Distinction of dermal thickening at fingers is paramount in recognition of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Evaluation of skin thickening by modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) might be challenging. Simple and practical tools are needed to help distinguishing (non-) thickened skin in daily practice. High frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) can reliably measure dermal thickness (DT). In this pilot study we search for a DT cut-off value (as a simple HFUS discriminator) to distinguish between healthy control (HC) and SSc skin at the left index finger (F2L).

To evaluate prevalence of ultrasonographic remission (USR) and concordance with clinical remission in "drug-free" or "on-treatment" patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

To develop evidenced recommendations to allow the global systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) advocacy community to effectively advocate for change and improve care for patients with SLE.

To compare the humoral response after a SARS-CoV-2 infection in an inflammatory rheumatic disease population with a healthy control population in a case-control study.

Utilising Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) questionnaires can enhance clinical care by measuring longitudinal changes in symptom severity as reported by the patient. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility and impact of incorporating PROMIS® questionnaires at the point-of-care in rheumatology practice.

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in various parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) before and after treatment in patients with IgG4-related autoimmune pancreatitis (IgG4-AIP), and to identify potential indicators that can assist in evaluating disease activity.

IgA vasculitis with nephritis (IgAVN) is closely related to IgA nephritis (IgAN) and IgA vasculitis (IgAV), but the clinical characteristics and exact pathogenesis of IgAVN remain unclear. In the present study, we have reviewed 8 clinical trials with different treatments and found that most IgAVN patients had partial recovery after treatments while few patients (26.5%) recovered completely within 6 months. Adding cyclophosphamide to mycophenolate mofetil was beneficial in children with severe kidney damage but was not effective in adults with serious organ damage (p=0.847). Tonsillectomy reduced the recurrence rate (p=0.03). In 18 reported cases we summarised, intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (MEP) combined with immunosuppressants (66.7%) and MEP combined with oral prednisolone (27.8%) were the two most commonly utilised treatments, and rituximab (40%) was the most frequently used monoclonal antibody. Mechanistically, activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, macrophage and completements contributed to the inflammation and endothelial cell apoptosis in IgAVN patients. Galactose-deficient IgA1 may be a threshold for IgAVN. The bulk formation of immune complexes and the decreased clearance rate led to the deposition of immune complexes. In severe cases, coagulation cascade would be triggered and thus caused renal fibrosis.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice and it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. AF is linked with inflammatory signalling while inflammation and oxidative stress promote atrial remodelling, favouring the development and perpetuation of the arrhythmia. On the other hand, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is considered a chronic inflammatory rheumatic condition with flares and remissions that affects the axial skeleton and mainly young people. AS has been associated with an increased risk of valvular and aorta disease but its relationship with AF has not been studied well. Recent epidemiological evidence indicates an association between AS and AF. This brief review provides a concise overview of all available data regarding the association between AS and AF including the predictive role of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic markers. Several unresolved issues including the thromboembolic risk in this setting and the potential role of anti-inflammatory interventions are also discussed.

To compare the involvement of cytotoxic CX3CR1+ T cell subsets between giant cell arteritis (GCA) and Takayasu's arteritis (TAK).

In this study, we investigated whether serum Wnt3A levels at diagnosis reflected cross-sectional activity and predicted poor outcomes during follow-up in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) are hallmarks of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) and have become increasing valuable in disease diagnosis, phenotyping, and classification. In addition to their clinical utility, emerging data, including findings from several animal studies, suggest that MSAs and autoreactive T cells substantially contribute to the etiopathogenesis of IIMs. This review aims to provide an updated perspective on myositis autoantibodies by focusing on relevant clinical and translational studies.

To elucidate the existence of bacteria in situ and its influence on the clinical and pathological features of synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome.

Complicated primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) with haematological involvement (HI) is not uncommon; however, the aetiology of this condition remains obscure. The clinical characteristics, cytokine levels, and expression of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets (CD4+ T lymphocyte subsets in particular) of patients with pSS-HI were investigated in this study.

The Janus kinases-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signalling pathway plays a crucial role in autoimmunity and the signalling pathways of many cytokines in Sjögren's disease (SjD). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate both the therapeutic and immunomodulatory effects of the oral JAK3/JAK2/JAK1 inhibitor tofacitinib in a murine model of SjD.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a dermatologist-filled-in 7-item questionnaire (called HERACLES) as a screening tool for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis.