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Introduction: This study assesses the accuracy of neutrophil activation markers, including neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and calprotectin, as biomarkers of disease activity in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also analyse the relationship between NETs and various types of therapies as well as their association with autoimmunity. Methods: Observational cross-sectional study of patients with RA receiving treatment with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK-inhibitors) for at least 3 months. Plasma calprotectin levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kit and NETs by measuring their remnants in plasma (neutrophil elastase-DNA and histone-DNA complexes). We also assessed clinical disease activity, joint ultrasound findings and autoantibody status [reumatoid factor (RF), anti-citrullinated peptide/protein antibodies (ACPAs) and anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP)]. Associations between neutrophilic biomarkers and clinical or ultrasound scores were sought using correlation analysis. The discriminatory capacity of both neutrophilic biomarkers to detect ultrasound synovitis was analysed through receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: One hundred fourteen patients were included. Two control groups were included to compare NET levels. The active control group consisted of 15 patients. The second control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects. Plasma NET levels did not correlate with clinical disease status, regardless of the clinic index analysed or the biological therapy administered. No significant correlation was observed between NET remnants and ultrasound synovitis. There was no correlation between plasma NET and autoantibodies. In contrast, plasma calprotectin positively correlated with clinical parameters (swollen joint count [SJC] rho = 0.49; P < 0.001, Clinical Disease Activity Index [CDAI] rho = 0.30; P < 0.001) and ultrasound parameters (rho > 0.50; P < 0.001). Notably, this correlation was stronger than that observed with acute phase reactants. Conclusion: While NET formation induced by neutrophils may play a role in RA pathogenesis, our study raises questions about the utility of NET remnants in peripheral circulation as a biomarker for inflammatory activity. In contrast, this study strongly supports the usefulness of calprotectin as a biomarker of inflammatory activity in patients with RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction This study assesses the accuracy of neutrophil activation markers, including neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and calprotectin, as biomarkers of disease activity in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also analyse the relationship between NETs and various types of therapies as well as their association with autoimmunity. Methods Observational cross-sectional study of patients with RA receiving treatment with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAK-inhibitors) for at least 3 months. Plasma calprotectin levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test kit and NETs by measuring their remnants in plasma (neutrophil elastase-DNA and histone-DNA complexes). We also assessed clinical disease activity, joint ultrasound findings and autoantibody status [reumatoid factor (RF), anti-citrullinated peptide/protein antibodies (ACPAs) and anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP)]. Associations between neutrophilic biomarkers and clinical or ultrasound scores were sought using correlation analysis. The discriminatory capacity of both neutrophilic biomarkers to detect ultrasound synovitis was analysed through receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results One hundred fourteen patients were included. Two control groups were included to compare NET levels. The active control group consisted of 15 patients. The second control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects. Plasma NET levels did not correlate with clinical disease status, regardless of the clinic index analysed or the biological therapy administered. No significant correlation was observed between NET remnants and ultrasound synovitis. There was no correlation between plasma NET and autoantibodies. In contrast, plasma calprotectin positively correlated with clinical parameters (swollen joint count [SJC] rho = 0.49; P 0.50; P

Abstract Background Optical spectral transmission (OST) is a modern diagnostic modality, able to assess the blood-specific absorption of light transmitted through a tissue, promising quantification of inflammation in the finger and wrist joints of patients with arthritis. To date, there are no adequate data regarding the diagnostic value of OST in the evaluation of inflammatory activity changes, during arthritis follow-up. Objectives of this study were therefore to examine the performance of OST in assessing response to anti-inflammatory therapy in patients with active arthritis and to explore OST associations with clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic (US) activity markers. Methods 1173 joints of 54 patients with arthritides of the wrist and finger joints were examined by OST before and after oral administration of glucocorticoids (GC), during a disease flare. For the same time-points patients underwent clinical, laboratory, and joint US [grayscale (GSUS), power-Doppler (PDUS)] examinations. The distribution of ΔOST-values between the two time-points was compared with the respective distributions of ΔPDUS and ΔGSUS by Bayesian statistical analyses. Moreover, the diagnostic performance of OST compared to a control group (2508 joints of 114 subjects) was examined by receiver operating characteristics and associations of OST values with clinical, laboratory, and arthrosonographic parameters were evaluated by correlation analyses. Results OST and US performed similarly in the assessment of inflammatory changes caused by GC (same value-change tendency in 83.2% of the cases). Bayesian statistics revealed no significant differences between ΔOST and ΔPDUS for all 3 examined joint categories (accuracy: metacarpophalangeal (MCP): 68.1%; proximal interphalangeal (PIP): 60.4%; wrists: 50.4%) and between ΔOST and ΔGSUS for MCP and PIP joints (accuracy: 51.1% and 78.7%, respectively). OST diagnostic performance (patients vs. controls) was excellent in both time-points [area under the curve (AUC) before GC=0.883(95%CI=0.83–0.94) and after GC=0.811(95%CI=0.74–0.881); p

Introduction: US7 (7 joint ultrasound score) is an emerging ultrasound (US) joint scoring system for the assessment of disease activity in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Methods and Material: The study was conducted at a tertiary care center in Southern India. Sixty-two patients of RA were recruited for this cross-sectional observational study. Patients' clinical & laboratory parameters were used to calculate the disease activity score DAS28. Grayscale and Power Doppler Ultrasound (GSUS & PDUS) were performed to calculate US7 score.Statistical analysis used: Spearman's rank-order correlation, Pearson interclass correlation and ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve analysis were performed. Results: Median DAS28 value was 4.04 with one patient in clinical remission. There was a statistically significant positive correlation (r=0.262) between synovitis by GSUS score & DAS 28 (p-value = 0.040) and synovitis by PDUS score and DAS 28 (r=0.340, p-value = 0.004). No significant correlation was found between DAS28 and tenosynovitis or erosions score. ROC curve analysis yielded the p values of 0.04 and 0.004 for synovitis by GSUS and synovitis by PDUS respectively in differentiating between the patients with low (DAS groups 1 & 2) and high disease activity (3 & 4). Conclusions: There is good correlation of the synovitis component of US7 score with DAS28. However, relationship of tenosynovitis and erosions with disease activity is questionable according to our results. An 'abbreviated US7' score with detection of only synovitis may be more suitable. This requires further validation.

