Weighting with the Lansbury articular index improves the correlation of ultrasound score with serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 level in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Seasonal evaluation and mapping of aboveground biomass in natural rangelands using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data

Rangelands play a vital role in developing countries' biodiversity conservation and economic growth, since most people depend on rangelands for their livelihood. Aboveground-biomass (AGB) is an ecological indicator of the health and productivity of rangeland and provides an estimate of the amount of carbon stored in the vegetation. Thus, monitoring seasonal AGB is important for understanding and managing rangelands' status and resilience. This study assesses the impact of seasonal dynamics and fire on biophysical parameters using Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) image data in the mesic rangeland of Limpopo, South Africa. Six sites were selected (3/area), with homogenous vegetation (10 plots/site of 30m2). The seasonal measurements of LAI and biomass were undertaken in the early summer (December 2020), winter (July-August 2021), and late summer (March 2022). Two regression approaches, random forest (RF) and stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), were used to estimate seasonal AGB. The results show a significant difference (p < 0.05) in AGB seasonal distribution and occurrence between the fire (ranging from 0.26 to 0.39 kg/m2) and non-fire areas (0.24-0.35 kg/m2). In addition, the seasonal predictive models derived from random forest regression (RF) are fit to predict disturbance and seasonal variations in mesic tropical rangelands. The S1 variables were excluded from all models due to high moisture content. Hence, this study analyzed the time series to evaluate the correlation between seasonal estimated and field AGB in mesic tropical rangelands. A significant correlation between backscattering, AGB and ecological parameters was observed. Therefore, using S1 and S2 data provides sufficient data to obtain the seasonal changes of biophysical parameters in mesic tropical rangelands after disturbance (fire) and enhanced assessments of critical phenology stages.

Serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 levels monitor the therapeutic efficacy in Syrian patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background

The plans for the successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) seek to attain low disease activity or reach clinical remission.

Objective

Our study aimed to compare the serum MMP-3 levels with predictors of response to therapy of rheumatoid arthritis in Syrian patients and explore its worth as a new valuable biomarker for RA therapy outcomes in daily practice.

Methods

Serum samples were gathered from 43 RA patients at diagnosis and 12 weeks of therapy. Related clinical and laboratory tests were estimated, levels of serum MMP-3 were measured by ELISA method and the disease activity was assessed using disease activity scores in 28 joints with an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) before and after therapy.

Results

The mean of Serum MMP-3 levels significantly decreased (322.3 ± 43.83 ng/ml) after therapy (12 weeks) in RA patients compared to its mean at baseline (486.49 ± 34.5 ng/ml). There wasn't a statistically significant difference in the mean of MMP-3 levels before and after therapy (P = 0.137) in non-responder patients. Patients who showed a good response (N = 38) presented higher MMP-3 levels at first which subsequently decreased significantly at the 12-week follow-up (P < 0.05). Also, there was a statistically significant difference in MMP-3 levels between the two groups of patients after therapy (P = 0.002). To differentiate between RA patients who responded to therapy and who did not, our results found that the cut-off value of serum MMP-3 was 317.8 ng/ml (sensitivity was 80%, specificity was 73%, AUC was 0.818, 95% CI: 1.114-112.5; P = 0.045) and the best cut-off value of DAS28-ESR was 5.325 (sensitivity 100%, specificity 100%, AUC = 100%,95% CI: 15.2 to 47203.8).

Conclusion

serum MMP-3 can be added as a novel and valuable biomarker in estimating the therapeutic response in RA patients, but it isn't better than DAS28-ESR.

Comparison of efficacy between anti-IL-6 receptor antibody and other biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have knee joint involvement: the ANSWER cohort, retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the efficacy of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody (aIL-6) and other biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), such as TNF inhibitor and CTLA4-Ig in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients with knee joint involvement.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 1059 treatment courses of patients with RA who visited our hospitals and were treated with bDMARDs. We categorized them into two groups, with or without knee joint involvement. We investigated the clinical disease activity index (CDAI) at baseline and 12 weeks after the initiation of bDMARDs. We compared the improvement of the markers between aIL-6 and other bDMARDs.

