Clinical Rheumatology

Integrity of clinical research conduct, reporting, publishing, and post-publication promotion in rheumatology Abstract The number of rheumatology journals, and papers related to this specialty, is expanding every day. Careful consideration for ethical aspects of such published work is mandatory for authors, readers, reviewers, editors, and all stakeholders. Recent instances of lack of appropriate research ethics committee overview, or participant consent for inclusion in the research study, or a case report, resulting in retractions, emphasize the need for greater awareness regarding these ethical aspects. Authors should strive to avoid redundancy, especially for review articles, both systematic and narrative. Clinical trial registration before commencing enrolment is mandatory as per contemporary norms. Transparent declaration of authorship contributions as well as appropriate attribution of authorship are recommended, since these may help avoid subsequent authorship conflicts. Authors, reviewers, and editors should disclose conflicts of interest, both financial and non-financial. Unbiased peer review is a critical part of editorial decision making; recent instances of peer review fraud have resulted in numerous retractions of scientific papers. Any reproduction of text, figures, or tables should be with due attribution to source, and after seeking permission of the copyright holder. Citations to published work should be relevant and diverse. Research assessment should rely on the assessment of quality of published work, rather than mere citation analyses. Authors should beware predatory, low-quality journals, and utilize social media channels to ethically promote their research with due consideration to privacy and copyright. Rheumatology societies should collaborate to develop guidelines for ethical research reporting, and educate young scientists regarding these principles.

Correction to: The association between anxiety and disease activity and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis The authors of the published original version of the above article wanted to correct the below text in the Abstract section.

Correction to: Association of rheumatoid arthritis-related autoantibodies with pulmonary function test abnormalities in a rheumatoid arthritis registry The publisher regrets that the two sections under the Results omitted inadvertently on the original published version of the above article.

TNF inhibitor treating osseous sarcoidosis and dactylitis: case and literature review Abstract A 49-year-old African American male with multiorgan sarcoidosis presented with recurrent episodes of dactylitis and arthritis. Imaging had shown sarcoid osseous involvement of both hands. This would improve temporarily with high-dose corticosteroids but once tapered, he would experience recurrent flares. Despite several different oral immunosuppressant regimens, significant improvement was only observed after the initiation of adalimumab. Not only was adalimumab successful in symptomatic relief, in addition, patient continues to be in remission with no recurrent episodes of dactylitis. Prednisone was successfully tapered from 40 to 3 mg daily. This improvement with TNF inhibitors has been reported with other manifestations of sarcoidosis including pulmonary and ocular involvements. Osseous sarcoidosis is a very rare presentation, and little information regarding treatment with TNF inhibitors is available. TNF inhibitors should be considered as the next-step therapy in resistant cases of osseous sarcoidosis and dactylitis not responding to corticosteroids and traditional immunosuppressant therapy.

Possible benefit of tadalafil cream for the treatment of Raynaud’s phenomenon and digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis

Is the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis possible? Abstract Preclinical phases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been described, genetic and environmental risk factors for RA development have been identified, and several biomarkers of RA have been detected long before the clinical onset of the disease; all of which have opened the possibility for preventive interventions. Several studies are currently exploring pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to prevent the development of RA. We will review the evidence for prevention of RA and discuss key challenges for preventive interventions, including identification of the adequate target population, the risks of applying potentially harmful and expensive therapies to asymptomatic at-risk individuals, and the importance of taking into account the preferences of individuals at risk regarding preventive treatment options.

Study on the relationship between FFA and gout flare Abstract Objectives To detect the serum free fatty acid (FFA) concentration in patients with primary gouty arthritis (GA) and to explore the correlation between FFA and gout flare. Method Sixty patients with acute GA, 60 patients with GA remission, 60 patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (HUA), and 60 normal controls were enrolled in this study. Serum FFA concentration was detected by enzymatic determination in four groups, and the relationship between serum FFA, serum urate (SU), and other clinical and laboratory parameters was analyzed. Results (1) Serum FFA concentration was significantly higher in the acute GA than in the GA remission, the asymptomatic HUA, and the normal control (H = 72.191, P < 0.001). (2) There were no significant difference in serum triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration between the acute GA, the GA remission, the asymptomatic HUA, and the normal control group. Conclusions FFA may be involved in the acute attack of gout in conditions of monosodium urate crystal deposition in the joints. Triglyceride and LDL-C may not be involved in the acute attack of gout. FFA may be used as an indicator to monitor the status of GA in clinical. Key Points • Lin Pei and Linfeng Xie designed the randomized controlled trial and were responsible for the development of the protocol.

Obesity and its role in the management of rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis Abstract In the last decade, interest has been growing in the relationship between obesity and several other clinical conditions, besides the well-established links between body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular diseases or cancer. A particular focus has been put on the impact of a higher BMI on immune-mediated diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Obesity has been found to be associated with greater arthritis activity and a reduced probability of response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents. On the other hand, weight loss increases the chances of treatment success. Although the direct effect of a higher body mass on drug clearance might in part account for this obesity-related effect, other biological mechanisms could be involved. The evidence of a negative influence of obesity on arthritis treatment is particularly strong as far as anti-TNF inhibition is concerned; on the contrary, the response to biologic agents targeting interleukin-6, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4, or CD20 seems not to be negatively affected by a higher BMI. In this review, we will consider the main studies investigating the influence of obesity on anti-rheumatic treatment in RA and PsA patients. We will also try to hypothesize about a possible pathogenic explanation of this phenomenon and its role in the choice of an appropriate and personalized therapy.

Leptin as an open secret in the physiopathology of rheumatic diseases

Comment on “Cardiovascular risk stratification and appropriate use of statins in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus according to different strategies”