The Evaluation of Lipoma Arborescens with Intermittent Knee Joint Effusion Based on an Analysis of Serum Cytokine Levels and an Immunohistological Examination: A Case Report.

We herein report a 27-year-old woman who presented with recurrent knee pain. Laboratory findings revealed minimal inflammation. Arthrography revealed structures resembling adipose tissues. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a high signal intensity of these structures, leading to the diagnosis of lipoma arborescens (LA). Synovectomy was performed. Pathology revealed adipocyte proliferation and B-cell clusters but no T-cell infiltration. A serum cytokine analysis revealed low levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α compared with patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The pathogenesis of LA remains unclear, but immunostaining and serum cytokine levels may provide valuable data for future investigations.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine on arthritis condition in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine has been reported to cause various adverse reactions, including the development or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, but the adverse reactions and the effects of the vaccines on disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain unknown. We therefore investigated the arthritis condition in RA patients after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Methods: RA patients who visited our hospital from January to April 2022 completed a questionnaire regarding adverse reactions to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. We compared the frequency and duration of post-vaccination arthralgia between RA patients and health care workers in our hospital. For the RA patients who reported post-vaccination arthralgia, we collected medical records for the 6 months after vaccination. Results: Of the 1198 vaccinated RA patients, 256 (21.4%) had systemic inflammatory symptoms, 18 (1.5%) had allergies including urticaria and asthma, and 37 (3.1%) had arthralgia. A few patients had extra-articular manifestations such as acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease. Compared with health care workers, RA patients more frequently developed arthralgia, and the arthralgia was longer lasting than that in controls: only 9 (0.8%) of the 1117 health care workers reported arthralgia, and all cases resolved within 3 days. Data from 31 of the 37 RA patients with post-vaccination arthralgia were further analyzed; in these patients, disease activity was highest after 2 months, and 10 patients required additional DMARDs within 6 months. The proportion of concomitant use of PSL at vaccination was higher in these patients. No patients on biological DMARDs or targeted synthetic DMARDs prior to vaccination needed additional DMARDs or a change of regimen. Conclusion: RA patients had more frequent and longer-lasting arthralgia after vaccination than healthy subjects, and one-third of patients with post-vaccination arthralgia required additional DMARDs. Although the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine was administered safely in most RA patients, in some patients RA symptoms may worsen after vaccination.

Hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis case with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination.

A 61-year-old man with no previous record of autoimmune disease developed fever, polyarthralgia, purpura, and urticaria-like rash 2 weeks after the first dose of the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine, and symptoms deteriorated following the second dose. He presented reduced erythrocyte and platelet counts, hyperferritinemia, high sIL-2R levels, and severe hypocomplementemia. We diagnosed hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis (HUVS), and his symptoms as well as laboratory findings improved following treatment with mPSL 1000 mg/day for 3 days and PSL 40 mg/day. Twelve weeks following treatment initiation, the patient relapsed with fever, sore throat, pancytopenia, and hyperferritinemia when the PSL dose was reduced to 12.5 mg/day. Bone marrow biopsy and MRI presented fatty marrow and hemophagocytosis. The patient's blood cells started recovering using ATG + CsA + EPAG therapy for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This is the first case report of HUVS and HLH following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. It is presumed that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine can induce the excessive production of certain types of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-17 as a consequence of IL-6 Amplification (IL-6 Amp). SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-vaccines can cause disruption of immune homeostasis in healthy individuals. An extremely rare disease of HUVS complicated by HLH can be developed as a consequence.

Comparison of risks of cancer, infection, and MACEs associated with JAK inhibitor and TNF inhibitor treatment: a multicentre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the incidence rates (IRs) of infectious diseases, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), and malignancies in RA patients treated with tofacitinib, baricitinib or a TNF inhibitor. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the cases of 499 RA patients treated with tofacitinib (n = 192), baricitinib (n = 104), or a TNF inhibitor (n = 203). We determined the IRs of infectious diseases and the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of malignancies and investigated factors related to infectious diseases. After adjusting the clinical characteristic imbalance by propensity score weighting, we compared the incidence of adverse events between the Janus kinase (JAK)-inhibitor and TNF-inhibitor groups. RESULTS: The observational period was 959.7 patient-years (PY), and the median observational period was 1.3 years. The IRs within the JAK-inhibitor treatment group were: serious infectious diseases other than herpes zoster (HZ), 8.36/100 PY; HZ, 13.00/100 PY. Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed independent risk factors: the glucocorticoid dose in serious infectious diseases other than HZ, and older age in HZ. Two MACEs and 11 malignancies were identified in JAK-inhibitor-treated patients. The overall malignancy SIR was (non-significantly) higher than that of the general population (1.61/100 PY, 95% CI: 0.80, 2.88). The IR of HZ in the JAK-inhibitor-treated group was significantly higher than the TNF-inhibitor-treated group, but there were no significant differences in the IRs of other adverse events between the JAK-inhibitor-treated group and the TNF-inhibitor-treated group, or between the treatment groups of the two JAK inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: The infectious disease IR in RA was comparable between tofacitinib and baricitinib, but the IR for HZ in these treatment groups was high compared with that in the TNF inhibitor treatment group. The malignancy rate in the JAK-inhibitor-treated group was high but not significantly different from that of the general population or that of the TNF-inhibitor-treated group.

