Immunosuppressive therapy and humoral response to third mRNA COVID-19 vaccination with a six-month interval in rheumatic disease patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term impact of immunosuppressive therapeutic agents on antibody response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccination in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRD) in order to propose a strategy for annual vaccination. METHODS: This prospective multicentre cohort study evaluated the humoral response to second and third BNT162b2 and/or mRNA-1273 vaccines in 382 Japanese AIRD patients classified into 12 different medication groups and in 326 healthy controls (HCs). The third vaccination was administered six months after the second vaccination. Antibody titres were measured using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay. RESULTS: The seroconversion rate and antibody titres were lower in AIRD patients than in HCs 3-6 weeks after the second vaccination and 3-6 weeks after the third vaccination. Seroconversion rates were <90% after the third vaccination in patients receiving mycophenolate mofetil and rituximab. Antibody levels after the third vaccination were significantly lower in the groups prescribed TNF inhibitor with or without methotrexate, abatacept and rituximab or cyclophosphamide than those of HCs in a multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, and glucocorticoid dosage. The third vaccination induced an adequate humoral response in patients treated with sulfasalazine, bucillamine, methotrexate monotherapy, iguratimod, interleukin-6 inhibitors or calcineurin inhibitors including tacrolimus. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated vaccinations in many immunosuppressed patients produced antibody responses similar to those observed in HCs. In contrast, annual vaccination in patients receiving TNF inhibitors, abatacept, mycophenolate mofetil and rituximab may require caution.

A case of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis with a significant response to baricitinib: a first report with review of literature.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a febrile disease with hyperinflammation characterized by activated macrophages with phagocytosis. The treatment strategy of secondary HLH has not been clearly established. Because of the high mortality rate and poor prognosis of HLH, alternative treatment strategies have been sought in treatment-resistant cases. Recently, there have been several reports that ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase (JAK) 1/JAK2 inhibitor, was effective against secondary HLH. Since the pathogenesis of HLH involves the overproduction of cytokines and JAK transmits a variety of cytokine signals, JAK inhibitors are thought to be effective in HLH. We herein report a case of HLH that was refractory to glucocorticoids, cyclosporine, and etoposide but responded to baricitinib. In the field of rheumatology, treatment-resistant cases of secondary HLH remain unmet needs. This is the first report to show that baricitinib was effective in a case of HLH. The accumulation of more cases in the future may prove that baricitinib is a potent agent for treating HLH.

Antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in patients with rheumatic diseases in Japan: Interim analysis of a multicentre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of medication on antibody response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 mRNA vaccines in Japanese patients with rheumatic diseases. METHODS: This prospective multicentre cohort study evaluated the humoral response in 12 different medication groups. Antibody levels before the first vaccination and 3-6 weeks after the second vaccination were measured using the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay. Statistical analysis included comparing antibody titres among the different medication groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the Bonferroni-Dunn test and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: 295 patients were analysed. The seroconversion rate was 92.2% and the median antibody titre was 255 U/ml (interquartile range, 34.1-685) after the second mRNA vaccination. Antibody levels were significantly lower in the groups treated with Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor with methotrexate, abatacept, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), MMF or mizoribine combined with calcineurin inhibitor, and rituximab or cyclophosphamide compared with those treated with sulfasalazine and/or bucillamine or calcineurin inhibitor (p < 0.01). The correlation between antibody titre and treatment was significant after adjusting for age, gender, and glucocorticoid dose (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Additional early vaccination is required in patients treated with Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor and methotrexate, abatacept, MMF, MMF or mizoribine combined with calcineurin inhibitor and rituximab or cyclophosphamide.

