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Methods We evaluated 48 biplanar radiographs from 12 patients (posteroanterior/lateral), originally taken for a scoliosis examination with a biplanar low-dose X-ray device. For this study, the images were further evaluated for the perceptibility of 38 facial skeleton landmarks. To determine the reliability and reproducibility of perceptibility, two independent observers determined the landmarks twice, during a time interval of at least two weeks. Results Both interoperator and intraoperator reliability were excellent for all landmarks [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.92]. Conclusions The biplanar low-dose X-ray device demonstrated good feasibility for precisely assessing the anatomical landmarks of the facial skeleton. Given its excellent precision, the biplanar low-dose X-ray device data sets should be forwarded from the treating orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon to the orthodontist or dentist for further assessment in their field. For this study, no author has received any funding. During the time this retrospective study took place, the institute/laboratory in which Prof. P. Rouch works and Dr. A. Laville worked received funding from the EOS-Imaging company for other EOS studies. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Background Calprotectin (S100A8/S100A9 protein) is known as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein and reflects mainly neutrophil activation. Serum calprotectin levels might be a good alternative to acute-phase protein as a biomarker in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of serum calprotectin with disease activity and severity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods Serum calprotectin was measured in patients with RA, axSpA, and PsA from the prospective Swiss Clinical Quality Management (SCQM) registry. Asymptomatic first-degree relatives of RA patients were used as healthy controls (HC). Outcomes included swollen joint count (SJC), Disease Activity Score (DAS), Health Assessment questionnaire (HAQ), joint radiographs, and ultrasound power Doppler (USPD) score for RA; Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) and coxitis for axSpA; and SJC and Disease Activity Index for PSoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) for PsA. Comparison of outcomes by calprotectin quartile levels was performed using Kruskal-Wallis tests for continuous outcomes or trend tests for categorical outcomes. Results A total of 1729 subjects [RA = 969, axSpA = 451, PsA = 237, and HC = 72] were included. Median levels of serum calprotectin were higher in each disease group compared to HC (p p p = 0.02) was observed. For PsA patients, SJC and DAPSA did not differ across calprotectin quartiles. Conclusions This large study supports the association of serum calprotectin levels with disease activity in both RA and axSpA, but not in PsA.

Additional file 1 : Figure S1. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of serum calprotectin as a disease activity marker in early rheumatoid arthritis. Figure S2. Ultrasound score in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Calprotectin versus C-reactive protein (CRP). Figure S3. Swollen Joint Count (SJC) in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with Tocilizumab: calprotectin versus C-reactive protein. Figure S4. Disease Activity Score in rheumatoid arthritis patients on tocilizumab: Calprotectin versus C-reactive protein (CRP). Figure S5. Ratingen score evolution over time for each calprotectin quartile levels in the RA population.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a significant disease burden and high costs for society. Because the disease has identifiable preclinical stages, screening and prevention have become a possibility in RA. Anticitrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs) are arguably the most likely candidate biomarker to screen for RA. This paper reviews the evidence for the use of ACPAs as a screening test in the broader general population, to identify individuals at high risk of subsequent onset of RA. We will review the diagnostic properties of the test and its positive and negative predictive value in different settings. We will discuss how ACPA testing could effectively be integrated in a broader screening strategy for RA.

Objectives In SLE, heterogeneous clinical expression and activity may reflect diverse pathogenic and/or effector mechanisms. We investigated SLE heterogeneity by assessing the expression of three gene sets representative of type I IFN (IFN-I), polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) and plasmablast (PB) signatures in a well-characterized, multidisciplinary cohort of SLE patients. We further assessed whether individual gene products could be representative of these three signatures. Methods Whole blood, serum and clinical data were obtained from 140 SLE individuals. Gene expression was assessed by NanoString technology, using a panel of 37 probes to compute six IFN-I, one PMN and one PB scores. Protein levels were measured by ELISA. Results Depending on the score, 45–50% of SLE individuals showed high IFN-I gene expression. All six IFN-I scores were significantly associated with active skin involvement, and two of six were associated with arthritis. IFN-induced Mx1 protein (MX1) level was correlated with IFN-I score (P < 0.0001) and associated with a similar clinical phenotype. In all, 25% of SLE individuals showed high PMN gene expression, associated with SLE fever, serositis, leukopoenia and glucocorticoid use. PB gene expression was highly affected by immunosuppressant agents, with no association with SLE features. Combined IFN-I and PMN gene scores were significantly associated with high disease activity and outperformed anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q autoantibody and complement levels for predicting SLE activity. Conclusion IFN-I and PMN gene scores segregate with distinct SLE clinical features, and their combination may identify high disease activity. MX1 protein level performed similar to IFN-I gene expression.