The Association of Increase of Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type-1 (HTLV-1) Proviral Load (PVL) With Infection in HTLV-1-Positive Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Longitudinal Analysis of Changes in HTLV-1 PVLs in a Single Center Cohort Study.

Objective: We evaluated changes of HTLV-1 proviral loads (PVLs) during treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and investigated whether these changes affect the clinical course in HTLV-1-positive RA patients. Methods: A total of 41 HTLV-1-positive RA patients were analyzed. Their clinical picture including disease activity [Disease Activity Score in 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), DAS28-CRP, simplified disease activity index (SDAI), and clinical disease activity index (CDAI)] and comorbidity were evaluated over a 2-year period. PVLs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We investigated whether HTLV-1 PVLs is altered, or which clinical characteristics affect changes of HTLV1-PVLs during 2-year treatment. Results: Clinical disease activity was not changed during the 2-year observational period. The mean HTLV-1 PVL value change from baseline to 2 years was -1.2 copies/1000 PBMCs, which was not statistically significant. No baseline clinical characteristics influenced changes in HTLV-1 PVL. However, a numerical change of HTLV-1 PVLs was increased in 4 patients initiating the new biological/targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) at 2-10 months after starting the new b/ts DMARDs (numerical increase was 24.87 copies/1000 PBMCs). Infection occurred in 4 patients, and 3 of those patients showed an increased HTLV-1 PVL. Univariate analysis revealed an association between increase of HTLV-1 PVL and incidence of infection. Conclusions: Over 2 years, HTLV-1 PVL did not significantly change in our HTLV-1-positive RA patients. Individual changes in HTLV-1 PVL were correlated with incidence of infection but not disease activity which indicate that we may take precaution toward infection at the uptick of HTLV-1 PVL in HTLV-1-positive RA patients.

Comparison of complications during 1-year follow-up between remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema syndrome and elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis.

Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema syndrome (RS3PE), a rheumatic disease affecting the elderly, responds well to corticosteroids; however, our RS3PE patients' corticosteroid therapy is longer than expected. Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) patients are reported to be at a significantly increased risk for steroid-related side effects including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). To clarify the complications during a 1-year follow-up in corticosteroid-treated RS3PE patients compared to EORA patients. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 47 RS3PE patients (28 men, 19 women, age 78.4 ± 7.5 years) and 46 EORA patients (10 men, 36 women; 77.0 ± 6.8 yrs) to compare the complications over a 1-year follow-up. The RS3PE and EORA groups' average initial PSL doses were 16.5 ± 7.2 mg/day and 7.3 ± 4.6 mg/day, respectively. During the 1-year follow-up after treatment, there was no significant increase in CVDs in both groups. However, infections occurred in nine RS3PE patients, which is a significantly higher incidence compared to the EORA patients with infections (n = 3). The initial PSL dose was the independent variable associated with the incidence of infection. Infections were significantly increased during elderly RS3PE patients' steroid therapy. The initial corticosteroid dose was an infection-risk factor.Key messagesInfections are increased during steroid therapy in elderly patients with RS3PE syndrome.The initial dose of corticosteroids was one of the risk factors for infections.

Clinical Characteristics of Patients With IgG4-Related Disease Complicated by Hypocomplementemia.

