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Objective Identification of biological markers able to better stratify cardiovascular risks in SLE patients is needed. We aimed to determine whether serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels measured with a highly sensitive assay [high sensitivity cTnT (HS-cTnT)] may predict cardiovascular events (CVEs) in SLE. Method All SLE patients included between 2007 and 2010 in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre PLUS trial were screened. Patients with no past history of CVE at inclusion and a follow-up period of >20 months were analysed. HS-cTnT concentration was measured using the electrochemiluminescence method on serum collected at PLUS inclusion. The primary outcome was the incident CVE. Factors associated with the primary outcome were identified and multivariate analysis was performed. Results Overall, 442 SLE patients (of the 573 included in the PLUS study) were analysed for the primary outcome with a median follow up of 110 (interquartile range: 99–120) months. Among them, 29 (6.6%) experienced at least one CVE that occurred at a median of 67 (interquartile range: 31–91) months after inclusion. Six out of 29 patients had more than one CVE. In the multivariate analysis, dyslipidaemia, age and HS-cTnT were associated with the occurrence of CVE. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that a concentration of HS-cTnT > 4.27 ng/l at inclusion increased by 2.7 [hazard ratio 2.7 (95% CI: 1.3, 5.6), P =0.0083] the risk of CVE in SLE. Conclusion HS-cTnT measured in serum is the first identified biomarker independently associated with incident CVE in SLE patients.

In non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, tuberculosis (TB) immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is unusual. The management of corticosteroids-refractory IRIS is unclear. We report on infliximab efficacy for treatment of corticosteroid-resistant TB-IRIS occurring in an immunocompetent patient.

BACKGROUND Susac syndrome (SuS) is a rare occlusive microvessel disease of the brain, retina and inner ear. We aimed to determine whether brain lesion load at the acute phase predicts poor outcomes in SuS. METHODS A prospective national cohort study was conducted from December 2012 to December 2019 in 20 centres in France. Patients included at the principal investigator's center with available brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at diagnosis were analyzed. MRI was reviewed by an experienced neuroradiologist blinded to clinical status. The size, topography and number of hyperintense lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI-HL) were analyzed at diagnosis and during follow-up. Outcomes involved descriptive characteristics of patients at onset and last follow-up. RESULTS Twenty-three patients (38.1 [18.8-56.5] years, 16 females) were prospectively studied. The triad (i.e., brain, eye and ear involvement) was complete at onset in 17 patients. Brain MRI was performed 1.1 (0.1-3.4) months after the first symptom. All patients had DWI-HL at the acute phase. Patients were separated into two groups according to the number of DWI-HL on first MRI: a first group of patients (n=15) displaying low brain lesion load (

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether sCD163, a soluble macrophage marker up-regulated in numerous inflammatory disorders, is predictive of accelerated atherosclerosis associated with sy...

Background: Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare systemic necrotizing vasculitis of medium- and small-sized arteries, not associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). Conventional treatments include glucocorticoids (GCs) for non-severe disease and a combination of GCs and immunosuppressive agents for severe disease. Nevertheless, some patients have refractory and/or relapsing disease. Objectives: We examined the use of off-label biological therapy for relapsing/refractory PAN. Methods: This retrospective European collaborative study included patients with PAN meeting ACR criteria and/or Chapel Hill Consensus Conference 2012 definitions. Treatment efficacy and safety are recorded. Remission was defined as the absence of vasculitis manifestations (BVAS = 0) with a prednisone dose ≤5 mg/day. Partial response was defined as a BVAS = 0 with a prednisone dose between 6 and 10 mg/day. Results: Fifty-one patients (24 men, 27 women; median age 51 years) were included. Eighteen (35%) patients received TNF-alpha blockers, 16 (31%) received rituximab (RTX), 9 (18%) tocilizumab (TCZ), and 8 (16%) other biologics (including alemtuzumab in 3, anakinra in 2, interferon-alpha in 2 and abatacept in one). Previous treatments were: GCs in all cases, including methylprednisolone infusions (72%) and oral GCs (92%), cyclophosphamide (61%), azathioprine (53%), methotrexate (45%) and mycophenolate mofetil (47%). At inclusion, median BVAS was 5 (range 0-18), including 5 (2-12) in the TNF-alpha blockers group, 5 (2-12) in the RTX group and 4 (0-6) in the TCZ group. After median follow-up of 34.4 months (IQR 21.5-59.5), remissions, partial responses and treatment failure, respectively, were noted in 41%, 6% and 53% for TNF-alpha blockers recipients, 25%, 12% and 63% for RTX recipients, and 57%, 0% and 43% for TCZ recipients. No remission was noted in patients treated with anakinra, alemtuzumab and abatacept. Median BVAS dropped to 3 at 6 months, 0 at 12 months and 0 at last follow-up in the TNF-alpha blockers group, to 3.5, 0 and 2 in the RTX group, respectively, and 0, 0 and 0 in the TCZ group. A GC-sparing effect seemed more important with TNF-alpha blockers and TCZ. Median GCs dose decreased from the baseline 15 mg/day to 10 at 6 months, 5 at 12 months and 5 at last follow-up in the TNF-alpha blockers group, from 15 mg/day to 10 at 6 months, 5 at 12 months and 10 at last follow-up in the RTX group, and from 15 mg/day to 7 at 6 months, 5 at 12 months and 5 at last follow-up in the TCZ group. Four (22%) patients stopped TNF-alpha blockers because of allergic reaction in one and refractory disease in 3. Six (38%) stopped RTX because of refractory disease. Finally, 4 (44%) stopped TCZ because of adverse events in 2 (testicular abscess and worsening renal failure) and refractory disease in 2. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that TNF-alpha blockers and TCZ may achieve higher rates of remission and GC-sparing in relapsing and/or refractory PAN than other biologics. Our data warrant further study to confirm or not these findings. Disclosure of Interests: Alice Canzian: None declared, Omer Karadag: None declared, Anne Contis: None declared, Francois Maurier: None declared, Silvia Sartorelli: None declared, Laure Denis: None declared, Sebastien Sanges: None declared, Claire De Moreuil: None declared, Cecile-Audrey Durel: None declared, Stephane Durupt: None declared, Marie Jachiet: None declared, Diane Rouzaud: None declared, Carlo Salvarani: None declared, Franco Schiavon: None declared, Lorenzo Dagna Consultant for: Prof Lorenzo Dagna received consultation honoraria from Abbvie, Amgen, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Genzyme, and SOBI., Fabrice Bonnet: None declared, David Jayne Grant/research support from: David Jayne has received research grants from Chemocentryx, GSK, Roche/Genentech and Sanofi-Genzyme. He has received consultancy fees from Astra-Zeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Chemocentryx, Chugai, GSK, Infla-RX, Insmed and Takeda, Loic Guillevin: None declared, Benjamin Terrier: None declared

The new 2019 SLE European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been recently published.1 Seritis is a prominent—often inaugural—feature of active SLE. Low titers of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) have been frequently reported in patients with idiopathic pericarditis.2 3 Of note, ANA positivity at a titer ≥1/80 is now mandatory as an entry criterion in the 2019 SLE EULAR/ACR classification criteria. Although classification criteria have theoretically no individual diagnostic purpose, we aimed at testing this new criteria set in unselected patients with pericardial effusion. In a retrospective study performed in the Department of Internal Medicine, University Paris Diderot, a French competence centre for rare systemic autoimmune diseases (AIDs), all consecutive adult patients hospitalised from January 2009 to January 2019 for pericardial effusion were reviewed. Clinical and biological data …