ACPAs Are Much More Than Diagnostic Autoantibodies

Six-Month Follow-Up of Periodontal Condition in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis Arthritis Patients Undergoing Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor-α Therapy

In our present study, we aimed to assess the effects of anti-TNF therapy on periodontal condition in a mixed cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Moreover, we wished to determine whether the baseline dental condition of these patients would affect response to biological therapy. A cohort of 24 arthritis patients was consecutively recruited before starting anti-TNFα therapy. After the dropout of six patients, we evaluated the dental status of 18 subjects at baseline and after 6 months of biological therapy. Clinical responder (R) and non-responder (NR) status was determined after 6 months of anti-TNF treatment. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), PPDmax, clinical attachment loss (CAL), and CALmax were determined. During the 6-month treatment period, six patients (3 RA and 3 AS) terminated the study prematurely as they did not respond to treatment (NR). Therefore, 18 patients were included in the full analysis. There were no major differences in PI, BOP, PPD, PPD max, CAL, and CALmax, among R and NR patients. TNF inhibition resulted in increased GI (0.65 ± 0.34 vs. 0.88 ± 0.30; p < 0.05), as well as decreased PPDmax (4 ± 1.94 vs. 2.72 ± 1.36; p < 0.05) and CALmax (5.22 ± 2.56 vs. 2.72 ± 1.36; p < 0.05) after 6 months. Eight patients had incomplete canal fillings or dead pulps and/or apical periodontitis; six in the R and two in the NR group. In our present study, anti-TNF therapy seemed to worsen the extent of gingival inflammation (GI); however our results also do not support the reduction of mean CPD and CAL as reported by others.

Neoepitopes in Type 1 Diabetes: Etiological Insights, Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets

The mechanisms underlying type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis remain largely unknown. While autoantibodies to pancreatic beta-cell antigens are often the first biological response and thereby a useful biomarker for identifying individuals in early stages of T1D, their role in T1D pathogenesis is not well understood. Recognition of these antigenic targets by autoreactive T-cells plays a pathological role in T1D development. Recently, several beta-cell neoantigens have been described, indicating that both neoantigens and known T1D antigens escape central or peripheral tolerance. Several questions regarding the mechanisms by which tolerance is broken in T1D remain unanswered. Further delineating the timing and nature of antigenic responses could allow their use as biomarkers to improve staging, as targets for therapeutic intervention, and lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to loss of tolerance. Multiple factors that contribute to cellular stress may result in the generation of beta-cell derived neoepitopes and contribute to autoimmunity. Understanding the cellular mechanisms that induce beta-cells to produce neoantigens has direct implications on development of therapies to intercept T1D disease progression. In this perspective, we will discuss evidence for the role of neoantigens in the pathogenesis of T1D, including antigenic responses and cellular mechanisms. We will additionally discuss the pathways leading to neoepitope formation and the cross talk between the immune system and the beta-cells in this regard. Ultimately, delineating the timing of neoepitope generation in T1D pathogenesis will determine their role as biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets.

Therapeutic Advances in Diabetes, Autoimmune, and Neurological Diseases

Since 2015, 170 small molecules, 60 antibody-based entities, 12 peptides, and 15 gene- or cell-therapies have been approved by FDA for diverse disease indications. Recent advancement in medicine is facilitated by identification of new targets and mechanisms of actions, advancement in discovery and development platforms, and the emergence of novel technologies. Early disease detection, precision intervention, and personalized treatments have revolutionized patient care in the last decade. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current and emerging therapeutic modalities developed in the recent years. We focus on nine diseases in three major therapeutics areas, diabetes, autoimmune, and neurological disorders. The pathogenesis of each disease at physiological and molecular levels is discussed and recently approved drugs as well as drugs in the clinic are presented.

