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ObjectivesPremature cardiovascular events in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) contribute to morbidity and mortality, with no effective preventive strategies described to date. Immune dysregulation and metabolic disturbances appear to play prominent roles in the induction of vascular disease in SLE. The peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma agonist pioglitazone (PGZ suppresses vascular damage and immune dysregulation in murine lupus and improves endothelial dysfunction in other inflammatory diseases. We hypothesised that PGZ could improve vascular dysfunction and cardiometabolic parameters in SLE.MethodsEighty SLE subjects with mild to severe disease activity were randomised to a sequence of PGZ followed by placebo for 3 months, or vice versa, in a double-blind, cross-over design with a 2-month wash-out period. Primary endpoints were parameters of endothelial function and arterial inflammation, measured by multimodal assessments. Additional outcome measures of disease activity, neutrophil dysregulation, metabolic disturbances and gene expression studies were performed.ResultsSeventy-two subjects completed the study. PGZ was associated with a significant reduction in Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (a measure of arterial stiffness) compared with placebo. Various metabolic parameters improved with PGZ, including insulin resistance and lipoprotein profiles. Circulating neutrophil extracellular trap levels also significantly decreased with PGZ compared with placebo. Most adverse events experienced while on PGZ were mild and resolved with reduction in PGZ dose.ConclusionPGZ was well tolerated and induced significant improvement in vascular stiffness and cardiometabolic parameters in SLE. The results suggest that PGZ should be further explored as a modulator of cardiovascular disease risk in SLE.Trial registration numberNCT02338999.

Cutaneous sclerotic chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a common and highly morbid complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We identified genes that are significantly upregulated in the skin of sclerotic cGVHD patients (n = 17) compared to HSCT patients without sclerotic cGVHD (n = 9) by bulk RNA sequencing. This revealed two transcriptomic groups of affected patients: those with fibrotic and inflammatory/Th1 gene expression, the fibroinflammatory group, and those with predominantly fibrotic/TGFβ-associated expression, the fibrotic group. This transcriptomic heterogeneity was also associated with histopathologic heterogeneity, with the fibroinflammatory sub-cluster showing more histopathologic features of epidermal cGVHD and inflammation. Further study will help elucidate if these gene expression and histopathologic findings can be used to tailor treatment decisions. Multiple highly induced genes in the skin (SFRP4, SERPINE2, COMP) were also found to be significantly induced in sclerotic cGVHD patient plasma (n = 16) compared to control HSCT patients without sclerotic cGVHD (n = 17), suggesting these TGFβ and Wnt pathway mediators as candidate blood biomarkers of disease.

The discovery of cytokines and their role in immune and inflammatory disease led to the development a plethora of targeted biologic therapies. Later, efforts to understand mechanisms of cytokine signal transduction led to the discovery of Janus kinases (JAKs), which themselves were quickly identified as therapeutic targets. It has been a decade since the first JAK inhibitors (jakinibs) were approved and now there are nine jakinibs approved for treatment of rheumatologic, dermatologic, hematologic, and gastrointestinal indications along with emergency authorization for Covid-19. In this review, we will summarize relevant discoveries that led to first generation jakinibs and review their efficacy and safety demonstrated in pivotal clinical studies. We will discuss the next generation of more selective jakinibs, along with agents that target kinase families beyond JAKs. Finally, we will reflect on both the opportunities and challenges ahead as we enter the second decade of the clinical use of jakinibs.

The linear ubiquitin assembly complex (LUBAC) consists of HOIP, HOIL1 and SHARPIN, and is essential for proper immune responses. Patients with HOIP and HOIL1 deficiencies present with severe immunodeficiency, autoinflammation and glycogen storage. In mice, the loss ofSharpinleads to severe dermatitis due to excessive cell death in keratinocytes. Here we report the first patient with SHARPIN deficiency, manifesting fever, arthritis, colitis, chronic otitis media and hepatic glycogenosis but unexpectedly, not associated with dermatologic manifestations. Mechanistically, fibroblasts and B cells from patients with all three LUBAC deficiencies showed attenuated canonical NF-B response and propensity to apoptosis mediated by TNF superfamily members. Furthermore, the SHARPIN deficient patient showed substantial reduction of adenoidal germinal center B cell development. Treatment of the SHARPIN deficient patient with anti-TNF therapies led to complete clinical and transcriptomic resolution of autoinflammation. These findings underscore the critical role of LUBAC as a gatekeeper for apoptosis-mediated immune dysregulation in humans.