Background: A proportion of patients with immunogloblin G (IgG) 4-related disease (IgG4-RD) have hypocomplementemia. We aimed to identify characteristics of such patients. Methods: We analyzed the demographic and clinical data and complement levels of 85 patients with IgG4-RD. We defined hypocomplementemia as serum C3 and/or C4 levels below the lower limit of normal at diagnosis. We also compared the characteristics of patients with and without IgG4-RD. Results: Thirty-two (38%) patients had hypocomplementemia at diagnosis. Patients with hypocomplementemia had more lymph node (p < 0.01), lung (p < 0.01), and kidney (p = 0.02) involvement and a higher IgG4-RD responder index than those without (p = 0.05). Additionally, patients with hypocomplementemia had significantly higher IgG (p < 0.01), IgG4 (p < 0.01), and soluble interleukin 2-receptor (sIL-2R) (p < 0.01) levels and total IgG minus IgG4 (p < 0.01). C3 and C4 levels negatively correlated with IgG, IgG4, and sIL-2R levels, total IgG minus IgG4, and number of IgG4-RD responder index: a measure of the disease activity in IgG4-RD. Patients with hypocomplementemia at diagnosis had a significantly higher frequency of relapse (p = 0.024), as determined using the log-rank test. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the presence of hypocomplementemia was independently associated with relapse (OR, 6.842; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 1.684-27.79; p = 0.007). Conclusions: Patients with IgG4-RD with hypocomplementemia have a more active clinical phenotype, suggesting contributions of the complement system in the pathophysiology of IgG4-RD.

Real-world comparative effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib and baricitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib and baricitinib in patients with RA in a real-world setting. METHODS: A total of 242 patients with RA who were treated with tofacitinib (n = 161) or baricitinib (n = 81) were enrolled. We evaluated efficacy and safety between tofacitinib and baricitinib using multivariable analyses to avoid confounding. Their clinical disease activity and AEs were evaluated for 24 weeks. RESULTS: The mean (SD) DAS28-ESR change from baseline to 24 weeks was 1.57 (1.55) (tofacitinib) and 1.46 (1.36) (baricitinib). There was no significant difference in the clinical response between the two groups (adjusted mean difference, 0.04; 95% CI, -0.35 to 0.28). The efficacy was not significantly changed in the patients without concomitant MTX use in both groups, but the concomitant MTX use showed better clinical efficacy in the cases of baricitinib treatment. In both groups, the most common AE was herpes zoster infection, and the AE rates were similar between the two groups. However, the predictive factors contributing to clinical response as revealed by a multivariable logistic analysis differed. The concomitant oral steroid use was independently associated with the achievement of DAS-low disease activity in the tofacitinib group, whereas in the baricitinib group, the number of biological and/or targeted synthetic DMARDs previously used was associated. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that tofacitinib and baricitinib had comparable continuing efficacies and safety profiles. However, there is a possibility that the influence of clinical characteristics on the treatment response differs. The comparison provides useful information to the optimal use of JAK inhibitors in real-world settings.

Effect of abatacept treatment on serum osteoclast-related biomarkers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA): A multicenter RA ultrasound prospective cohort in Japan.

ABSTRACT: We evaluated the effect of abatacept treatment on osteoclast-related biomarkers and explored whether the biomarkers are associated with the therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with abatacept.We enrolled 44 RA patients treated with abatacept from a multicenter prospective ultrasound cohort study of patients who received biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy. We evaluated the disease activity score (DAS) 28-CRP (C-reactive protein), musculoskeletal ultrasound scores including the total grayscale score (GS)/power Doppler (PD) score and the serum concentrations of isoform 5b of tartrate-resistant acid phosphate (TRACP-5b) and soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (sRANKL) at baseline and at 3 and 6 months of treatment. "PD responder" was defined as a patient whose Δtotal PD score over 6 months was greater than the median change of that.Abatacept significantly improved DAS28-CRP as well as the total GS/PD score over 6 months. Serum TRACP-5b was significantly elevated and serum sRANKL was significantly decreased at 6 months (P < .0001 and P < .01, respectively). At 6 months, serum sRANKL was significantly decreased in the patients who achieved DAS28-CRP remission and the PD responders but not in those who did not. However, serum TRACP-5b rose regardless of the therapeutic response.Among RA patients treated with abatacept, serum sRANKL decreased in the patients with a good therapeutic response, but serum TRACP-5b elevated paradoxically regardless of the therapeutic response.

