Longitudinal study of patients with antimelanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease

Short-term efficiency of plasma exchange in combination with immunosuppressants and/or biologics in the treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) is a frequent and serious manifestation of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) associated with poor outcomes. Plasma exchange (PE) can quickly remove pathogenic substances from the blood. Therefore, PE may be efficacious in IIM patients who have elevated levels of autoantibodies, cytokines and chemokines, fighting for time for immunosuppressive therapy. However, the value of adding PE to immunosuppressants remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the short-term outcomes, including the survival rate at 6 months and change of the laboratory data, of PE in combination with immunosuppressants and/or biologics in the treatment of IIM-RP-ILD.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library to find reports of interest published from inception to March 4, 2024. STATA 15.1 was used for data analysis. A fixed or random-effects model with inverse-variance weighting was used to estimate the pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Two hundred and thirty studies were identified. Eleven studies, including five retrospective cohort studies, four case-control studies and two case series, were included. PE was performed on 114 patients. The survival rate at 6 months was 80% (95%CI = 64%-92%), with moderate heterogeneity (I2=63.45%, p < 0.05). Moreover, the 6-month survival rate was significantly better in the PE group than in the non-PE group (RR, 1.34; 95% CI = 1.05-1.71, I2=30.7%; p = 0.194). ILD-related serum markers, including ferritin, KL-6 and anti-MDA-5 antibody titres, were significantly suppressed by a series of PE treatments (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The application of PE therapy plus treatment with corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and/or biologics was effective for patients with IIM-RP-ILD. PE may have additional supportive effect in intractable disease.

Anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis: pathogenesis and clinical progress

Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis (MDA5-DM) is a subtype of dermatomyositis. Although the aetiology and pathology remain unclear, increasing evidence suggests that viral infection is a potential trigger of MDA5-DM. Multiple factors, including T cells, B cells, neutrophils and macrophages, are implicated in the pathophysiology of MDA5-DM. Distinctive skin rashes, rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease, peripheral lymphopenia and elevated serum ferritin levels are the most prominent clinical and laboratory features of MDA5-DM. Concomitant infection is a common complication of MDA5-DM. The proper evaluation of patients with MDA5-DM requires knowledge of the disease heterogeneity and clinical course variability. Several biomarkers, including serum levels of anti-MDA5 antibodies and biomarkers related to macrophage activation, have been identified as useful tools for monitoring disease activity and prognosis. MDA5-DM shows a poor response to conventional glucocorticoid and immunosuppressant therapy and has a poor overall prognosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the key pathogenic mechanisms of MDA5-DM and develop novel therapeutic options for patients. This Review discusses recent clinical progress and pathogenic findings of MDA5-DM.

Transcriptomic profiling and longitudinal study reveal the relationship of anti-MDA5 titer and type I IFN signature in MDA5+ dermatomyositis

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between anti-MDA5 titer and type I IFN signature in patients with MDA5+ DM.

Methods

We explored the transcriptome profiling of PBMCs in MDA5+ DM patients with high-titer of antibody at disease onset or relapse and normal low-titer after treatment and healthy donors. Subsequently, we revealed the dynamic relationship between serum type I IFN scores and antibody titers.

Result

Differentially expressed genes in MDA5+ DM patients were enriched for related pathways and biological functions linked to viruses and cytokines compared to healthy donors. Similar differences remained pooled between the high-titer and low-titer group, and type I-specific interferon response genes showed upregulation in high-titer group. Significant correlations were found between anti-MDA5 titers and type I IFN scores (r = 0.50, P< 0.001). Contemporaneous anti-MDA5 titers revealed to be significantly higher in the group with ultra-high type I IFN scores (vs. high group, P = 0.027; vs. low group, P< 0.001). Longitudinal assessment of type I IFN scores and anti-MDA5 titers, including pre- and post-treatment changes at initial diagnosis and dynamic changes during treatment, presented an asynchrony between the two parameters in response to treatment.

Conclusion

Anti-MDA5 antibody titers correlated with type I IFN signature in patients with MDA5+ DM and they both changed dynamically but not synchronously over the course of treatment.