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Objectives: The pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-17A serum has been characterized in several systemic autoimmune diseases, but not in antisynthetase syndrome (ASS). Therefore, the present study aims firstly to assess the serum level of the IL-17A in patients with ASS, comparing with healthy individuals, and secondly to analyze prospectively this IL in patients with refractory ASS undergoing rituximab treatment., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, single-center study that included 64 patients with ASS who were age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched to 64 healthy individuals. Disease status was measured by the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group (IMACS) set scores. Secondarily, the patients with refractory disease treated with rituximab were prospectively followed for 12 months. The IL-17A was assessed by the ELISA method., Results: The mean age of the patients was 44.8 ± 11.8 years, with a predominance of female gender and Caucasian. The median serum IL-17A level was higher in ASS patients compared with healthy individuals: 9.7 (9.1-10.4) vs. 7.7 (5.7-9.0) pg/mL, respectively, and P < 0.001. However, the demographical, clinical, and laboratory data indicates that disease status did not correlate with serum levels of the IL-17A in ASS patients. Prospectively, 16 patients received rituximab, and there was a drop of IL-17A serum level over the first year of treatment in these patients: from 9.7 (9.1-10.6) to 9.0 (8.2-9.7) pg/mL (P = 0.01)., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that patients with ASS have increased serum levels of the IL-17A compared with healthy controls. In addition, the patients with refractory ASS treated with rituximab showed a reduction of the serum levels of the IL-17A. Key Points • Patients with ASS have increased serum levels of the IL-17A. • Patients with refractory ASS treated with rituximab showed a reduction of the serum levels of the IL-17A.

Objectives: It is to prospectively analyze nailfold capillaroscopy (NC) findings in new-onset dermatomyositis (DM) and to correlate NC findings with serum angiogenic cytokines and DM clinical and laboratory features., Materials and Methods: Twenty-three patients with DM who experienced < 12 months of symptoms were included in the study. To assess serum cytokine levels, 23 age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched healthy volunteers were used. NC characteristics and DM activity parameters were analyzed., Results: Significantly higher serum angiogenin (ANG) and vascular endothelial growth factor-1 (VEGF1) levels were observed in DM patients than in controls. Capillary density and avascular areas correlated positively and negatively, respectively, with serum levels of ANG. Moreover, the capillary density correlated inversely with the number of enlarged and giant capillaries and avascular areas. The number of enlarged capillaries correlated positively with patient and physician visual analogue scales (VAS), the presence of a facial rash, giant capillaries, and microhemorrhages. Giant capillaries had a positive correlation with physician and cutaneous VAS, enlarged capillaries, avascular areas, microhemorrhages and bushy capillaries, and a negative correlation with capillary density. Microhemorrhages correlated positively with the "V-neck" sign and physician VAS. VEGF1 showed no relationship with the NC parameters with DM-related clinical and laboratory features. Additionally, 15 out of 23 patients were assessed prospectively after 3.21 years. All patients had a major clinical response with significant improvement in all NC parameters, except for enlarged and bushy capillaries., Conclusions: The NC may be a useful tool to assess disease activity in recent-onset DM, and it can also reinforce the role of ANG in the angiogenesis of this myopathy.