A diet rich in saturated fat and carbohydrates causes low-grade chronic inflammation in several organs, including the liver, ultimately driving nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. In this setting, environment-driven lipotoxicity and glucotoxicity induce liver damage, which promotes dendritic cell activation and generates a major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) immunopeptidome enriched with peptides derived from proteins involved in cellular metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and the stress responses. Here, we demonstrated that lipotoxicity and glucotoxicity, as driven by a high-fat and high-fructose (HFHF) diet, promoted MHC-II presentation of nested T and B cell epitopes from protein disulfide isomerase family A member 3 (PDIA3), which is involved in immunogenic cell death. Increased MHC-II presentation of PDIA3 peptides was associated with antigen-specific proliferation of hepatic CD4 + immune infiltrates and isotype switch of anti-PDIA3 antibodies from IgM to IgG3, indicative of cellular and humoral PDIA3 autoreactivity. Passive transfer of PDIA3-specific T cells or PDIA3-specific antibodies also exacerbated hepatocyte death, as determined by increased hepatic transaminases detected in the sera of mice subjected to an HFHF but not control diet. Increased humoral responses to PDIA3 were also observed in patients with chronic inflammatory liver conditions, including autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, and type 2 diabetes. Together, our data indicated that metabolic insults caused by an HFHF diet elicited liver damage and promoted pathogenic immune autoreactivity driven by T and B cell PDIA3 epitopes.

The discovery of the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway arose from investigations of how cells respond to interferons (IFNs), revealing a paradigm in cell signaling conserved from slime molds to mammals. These discoveries revealed mechanisms underlying rapid gene expression mediated by a wide variety of extracellular polypeptides including cytokines, interleukins, and related factors. This knowledge has provided numerous insights into human disease, from immune deficiencies to cancer, and was rapidly translated to new drugs for autoimmune, allergic, and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Despite these advances, major challenges and opportunities remain.

ObjectiveIn patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), fatigue is a debilitating symptom with poorly understood pathophysiology. Cardiorespiratory dysfunction has been hypothesised as a contributor to SLE-fatigue. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine changes in cardiorespiratory function, following an exercise training programme in women with SLE, together with patient reported outcomes and other pathophysiological measures that may underlie SLE-fatigue.MethodsSixteen women with SLE and fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) ≥3) were enrolled in a supervised aerobic exercise training programme of vigorous intensity. The primary outcome was time to reach anaerobic threshold (AT-Time) during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Secondary outcomes included changes in the 10-minute walk test (10MWT), FSS scores and the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS-57) survey. Mitochondrial function was assessed by the oxygen consumption rate (OCR)/extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) metabolic potential ratio.ResultsFollowing 12 weeks of exercise training, AT-Time increased by 93±82 (mean±SD) s (p2) increased by 1.4±2.0 mL/kg/min (p=0.013). There were improvements in FSS score (−1.4±1.0, pConclusionsCardiorespiratory function was improved in concomitance with reductions in fatigue following a 12-week aerobic exercise programme. The reduction in fatigue scores correlated with improvements in mitochondrial function.

To test the hypothesis that ROSAH (retinal dystrophy, optic nerve oedema, splenomegaly, anhidrosis and headache) syndrome, caused by dominant mutation inThis cohort study systematically evaluated 27 patients with ROSAH syndrome for inflammatory features and investigated the effect ofThe majority of the cohort carried the p.Thr237Met mutation but we also identified a new ROSAH-associated mutation, p.Tyr254Cys.Nearly all patients exhibited at least one feature consistent with inflammation including recurrent fever, headaches with meningeal enhancement and premature basal ganglia/brainstem mineralisation on MRI, deforming arthritis and AA amyloidosis. However, there was significant phenotypic variation, even within families and some adults lacked functional visual deficits. While anti-TNF and anti-IL-1 therapies suppressed systemic inflammation and improved quality of life, anti-IL-6 (tocilizumab) was the only anticytokine therapy that improved intraocular inflammation (two of two patients).Patients' primary samples and in vitro assays with mutated ALPK1 constructs showed immune activation with increased NF-κB signalling, STAT1 phosphorylation and interferon gene expression signature. Knock-in mice with theROSAH syndrome is an autoinflammatory disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in