Presentamos los hallazgos clínicos y ecográficos de 4 pacientes con sinovitis moderada y lesiones cutáneas urticariales asociadas a la actividad deportiva en ambientes cálidos. Incluimos la evolución tras su tratamiento con hidroxicina. Sugerimos una relación causal similar a la urticaria colinérgica en la que la sinovia vecina responde con derrame que autolimita una vez suspendido el proceso desencadenante. We present the clinical and ultrasound findings of four patients with moderate synovitis and urticarial skin lesions associated with sports activity in warm environments. We include progress after treatment with hydroxycin. We suggest a causal relationship similar to cholinergic urticaria where the neighbouring synovium responds with effusion that self-limits once the triggering process has been halted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few studies including limited number of patients assessed the rheumatologic effects of hemodialysis (HD) on joints using ultrasonography. Joint ultrasound has been emerged as a cheap noninvasive tool for assessment of joint pain among HD patients. This was the aim of our study to make use of such tool in such life quality threatening complaint. Objective: to determine the role of ultrasound in evaluation of joint pain and its causes among patients on regular HD. Patients and Methods: One hundred and four patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who were regular on HD three sessions per week four hours per session were subjected to history taking, complete physical examination stressing on musculoskeletal examination and ultrasonography of painful joints by a an ultrasonography expert. Results: Dialysis related arthropathy (DRA) was not the only cause of joint pain among HD patients but there were diverse causes in different joints. As regard affected joints, knee was the most affected one then came wrist, shoulder, ankle and elbow respectively. As regard causes of joint pain, DRA was the commonest one then came osteoarthritis, nonspecific ultrasonographic findings and few cases showed normal ultrasonographic studies. Conclusion: This study confirmed that joint pain in HD patients has diverse causes not DRA by necessity but other causes must be considered as well as multifactorial etiologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe long-term clinical and serological outcome in all systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) domains in SLE patients with hand arthralgia (HA) and joint ultrasound (JUS) inflammatory abnormalities, and to compare them with asymptomatic SLE patients with normal JUS. Methods: SLE patients with HA who presented JUS inflammatory abnormalities ('cases') and SLE patients without HA who did not exhibit JUS abnormalities at baseline ('controls') were included. All SLE clinical and serological domain involvement data were collected. End follow-up clinical activity and damage scores (systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI), Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR)) were recorded. JUS inflammatory abnormalities were defined based on the Proceedings of the Seventh International Consensus Conference on Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT-7) definitions. Statistical analyses were carried out to compare 'cases' and 'controls'. Results: A total of 35 patients were recruited. The 'cases', n=18/35, had a higher incidence of musculoskeletal involvement (arthralgia and/or arthritis) through the follow-up period (38.9% vs 0%, p=0.008) and received more hydroxychloroquine (61.1% vs 25.0%, p=0.034) and methotrexate (27.8% vs 0%, p=0.046) compared to 'controls', n=17/35. Other comparisons did not reveal any statistical differences. Conclusions: We found SLE patients with arthralgia who presented JUS inflammatory abnormalities received more hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate, mainly due to persistent musculoskeletal involvement over time. JUS appears to be a useful technique for predicting worse musculoskeletal outcome in SLE patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited data are available about the ultrasound (US)-detected inflammatory features in patients with suspicion of inflammatory arthritis (S-IA) vs. established rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our study aimed to assess if the presence of power Doppler (PD) can be predicted by a combination of clinical, laboratory and US parameters. We conducted a real-life, retrospective cohort study comparing clinical, laboratory and US parameters of 108 patients with established RA and 93 patients with S-IA. We propose a PD signal prediction model based on a beta-binomial distribution for PD variable using a mix of outcome measures. Patients with RA in clinical remission had significantly more active inflammation and erosions on US when compared with patients with S-IA with similar disease scores ( p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively); however, RA patients with different disease activity score (DAS-28) scores had similar PD scores ( p = 0.058). The PD scores did not correlate with erosions ( p = 0.38) or DAS-28 scores ( p = 0.28) in RA patients, but they correlated with high disease activity in S-IA patients ( p = 0.048). Subclinical inflammation is more common in patients with RA in clinical remission or with low disease activity than in patients with S-IA; therefore, US was more useful in assessing for true remission in RA rather than diagnosing IA in patients with low disease activity scores. This is the first study to propose a PD prediction model integrating several outcome measures in the two different groups of patients. Further research into validating this model can minimise the risk of underdiagnosing subclinical inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of modern haemophilia care is to prevent and/ or reduce frequency and severity of recurrent bleedings by substitution of deficient coagulation factor (F VIII and F IX). The simple concept of prophylactic therapy has revolutionized quality of life of people with haemophilia. Analysis on a global scale demonstrates reduction of financial burden on society due to crippling complications of the condition. Different expert centres suggest individualized approach when prescribing prophylactic regimen - based on the clinical bleeding pattern of patients, joint status, pharmacokinetic profile, physical activity, along with evaluation of clinical benefits and financial parameters. The pharmacokinetic parameter trough level may serve as predictive factor for efficacy of prophylaxis. On the other hand, joint ultrasound seems to be a promising tool to distinguish joints in risk of bleed. The future of haemophilia care belongs to the personalized treatment approach that is modified according to various parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]