Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mariko Hara, Rumi Ueha, Taku Sato, Takao Goto, Ayumi Yoshizaki, Hayakazu Sumida, Shinichi Sato, Tatsuya Yamasoba
Summary: Systemic sclerosis is often associated with dysphagia and esophageal dysmotility. This study evaluated the association between dysphagia and esophageal dysmotility in patients with systemic sclerosis and identified risk factors. The results showed that dysphagia was associated with autoantibody positivity and older age, while there were no identified risk factors for esophageal dysmotility. No correlation was found between dysphagia and esophageal dysmotility.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Rheumatology
Zsuzsanna H. McMahan, Subhash K. Kulkarni, Joan Chen, Jiande Z. Chen, Ramnik J. Xavier, P. Jay Pasricha, Dinesh Khanna
Summary: The dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) has a negative impact on their health, and the severity of gastrointestinal disease in SSc is associated with high mortality. The clinical complications of this dysfunction are diverse and include various digestive disorders. There are multiple therapeutic targets throughout the gastrointestinal tract and a wide range of medications and interventions available for affected patients. This review discusses the details of gastrointestinal complications in SSc, links physiological abnormalities to clinical manifestations, and explores both standard and novel therapies, thus providing a foundation for future research.
NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Tijana Tuhy, Paul M. Hassoun
Summary: Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that affects the connective tissue and causes skin thickening and complications in the internal organs. Pulmonary involvement, including pulmonary arterial hypertension and interstitial lung disease, is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in scleroderma patients. Current treatment options are not specific to pulmonary involvement in scleroderma, and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension in this population tend to have worse outcomes and lower response to therapy compared to other forms of Group I pulmonary hypertension.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nemanja Petrovic, Miodrag Zunic, Ana Pejcic, Milos Milosavljevic, Slobodan Jankovic
Summary: This study aimed to identify factors associated with gastrointestinal dysmotility in critically ill patients. The results showed that acute kidney injury, recent abdominal surgery, mechanical ventilation, age, and certain medication use were significant risk factors. On the other hand, the Charlson comorbidity index had divergent effects on different forms of gastrointestinal dysmotility. Recognition of these factors can help initiate preventative measures and accelerate the recovery of critically ill patients.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ning Jiang, Yan-Nan Liu, Jing Bao, Ran Li, Wen-Tao Ni, Xing-Yu Tan, Yu Xu, Li-Ping Peng, Xiao-Rong Wang, Yi-Ming Zeng, Dai-Shun Liu, Qing Xue, Jia-Shu Li, Ke Hu, Ya-Li Zheng, Zhan-Cheng Gao
Summary: This study found that patients aged ≥65 years, male, with comorbid diabetes, and presenting with cough and/or diarrhea upon admission were at a higher risk for severe COVID-19. Further stratification analysis showed that male patients with diabetes were more likely to develop severe COVID-19, highlighting the importance of close monitoring for these high-risk individuals.
CHINESE MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Xi Zhao, Meihui Tao, Chaoyue Chen, Ying Zhang, Yu Fu
Summary: This study examined the presence of occult gastrointestinal bleeding in COVID-19 patients and found that patients with decreased serum albumin levels or prolonged prothrombin time, as well as severe cases, were at higher risk of this condition.
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
Lea Lopez, Thomas Barnetche, Gael Galli, Julien Seneschal, Elodie Blanchard, Emilie Shipley, Jean-Luc Pellegrin, Estibaliz Lazaro, Joel Constans, Pierre Duffau, Thierry Schaeverbeke, Christophe Richez, Marie Kostine, Marie-Elise Truchetet
Summary: This study observed an increased risk of cancer in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with RNA polymerase III antibodies. Other risk factors identified were age, time of SSc diagnosis, interstitial lung disease, and anti-topoisomerase antibodies. Regular cancer screening should be considered for these patients.