Comparison of secondary IgA nephropathy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in clinic-pathological features of secondary IgA nephropathy (SIgAN) between patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: Forty-six patients with SIgAN related to AS (SIgAN-AS) and 26 patients with SIgAN related to RA (SIgAN-RA) were enrolled in this retrospective study. The two groups were compared for their clinic-pathological characteristics.Results: The 10-year prevalence of SIgAN-AS and SIgAN-RA were 167 per 1000 and 51.3 per 1000, respectively. Compared with SIgAN-RA patients, SIgAN-AS patients had lower incidences of edema and nephrotic syndrome, but higher levels of eGFR, serum C3, and CD3- and CD8-positive T-cell counts, but less incidences of acute tubulointerstitial lesions and interlobular arterial lesions. IgM was the most familiar co-depositing immune complex on tissue with significantly different frequencies. In SIgAN-AS patients, those with positive HLA-B27 presented with lower levels of proteinuria, higher levels of serum IgG and C3, and less incidence of renal insufficiency, crescents >14.5%, glomerular sclerosis >32.6% and segmental sclerosis >5.2%.Conclusion: SIgAN was more prevalent in AS than in RA. SIgAN-AS patients differed from SIgAN-RA patients in certain clinic-pathological characteristics. HLA-B27 likely protected SIgAN-AS patients from renal insufficiency.

The genetic pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic insight of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. RA is a heterogeneous disorder caused by an abnormal autoimmune response triggered by the complex interactions of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to RA etiology. However, its underlying pathogenic mechanisms are yet to be fully understood. In this review, I provide an overview of the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic insight in the clinical management of RA in light of the recent updates to classification criteria and recent discoveries of genetic loci associated with susceptibility for RA.

The impact of ocular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis on the health-related quality of life and the functional ability of black Africans

Objectives To determine the patterns, predictors and overall impact of ocular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the health-related quality of life and disability index.

METHODS

A total of 50 Nigerian patients with RA were studied. Full ocular evaluation was done to determine the presence of each defined ocular manifestation of RA. All patients completed the Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) questionnaires.

RESULTS

The mean ± SD age of the patients was 47.2 ± 12.5 years. A total of 42 cases of ocular diseases were found in 23 (46%) patients. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca was found in 15 (30%) patients; cataract, 13 (26%); scleritis/episcleritis, 4 (8%); disk edema, 4 (8%); glaucoma, 3 (6%); ulcerative keratitis, 1 (2%); vitreitis, 1 (2%); and macula edema, 1 (2%) patient. There is an association of the presence of ocular manifestations with the physical component summary (PCS) [T = - 3.398, P = 0.001] and the mental component summary (MCS) [T = - 2.616, 0.012] of the SF-36 but not with the HAQ-DI (T = 1.685, 0.099). Following multiple regression analysis, the predictors of the presence of ocular manifestations were age greater than 45 years and positive anti-citrullinated protein antibody. Following linear regression analyses, Steinbrocker's functional class independently predicted the PCS while both Steinbrocker's functional class and female sex predicted the MCS.

CONCLUSIONS

The development of ocular disorders associated with RA is associated with a significant negative impact on the quality of life of the patients.

Coffee and autoimmunity: More than a mere hot beverage!

Coffee is one of the world's most consumed beverage. In the last decades, coffee consumption has attracted a huge body of research due to its impact on health. Recent scientific evidences showed that coffee intake could be associated with decreased mortality from cardiovascular and neurological diseases, diabetes type II, as well as from endometrial and liver cancer, among others. In this review, on the basis of available data in the literature, we aimed to investigate the association between coffee intake and its influence on the immune system and the insurgence of the most relevant autoimmune diseases. While some studies reported conflicting results, general trends have been identified. Coffee consumption seems to increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). By contrast, coffee consumption may exert a protective role against multiple sclerosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and ulcerative colitis. Concerning other autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, primary biliary cholangitis and Crohn's disease, no significant association was found. In other studies, coffee consumption was shown to influence disease course and management options. Coffee intake led to a decrease in insulin sensitivity in T1DM, in methotrexate efficacy in RA, and in levothyroxine absorption in Hashimoto's disease. Further, coffee consumption was associated with cross reactivity with gliadin antibodies in celiac patients. Data on certain autoimmune diseases like systemic sclerosis, Sjögren's syndrome, and Behçet's disease, among others, are lacking in the existent literature. As such, further research is warranted.