Association between serum bone biomarker levels and therapeutic response to abatacept in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA): a multicenter, prospective, and observational RA ultrasound cohort study in Japan.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of treatment on serum bone biomarkers and explore whether serum bone biomarkers are associated with therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with abatacept. METHODS: We enrolled 59 RA patients treated with abatacept from a multicenter, exploratory, short-term, prospective and observational ultrasound cohort study of patients who received biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy. We evaluated the patients' clinical disease activity and musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) scores. The serum concentrations of five bone biomarkers were evaluated (dickkopf-1 [Dkk-1], sclerostin [SOST], osteocalcin [OC], osteopontin [OPN], and osteoprotegerin [OPG]) by multiplex bead assays at baseline, 3, and 6 months: the change over 6 months was defined as the Δ value. 'Power Doppler (PD) responder' was defined as a patient whose Δtotal PD score over 6 months was greater than the median change. RESULTS: Abatacept significantly improved the clinical disease activity and MSUS score over 6 months. Serum OPG was significantly elevated at 6 months after the abatacept introduction (p = 0.016). The ΔSOST and ΔOPG were significantly greater in the PD responders versus the non-PD responders (p = 0.0041 and 0.0073, respectively). The serum Dkk-1 at baseline was significantly lower in the PD responders (n = 30) vs. the non-PD responders (n = 29) (p = 0.026). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the serum Dkk-1 at baseline (odds ratio 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23-0.91, p = 0.043) was an independent predictor of PD responder status. CONCLUSION: Serum levels of bone biomarkers may be useful for predicting RA patients' therapeutic responses to abatacept. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Name of the registry: Assessment of therapeutic responsiveness by imaging of the joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; A observational cohort study Trial registration number: UMIN000012524 Date of registration: 12/9/2013 URL of trial registry record: https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000014657.

Effectiveness and safety of non-tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy for anti-human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Our previous study showed that the effectiveness of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors was attenuated in anti-human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) antibody-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of non-TNF inhibitors in anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive patients with RA. METHODS: We reviewed patients with RA who received abatacept or tocilizumab as the first biologic agent. We used the data of patients treated with TNF inhibitors from our previous study to compare the effectiveness between the anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive patients treated with TNF inhibitors and non-TNF inhibitors using the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) method. RESULTS: A total of 359 patients were divided into anti-HTLV-1 antibody-negative and -positive patients of 332 and 27, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed in the change in the clinical disease activity index between the anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive and -negative patients. The results using the IPTW method showed a significant association between the non-TNF inhibitors treatment and a better response. None of the patients developed adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis during the 24 weeks. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that non-TNF inhibitors treatment is safety, and the effectiveness is not attenuated also in anti-HTLV-1 antibody-positive patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients with low baseline Health Assessment Questionnaire scores have a risk of functional disability progression: a post hoc analysis of a nationwide longitudinal cohort in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: To determine prognostic factors for the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practice. METHODS: We evaluated 388 biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (bDMARD)-naïve Japanese patients with RA with moderate to high disease activity at study entry after being treated with conventional synthetic DMARDs. These patients were treated according to a treat-to-target (T2T) strategy for one year. The Disease Activity Score in 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and the HAQ-DI were assessed every three months. We also evaluated joint destruction using a modified total Sharp score at baseline and at one year. HAQ-DI progression was defined as the yearly progression of HAQ-DI >0.1. We performed a multiple logistic regression analysis to explore the factors predicting HAQ-DI progression at one year. RESULTS: HAQ-DI progression was observed in 18% of the patients. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed the independent variables associated with HAQ-DI progression were: DAS28-ESR >5.1 at baseline (odds ratio [OR] 0.31, 95% con dence interval [CI] 0.13-0.74, p=0.0083); HAQ-DI score at baseline <0.5 (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.22-4.26, p=0.0102); and achievement of low disease activity at 12 weeks (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.82, p=0.0112). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that maintaining clinical improvement according to T2T and initiating the treatment at an early stage are important for functional improvement after one year and that patients with low baseline HAQ scores have a higher risk of HAQ disability progression.

Comparison of lung microbiota between antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis and sarcoidosis.

