Review
Immunology
J. N. Pouw, E. F. A. Leijten, J. M. van Laar, M. Boes
Summary: Autoimmune rheumatic diseases are categorized based on the presence of specific autoreactive antibodies as seropositive or seronegative. Autoantibody-based diagnostics are helpful for patient care, and recent research indicates that AIRD patients may develop autoantibodies beyond the original classification.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Benjamin Berger, Sophie Hauck, Kimon Runge, Ludger Tebartz van Elst, Sebastian Rauer, Dominique Endres
Summary: This study evaluated the response to immunotherapy in patients with seronegative autoimmune encephalitis (AE) compared to seropositive cases. The results showed that both groups benefited substantially from immunotherapies, indicating that immunotherapy should be considered in all AE patients regardless of their antibody results.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Vincent Javaugue, Anthony M. Valeri, Insara Jaffer Sathick, Samar M. Said, Sibel Erdogan Damgard, David L. Murray, Tyler Klobucher, Nicole K. Andeen, Sanjeev Sethi, Fernando C. Fervenza, Nelson Leung, Samih H. Nasr
Summary: The clinicopathologic characteristics and long-term outcome of non-hepatitis-associated cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis (CryoGN) were retrospectively analyzed in this study. The results showed that most cases of non-hepatitis CryoGN were due to hematologic abnormalities and had a favorable outcome after treatment. Seronegative CryoGN, on the other hand, mainly affected the kidneys and required further investigation into its pathophysiology.
KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Bashar Aqel, Karn Wijarnpreecha, Surakit Pungpapong, C. Burcin Taner, Kunam Reddy, Michael Leise, Lanyu Mi, Rolland C. Dickson
Summary: Transplanting liver grafts from HCV-seropositive donors into HCV-seronegative recipients resulted in excellent short-term outcomes, with all patients achieving cure through effective and well tolerated antiviral therapy. Further long-term follow-up in clinical trials is needed for confirmation.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Florenzo Iannone, Giuseppe Lopalco, Fabio Cacciapaglia, Vincenzo Venerito, Simone Perniola, Marco Fornaro
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of bDMARDs in RA patients negative for RF and ACPA. The results showed that tocilizumab had a higher survival rate compared to abatacept in RF/ACPA negative RA patients.
Review
Immunology
Maria Maslinska, Joanna Dmowska-Chalaba, Michal Jakubaszek
Summary: The role of IgG4 in IgG4-RD and other autoimmune diseases has attracted attention. IgG4, as a unique subclass of immunoglobulins, is generally considered non-inflammatory and tolerance inducing, but in IgG4-RD, it may play a pathogenic role in fibrogenesis and inflammation.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Simona Truglia, Silvia Mancuso, Antonella Capozzi, Serena Recalchi, Gloria Riitano, Agostina Longo, Sara De Carolis, Francesca Romana Spinelli, Cristiano Alessandri, Fulvia Ceccarelli, Caterina De Carolis, Roberta Misasi, Maurizio Sorice, Fabrizio Conti
Summary: This study analyzed the prevalence of non-criteria aPL antibodies in a cohort of patients with clinical features consistent with a diagnosis of APS. The results showed that in SN-APS patients, 60.5% resulted positive for at least one non-criteria test in two occasions 12 weeks apart.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Hemi Luan, Wanjian Gu, Hua Li, Zi Wang, Lu Lu, Mengying Ke, Jiawei Lu, Wenjun Chen, Zhangzhang Lan, Yanlin Xiao, Jinyue Xu, Yi Zhang, Zongwei Cai, Shijia Liu, Wenyong Zhang
Summary: A panel of 26 serum markers from omics profiles was selected to build a machine-learning-based prediction model for diagnosing seronegative RA patients, achieving 90.2% accuracy in the validation set. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed significant associations between inflammation and immune activity markers, and abnormal metabolism of energy, lipids, and amino acids.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Judith Blankenburg, Magdalena K. Wekenborg, Joerg Reichert, Carolin Kirsten, Elisabeth Kahre, Luise Haag, Leonie Schumm, Paula Czyborra, Reinhard Berner, Jakob P. Armann
Summary: This study investigated the symptoms of Long-COVID19 in adolescents and found no significant difference between infection-associated symptoms and pandemic-associated symptoms. This suggests that Long-COVID19 may be less common than previously thought, highlighting the impact of pandemic-associated symptoms on the mental health and well-being of young adolescents.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Elizabeth Fraley, Cas LeMaster, Eric Geanes, Dithi Banerjee, Santosh Khanal, Elin Grundberg, Rangaraj Selvarangan, Todd Bradley
