Rheumatology

Gene expression profiles are associated with rituximab response among people of African or Asian ancestry with systemic lupus erythematosus, but not in those of European ancestry, research suggests.

Findings from a systematic review and network meta-analysis suggest that different biologics have similar efficacy for the joint manifestations of psoriatic arthritis, but IL-17A-targeted therapies or guselkumab may be the best choice for skin responses.

Children born to mothers with autoimmune diseases have an elevated risk for mental disorders, with this risk persisting until early adulthood for those born to women with rheumatoid arthritis or type 1 diabetes, researchers report.

Findings from a randomized controlled trial suggest that weight-loss surgery may negate the need for total knee arthroplasty for some people with severe obesity and knee osteoarthritis.

Intramuscular glucocorticoid injection is noninferior to intra-articular injection for reducing knee pain after 8 and 24 weeks in patients with knee osteoarthritis, but may be inferior at 4 weeks, research shows.

Autoantibodies against IL-1Ra are present in a large proportion of patients with MIS-C, say researchers.

Among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), glycosylation patterns of anti-double-stranded (ds)DNA IgG autoantibodies differ from those of total IgG and correlate with disease activity, suggests research published in eBioMedicine.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France. 

Findings from a phase 2b trial suggest that treatment with the anti-CD52 antibody alemtuzumab may be beneficial for some patients with primary systemic vasculitis and an inadequate response to conventional therapies.

People with rheumatoid arthritis have a significantly increased risk for acute coronary syndrome that generally does not vary according to which biologic DMARD they are taking, show data from four Nordic countries.

A single ultrasound-guided corticosteroid and local anesthetic intra-articular hip injection offers greater pain relief to people with moderate hip osteoarthritis than the best current treatment of advice and education, research suggests.

Frailty is common and associated with adverse outcomes in people with rheumatoid arthritis, but may be at least partially reversible in those with early disease, researchers report.

Findings from a phase 1/2 pilot study suggest that baricitinib may be a promising treatment option for primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Adding a conventional DMARD to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy is not associated with clinically relevant improvements in drug retention or remission rates in people with axial spondyloarthritis, research suggests.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on rheumatology training and research opportunities, suggest findings from an international survey study by the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance.

Phase 3 trial results suggest that the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus may represent an alternative option to cyclophosphamide for the initial treatment of lupus nephritis.

Findings from a rheumatoid arthritis registry study suggest that the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib may have comparable real-world effectiveness to TNF inhibitors.

A nurse-led education intervention may improve safety competency among people initiating biologics for spondyloarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, French study findings indicate.

Predictive models incorporating baseline variables can predict short-term TNF inhibitor response with moderate to high accuracy in people with active ankylosing spondylitis, study findings indicate.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be at a greater risk for poor treatment responses if they are obese or underweight regardless of whether they are taking a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor or an alternative biologic, research indicates.

Adding infliximab to standard therapy with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin plus high-dose aspirin may decrease fever duration and prevent coronary artery lesions in children with Kawasaki disease, study findings indicate.