Microbial involvement in the pathogenesis have been suggested in both antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) and sarcoidosis, both of which have lung involvement. However, exhaustive research to assess the bacteria in the lung in AAV and in sarcoidosis have not been performed. We sought to elucidate the distinct dysbiotic lung microbiota between AAV and sarcoidosis. We used 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing to obtain the bacterial community composition of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in patients with AAV (n = 16) compared to patients with sarcoidosis (n = 21). The patients had not undergone therapy with immunosuppressive medication when their BALF was acquired. No difference was observed in α-diversity between patients with AAV and patients with sarcoidosis when using all the detected taxa. We defined the taxa of the oral cavity by using the data of oral microbiota of healthy individuals from the Human Microbiome Project (HMP). The analysis using only oral taxa made the difference in α-diversity between AAV and sarcoidosis clearer compared with those using all the detected taxa. Besides, the analysis using detected taxa except for oral taxa also made the difference in α-diversity between AAV and sarcoidosis clearer compared with those using all the detected taxa. A linear negative relationship between the α-diversity and Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS) was detected in the AAV group. The observed p-value for the effect of the disease groups on the ß-diversity was small while the effect of other factors including sex and smoking status did not have small p-values. By excluding oral taxa from all the detected taxa, we found a cluster mainly consisted of sarcoidosis patients which was characterized with microbial community monopolized by Erythrobacteraceae family. Our results suggested the importance of considering the influence of oral microbiota in evaluating lung microbiota.

Clinical features and human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) proviral load in HTLV-1-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Baseline data in a single center cohort study.

Objective: Recently, Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 proviral load (HTLV-1 PVL) has been evaluated as an important predictor of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) in HTLV-1 carriers. We aimed to evaluate whether HTLV-1 PVL is also important for the development of ATL among HTLV-1-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: We established a cohort of 82 HTLV-1-positive RA patients between 2017 and 2018. Of those, 27 (32.9%) were treated with biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) with/without methotrexate. We measured HTLV-1 PVL in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) at study entry and compared the value by clinical status and treatment options.Results: The median PVL for all was 9.6 copies per 1000 PBMCs without sex difference (male 17.2 and female 8.6; p = .24). The median PVL was significantly higher for patient's comorbid bronchiectasis, malignancies, and opportunistic infectious diseases, compared with patients without comorbidity. There were no significant differences in PVL levels among types of bDMARDs, although the level was tended to be higher for patients treated with JAK inhibitor.Conclusions: HTLV-1 seropositive RA patients comorbid for any diseases having higher HTLV-1 PVLs will be a higher risk for developing ATL. Careful follow-up of these patients is necessary to detect ATL development.

Clinical predictors of inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) including methotrexate (MTX) in untreated rheumatoid arthritis patients: A single-center observational study.

Objectives: To investigate predictors of inadequate response to first conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) including methotrexate (MTX) in untreated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in daily clinical practice.Methods: Inadequate response to MTX or other csDMARDs was defined as being not low disease activity at 12 months in more than 3 of 4 composite measures, and discontinuation or start of biologic DMARDs. The association between baseline factors and csDMARDs-IR was assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results: Four hundred and eleven and 146 patients were started on MTX and other csDMARDs, respectively; 218 patients were responsive to MTX, with a response rate of 47.0%. Tender joint count (TJC, ≥6 in 28joints, odds ratio [OR] = 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-2.64) and CRP (≥1.0 mg/dL, OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.10-2.70) at baseline were identified as predictors on multivariate logistic regression analysis. TJC (OR = 3.60, 95%CI: 1.29-10.00) was the factor identified as a predictor of the development of other csDMARDs-IR.Conclusion: In this observational study, patients with untreated RA at risk of inadequate response to MTX included those with a higher TJC and higher CRP, while a higher TJC was the only independent predictor of an inadequate response to csDMARDs other than MTX.

Denosumab is effective toward glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis patients complicated with rheumatic diseases regardless of prior anti-osteoporotic drugs.

We examined the efficacy and safety of denosumab as treatment for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) patients complicated with rheumatic diseases, by measuring patients' lumber bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers. A total of 66 consecutive patients for whom denosumab was initiated between July 2013 and August 2016 were enrolled and evaluated for 12 months. All of the patients were treated with glucocorticoids for underlying rheumatic diseases. The clinical assessment included measurements of the BMD of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry technique and the bone turnover markers N-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (NTX) in urine, serum intact procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) at baseline, 6 months and 12 months after the start of denosumab treatment. Adverse events (AEs) until 12 months were also analyzed. The mean percentage changes in BMD from baseline to 6 and 12 months were significant (2.85% increase, p < 0.0001 and 4.40% increase, p < 0.0001, respectively) regardless of the prior anti-osteoporotic drugs treatment (16 no transition from anti-osteoporotic drugs, 27 transition from bisphosphonate, 23 transition from teriparatide). The decreases in NTX, P1NP and BAP at 6 and 12 months were also significant. No serious AEs were noted. A multivariable logistic analysis showed that the prednisolone dose at baseline was associated with the clinical response to denosumab. In a real-world setting, denosumab was effective and safe for treating GIOP patients complicated with rheumatic diseases regardless of prior anti-osteoporotic drug treatment.

