Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Michael J. Keane
Summary: Cavalcanti et al. highlighted in their article that the use of hydroxychloroquine and macrolides had quickly become common in Brazil for Covid-19 patients, making it challenging to enroll patients who had not used these medications before. Changes to the trial protocol were made in response to this situation.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rene Cordtz, Salome Kristensen, Louise Plank Holm Dalgaard, Rasmus Westermann, Kirsten Duch, Jesper Lindhardsen, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Lene Dreyer
Summary: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a higher risk of hospitalisation with COVID-19 infection, and the use of hydroxychloroquine treatment may reduce the risk of hospitalisation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Francisco Tejada Cifuentes, Angeles Lloret Callejo, Maria Jose Tirado Pelaez, Olga Rubio Pulido, Marta Ruiz-Morote Aragon, Rocio Fernandez Urrusuno, Maria Isabel Munoz Carreras, Maria Isabel Mendez Esteban, Victoria Maestre Sanchez, Antonio Garcia Bonilla, Jose Manuel Paredero Dominguez, Virginia Arroyo Pineda, Esther Marco Tejon, Gregorio Romero Candel, Ana Isabel Fernandez Marchante, Jose Marco del Rio, Teresa Ortiz Martin, Piedad Lopez Sanchez
Summary: This study analyzed the incidence of Covid-19 in chronic users of hydroxychloroquine, and found no relationship between chronic use of hydroxychloroquine and the incidence of Covid-19. Previous respiratory pathology was related to Covid-19 infection, while the appearance of maculopathy was significantly related to the dose of hydroxychloroquine consumed.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Lilas Dagher, Bassam Wanna, Ghiath Mikdadi, Monique Young, Christian Sohns, Nassir F. Marrouche
Summary: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to significantly affect the cardiovascular system, with cardiac arrhythmias being a commonly reported complication in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. This study describes four cases of COVID-19 patients developing a transient high-degree atrioventricular (AV) block during hospitalization, all of which did not require permanent pacing. Conservative management strategies may be preferred for COVID-19 patients who develop complete heart block, given its transient nature.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Enrico Baldi, Roberto Primi, Sara Bendotti, Alessia Currao, Sara Compagnoni, Francesca Romana Gentile, Giuseppe Maria Sechi, Claudio Mare, Alessandra Palo, Enrico Contri, Vincenza Ronchi, Giuseppe Bergamini, Francesca Reali, Pierpaolo Parogni, Fabio Facchin, Ugo Rizzi, Daniele Bussi, Simone Ruggeri, Sabina Campi, Paola Centineo, Roberto De Ponti, Luigi Oltrona Visconti, Simone Savastano
Summary: The study found a significant correlation between daily incidence of COVID-19 and out-of-hospital cardiac arrests during both pandemic waves at a provincial level. Monitoring the pandemic trend closely may help predict areas more likely to experience an increase in cardiac arrests, guiding the proper reallocation of health resources in case of future pandemic waves.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carolina Burgarelli Testa, Luciana Graziela de Godoi, Maria Rita de Figueiredo Lemos Bortolotto, Nataly Adriana Jimenez Monroy, Bruna Rodrigues de Mattos, Agatha Sacramento Rodrigues, Rossana Pulcineli Vieira Francisco
Summary: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) increase the risk of severe COVID-19 and pregnant/postpartum women with CVD have worse prognoses. A study found that pregnant/postpartum women with CVD had higher incidence of diabetes and obesity, more frequent symptoms, and increased risks of ICU admission, ventilatory support, and death.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Berenice Charrez, Verena Charwat, Brian A. Siemons, Ishan Goswami, Courtney Sakolish, Yu-Syuan Luo, Henrik Finsberg, Andrew G. Edwards, Evan W. Miller, Ivan Rusyn, Kevin E. Healy
Summary: Despite global efforts, it took 7 months to find the first FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19 after the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Clinicians repurposed drugs like HCQ and AZM during this time, and while clinical trials were time-consuming, FDA granted emergency use authorization for these drugs for COVID-19 treatment. The authorization was later revoked due to limited evidence on their efficacy, sparking debates on the premature authorization of potentially ineffective or unsafe therapeutics.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Majid Mokhtari, Minoo Mohraz, Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, Hengameh Namdari Tabar, Jafar-Sadegh Tabrizi, Katayoun Tayeri, Saeide Aghamohamadi, Zahra Rajabpoor, Manoochehr Karami, Alireza Raeisi, Hamid Rahmani, Hossein Khalili
Summary: The study suggests that early use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) may significantly reduce the odds of hospitalization or death in adults with mild COVID-19, regardless of age or comorbidities.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jorge Rojas-Serrano, Angelica Margarita Portillo-Vasquez, Ireri Thirion-Romero, Joel Vazquez-Perez, Fidencio Mejia-Nepomuceno, Alejandra Ramirez-Venegas, Karla Midori Perez-Kawabe, Rogelio Perez-Padilla
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis of COVID-19 in health care workers. The results showed that hydroxychloroquine had a slightly higher effect size than placebo in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection, but this was not statistically significant.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juan Macias, Paz Gonzalez-Moreno, Esther Sanchez-Garcia, Ramon Morillo-Verdugo, Jose J. Perez-Venegas, Ana Pinilla, Ma Mar Macho, Ma Victoria Martinez, Alejandro Gonzalez-Serna, Anais Corma, Luis M. Real, Juan A. Pineda
Summary: A retrospective study comparing COVID-19 incidence in Spanish patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases treated with and without hydroxychloroquine showed that there was no significant difference in the incidence and severity of COVID-19 between the two groups.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Rosa Maria Vivanco-Hidalgo, Israel Molina, Elisenda Martinez, Ramon Roman-Vinas, Adrian Sanchez-Montalva, Joan Fibla, Caridad Pontes, Cesar Velasco Munoz
Summary: The study found that patients chronically exposed to chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine did not differ in risk of COVID-19 or hospitalization compared with controls. Although the exposed cohort appeared to have a higher hospitalization rate, this difference was not confirmed after adjustment.
