cytokine interferon-γ, approved for treating patients with primary HLH.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>REAL-HLH, a retrospective medical chart review study conducted across 33 US hospitals, assessed real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with HLH treated with one or more dose of emapalumab between November 20, 2018, and October 31, 2021. Data are presented for the subset of patients with rheumatologic disease-associated HLH.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifteen of 105 patients (14.3%) had rheumatologic disease-associated HLH. Of these, nine (60.0%) had systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and one (6.7%) had adult-onset Still disease. Median (range) age at HLH diagnosis was 5 (0.9-39) years. Most patients (9 of 15; 60.0%) initiated emapalumab in an intensive care unit. Emapalumab was most frequently initiated for treating refractory or recurrent (10 of 15; 66.7%) disease. Most patients received HLH-related therapies before (10 of 15; 66.7%) and concurrently with (15 of 15; 100.0%) emapalumab. Emapalumab-containing regimens stabilized or achieved physician-determined normalization of most laboratory parameters, including absolute neutrophil count and absolute lymphocyte count (13 of 14; 92.9%), chemokine ligand 9 (9 of 11; 81.8%), and platelets and alanine transaminase (11 of 14; 78.6%), and reduced glucocorticoid dose by 80%. Overall survival and 12-month survival probability from emapalumab initiation were 86.7%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Emapalumab-containing regimens stabilized or normalized most key laboratory parameters, reduced glucocorticoid dose, and were associated with low disease-related mortality, thereby demonstrating potential benefits in patients with rheumatologic disease-associated HLH.</p>","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142152665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alison H Chang, Frank W Roemer, Ali Guermazi, Orit Almagor, Jungwha Julia Lee, Joan S Chmiel, Lutfiyya N Muhammad, Jing Song, Leena Sharma
{"title":"Do Existing MRI Definitions of Knee Osteoarthritis Identify Knees That Will Develop Clinically Significant Disease Over Up To 11 Years of Follow-Up?","authors":"Alison H Chang, Frank W Roemer, Ali Guermazi, Orit Almagor, Jungwha Julia Lee, Joan S Chmiel, Lutfiyya N Muhammad, Jing Song, Leena Sharma","doi":"10.1002/art.42982","DOIUrl":"10.1002/art.42982","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>In individuals without radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA), we investigated whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-defined knee OA at baseline was associated with incident radiographic and symptomatic disease during up to 11 years of follow-up.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Osteoarthritis Initiative participants without tibiofemoral radiographic knee OA at baseline were assessed for MRI-based tibiofemoral cartilage damage, osteophyte presence, bone marrow lesions, and meniscal damage/extrusion. We defined MRI knee OA using alternative, reported definitions (Def A and Def B). Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade, joint space narrowing (JSN), and frequent knee symptoms (Sx) were assessed at baseline, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10/11-year follow-up visits. Incident tibiofemoral radiographic knee OA (outcome) was defined as (1) KL ≥2, (2) KL ≥2 and JSN, or (3) KL ≥2 and Sx. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models examined associations of baseline MRI-defined knee OA (Def A and Def B) with incident outcomes during up to 11 years of follow-up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 1,621 participants (mean age ± SD 58.8 ± 9.0 years, mean body mass index ± SD 27.2 ± 4.5 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, 59.5% women), 17% had MRI-defined knee OA by Def A and 24% by Def B. Baseline MRI-defined knee OA was associated with incident KL ≥2 (odds ratio 2.94 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.34-3.68] for Def A and 2.44 [95% CI 1.97-3.03] for Def B). However, a substantial proportion of individuals with baseline MRI-defined knee OA did not develop incident KL ≥2 during follow-up (59% for Def A and 64% for Def B). Findings were similar for the other two outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Current MRI definitions of knee OA do not adequately identify knees that will develop radiographic and symptomatic disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142124303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diversity and Epitope Spreading of Anti-RNA Polymerase III Antibodies in Systemic Sclerosis: A Potential Biomarker for Skin and Lung Involvement.","authors":"Hirohito Kotani, Kazuki M Matsuda, Kei Yamaguchi, Chihiro Ono, Emi Kogo, Koji Ogawa, Yuki Kobayashi, Teruyoshi Hisamoto, Ruriko Kawanabe, Ai Kuzumi, Takemichi Fukasawa, Asako Yoshizaki-Ogawa, Naoki Goshima, Shinichi Sato, Ayumi Yoshizaki","doi":"10.1002/art.42975","DOIUrl":"10.1002/art.42975","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Epitope spreading (ES), involving autoantibodies, plays a crucial role in the development and persistence of autoimmune reactions in various autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ES of anti-RNA polymerase III (RNAP III) antibodies (ARAs) and the clinical manifestations of systemic sclerosis (SSc).