[Randomized control multi-center clinical study of mycophenolate mofetil and cyclophosphamide in the treatment of connective tissue disease related interstitial lung disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in the treatment of connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with CTD-ILD, confirmed by high resolution computer tomography (HRCT), were enrolled from five clinical centers from July 2010 to July 2014. In addition to the basic glucocorticoid treatment, patients received intravenous cyclophosphamide (Group A) or oral MMF (Group B) for one year. Pulmonary function was assessed at the 3, 6, 12 months. All adverse events were recorded and efficacy and safety were evaluated at the end of this trial. RESULTS: Total 60 patients were enrolled, each group had 30 patients. 5 patients withdrew voluntarily from each group, 2 and 3 patients died in group A and B, respectively. Total 45 patients completed this trial. Neither lung function, HRCT nor adverse events had differences between the two groups or within group (P>0.05). When the analysis was done among patients with forced vital capacity (FVC) ≤ 75% and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)% ≤ 75%, there were significantly statistical differences in FVC and FEV1 at 6th month compared with prior treatment in group A (both P<0.05). And there were significant increase in FVC and FEV1 at 12 months in group B (both P<0.05). But there was no statistical difference between the two groups. For the patients with diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLco) ≤ 65%, there were significant increase in group A at 3, 6 and 12 months (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.05, respectively). but no significant increase was found in patients on MMF. And there was no difference between the two groups. No statistical difference existed in survival rate between these two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: MMF has comparative effect as cyclophosphamide in the remission or stability of lung function and HRCT manifestations of CTD-ILD patients. MMF is generally well-tolerated, but its efficacy in maintenance therapy and long-term safety remains to be clarified.

Increased serum level of IL-6 predicts poor prognosis in anti-MDA5-positive dermatomyositis with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease.

BACKGROUD: Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis (anti-MDA5-positvie DM) is a subtype of dermatomyositis with a poor prognosis, characterized by rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD). The study aims to investigate the significance of serum cytokines profiles and peripheral lymphocytes in predicting prognoses of anti-MDA5-positvie DM with RP-ILD. Furthermore, it seeks to analyze longitudinal data of lymphocytes during hospitalization to identify distinct trajectories and cluster patients accordingly. METHODS: A total of 168 patients with anti-MDA5-positive DM were enrolled in this retrospective study from two cohorts. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to determine the predictors of 6-month all-cause mortality and RP-ILD. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was employed to model the trajectories of longitudinal peripheral lymphocytes. RESULTS: In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, IL-6 ≥ 13.41pg/mL, lymphocytes < 0.5 × 109 /L, lymphocytes from 0.5 to 1.0 × 109 /L, older age, and elevated LDH were identified as independent predictors of 6-month all-cause mortality. Furthermore, IL-6 ≥ 13.41pg/mL, lymphocytes < 0.5 × 109 /L, and lymphocytes from 0.5 to 1.0 × 109 /L were found to be independent predictors of RP-ILD. Additionally, three trajectory groups of lymphocytes within the first week after admission were established based on GBTM. These groups included: Group 1, with low-level of lymphocytes that declined; Group 2, with medium-level of lymphocytes that slightly rose; and Group 3, with high-level of lymphocytes that rose. Notably, group 1 showed the highest mortality (90.7%) and all experiencing RP-ILD. Increased expression of IL-6 in lung tissues was observed in two cases with RP-ILD compared to two cases without RP-ILD. We also found the increased infiltration of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells, particularly CD8 + T cells, in lung tissues from patients with RP-ILD. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that increased level of serum IL-6 (≥ 13.41pg/mL) and severe lymphopenia were promising predictors of 6-month all-cause mortality and the occurrence of RP-ILD in anti-MDA5-positive DM patients. Furthermore, tracking distinct trajectories of lymphocytes during hospitalization can be utilized to cluster patients.

Efficacy and safety of Fengshi Gutong Capsule in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis: A 4-week randomized controlled, double-blinded, double-dummy trial.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Fengshi Gutong Capsule (FSGTC) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that is composed of seven herbs. It has been widely used for the treatment of joint pain in China. However, the clinical evidence supporting its use in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is lacking. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of FSGTC in the treatment of AS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized, controlled, double-blinded, double-dummy trial enrolled patients with active AS defined as Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease ActivityIndex (BASDAI) ≥ 4 or Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP) ≥ 2.1. Eligible patients were randomized (1:1:1) into combination group (FSGTC plus imrecoxib), FSGTC group (FSGTC plus imrecoxib placebo) or imrecoxib group (imrecoxib plus FSGTC placebo) over a 4-week treatment. The primary endpoint was the composite outcome measure of the Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis 20% (ASAS20) response at week 4. The secondary endpoints included ASDAS-CRP, BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), patient's global assessment of disease activity (PGTA) and safety. RESULTS: Of the 180 randomized patients, 159 patients (88.3%) completed the 4-week treatment. ASAS20 response rate at week 4 was achieved by 27.5% in imrecoxib group, compared with 37.0% in combination group (P > 0.05) and 37.0% in FSGTC group (P > 0.05). In comparison to imrecoxib group, there were significantly greater improvements of ASDAS-CRP and PTGA in combination group and greater improvement of ASDAS-CRP in FSGTC group while the rest of the secondary endpoints shown similar improvement. The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events in imrecoxib group (15.7%) was significantly higher than that of FSGTC group (1.9%) and without a significant difference to combination group (7.4%). CONCLUSION: FSGTC alone or combined with NSAIDs has therapeutic efficacy in decreasing disease activity of active AS patients and with good gastrointestinal tolerability after 4-week of treatment.