Article
Infectious Diseases
S. Ruiz, D. Concordet, T. Lanot, B. Georges, P. Goudy, S. Baklouti, C. Mane, E. Losha, H. Vinour, D. Rousset, M. Lavit, V Minville, J-M Conil, P. Gandia
Summary: The study evaluated hydroxychloroquine concentrations in the lung epithelial lining fluid in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Results showed that lung exposure may be higher than plasma concentrations, indicating that low plasma concentrations should not lead to increased drug dosage.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Jordane Boudesseul, Oulmann Zerhouni, Allie Harbert, Clio Rubinos
Summary: Despite the global distribution of various vaccines, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for efficient treatment. While meta-analyses are typically useful in determining treatment efficacy, recent debates over the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients have resulted in contradictory findings. Various factors during the pandemic have impacted the quality of meta-analyses, potentially leading to conflicting results in evaluating COVID-19 treatments.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rajnish Kumar, Anju Sharma, Janmejai Kumar Srivastava, Mohammed Haris Siddiqui, Md. Sahab Uddin, Lotfi Aleya
Summary: The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a significant global impact, with no specific treatment currently available, focusing mainly on preventive and supportive care. Researching available therapeutic options has become particularly important, with hydroxychloroquine being one of the more discussed treatment drugs.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cathrine Axfors, Andreas M. Schmitt, Perrine Janiaud, Janneke van't Hooft, Sherief Abd-Elsalam, Ehab F. Abdo, Benjamin S. Abella, Javed Akram, Ravi K. Amaravadi, Derek C. Angus, Yaseen M. Arabi, Shehnoor Azhar, Lindsey R. Baden, Arthur W. Baker, Leila Belkhir, Thomas Benfield, Marvin A. H. Berrevoets, Cheng-Pin Chen, Tsung-Chia Chen, Shu-Hsing Cheng, Chien-Yu Cheng, Wei-Sheng Chung, Yehuda Z. Cohen, Lisa N. Cowan, Olav Dalgard, Fernando F. de Almeida e Val, Marcus V. G. de Lacerda, Gisely C. de Melo, Lennie Derde, Vincent Dubee, Anissa Elfakir, Anthony C. Gordon, Carmen M. Hernandez-Cardenas, Thomas Hills, Andy I. M. Hoepelman, Yi-Wen Huang, Bruno Igau, Ronghua Jin, Felipe Jurado-Camacho, Khalid S. Khan, Peter G. Kremsner, Benno Kreuels, Cheng-Yu Kuo, Thuy Le, Yi-Chun Lin, Wu-Pu Lin, Tse-Hung Lin, Magnus Nakrem Lyngbakken, Colin McArthur, Bryan J. McVerry, Patricia Meza-Meneses, Wuelton M. Monteiro, Susan C. Morpeth, Ahmad Mourad, Mark J. Mulligan, Srinivas Murthy, Susanna Naggie, Shanti Narayanasamy, Alistair Nichol, Lewis A. Novack, Sean M. O'Brien, Nwora Lance Okeke, Lena Perez, Rogelio Perez-Padilla, Laurent Perrin, Arantxa Remigio-Luna, Norma E. Rivera-Martinez, Frank W. Rockhold, Sebastian Rodriguez-Llamazares, Robert Rolfe, Rossana Rosa, Helge Rosjo, Vanderson S. Sampaio, Todd B. Seto, Muhammad Shehzad, Shaimaa Soliman, Jason E. Stout, Ireri Thirion-Romero, Andrea B. Troxel, Ting-Yu Tseng, Nicholas A. Turner, Robert J. Ulrich, Stephen R. Walsh, Steve A. Webb, Jesper M. Weehuizen, Maria Velinova, Hon-Lai Wong, Rebekah Wrenn, Fernando G. Zampieri, Wu Zhong, David Moher, Steven N. Goodman, John P. A. Ioannidis, Lars G. Hemkens
Summary: This study conducted a rapid meta-analysis on the effects of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine on the survival of COVID-19 patients. It found that treatment with hydroxychloroquine was associated with increased mortality, while there was no benefit from chloroquine.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Letter
Rheumatology
Sindhu R. Johnson, Martin Aringer
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Rheumatology
Rebecca E. Cohen, Michael H. Pillinger, Michael Toprover
Summary: The purpose of this review is to compare the 2012 ACR gout guidelines to the newly released 2020 ACR gout guidelines. The 2020 guidelines assist in the clinical management of gout by healthcare providers and utilize newer literature to help create an evidence-based approach to the treatment for gout. Discussions include the methodological approach, final recommendations, lingering issues, and comparison of key similarities and differences between the two sets of guidelines.