International audience; INTRODUCTION: Migrants without residency permit, known as undocumented, tend to live in precarious conditions and be exposed to an accumulation of adverse determinants of health. Only scarce evidence exists on the social, economic and living conditions-related factors influencing their health status and well-being. No study has assessed the impact of legal status regularisation. The Parchemins study is the first prospective, mixed-methods study aiming at measuring the impact on health and well-being of a regularisation policy on undocumented migrants in Europe.METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Parchemins study will compare self-rated health and satisfaction with life in a group of adult undocumented migrants who qualify for applying for a residency permit (intervention group) with a group of undocumented migrants who lack one or more eligibility criteria for regularisation (control group) in Geneva Canton, Switzerland. Asylum seekers are not included in this study. The total sample will include 400 participants. Data collection will consist of standardised questionnaires complemented by semidirected interviews in a subsample (n=38) of migrants qualifying for regularisation. The baseline data will be collected just before or during the regularisation, and participants will subsequently be followed up yearly for 3 years. The quantitative part will explore variables about health (ie, health status, occupational health, health-seeking behaviours, access to care, healthcare utilisation), well-being (measured by satisfaction with different dimensions of life), living conditions (ie, employment, accommodation, social support) and economic situation (income, expenditures). Several confounders including sociodemographic characteristics and migration history will be collected. The qualitative part will explore longitudinally the experience of change in legal status at individual and family levels.ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Geneva, Switzerland. All participants provided informed consent. Results will be shared with undocumented migrants and disseminated in scientific journals and conferences. Fully anonymised data will be available to researchers.

Objective: This study aimed to test whether the level of cognitive resources explain the engagement in physical activity across aging and whether the age-related decline of cognitive resources precede the decline in physical activity. Methods: Data from 105,206 adults aged 50 to 90 years from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used in adjusted linear mixed models to examine whether the engagement in moderate physical activity and its evolution across aging was dependent on cognitive resources. Cognitive resources and physical activity were measured 5 times over a 12-year period. Delayed recall, verbal fluency, and the level of education were used as indicators of cognitive resources. The frequency of engagement in moderate physical activity was self-reported. Dynamic structural equation models (SEM) were used to assess the temporal precedence of changes in cognitive resources and physical activity. Results: Results showed that lower cognitive resources were associated with lower levels and steeper decreases in moderate physical activity across aging. Results further revealed a time-ordered effect with a stronger influence of cognitive resources (delayed recall and verbal fluency) on subsequent changes in moderate physical activity than the opposite. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, after age 50, the level of engagement in moderate physical activity and its trajectory depend on the availability of cognitive resources.

Adverse childhood experiences, depression, and functional dependence are inter-related. However, mechanisms underlying this relation remain unclear. Here, we investigated the potential of depression to mediate the effect of adverse childhood experiences on functional dependence in older age and whether physical activity moderated this mediation. Data from 25,775 adults aged 62±9 years from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was used in adjusted linear mixed-effect models to test whether depression mediated the associations between adverse childhood experiences and functional dependence in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and whether physical activity moderated these mediations. As expected, adverse childhood experiences were positively associated with ADL (b = .040 for 0 vs. 1 and b = .067 for 0 vs. ≥2 adverse childhood experiences) and IADL (b = .046 for 0 vs. 1 and b = .076 for 0 vs. ≥2 adverse childhood experiences). Both associations were mediated by depression. Physical activity reduced the effect of adverse childhood experiences on depression (b = -.060 for 0 vs. 1 and b = -.135 for 0 vs. ≥2 adverse childhood experiences) and canceled the effect of depression on functional dependence in ADL (b = .073) and IADL (b = .100), thereby eliminating the effect of adverse childhood experiences on functional dependence. Physical activity cancels the impact of adverse childhood experiences on functional dependence. In inactive individuals, the effect of adverse childhood experiences on functional dependence (ADL and IADL) is mediated by depression.