A clinical practice guideline for the screening and assessment of enthesitis in patients with spondyloarthritis.

Objective: The aim of this review is to provide guidance on the selection of approaches to the screening and assessment of enthesitis in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Methods: Twenty-four questions regarding the approaches to the screening and assessment of enthesitis and the implementation details were devised, followed by a systemic literature review. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology was employed in the development of this guideline, with modifications to evaluate non-interventional approaches under comprehensive consideration of costs, accessibility, and evidence strength. A consensus from the voting panel was required for the inclusion of the final recommendations and the strength of each recommendation. Results: Seventeen recommendations (including five strong recommendations) were included in this guideline. The voting panel expressed unequivocal support for the necessity of screening and assessment of enthesitis in patients with SpA. It was agreed unanimously that symptom evaluation and physical examination should serve as the initial steps to the recognition of enthesitis, whereas Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score is a reliable tool in both clinical trials and daily medical practice. Ultrasound examination is another reliable tool, with power Doppler ultrasound as an informative addition. Notwithstanding its high resolution, MRI is limited by the costs and relatively low accessibility, whereas radiographs had low sensitivity and therefore should be rendered obsolete in the assessment of enthesitis. PET/CT was strongly opposed in the detection of enthesitis. Conclusion: This guideline provides clinicians with information regarding the screening and assessment of enthesitis in patients with SpA. However, this guideline does not intend on dictating choices, and the ultimate decisions should be made in light of the actual circumstances of the facilities.

Successful treatment with bortezomib and thalidomide for POEMS syndrome associated with multicentric mixed-type Castleman's disease.

Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein and skin changes syndrome is a rare multi-systematic disorder of uncertain etiology, if associated with multicentric Castleman's disease, it can lead to a more serious condition. We here presented a case of polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein and skin changes syndrome in a 37-year-old male patient who initially presented with progressive lower limb weakness accompanied by pain, low skin temperature, and hyperpigmentation. He was admitted with increasingly serious dyspnea and lower leg edema. Fluid of serous cavities in the patient were also indicated in ultrasonic inspection and X-ray. Furthermore, biopsy of a left axillary lymph node showed mixed hyaline-vascular and plasma cell type of multicentric Castleman's disease. Administration of bortezomib (Velcade) (1.3 mg/m(2) on days 1, 4, 8 and 11 of a 21-day cycle) combined with thalidomide (100 mg/day and 21-day cycle) dramatically improved the condition of this disease. Of note, in our study, combination therapy of bortezomib and thalidomide successfully improved the condition of the patient with polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein and skin changes syndrome associated with multicentric Castleman's disease, suggesting that the combination therapy may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the intractable polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein and skin changes syndrome associated with multicentric Castleman's disease.

MiR-3926 inhibits synovial fibroblasts proliferation and inflammatory cytokines secretion through targeting toll like receptor 5.

Rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) play a key role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was aimed to investigate the effects of miR-3926 on the biological activities of RASFs. The results showed that miR-3926 was significantly down-regulated in RASFs and RA synovial tissue. Overexpression of miR-3926 significantly inhibited RASFs proliferation and decreased the secretion of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 in RASFs. TLR5 was identified to be a direct target of miR-3926. TLR5 showed an opposite expression trends with miR-3926 in RASFs and RA synovial tissue. Overexpression of miR-3926 led to a reduction of endogenous TLR5 in RASFs, whereas down-regulation of miR-3926 increased TLR5 expression. Knocking down of TLR5 significantly inhibited RASFs proliferation and inflammatory cytokines secretion. Rescue experiments with a miR-3926-resistant variant of TLR5 showed that overexpression of TLR5 restored RASFs proliferation and inflammatory cytokines secretion in miR-3926-overexpressing RASFs. In conclusion, miR-3926 is downregulated in RA synovial tissues and its overexpression caused the inhibitory effects on RASF proliferation and inflammatory cytokines secretion by targeting TLR5. The miR-3926/TLR5 pathway may represent a novel target for prevention and treatment of RA.