CURRENT RHEUMATOLOGY REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Rebecca H. Haberman, Ramin Sedaghat Herati, David Simon, Marie Samanovic, Rebecca B. Blank, Michael Tuen, Sergei B. Koralov, Raja Atreya, Koray Tascilar, Joseph R. Allen, Rochelle Castillo, Amber R. Cornelius, Paula Rackoff, Gary Solomon, Samrachana Adhikari, Natalie Azar, Pamela Rosenthal, Peter Izmirly, Jonathan Samuels, Brian Golden, Soumya Reddy, Markus Neurath, Steven B. Abramson, Georg Schett, Mark J. Mulligan, Jose U. Scher
Summary: The study found that patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) on methotrexate treatment showed impaired humoral and cellular immune response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, while healthy subjects and IMID patients on biologic treatments demonstrated strong antibody responses. These results suggest that different strategies may need to be explored to enhance immunization efficacy for IMID patients on methotrexate treatment.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Ellen Ginzler, Luiz Sergio Guedes Barbosa, David D'Cruz, Richard Furie, Kathleen Maksimowicz-McKinnon, James Oates, Mittermayer Barreto Santiago, Amit Saxena, Saira Sheikh, Damon L. Bass, Susan W. Burriss, Jennifer A. Gilbride, James G. Groark, Michelle Miller, Amy Pierce, David A. Roth, Beulah Ji
Summary: The study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of intravenous belimumab plus standard therapy in patients of self-identified Black race with systemic lupus erythematosus. While the primary endpoint was not achieved, numerical improvements favoring belimumab were observed, especially in patients with high disease activity or renal manifestations. The safety profile of belimumab was consistent with previous SLE trials.
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Peter M. Izmirly, Mimi Y. Kim, Marie Samanovic, Ruth Fernandez-Ruiz, Sharon Ohana, Kristina K. Deonaraine, Alexis J. Engel, Mala Masson, Xianhong Xie, Amber R. Cornelius, Ramin S. Herati, Rebecca H. Haberman, Jose U. Scher, Allison Guttmann, Rebecca B. Blank, Benjamin Plotz, Mayce Haj-Ali, Brittany Banbury, Sara Stream, Ghadeer Hasan, Gary Ho, Paula Rackoff, Ashira D. Blazer, Chung-E Tseng, H. Michael Belmont, Amit Saxena, Mark J. Mulligan, Robert M. Clancy, Jill P. Buyon
Summary: In a multiethnic/multiracial study of SLE patients, 29% had a low response to the COVID-19 vaccine which was associated with receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Severe disease flares were rare.
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Amit Saxena, Allison Guttmann, Mala Masson, Mimi Y. Kim, Rebecca H. Haberman, Rochelle Castillo, Jose U. Scher, Kristina K. Deonaraine, Alexis J. Engel, H. Michael Belmont, Ashira D. Blazer, Jill P. Buyon, Ruth Fernandez-Ruiz, Peter M. Izmirly
Summary: Most SLE patients with confirmed COVID-19 were able to produce and maintain a serological response despite the use of a variety of immunosuppressants, providing reassurance about the efficacy and durability of humoral immunity and possible protection against re-infection with SARS-CoV-2.
LANCET RHEUMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Andrea Fava, Deepak A. Rao, Chandra Mohan, Ting Zhang, Avi Rosenberg, Paride Fenaroli, H. Michael Belmont, Peter Izmirly, Robert Clancy, Jose Monroy Trujillo, Derek Fine, Arnon Arazi, Celine C. Berthier, Anne Davidson, Judith A. James, Betty Diamond, Nir Hacohen, David Wofsy, Soumya Raychaudhuri, William Apruzzese, Jill Buyon, Michelle Petri
Summary: By analyzing longitudinal urinary proteomic profiles in patients with Lupus Nephritis (LN), this study identified multiple biologic pathways and 237 urinary biomarkers associated with LN. IL-16 was identified as a key factor in LN pathogenesis and a potential target for treatment and biomarker.
