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The article focuses on a trial of omalizumab for the treatment of multiple food allergies, which showed promising results but raised concerns about limited representation of adults, lack of comparison with oral immunotherapy, and the absence of exploration into combined therapy effects. It authors highlight ongoing research to address these concerns, including further study in adults, comparison with oral immunotherapy.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, spine and peripheral joints. The development of ankylosing spondylitis is still unclear. Genetics factors such as human leukocyte antigen HLA-B27 and ERAP1 have been widely reported to associate to AS susceptibility. In this study, we enrolled 361 AS patients and selected four tagging single nucleotides polymorphisms (tSNPs) at STIM1 gene. The correlation between STIM1 genetic polymorphisms and AS activity index (BASDAI, BASFI, BAS-G) as well as laboratory parameters of inflammation (erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and Creactive protein (CRP)) were tested. Our results indicated that HLA-B27 positive AS patients who are carrying the minor allele homozygous G/G genotype of SNP rs3750996 significantly associated with a higher level of ESR in serum. Furthermore, rs3750996/rs3750994 pairwise allele analysis indicated that G-C haplotypes also significantly correlated with higher level of ESR as well as CRP. These findings provide a better understanding of STIM1 genetic contribution to the pathogenesis of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, spine and peripheral joints. The aetiology of ankylosing spondylitis is still unclear. Previous studies have indicated that genetics factors such as human leukocyte antigen HLA-B27 associates to AS susceptibility. We carried out a case-control study to determine whether the genetic polymorphisms of ORAI1 gene, a major component of store-operated calcium channels that involved the regulation of immune system, is a susceptibility factor to AS in a Taiwanese population. We enrolled 361 AS patients fulfilled the modified New York criteria and 379 controls from community. Five tagging single nucleotides polymorphisms (tSNPs) at ORAI1 were selected from the data of Han Chinese population in HapMap project. Clinical statuses of AS were assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Global Index (BAS-G). Our results indicated that subjects carrying the minor allele homozygote (CC) of the promoter SNP rs12313273 or TT homozygote of the SNP rs7135617 had an increased risk of HLA-B27 positive AS. The minor allele C of 39UTR SNP rs712853 exerted a protective effect to HLA-B27 positive AS. Furthermore, the rs12313273/ rs7135617 pairwise allele analysis found that C-G (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.27, 2.25; p = 0.0003) and T-T (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.36, 2.27; p,0.0001) haplotypes had a significantly association with the risk of HLA-B27-positive AS in comparison with the T-G carriers. This is the first study that indicate haplotypes of ORAI1 (rs12313273 and rs7135617) are associated with the risk of HLA-B27 positive AS [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homocysteine (Hcy), a sulfur-containing amino acid, is eliminated through B vitamins-dependent pathways. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been found to be an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases. Recently, psoriasis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis were reported to be associated with hyperhomocysteinemia. This study was aimed to evaluate the changes of plasma Hcy level before and after sulfasalazine and MTX therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). One hundred and two patients with AS and ten normal controls were enrolled in the cross-sectional case-control study. Fasting plasma Hcy levels were determined by ELISA kits (IMX, Abbott). Hcy levels were compared to their Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI) and the usage of sulfasalazine and/or MTX. Active disease was defined by BASDAI as more than 3 in a 10-cm scale with ESR >20 mm/h. For those patients with plasma Hcy ≥15 μmol/l, a perspective trial of daily supplement of vitamin B-12 0.5 mg, B-6 50 mg, and folic acid 5 mg for 2 weeks were also tested for the efficacy. Plasma Hcy level increased significantly in AS patients under sulfasalazine (10.4±3.8 μmol/l, p<0.05), MTX (11.9±4.7, p<0.05) and sulfasalazine/MTX combination treatment (11.2±2.6, p<0.05) compared with normal controls (8.6±1.2 μmol/l) and AS patients without DMARD(9.4± 2.6μmol/l). No correlation between disease activity and plasma Hcy level was found. Daily supplement of vitamin B-12 0.5 mg, B-6 50 mg, and folic acid 5 mg can lower Hcy level in 2 weeks (32.3±24.0 vs 15.6±11.1 μmol/l, p=0.007). Plasma homocysteine level did significantly increase in AS patients under sulfasalazine or MTX treatment. B-vitamins should be considered as a routine supplementation for patients who underwent sulfasalazine and/or MTX treatment. Further longitudinal studies are required to confirm the conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Paxlovid has been shown to be efective in reducing mortality and hospitalization rates in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is not known whether Paxlovid can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in COVID-19-surviving patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs). Methods TriNetX data from the US Collaborative Network were used in this study. A total of 5,671,395 patients with AIRDs were enrolled between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021. People diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in the cohort (n=238,142) from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. The Study population was divided into two groups based on Paxlovid use. Propensity score matching was used to generate groups with matched baseline characteristics. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confdence intervals of cardiovascular outcomes, admission rate, mortality rate, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate were calculated between Paxlovid and non-Paxlovid groups. Subgroup analyses on sex, age, race, autoimmune diseases group, and sensitivity analyses for Paxlovid use within the frst day or within 2-5 days of COVID-19 diagnosis were performed. Results Paxlovid use was associated with lower risks of cerebrovascular complications (HR=0.65 [0.47-0.88]), arrhythmia outcomes (HR=0.81 [0.68-0.94]), ischemic heart disease, other cardiac disorders (HR=0.51 [0.35-0.74]) naming heart failure (HR=0.41 [0.26-0.63]) and deep vein thrombosis (HR=0.46 [0.24-0.87]) belonging to thrombotic disorders in AIRD patients with COVID-19. Compared with the Non-Paxlovid group, risks of major adverse cardiac events (HR=0.56 [0.44-0.70]) and any cardiovascular outcome mentioned above (HR=0.76 [0.66-0.86]) were lower in the Paxlovid group. Moreover, the mortality (HR=0.21 [0.11-0.40]), admission (HR=0.68 [0.60-0.76]), and ICU admis‑ sion rates (HR=0.52 [0.33-0.80]) were signifcantly lower in the Paxlovid group than in the non-Paxlovid group. Pax‑ lovid appears to be more efective in male, older, and Black patients with AIRD. The risks of cardiovascular outcomes and severe conditions were reduced signifcantly with Paxlovid prescribed within the frst day of COVID-19 diagnosis. Conclusions Paxlovid use is associated with a lower risk of CVDs and severe conditions in COVID-19-surviving patients with AIRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This phase II, dose-ranging, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study (NCT01463059) evaluated efficacy and safety of olokizumab (OKZ), a humanized antiinterleukin 6 monoclonal antibody, in Asian patients with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had previously failed anti-TNF therapy. Methods: Patients were randomized to one of six treatment arms: placebo or OKZ (60 mg/120 mg/240mg every four weeks [Q4W]; or 60 mg/120mg every two weeks [Q2W]); stratified by country and number of prior anti-TNFs. Primary efficacy variable was Week 12 change from baseline (CFB) in DAS28 CRP for 4-week cumulative dose groups of OKZ and placebo; secondary efficacy variables were Week 12 ACR20/ACR50/ACR70 response rates. Patients continued MTX treatment from baseline, without additional csDMARDs. Results: Of 119 randomized patients, 88.2% completed the study. Greater improvements in DAS28(CRP) mean CFB at Week 12 were observed in all OKZ 4-week cumulative dose groups (60 mg/120 mg/240 mg) versus placebo (p<0.0001). Week 12 ACR20/ACR50 response rates were higher in all OKZ cumulative dose groups versus PBO (p<0.05). Incidences of adverse events were similar across OKZ 4-week cumulative dose groups (76.9-84.4%) and placebo (82.8%) with no deaths. Conclusions: OKZ demonstrated improvements in efficacy variables versus placebo in Asian patients with moderately-to-severely active RA who had previously failed anti-TNF therapy. The safety profile was as expected for this class of drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home exercise is often recommended for management of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS); however, what kind of home exercise is more beneficial for patients with AS has not been determined yet. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of combined home exercise (COMB) and range-of-motion home exercise (ROM) in patients with AS. Nineteen subjects with AS completed either COMB (n = 9) or ROM (n = 10) program. The COMB program included range-of-motion, strengthening, and aerobic exercise while the ROM program consisted of daily range-of-motion exercise only. After exercise instruction, subjects in each group performed home exercise for 3 months. Assessment included cardiopulmonary exercise test, pulmonary function test, spinal mobility measurement, chest expansion, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and other functional ability and laboratory tests. After exercise, the COMB group showed significant improvement in peak oxygen uptake (12.3%, P = 0.008) and BASFI (P = 0.028), and the changed score between pre- and postexercise data was significantly greater in the COMB group regarding peak oxygen uptake and BASFI. Significant improvement in finger-to-floor distance after 3-month exercise was found only in the COMB group (P = 0.033). This study demonstrates that a combined home exercise is more effective than range-of motion home exercise alone in aerobic capacity and functional ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exercise therapy is an important component of current standard therapy for patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The purpose of this review is to provide important guidelines when prescribing exercises by reviewing articles evaluating the effectives and usefulness of exercise therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous study based on the results of polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization for the detection of Human papilloma virus (HPV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1, HSV-2, and Human herpesvirus (HHV)-8 DNA in non-familial breast cancer patients suggest that the viruses associated with breast cancer are HHV-8 > EBV ( P < 0.01). Therefore, efforts were made to further investigate the association between breast cancer with nodal status and viral infections. Sixty-two breast cancer patients and their mammary specimens were enrolled in this retrospective study. The presence of these six potential oncogenic viruses was analyzed to establish the relationship between nodal status and treatment outcome. Statistical analyses were used for the assessment of variables, including viral positivity and clinical feature. Viral positivity was not significantly different comparing node-positive and node-negative patients ( P > 0.05). When the viral factors were not entered for statistical analyses, no variable was significantly related to overall survival. However, tumor stage, tumor size, nodal status , and estrogen receptor were significantly related to relapse-free survival ( P < 0.05). For viral factors, the number of infecting viruses is related to the overall and relapse-free survivals. Only when V0 or V(0, 1) was grouped for comparison with other multiply virus-infected subgroups, were the overall and relapse-free survivals significantly different ( P < 0.005 or P < 0.001). The results suggest that HSV-1, HHV-8, EBV, CMV, and HPV were related to overall survival, however, only HHV-8 and CMV were related to relapse-free survival ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Virus factor is significantly related to human breast cancer, not only in terms of the oncogenetic process, but also in overall and relapse-free survivals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]