Summary: This study characterized humoral immune responses during vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine in individuals with or without prior history of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, demonstrating differences in antibody levels and epitope specificity between the two groups. The findings support the consideration of prior infection history as a guide for future vaccination strategies and provide valuable insights for vaccine development.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Mariangela Manfredi, Lieve Van Hoovels, Maurizio Benucci, Riccardo De Luca, Carmela Coccia, Pamela Bernardini, Edda Russo, Amedeo Amedei, Serena Guiducci, Valentina Grossi, Xavier Bossuyt, Carlo Perricone, Maria Infantino
Summary: uPAR is a membrane-bound glycoprotein, and its bioactive form, suPAR, is primarily expressed on the surface of immunologically active cells. Higher levels of suPAR have been associated with disease severity, relapse, and mortality in various inflammatory diseases. This review summarizes the current literature on the potential role of suPAR as a biomarker in autoimmune rheumatic and non-rheumatic diseases.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Xue Ma, Li Xu, Suqiong Ji, Yue Li, Bitao Bu
Summary: Patients with seronegative IMNM more commonly present with myalgia at onset, exhibit more subclinical cardiac involvement and uncommon MAC deposition on myofibers, and tend to have better outcomes following immunotherapy compared to those with seropositive IMNM.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Lukas Folle, Sara Bayat, Arnd Kleyer, Filippo Fagni, Lorenz A. Kapsner, Maja Schlereth, Timo Meinderink, Katharina Breininger, Koray Tacilar, Gerhard Kroenke, Michael Uder, Michael Sticherling, Sebastian Bickelhaupt, Georg Schett, Andreas Maier, Frank Roemer, David Simon
Summary: This study evaluated whether neural networks could differentiate seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), seronegative RA, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) based on inflammatory patterns from hand MRIs. The results showed that neural networks could successfully classify these types of inflammation based on MRI data.
Article
Oncology
Foteinos-Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos, Anastasia E. Kottorou, Kristen Rodgers, John Timothy Sherwood, Georgia-Angeliki Koliou, Beverly Lee, Andrew Yang, Julie Renee Brahmer, Stephen B. Baylin, Stephen C. Yang, Hajime Orita, Alicia Hulbert, Malcolm Brock
Summary: The study examines the clinical significance of CD9-positive plasma exosomes in lung cancer patients, healthy individuals, and HIV-positive patients. The results suggest that CD9-positive plasma exosomes are associated with different populations and survival outcomes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Faranak Abnaroodheleh, Anahita Emadi, Shojaat Dashtipour, Tariq Jamil, Amin Mousavi Khaneghah, Maryam Dadar
Summary: A cross-sectional study in industrial dairy cattle farms in Iran revealed the presence of Brucella spp., including Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis, in the Alborz and Tehran provinces. The seroprevalence of brucellosis in these farms was significant, and the shedding of Brucella in the milk of seropositive cows posed a serious risk of transmission to humans. Therefore, comprehensive bacteriological and serological tests, including analysis of blood and milk samples, should be conducted in order to control the spread of the disease.
Article
Rheumatology
Toshihiro Tono, Hirotoshi Kikuchi, Tetsuji Sawada, Mitsuhiro Takeno, Hiroko Nagafuchi, Yohei Kirino, Yoshiya Tanaka, Kunihiro Yamaoka, Shunsei Hirohata
Summary: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and treatments of Behcet's disease patients with joint symptoms in Japan. The results showed that the knee, ankle, and proximal interphalangeal joints were the most commonly affected joints. Steroids and colchicine were found to be effective in relieving these symptoms.
MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Rheumatology
Yuki Iizuka, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Lisa Hirahara, Yohei Kirino, Yutaro Soejima, Ho Namkoong, Nobuyuki Horita, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Masaki Takeuchi, Mitsuhiro Takeno, Nobuhisa Mizuki, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of apremilast in treating oral ulcers, extra-oral manifestations, and overall disease activity in patients with Behcet's disease. The results showed that after 12 weeks of treatment, there was a significant improvement in the symptoms of oral ulcers, genital ulcers, erythema nodosum, pseudofolliculitis, and arthritis. Furthermore, the BDCAF scores were significantly reduced. After 24 weeks, the proportion of patients with oral ulcer disappearance increased. These findings suggest that short-term apremilast treatment can improve mucocutaneous and articular symptoms in patients with Behcet's disease.
MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Akihito Maruyama, Ayako Kokuzawa, Yusuke Yamauchi, Yohei Kirino, Hideto Nagai, Yasushi Inoue, Toshiyuki Ota, Yutaka Chifu, Satomi Inokuchi, Hiroki Mitoma, Mitsuteru Akahoshi, Mariko Sakai, Akihide Ohta, Masahiro Iwamoto, Yoshifumi Tada
Summary: This study investigated the usefulness of severity classification for predicting outcomes in patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD). The results showed that patients in the severe group had higher frequency of severe complications and used more biological agents. The severe group also had a reduced rate of drug-free remission. The modified systemic score did not correlate with survival or drug-free remission.
MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Letter
Immunology
Haruki Matsumoto, Tomoyuki Asano, Naomi Tsuchida, Ayaka Maeda, Shuhei Yoshida, Kohei Yokose, Yuya Fujita, Jumpei Temmoku, Naoki Matsuoka, Makiko Yashiro-Furuya, Shuzo Sato, Kinuko Irie, Natsumi Norikawa, Toshiyuki Yamamoto, Mamiko Endo, Koichiro Fukuchi, Hiroshi Ohkawara, Takayuki Ikezoe, Yuri Uchiyama, Yohei Kirino, Naomichi Matsumoto, Hiroshi Watanabe, Kiyoshi Migita
CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Kana Higashitani, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Yohei Kirino, Naoki Hamada, Hideto Nagai, Maki Hagihara, Kenji Matsumoto, Ho Namkoong, Nobuyuki Horita, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an effective treatment for systemic sclerosis (SSc), although it is associated with higher treatment-related deaths. However, patients who undergo HSCT have a high survival rate post-transplant.
MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Lisa Hirahara, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Yohei Kirino, Yuki Iizuka-Iribe, Yutaro Soejima, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: Behcet's disease is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers, cutaneous inflammation, and uveitis. The pathogenesis of BD is not fully understood, but it is likely a result of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. This review discusses the roles of monocytes and macrophages in BD and their potential as therapeutic targets.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Rheumatology
Masaki Itagane, Hiroyuki Teruya, Tomohiro Kato, Naomi Tsuchida, Ayaka Maeda, Yohei Kirino, Yuri Uchiyama, Naomichi Matsumoto, Mitsuyo Kinjo
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Haruki Matsumoto, Yuya Fujita, Masahiko Fukatsu, Takayuki Ikezoe, Kohei Yokose, Tomoyuki Asano, Naomi Tsuchida, Ayaka Maeda, Shuhei Yoshida, Honami Hashimoto, Jumpei Temmoku, Naoki Matsuoka, Makiko Yashiro-Furuya, Shuzo Sato, Mai Murakami, Hidenori Sato, Chiharu Sakuma, Kazumasa Kawashima, Norshalena Shakespear, Yuri Uchiyama, Hiroshi Watanabe, Yohei Kirino, Naomichi Matsumoto, Kiyoshi Migita
Summary: This case report describes a patient with VEXAS syndrome presenting with auricular chondritis and multiple myeloma (MM). The patient developed progressive macrocytic anemia and inflammation of both ears after treatment for MM. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of auricular chondritis. Further evaluation revealed vacuoles in myeloid precursor cells in the bone marrow and a somatic UBA1 variant consistent with VEXAS syndrome. The possible relationship between auricular chondritis and MM in the context of VEXAS syndrome is discussed.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Ayaka Maeda, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Yohei Kirino, Naoki Hamada, Yosuke Kunishita, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Akira Meguro, Ho Namkoong, Nobuyuki Horita, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: Arthralgia is the most commonly reported immune-related adverse event in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and it is associated with overall survival (OS).