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Peter M. Izmirly, Elizabeth D. Ferucci, Emily C. Somers, Lu Wang, S. Sam Lim, Cristina Drenkard, Maria Dall'Era, W. Joseph McCune, Caroline Gordon, Charles Helmick, Hilary Parton
Summary: A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the annual incidence rate of SLE in the USA using data from four population-based state registries. Results showed variations in incidence rates among different genders, races and ethnicities, with black females having the highest rate and white males the lowest rate.
LUPUS SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2021)
Letter
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Jill Buyon, Amit Saxena, Deborah Friedman, Peter Izmirly
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Cristina Arriens, Y. K. Onno Teng, Ellen M. Ginzler, Samir V. Parikh, Anca D. Askanase, Amit Saxena, Keisha Gibson, Dawn J. Caster, Tatsuya Atsumi, Laura Lisk, Simrat Randhawa, Rashieda Gluck, Neil Solomons, Robert B. Huizinga
Summary: This integrated analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of voclosporin in the treatment of lupus nephritis. The study found that voclosporin, in combination with mycophenolate mofetil and oral glucocorticoids, significantly improved renal response compared to control, with similar incidence of adverse events. The results confirm the effectiveness and safety of voclosporin across diverse racial and ethnic groups.
ARTHRITIS CARE & RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Ghadeer Hasan, Elizabeth D. Ferucci, Jill P. Buyon, H. Michael Belmont, Jane E. Salmon, Anca Askanase, Joan M. Bathon, Laura Geraldino-Pardilla, Yousaf Ali, Ellen M. Ginzler, Chaim Putterman, Caroline Gordon, Charles G. Helmick, Hilary Parton, Peter M. Izmirly
Summary: Using data from the MLSP, we estimated the prevalence and incidence of MCTD. The variation in estimates using different case definitions highlights the challenges in defining MCTD in epidemiological studies.
Article
Rheumatology
Doua Azzouz, Ze Chen, Peter M. Izmirly, Lea Ann Chen, Zhi Li, Chongda Zhang, David Mieles, Kate Trujillo, Adriana Heguy, Alejandro Pironti, Greg G. Putzel, Dominik Schwudke, David Fenyo, Jill P. Buyon, Alexander Alekseyenko, Nicolas Gisch, Gregg J. Silverman
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between gut microbiota and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The results showed that SLE patients had unstable microbiota communities and experienced intestinal growth spikes of pathogenic species during disease flares. The expansion of Ruminococcus (blautia) gnavus (RG) was associated with high-disease activity and lupus nephritis (LN) flares, and specific RG strains isolated during flares expressed a novel type of cell membrane-associated lipoglycan.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Amit Saxena, Ellen M. Ginzler, Keisha Gibson, Bancha Satirapoj, Adolfina Elizabeth Zuta Santillan, Olena Levchenko, Sandra Navarra, Tatsuya Atsumi, Shinsuke Yasuda, Nilmo Noel Chavez-Perez, Cristina Arriens, Samir V. Parikh, Dawn J. Caster, Vanessa Birardi, Simrat Randhawa, Laura Lisk, Robert B. Huizinga, Y. K. Onno Teng
Summary: This study evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of voclosporin in patients with lupus nephritis. The results showed that voclosporin treatment was well tolerated and led to improved renal response and reduced proteinuria over a three-year period.
ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Kerry Holliman, Ilina D. Pluym, Olga Grechukhina, Yair J. Blumenfeld, Lawrence D. Platt, Joshua A. Copel, Christina S. Han
Summary: Despite standardized ultrasound training structure across the United States, there exists regional heterogeneity in fellow self-reported comfort with specific ultrasound techniques and chorionic villus sampling during maternal-fetal medicine fellowship training. Further optimization of fellowship ultrasound training, especially in advanced sonography and diagnostic procedures, is necessary.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY MFM
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
MacIntosh Grant Cornwell, Elliot S. Luttrell-Williams, Michael Golpanian, Hanane El Bannoudi, Khrystyna Myndzar, Peter Izmirly, H. Michael Belmont, Stuart Katz, Nathaniel R. Smilowitz, Alexis Engel, Robert Clancy, Kelly Ruggles, Jill P. Buyon, Jeffrey S. Berger
Summary: The study showed that the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in SLE patients is associated with decreased platelet activation and expression of related transcripts, as well as improved vascular health.
LUPUS SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2021)