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Background: Patients with immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (IMRDs) have been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination to mitigate the infection severity risks. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at a high risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, especially those under immunosuppression or with associated comorbidities. However, few studies have assessed the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine in patients with RA., Objective: To evaluate the safety of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with RA., Methods: This data are from the study "Safety and Efficacy on COVID-19 Vaccine in Rheumatic Diseases," a Brazilian multicentric prospective phase IV study to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine in IMRDs in Brazil. Adverse events (AEs) in patients with RA of all centers were assessed after two doses of ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) or CoronaVac (Sinovac/Butantan). Stratification of postvaccination AEs was performed using a diary, filled out daily and returned at the end of 28 days for each dose., Results: A total of 188 patients with RA were include, 90% female. CoronaVac was used in 109 patients and ChAdOx1 in 79. Only mild AEs were observed, mainly after the first dose. The most common AEs after the first dose were pain at the injection (46,7%), headache (39,4%), arthralgia (39,4%), myalgia (30,5%) and fatigue (26,6%), and ChAdOx1 had a higher frequency of pain at the injection (66% vs 32 %, p < 0.001) arthralgia (62% vs 22%, p < 0.001) and myalgia (45% vs 20%, p < 0.001) compared to CoronaVac. The more common AEs after the second dose were pain at the injection (37%), arthralgia (31%), myalgia (23%), headache (21%) and fatigue (18%). Arthralgia (41,4% vs 25%, p = 0.02) and pain at injection (51,4% vs 27%, p = 0.001) were more common with ChAdOx1. No serious AEs were related. With Regard to RA activity level, no significant difference was observed between the three time periods for both COVID-19 vaccines., Conclusion: In the comparison between the two immunizers in patients with RA, local reactions and musculoskeletal symptoms were more frequent with ChAdOx1 than with CoronaVac, especially after the first dose. In summary, the AE occurred mainly after the first dose, and were mild, like previous data from others immunizing agents in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Vaccination did not worsen the degree of disease activity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods for healthy bone development throughout life. This study aims to establish normative data for trabecular bone score (TBS) and bone mineral density (BMD) measurements using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in healthy Brazilian children and adolescents., Purpose: To establish normative data for trabecular bone score (TBS) and bone mineral density (BMD) measurements using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in healthy Brazilian children and adolescents., Methods: Healthy children and adolescents, aged 5 to 19 years, underwent medical interview, physical examination with anthropometric measurement, pubertal stage evaluation, and bone densitometry by DXA (Hologic QDR 4500). Boys and girls were divided into 2 age groups: 5-9 years old (children) and 10-19 years old (adolescents). BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured following standard procedures. TBS measurements were performed using the TBS Insight ® v3.0.3.0 software., Results: A total of 349 volunteers were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Reference values were defined for each group of children and adolescents divided into 3-year age groups. Girls had lower values of TBS compared to boys (1.356 ± 0.116 and 1.380 ± 0.086 respectively, p = 0.029). For both boys and girls, BMC and spine BMD measurements were significantly higher in adolescent than in children (p = 0.0001; p = 0.0001; p = 0.0001, p = 0.0001, respectively). TBS range increased as pubertal development progressed. In both girls and boys, a 1-year increase in age was associated to a 0.013 increase in TBS. Body mass was a significant determinant for TBS. In girls, a 1 kg/m 2 increase in BMI was associated to an average TBS increase of 0.008., Conclusion: Our findings reinforce the evidence that TBS varies according to age, sex, and pubertal stage in healthy children and adolescents. This study established reference values for TBS in healthy Brazilian children and adolescents which can be used as normative data for this population., (© 2023. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and autoimmune systemic inflammatory disease that can cause irreversible joint deformities, with increased morbidity and mortality and a significant impact on the quality of life of the affected individual. The main objective of RA treatment is to achieve sustained clinical remission or low disease activity. However, up to 40% of patients do not respond to available treatments, including bDMARDs. New therapeutic targets for RA are emerging, such as Janus kinases (JAKs). These are essential for intracellular signaling (via JAK-STAT) in response to many cytokines involved in RA immunopathogenesis. JAK inhibitors (JAKi) have established themselves as a highly effective treatment, gaining increasing space in the therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of RA. The current recommendations aim to present a review of the main aspects related to the efficacy and safety of JAKis in RA patients, and to update the recommendations and treatment algorithm proposed by the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology in 2017., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Antiresorptive therapy is the main form of prevention of osteoporotic or fragility fractures. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a relatively rare but severe adverse reaction to antiresorptive and antiangiogenic drugs. Physicians and dentists caring for patients taking these drugs and requiring invasive procedures face a difficult decision because of the potential risk of MRONJ. The aim of this study was to discuss the risk factors for the development of MRONJ and prevention of this complication in patients with osteoporosis taking antiresorptive drugs and requiring invasive dental treatment. For this goal, a task force with representatives from three professional associations was appointed to review the pertinent literature and discuss systemic and local risk factors, prevention of MRONJ in patients with osteoporosis, and management of established MRONJ. Although scarce evidence links the use of antiresorptive agents in the context of osteoporosis to the development of MRONJ, these agents are considered a risk factor for this complication. Despite the rare reports of MRONJ in patients with osteoporosis, the severity of symptoms and impact of MRONJ in the patients' quality of life make it imperative for health care professionals to consider this complication when planning invasive dental procedures.