Predictive factors of fetal and maternal pregnancy outcomes in Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: The number of pregnant and delivery cases in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are increasing due to the advances in therapies. However, there are many problems such as the exacerbation of SLE during pregnancy and the risk of fetal complications. We investigated the impact of both pregnancy on lupus and lupus on pregnancy in Japanese patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 64 pregnancies in 39 cases of lupus patients at Kyushu University Hospital, Japan, from October 2002 to July 2018 and then assessed the clinical profiles and maternal and fetal outcomes. RESULTS: In terms of the impact of pregnancy on SLE, 29.7% of patients had lupus flare during pregnancy. Multivariate analysis showed that flare rates were significantly higher in patients who discontinued the immunosuppressants when pregnancy was detected or before pregnancy. Pregnancy results were 25.0% for preterm birth, 39.1% for low birth weight infants, and 31.3% for small-for-gestational-age infants. Regarding the effect of SLE on fetal death, the rates of stillbirth were significantly higher in cases whose C3 value at 12 weeks of gestation was lower than before conception. Preterm birth was associated with disease duration and lupus flare during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Discontinuation of immunosuppressive drugs was a predictive factor for lupus flare during pregnancy. Further, the decrease of C3 levels at 12 weeks of gestation from baseline was a predictive factor for fetal loss. It is essential for lupus pregnant patients to prevent flares, even with the use of immunosuppressive medications.

CCR6+ group 3 innate lymphoid cells accumulate in inflamed joints in rheumatoid arthritis and produce Th17 cytokines.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies show that innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) contribute to the development of chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. In this study, we assessed the ILC function in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), we identified and purified the ILC subsets in peripheral blood (PB), local lymph nodes (LNs), and joints by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and used quantitative PCR to assess the expression levels of representative cytokines. We also correlated the frequencies of each ILC subset in synovial fluid (SF) with clinical parameters in RA patients. RESULTS: In the CIA model, the proportion of CCR6+ ILC3s to total ILCs in joints with active inflammation significantly increased relative to non-arthritic joints (median 29.6% vs 16.7%, p = 0.035). CCR6+ ILC3s from mice with arthritis expressed significantly higher levels of IL-17A and IL-22 mRNA than did comparable cells from control mice (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.015). In RA patients, the proportion of CCR6+ ILCs in SF was positively correlated with tender joint counts (TJC) and swollen joint counts (SJC) (ρ=0.689, p = 0.0032 and ρ=0.644, p = 0.0071, respectively). Levels of CC chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) increased in SF of patients with RA and were significantly correlated with CCR6+ ILC number (ρ=0.697, p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: CCR6+ ILC3s may play some roles in the development of RA through the production of IL-17 and IL-22.

Transient antiphospholipid syndrome associated with primary cytomegalovirus infection: a case report and literature review.

Viral infection is known to induce transient autoimmunity in humans. Acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is implicated in occasional thrombosis formation. We here, for the first time, report a 19-year-old female who had an acute CMV infection, leading to a deep venous thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism along with transient appearance of lupus anticoagulant. The pathological role of antiphospholipid antibodies in CMV-mediated thrombosis is discussed.

[An usual case of vasculo- and neuro-Behçet's disease with MEFV mutations].

  A 35-year-old man had a 2-year history of uveitis and arterial wall thickening of an aortic branching artery detected by magnetic resonance imaging. He was admitted to our hospital because of mental exaltation. He had been treated with a moderate dose of prednisolone (30 mg/ml) plus methotrexate (6 mg/week) under the diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis for 2 years. Neurological examinations and brain magnetic resonance imaging taken on admission showed no abnormal findings. Although cerebrospinal fluid showed four cells/mm3 and 45 mg/dl of protein, cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-6 levels were markedly elevated (65.4 pg/mL), suggesting the neuro-Behçet's disease. The diagnosis of coexistence of vasculo- and neuro-Behçet's disease was made because vascular lesions are considered as a complication of Behçet's disease. We performed DNA testing using direct sequencing of all exons of the MEFV gene because of the patient's history of periodic fever since 30 year-old. The E148Q/L110P compound heterozygous mutation was found. His neurological symptoms and periodic fever were well controlled after the administration of infliximab (5 mg/kg every 2-month interval). Although occurrence by chance cannot be ruled out, the unusual findings of this patient suggest that MEFV mutations have some etiopathogenic mechanisms of an atypical phenotype of Behçet's disease.