RESULTS

Treatment with aIL-6 significantly increased ΔCDAI (n = 91, 15.4 ± 1.1; mean ± SEM) in patients with knee joint involvement, compared to other bDMARDs (n = 232, 11.0 ± 0.7) at 12 weeks (P = 0.006). Following the multivariate analysis adjusted by the CDAI levels at baseline, age, gender, concomitant use of methotrexate, and the first use of bDMARDs, ΔCDAI levels were significantly higher in aIL-6, compared to other bDMARDs (P = 0.02). However, there was no significant difference in ΔCDAI improvement between aIL-6 (n = 162, 5.9 ± 0.6) and other bDMARDs (n = 573, 6.2 ± 0.4) in patients without swollen knee joints. ΔCDAI levels were equally increased in patients with shoulder and elbow joint involvement.

CONCLUSION

aIL-6 was more effective in the patients with RA and knee joint involvement, compared to other bDMARDs.

MMP3 is a reliable marker for disease activity, radiological monitoring, disease outcome predictability, and therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 or MMP3 also known as stromelysin-1 is an enzyme that is actively involved in joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Screening the last three decades, it appears that serum levels of MMP3 reflect positively RA disease activity, joint and bone injury, and radiological erosion and predict disease outcome and drug responsiveness as summarized in several publications reporting outcomes on more than 8000 patients with RA. MMP-3 monitoring should be embedded in the routine assessment and accompany therapeutic modalities, in personalized medical RA management.

Serum matrix metalloproteinase 3 in detecting remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema syndrome: A case report

We report a case of remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE) syndrome in a 71-year-old woman. She referred to our hospital with finger stiffness, edema of both hands and feet, pain of bilateral shoulder, wrist, metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal, and ankle joints. Rheumatoid factor was negative, human leukocyte antigen -B7 antigen was positive. Moreover, matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) was high. She was diagnosed with RS3PE syndrome, and treatment with prednisolone (15 mg/d) was started. One week after prednisolone treatment initiation, CRP decreased to negative, and joint pain was almost completely resolved. However, hand stiffness persisted, and MMP-3 level was still high. Thus, prednisolone dose was increased to 20 mg/d, and the stiffness resolved. Twenty days after treatment initiation, MMP-3 was normalized. MMP-3 was more indicative of RS3PE syndrome symptoms than CRP. Thus, MMP-3 seems to be more sensitive to RS3PE syndrome symptoms.

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 and the 7-joint ultrasound score in the assessment of disease activity and therapeutic efficacy in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis

Background

This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of serum matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) levels and articular ultrasound (US) scores in assessing disease activity and therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Methods

A total of 151 RA patients were enrolled, of whom 22 were treated with certolizumab pegol (Cimzia, CZP). The RA patients were divided into the following four subgroups according to their disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28): stable, mild activity, moderate activity, and high activity. Forty-three healthy controls were simultaneously studied. The serum MMP-3 levels and 7-joint US (US7) scores of all subjects were determined. The patients who were treated with CZP were subsequently followed for 6 months.

Results

The serum MMP-3 levels of all the RA patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls, and those of patients with moderate and severe RA were significantly higher than those of patients with stable RA. The US7 scores of patients with severe RA were significantly higher than those of patients in other groups. Using the DAS28 as a reference standard, the corresponding cutoff value of MMP-3 was 70.5 ng/ml. After CZP treatment, the MMP-3 levels and US7 scores were significantly decreased at week 2, and the mean changes in US7 scores at weeks 12 and 24 were significantly higher in both groups with American College of Rheumatology 50% positive response (ACR50) and ACR 70% positive response (ACR70) than in the negative groups.

Conclusion

Serum MMP-3 and the US7 scores could both effectively reflect disease activity and therapeutic responses in patients with moderate to severe RA.

Trial registration

CTR20140405 (RA0044), CTR20140405: A phase 3, Multicenter, Double-blind, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Group, Randomized, 24-Week Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Certolizumab Pegol as Additional Medication to Methotrexate in Chinese Subjects With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Have an Incomplete Response to Methotrexate, Registered on 13 June 2014.

CTR20140412 (RA0078), CTR20140412: A phase 3, Multicenter, Open-label Extension Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Certolizumab Pegol as Additional Medication to Methotrexate in Chinese Subjects With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Participated in RA0044, Registered on 02 July 2014.