Article
Rheumatology
Hiroko Nagafuchi, Hirotoshi Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Ishibash, Hideaki Maeda, Hitoshi Ogino, Yohei Kirino, Tetsuji Sawada, Kazuyoshi Saito, Masataka Kuwana, Shunsei Hirohata, Yoshiaki Ishigatsubo, Masanori Niimi, Yutaka Okita, Tetsuro Miyata, Hiroshi Shigematsu, Mitsuhiro Takeno
Summary: This study developed clinical guidelines for the management of vascular Behcet's disease (BD) by the Behcet's Disease Research Committee of the Japanese Government. The recommendations cover diagnosis, assessment of disease activity, and treatment options. Immunosuppressive treatments are recommended for active inflammation, and anticoagulation for deep vein thrombosis, with surgical and endovascular therapies being optional.
MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Hematology
Hiroyoshi Kunimoto, Ayaka Miura, Ayaka Maeda, Naomi Tsuchida, Yuri Uchiyama, Yosuke Kunishita, Yuki Nakajima, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Takuya Miyazaki, Maki Hagihara, Etsuko Yamazaki, Yohei Kirino, Naomichi Matsumoto, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: VEXAS syndrome is a newly discovered disease caused by somatic variants in the UBA1 gene, leading to autoinflammatory disorders and often co-existing with myelodysplastic syndromes. This study investigated the clinical and molecular features of Japanese patients with VEXAS-associated MDS and found that these patients exhibited macrocytic anemia with cytoplasmic vacuoles in myeloid/erythroid precursors. Treatment with prednisolone or cyclosporin A showed significant improvement in anemia, suggesting that the underlying inflammatory milieu induced by VEXAS syndrome may worsen macrocytic anemia in VEXAS-associated MDS.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sei Samukawa, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Noriko Kojitani, Yuji Uzawa, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Yohei Kirino, Yutaro Soejima, Hideaki Kato, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: This article reports two cases of cryptococcal meningitis with atypical clinical courses attributed to paradoxical inflammatory reactions.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Takeshi Teshigawara, Akira Meguro, Masaki Takeuchi, Mizuho Ishido, Yutaro Soejima, Lisa Hirahara, Yohei Kirino, Shigeaki Ohno, Nobuhisa Mizuki
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the association between polymorphisms of GAS6 and PROS1 and Behcet's disease (BD) in a Japanese population. Genetic analysis was conducted on 734 Japanese patients with BD and 1789 healthy controls. The results showed that GAS6 rs9577873 was not significantly associated with BD, whereas PROS1 rs4857037 (particularly the A allele) was associated with increased risk of BD. Expression analysis revealed that the A risk allele was associated with upregulated PROS1 expression. These findings suggest that increased PROS1 expression contributes to the development of BD by affecting tyrosine kinase receptor signaling.
OCULAR IMMUNOLOGY AND INFLAMMATION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Chiharu Hidekawa, Ryusuke Yoshimi, Yusuke Saigusa, Jun Tamura, Noriko Kojitani, Naoki Suzuki, Natsuki Sakurai, Yuji Yoshioka, Yumiko Sugiyama-Kawahara, Yosuke Kunishita, Daiga Kishimoto, Kana Higashitani, Yuichiro Sato, Takaaki Komiya, Hideto Nagai, Naoki Hamada, Ayaka Maeda, Naomi Tsuchida, Lisa Hirahara, Yutaro Soejima, Kaoru Takase-Minegishi, Yohei Kirino, Nobuyuki Yajima, Ken-ei Sada, Yoshia Miyawaki, Kunihiro Ichinose, Shigeru Ohno, Hiroshi Kajiyama, Shuzo Sato, Yasuhiro Shimojima, Michio Fujiwara, Hideaki Nakajima
Summary: Hydroxychloroquine may help extend the time until the occurrence of infection complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and tends to decrease infection rates.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Hiroki Yamaguchi, Daisuke Kobayashi, Gen Nakamura, Ryo Aida, Yosuke Horii, Takeshi Okamoto, Shuichi Murakami, Daisuke Kondo, Naomi Tsuchida, Yuri Uchiyama, Ayaka Maeda, Yohei Kirino, Naomichi Matsumoto, Yoichi Kurosawa, Eriko Hasegawa, Ayako Wakamatsu, Ichiei Narita
Summary: This case describes a 78-year-old man with multiple oedematous erythemas, fever, and arthralgia, who was diagnosed with relapsing polychondritis. The case also suggests that VEXAS syndrome might lead to arteriovenous fistula, emphasizing the importance of timely surgical intervention and diagnosis for the rescue of the patient.
MODERN RHEUMATOLOGY CASE REPORTS
(2023)
