History of pre-eclampsia does not appear to be a risk factor for vascular phenotype in women with systemic sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Vascular phenotype is associated with a poor prognosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The identification of its risk factors could facilitate its early detection. OBJECTIVES: To explore risk factors for a vascular phenotype of SSc, among them a history of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: This observational multicentre case-control study enrolled adult women fulfilling European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology 2013 diagnosis criteria for SSc and having a pregnancy history≥6 months before SSc diagnosis in 14 French hospital-based recruiting centres from July 2020 to July 2022. Cases had specific vascular complications of SSc defined as history of digital ischaemic ulcers, pulmonary arterial hypertension, specific cardiac involvement or renal crisis. Women with SSc were included during their annual follow-up visit and filled in a self-administered questionnaire about pregnancy. A case report form was completed by their physician, reporting data on medical history, physical examination, clinical investigations and current medication. The main outcome was the presence/absence of a personal history of pre-eclampsia before SSc diagnosis, according to the validated pre-eclampsia questionnaire. RESULTS: 378 women were included: 129 cases with a vascular phenotype and 249 matched controls. A history of pre-eclampsia was reported in 5 (3.9%) cases and 12 (4.8%) controls and was not associated with a vascular phenotype (OR=0.96, 95% CI 0.28 to 3.34, p=0.9). Besides, Rodnan skin score and disease duration≥5 years were risk factors for vascular phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: In women with SSc and a pregnancy history≥6 months before SSc, a history of pre-eclampsia is not associated with a vascular phenotype.

Benralizumab for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

BACKGROUND: Benralizumab is effective in the treatment of eosinophilic asthma and is being investigated for the treatment of other eosinophil-associated diseases. Reports on the use of benralizumab for the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) are limited to case reports and small case series. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre, retrospective study including EGPA patients treated with off-label benralizumab. The primary endpoint was the rate of complete response defined as no disease activity (Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score=0) and a prednisone dose ≤4 mg/day. Partial response was defined as no disease activity and a prednisone dose ≥4 mg/day. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients were included, including 31 (46%) who had previously received mepolizumab. The use of benralizumab was warranted by uncontrolled asthma in 54 (81%), persistent ear, nose and throat (ENT) manifestations in 27 (40%) and persistent glucocorticoids (GCs) use in 48 (74%) patients. Median (IQR) follow-up after starting benralizumab was 23 (9-34) months. Thirty-three patients (49%) achieved a complete response, 24 (36%) achieved a partial response and 10 (15%) did not respond. Among the 57 patients who initially responded, 10 (18%) eventually required further line treatments. GCs were discontinued in 23 patients (38%). Prior mepolizumab use was associated with a higher rate of primary failure (26.7% vs 5.4%, p=0.034) and less frequent GCs discontinuation (14.8% vs 55.9%, p=0.001). Vasculitis flares occurred in 7 patients (11%) and were associated with histological evidence of vasculitis and/or antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies positivity at benralizumab initiation (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Benralizumab appears to be an effective treatment for refractory asthma or ENT manifestations in EGPA and allows GC-sparing. However, its efficacy was lower after prior failure of mepolizumab.

Different phenotypes in dermatomyositis associated with anti-MDA5 antibody: Study of 121 cases.

OBJECTIVES: The predominance of extramuscular manifestations (e.g., skin rash, arthralgia, interstitial lung disease [ILD]) as well as the low frequency of muscle signs in anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody-positive (anti-MDA5+) dermatomyositis caused us to question the term myositis-specific antibody for the anti-MDA5 antibody, as well as the homogeneity of the disease. METHODS: To characterize the anti-MDA5+ phenotype, an unsupervised analysis was performed on anti-MDA5+ patients (n = 83/121) and compared to a group of patients with myositis without anti-MDA5 antibody (anti-MDA5-; n = 190/201) based on selected variables, collected retrospectively, without any missing data. RESULTS: Within anti-MDA5+ patients (n = 83), 3 subgroups were identified. One group (18.1%) corresponded to patients with a rapidly progressive ILD (93.3%; p < 0.0001 across all) and a very high mortality rate. The second subgroup (55.4%) corresponded to patients with pure dermato-rheumatologic symptoms (arthralgia; 82.6%; p < 0.01) and a good prognosis. The third corresponded to patients, mainly male (72.7%; p < 0.0001), with severe skin vasculopathy, frequent signs of myositis (proximal weakness: 68.2%; p < 0.0001), and an intermediate prognosis. Raynaud phenomenon, arthralgia/arthritis, and sex permit the cluster appurtenance (83.3% correct estimation). Nevertheless, an unsupervised analysis confirmed that anti-MDA5 antibody delineates an independent group of patients (e.g., dermatomyositis skin rash, skin ulcers, calcinosis, mechanic's hands, ILD, arthralgia/arthritis, and high mortality rate) distinct from anti-MDA5- patients with myositis. CONCLUSION: Anti-MDA5+ patients have a systemic syndrome distinct from other patients with myositis. Three subgroups with different prognosis exist.