Aim: To assess the acute effect of resistance exercise (RE) on circulating biomarkers of cartilage breakdown and inflammation in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: Thirty-four volunteers (17 with and 17 without RA), participated in a 25 min RE session (knee extension, knee flexion, hip abduction and hip adduction) with one set of 12 repetitions at 50% of one repetition maximum (1RM) and one set of eight repetitions at 75% of 1RM. Blood samples were collected 30 and 5 min before, immediately after and 1, 2 and 24 h after the session. We used analysis of variance for repeated-measures with Bonferroni adjustments to assess differences between groups over time., Results: In both groups we found significant changes in interleukin (IL)-1 beta (P = 0.045), IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) (P < 0.001), IL-10 (P = 0.004), IL-6 (P < 0.001) and cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) P < 0.001) in response to exercise, but no changes in tumor necrosis factor-alpha and C-reactive protein levels. We found no differences in the responses of the two groups to the session, except for COMP levels, which are more sensitive to exercise and rest effects in RA patients., Conclusion: Women with and without RA have similar changes in response to a RE session in levels of inflammation biomarkers, but not of cartilage breakdown. IL-10 and IL-1ra increased after the RE session, indicating that RE may have an acute anti-inflammatory effect. Additional studies are necessary to clarify if repeated RE sessions can have long-term anti-inflammatory effects and the possible clinical repercussions of this cartilage breakdown characteristic in response to exercise in RA patients., (© 2017 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Considering ethnic and anthropometric differences, it is important to obtain specific normative data on body composition (BC) for each population. The objectives of this study were to obtain the normative curve for the BC of Brazilian men and to compare them to the North American male population. A total of 403 healthy Brazilian men 20 years and older were included in the study. Data on concomitant diseases and physical activity were investigated using a structured questionnaire. Conditions that could affect lean and fat mass were excluded. BC was assessed via whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using a GE-Lunar device. Significance level was set as p < 0.05. Mean age and body mass index (BMI) were 46.0 ± 17.9 years and 26.2 ± 3.14 kg/m 2 , respectively. Mean skeletal mass index (SMI), appendicular lean mass by BMI (ALM BMI ), and fat mass index (FMI) were 8.38 ± 0.85, 0.949 ± 0.138, and 6.87 ± 2.43 kg/m 2 , respectively. There were negative associations among SMI (p < 0.001), ALM BMI (p < 0.001), and FMI (p = 0.002) with age. Comparison with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III data, originally performed with a Hologic device, showed that Brazilian men had lower FMI and BF. This difference was minimized after converting the NHANES results to the GE-Lunar database. Brazilian men had lower SMI than American men measured in NHANES III. FMI was less influenced by ethnicity than by BMI, and it could be used as a standard measure for assessing fat excess or adiposity. Our data suggest that conversion to each specific manufacturer's database should be performed to minimize differences in body composition between populations.

We aim to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and investigate the association between total, free and bioavailable vitamin D serum concentrations and disease activity. Patients with SLE (ACR 1997) consecutively seen at UNIFESP's outpatient's clinics had disease activity measured after clinical and laboratory evaluation using SLEDAI (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index). 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum concentrations measured by chemiluminescence and vitamin D binding protein (DBP) measured by ELISA were used to calculate free and bioavailable vitamin D. Healthy blood donors were used as controls. A total of 142 patients (71.4%) had 25(OH)D serum concentrations below 30 ng/mL. Total 25(OH)D serum concentration was associated with disease activity categorized in 5 continuous groups of SLEDAI. 25(OH)D serum concentrations were higher among patients with SLEDAI 1-5 and lower in those with severe activity (SLEDAI≥20) (p <0.05). On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was observed for DBP, free and bioavailable vitamin D measurements in the disease activity subgroups evaluated. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among patients with SLE and was associated with higher disease activity. DBP serum level and calculation of free and bioavailable vitamin D were not associated with SLE disease activity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of fractures in men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and identify potential risk factors associated with skeletal fragility. We consecutively studied 50 men with RA. Clinical risk factors were evaluated by clinical questionnaire, functional capacity by M-HAQ1, and disease activity by DAS-28. RA men were compared to 52 healthy controls paired for age and BMI. Bone mineral density (BMD) and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) at the heel were performed in all participants. Morphometric vertebral fractures (VF) were classified by a semiquantitative method. Men with RA were 51.7 years old on average and had mean disease duration of 115 months. Fragility fractures were found in 40% of individuals, of which 36% were VF, significantly higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.01). Age, anthropometric data, and lifestyle were similar between RA men with and without fractures. About 94% of the men with RA were on long-term glucocorticoid (GC) use. Patients with fractures were more frequently positive for rheumatoid factor (RF), had longer morning stiffness, and higher DAS-28 when compared to patients without fractures (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, they had significantly lower spine and hip BMD as well as a lower stiffness index (p ≤ 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between fracture and cumulative GC use. The final model of logistic regression showed a significant association and interaction between lower weight and physical activity in men with RA and fragility fractures. RA in men as well as in women is a risk factor for fragility fractures. The risk of fractures is higher in patients with positive RF, prolonged morning stiffness, higher scores of disease activity, and lower values of BMD and QUS.