Brief Report: Attenuated Effectiveness of Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors for Anti-Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type I Antibody-Positive Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for the treatment of human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-positive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in an area endemic for HTLV-I infection. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 585 RA patients in whom TNF inhibitors were newly introduced as a first biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in an area in southwestern Japan that is endemic for HTLV-I infection. RESULTS: Fifty patients (8.5%) were anti-HTLV-I antibody-positive. The ages of the patients in this group were significantly higher at entry compared with the ages of patients who were anti-HTLV-I antibody-negative (n = 535). The median Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) was 5.21. Among the total group of patients, 82% were anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive. The persistence rate of TNF inhibitors at 24 weeks was 89%. The median DAS28-ESR was significantly decreased at 24 weeks in each group. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response rate was significantly better in the anti-HTLV-I antibody-negative patients (P = 0.0277). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that anti-HTLV-I antibody status was significantly associated with the EULAR response rate and change in the DAS28-ESR and was prominent especially in the ACPA-negative subjects. No patients developed adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) or HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) during the 24-week treatment period. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of TNF inhibitors may be attenuated in anti-HTLV-I antibody-positive patients with RA. ATL and HAM did not develop when TNF inhibitors were used for 24 weeks, but the long-term risk is not known.

Efficacy of infliximab as a switched biologic in rheumatoid arthritis patients in daily clinical practice.

To assess the efficacy and safety of switching to infliximab (IFX) from other biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) among Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in daily practice. We examined 24 consecutive RA patients who had not achieved low disease activity (LDA) as the disease activity score-28 for rheumatoid arthritis with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) despite previous bDMARD therapy in this cohort study. We attempted to determine predictive variables that are associated with achieving DAS28-ESR LDA at 22 weeks post-IFX introduction, by performing univariate analysis. The median DAS28-ESR at baseline was 5.41. Sixteen patients (66.7%) had been treated with a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNF-i), and the other eight patients (33.3%) received a non-TNF-i (abatacept or tocilizumab). Nine patients (37.5%) achieved LDA or remission at 22 weeks. Univariate analyses showed that the variable to predict LDA achievement at 22 weeks was tender joints (>8 counts) at baseline (adjusted odds ratio, 0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.63; p = .02). Nine adverse events were observed during the study period, and infection requiring hospitalization was observed in one patient. Switching to IFX is effective to achieve LDA or remission for RA patients refractory to bDMARDs.

CD4+ CD52lo T-cell expression contributes to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus.

The cell-surface glycoprotein CD52 is widely expressed in lymphocytes. CD4+CD52hi T cells are functioning suppressor CD4+T cells. We investigated the role of the immune regulation of CD4+CD52 T cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CD4+CD52lo T cells were increased in SLE patients, in positive correlation with SLEDAI, anti-ds-DNA antibody, and IgG concentration. Circulating follicular helper-like T cells (Tfh-like cells) were also increased in SLE, in positive correlation with CD4+CD52lo T cells. Chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) expression in CD4+CD52lo T cells was increased. In vitro experiments using CD4 T cells of SLE patients showed that thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), a ligand of CCR8, contributed to the development of CD4+CD52hi T cells into CD4+CD52lo T cells. Our findings suggest that CD4+CD52lo T-cell upregulation is involved in the production of pathogens by autoantibodies, and TARC may contribute to the development of SLE through an aberrant induction of CD4+CD52lo T cells.

Hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A single-center study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to verify the guidelines relating to HBV reactivation in Japan. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 1351 RA patients who were treated with antirheumatic drugs at our hospital. RESULTS: Fifty patients (3.7%; 50/1351) were determined to be HBV carriers and 360 patients (26.7%; 360/1351) had resolved infections. HBV reactivation occurred in six cases (1.7%: 6/360) with resolved infections, of whom, two cases (0.6%; 2/360) developed de novo HBV infections. Eleven of the patients who were HBV carriers received a nucleoside analogue (NA) prophylactically. In all of the cases, the HBV-DNA levels became undetectable and the patients' liver function normalized. Sixteen patients, who had lower titers of the HBV surface antigen and undetectable HBV-DNA levels, did not show HBV reactivation in the absence of NA therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that HBV reactivation might not be so frequent among RA patients, and that reliable indicators for prescribing a NA should be clarified for RA patients.