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We investigated whether intermolecular ES occurs in the subunits of the RNAP III complex and whether intramolecular ES targets the major antigen, RNA polymerase III subunit A (RPC1), in patients with SSc. To achieve this, we synthesized 17 full-length subunit proteins of the RNAP III complex and 5 truncated forms of RPC1 in vitro using a wheat germ cell-free translation system. Subsequently, we prepared antigen-binding plates and measured autoantibodies in the serum of patients with SSc.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Autoantibodies against different RNAP III complex subunits were found in patients who were ARA-positive with SSc. The intermolecular ES indicators significantly correlated with the modified Rodnan skin thickness score (mRSS) and surfactant protein-D, a biomarker of interstitial lung disease. However, the extent of disease on high-resolution computed tomography or pulmonary function tests did not show any significant correlation. Intramolecular ES indicator against RPC1 were significantly correlated with mRSS and renal crisis. Furthermore, longitudinal assessment of ES in RNAP III complex subunits correlated with mRSS and exhibited potential as a disease activity biomarker.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings indicate a correlation between ES levels and the severity of skin sclerosis or the risk of other complications in SSc. This study suggests that measuring ES in SSc serves as a novel biomarker for disease activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142102476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Refining Research on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Key Considerations.","authors":"Qing Zhou","doi":"10.1002/art.42981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/art.42981","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142071520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinical Images: A large disfiguring nasal mass and progressive dyspnea.","authors":"Renato Ferrandiz-Espadin, Sonal Choudhary, Didem Saygin","doi":"10.1002/art.42977","DOIUrl":"10.1002/art.42977","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142071518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Relapse Prediction in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody–Associated Vasculitis","authors":"Eithne Nic an Ríogh, Mark A. Little","doi":"10.1002/art.42976","DOIUrl":"10.1002/art.42976","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":"76 10","pages":"1473-1474"},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142071521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christina Bergmann, Sara Chenguiti Fakhouri, Thuong Trinh-Minh, Tim Filla, Aleix Rius Rigau, Arif B Ekici, Benita Merlevede, Ludwig Hallenberger, Honglin Zhu, Clara Dees, Alexandru-Emil Matei, Janina Auth, Andrea-Hermina Györfi, Xiang Zhou, Simon Rauber, Aline Bozec, Nicholas Dickel, Chunguang Liang, Meik Kunz, Georg Schett, Jörg H W Distler
{"title":"Mutual Amplification of GLI2/Hedgehog and Transcription Factor JUN/AP-1 Signaling in Fibroblasts in Systemic Sclerosis: Potential Implications for Combined Therapies.","authors":"Christina Bergmann, Sara Chenguiti Fakhouri, Thuong Trinh-Minh, Tim Filla, Aleix Rius Rigau, Arif B Ekici, Benita Merlevede, Ludwig Hallenberger, Honglin Zhu, Clara Dees, Alexandru-Emil Matei, Janina Auth, Andrea-Hermina Györfi, Xiang Zhou, Simon Rauber, Aline Bozec, Nicholas Dickel, Chunguang Liang, Meik Kunz, Georg Schett, Jörg H W Distler","doi":"10.1002/art.42979","DOIUrl":"10.1002/art.42979","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Deregulation of the cJUN/AP-1 and hedgehog/GLI2 signaling pathways has been implicated in fibroblast activation in systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, the consequences of their concomitant up-regulation are unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that mutual amplification of both pathways might drive persistent fibroblast activation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Cultured fibroblasts and skin sections of patients with diffuse SSc and healthy volunteers were analyzed. cJUN/AP-1 signaling and hedgehog/GLI2 signaling were inhibited using knockdown and pharmacologic approaches. Hedgehog signaling was activated in mice by fibroblast-specific overexpression of constitutively active Smoothened.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>cJUN and GLI2 are concomitantly up-regulated and colocalize in fibroblasts of patients with SSc compared to healthy controls. Activation of hedgehog/GLI2 signaling induces the expression of cJUN in vitro and in vivo, whereas inactivation of GLI2 inhibits cJUN expression. Likewise, inactivation of cJUN impairs the expression of GLI2. This mutual regulation occurs at the level of transcription with binding of cJUN and GLI2 to specific binding motifs. Interference with this mutual amplification of cJUN signaling and GLI2 signaling inhibits fibroblast activation and collagen release: Inhibition of cJUN/AP-1 signaling ameliorates hedgehog-induced fibroblast activation and skin fibrosis in Smo<sup>ACT</sup> mice with a reduction of skin thickness of 103% (P = 0.0043) in the treatment group compared to the fibrotic control group. Moreover, combined pharmacologic inhibition of cJUN/AP-1 and hedgehog/GLI2 exerts additive antifibrotic effects in a model of TGFβ-driven experimental fibrosis (TBR<sup>ACT</sup> mice).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The transcription factors cJUN and GLI2 reinforce each other's activity to promote fibroblast activation in SSc. Interruption of this crosstalk by combined inhibition of both pathways exerts additive antifibrotic effects at well-tolerated doses.</p>","PeriodicalId":129,"journal":{"name":"Arthritis & Rheumatology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142071519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}