Brief report: candidate gene study in systemic sclerosis identifies a rare and functional variant of the TNFAIP3 locus as a risk factor for polyautoimmunity.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) share some pathophysiologic bases as evidenced by individual and familial polyautoimmunity and common susceptibility genetic factors. With regard to the latter, there has been a recent shift from the "common variant" to the "rare variant" paradigm, since rare variants of TNFAIP3 and TREX1 with large effect sizes have recently been discovered in SLE. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether rare variants of TNFAIP3 and TREX1 are also associated with SSc. METHODS: TREX1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs3135946, rs7626978, rs3135943, and rs11797 and TNFAIP3 SNPs rs9494883, rs72063345, rs5029939, rs2230926, rs117480515, and rs7749323 were genotyped in a discovery set (985 SSc patients and 1,011 controls), and replication analysis of the most relevant results was performed in a second set (622 SSc patients and 493 controls). RESULTS: No association between TREX1 variants and SSc was observed. For TNFAIP3, we first demonstrated that a low-frequency variant, rs117480515, tagged the recently identified TT>A SLE dinucleotide. In the discovery sample, we observed that all tested TNFAIP3 variants were in linkage disequilibrium and were associated with SSc and various SSc subsets, including the polyautoimmune phenotype. We subsequently genotyped rs117480515 in the replication sample and found it to be associated solely with the SSc polyautoimmune subset (odds ratio 3.51 [95% confidence interval 2.28-5.41], P = 8.58 × 10(-9) ) in the combined populations. Genotype-messenger RNA (mRNA) expression correlation analysis revealed that the TNFAIP3 rs117480515 risk allele was associated with decreased mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: The present findings establish the TNFAIP3 locus as a susceptibility factor for the subset of SSc with a polyautoimmune phenotype. Our results support the implication of rare/low-frequency functional variants and the critical role of A20 in autoimmunity.

Association study of serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) in systemic sclerosis in European Caucasian populations.

OBJECTIVE: Serotonin is a key contributing factor in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) by inducing pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PA-SMC) proliferation. This relates specifically to the internalization process in PA-SMC of the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4 or 5-HTT). A long (L)/short (S) (44 base pair insertion) functional polymorphism within the promoter of the transporter SLC6A4 gene has been reported to be associated with familial and idiopathic PAH. Our objective was to determine whether polymorphisms of SLC6A4 confer susceptibility to SSc and its vascular phenotype. METHODS: Three Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (rs2066713, rs1042173, rs6354) chosen using Hapmap and linkage disequilibrium data were genotyped in a total cohort of 667 SSc patients (56 with PAH, 207 with digital ulcerations) and 447 controls. All individuals were of French Caucasian origin. L/S polymorphism genotyping was determined by polymerase chain reaction in a random subgroup of 364 SSc patients (34 with PAH, 138 with digital ulcerations) and 218 controls. RESULTS: Three polymorphisms (L/S, rs2066713, rs1042173) were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control population, but rs6354 deviated. Allelic and genotypic frequencies for these 3 polymorphisms were similar in SSc patients and controls. Subphenotype analyses of subsets with PAH and digital ulceration did not detect any difference between SSc patients compared to controls. CONCLUSION: These results from a large cohort of European Caucasian SSc patients do not support the implication of SLC6A4 in the pathogenesis of SSc and its vascular subphenotypes. However, serotonin pathways remain good candidates to contribute to the vasculopathy of SSc.

Association of metalloproteinase gene polymorphisms with systemic sclerosis in the European Caucasian population.

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is classified among the complex genetic disorders and is characterized by massive extracellular matrix deposits. These may be due to overactivation of transforming growth factor ss that may be in part a result of abnormal remodeling of extracellular matrix and microfibrils. Metalloproteinases (MMP) are a family of proteolytic enzymes, and MMP 2, 9, and 14 contribute to the degradation of microfibrils. Our aim was to determine whether polymorphisms of the MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14 genes confer susceptibility to SSc in a large population. METHODS: A case-control study was performed in 659 SSc patients and 511 healthy matched controls from a European Caucasian population. Six Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the MMP2 gene and 2 SNP of MMP9 and MMP14 genes were genotyped. RESULTS: All SNP were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control population. There was no association between the MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14 variants we investigated and SSc for allelic and genotype frequencies. No association was observed for the different subphenotypes of SSc patients. CONCLUSION: Our results in a large cohort of European Caucasian SSc patients do not support that MMP2, MMP9, and MMP14 genes are involved in the genetic background of SSc.