Review
Immunology
Ying Zhu, Benqiao Wang, Yuehan Hao, Ruixia Zhu
Summary: Multiple reports have shown the co-existence of autoimmune diseases and myasthenia gravis (MG). This review explores the clinical presentations of autoimmune diseases in MG and investigates whether the presence of autoimmune diseases affects the severity and treatment strategies of MG. The review reveals a higher frequency of autoimmune diseases in MG patients, particularly in women. Most autoimmune comorbidities are linked to AChR-MG, with thyroid disorders, systemic lupus erythematosus, and vitiligo being the most common. MG can also coexist with neurological autoimmune diseases, with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) being the most common. The review suggests that autoimmune diseases occur more often in early-onset MG and do not influence the clinical course of MG.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Elise Siegert, Akinori Uruha, Hans-Hilmar Goebel, Corinna Preusse, Vincent Casteleyn, Felix Kleefeld, Rieke Alten, Gerd R. Burmester, Udo Schneider, Jakob Hoeppner, Kathrin Hahn, Carsten Dittmayer, Werner Stenzel
Summary: Systemic sclerosis patients with muscle weakness were found to have a characteristic capillary pathology called minimal myositis with capillary pathology (MMCP) in approximately 67% of cases. This study used large-scale electron microscopy to reveal specific capillary morphology in skeletal muscles, introducing a new level of precision in ultrastructural analysis. The findings suggest a relatively homogeneous clinical picture among MMCP patients, with milder disease and specific patterns of organ involvement.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Frederic Lefebvre, Margherita Giannini, Benjamin Ellezam, Valerie Leclair, Yves Troyanov, Sabrina Hoa, Josiane Bourre-Tessier, Minoru Satoh, Marvin J. Fritzler, Jean-Luc Senecal, Marie Hudson, Alain Meyer, Oceane Landon-Cardinal
Summary: The review of muscle biopsies in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and myositis revealed diverse pathological features in scleromyositis (SM), such as inflammatory infiltrates, myofiber atrophy, necrosis, and neurogenic features, but it remains unclear whether there is a distinct histopathological signature in SM. Further research is needed to clarify this.
AUTOIMMUNITY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Dermatology
Rebekka Jerjen, Mandana Nikpour, Thomas Krieg, Christopher P. Denton, Amanda M. Saracino
Summary: Systemic sclerosis is a rare and complex immune-mediated connective tissue disease characterized by progressive skin fibrosis and other clinically heterogeneous features. Recent studies on autoantibodies and bioinformatic analyses have led to a reconsideration of the classification of systemic sclerosis subgroups based on skin manifestations. Early diagnosis and involvement of dermatologists are crucial for improving patient outcomes.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
N. Richard, G. Gyger, S. Hoa, S. Proudman, W. Stevens, M. Nikpour, M. Wang, M. E. Schnitzer, M. Baron, M. Hudson
Summary: The study found that exposure to immunosuppression in early systemic sclerosis patients did not modify the risk of developing severe gastrointestinal involvement.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rheumatology
G. Olivieri, F. Ceccarelli, C. Perricone, C. Ciccacci, C. Pirone, F. Natalucci, F. R. Spinelli, C. Alessandri, P. Borgiani, F. Conti
Summary: Fever has been included as a new classification criterion for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study explored the association of fever with other clinical manifestations and found significant correlations with serositis and hematological manifestations. A specific SNP (rs13361189) in the IRGM gene was also found to be associated with fever.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Rheumatology
Liubov Petelytska, Francesco Bonomi, Carlo Cannistra, Elisa Fiorentini, Silvia Peretti, Sara Torracchi, Pamela Bernardini, Carmela Coccia, Riccardo De Luca, Alessio Economou, Juela Levani, Marco Matucci-Cerinic, Oliver Distler, Cosimo Bruni
Summary: The study conducted a systematic literature review to gather evidence on the severity, progression, and outcomes of SSc-ILD. The results showed a large heterogeneity in the definitions of SSc-ILD progression, severity, and outcome. This highlights the need for a standardized, consensus definition of severe SSc-ILD as a surrogate outcome for clinical trials and clinical practice.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Peiling Liu, Jing Chai, Liyi Dai, Beidi Chen, Jinxia Zhao, Ming Lu, Lin Zeng, Zhiwei Xia, Rong Mu
Summary: A diagnostic model combining clinical and imaging features has been developed to predict the probability of esophageal dysmotility in SSc patients, providing individualized risk estimates.