Mar 26th, 2023 - Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the main cause of end-stage renal failure. Multiecho Dixon-based imaging utilizes chemical shift for water-fat separation that may be valuable in detecting changes both fat and oxygen content of the kidney from a single dataset. To investigate whether multiecho Dixon-based imaging can assess fat and oxygen metabolism of the kidney in a single breath-hold acquisition...

Mar 25th, 2023 - To compare the efficacy of methotrexate and apremilast in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This Single blinded (physician), parallel group, randomized controlled trial was conducted at a single centre between October 2019 and December 2020. Adult PsA patients (age > 18 years), fulfilling CASPAR criteria, not on methotrexate/apremilast in last 3 months and never receiving bDMARDs or, JAK inhibitors, h...

Mar 23rd, 2023 - Key clinical point: Guselkumab effectively resolved dactylitis in the majority of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), with improvements sustained through 1 year, which in turn improved other clinical outcomes. Major finding: At week 24, a significantly higher proportion of patients receiving guselkumab every 4 or 8 weeks (Q4W or Q8W) vs placebo (63.

Mar 23rd, 2023 - The anthelmintic paraherquamide A acts selectively on the nematode L-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) but the mechanism of its selectivity is unknown. This study targeted the basis of paraherquamide A selectivity by determining an X-ray crystal structure of the acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP), a surrogate nAChR ligand-binding domain, complexed with the compound and by measu...

Mar 21st, 2023 - To investigate the role of non-pharmaceutical therapies on disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis through systematic review and meta-analysis. A review of Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was performed from inception until March 26, 2019. Only randomized controlled trials which assessed oral, non-pharmacological interventions (e.g. diets, vitamins, oils, herbal remedie...

Mar 21st, 2023 - Heart transplantation (HT) is the gold standard therapy for advanced heart failure, providing excellent long-term outcomes. However, postoperative outcomes are limited by bleeding, infections, and primary graft dysfunction (PGD) that contribute to early mortality after HT. HT candidates with pre-existing hematologic disorders, bleeding, and clotting, may represent a higher risk population. We a...

Mar 19th, 2023 - ACR Presidential Address: Rheumatologists-Folks You Can Trust.|2023|Saag KG,|

Mar 19th, 2023 - There is little data on long-term persistence/continuation of methotrexate among Indian Rheumatoid arthritis patients. We assembled a retrospective single-center cohort consisting of RA patients (fulfilling 1987 ACR criteria) started on methotrexate as part of three academic studies (including two RCTs) from 2011 to 2016. Oral methotrexate was started at 7.5 or 15 mg per week with a target dose...

Mar 18th, 2023 - We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in adult anti-melanoma differentiation-associated 5 gene (Anti-MDA5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis (DM) patients and evaluate the effects of tofacitinib on peripheral lymphocyte subsets. An open-label study was conducted of 15 new-onset, untreated adult patients with anti-MDA5-positive DM for tofacitinib with a dose of 5mg twice...

Mar 18th, 2023 - To assess the prevalence of ultrasound (US)-confirmed enthesitis in a cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to analyze the clinical associations to enthesitis during the course of SLE. In a retrospective analysis of the SLE cohort of the Lupus Unit of the Careggi University Hospital, US examinations of SLE patients presenting with tender and/or swollen joints were retri...

Mar 18th, 2023 - The 2016 ACR-EULAR Response Criteria for juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) was developed as a composite measure with differential weights of six core set measures (CSMs) to calculate a Total Improvement Score (TIS). We assessed the contribution of each CSM, representation of muscle-related and patient-reported CSMs towards improvement, and frequency of CSM worsening across myositis response criter...

Mar 18th, 2023 - The ACR-EULAR myositis response criteria (MRC) were developed as a composite measure using absolute percentage change in six core set measures (CSMs). We aimed to further validate the MRC by assessing the contribution of each CSM, frequency of strength versus extramuscular activity improvement, representation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM), and frequency of CSM worsening. Data from...

Mar 18th, 2023 - To compare the diagnostic efficacy of the Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (C-TIRADS) with the well-accepted ACR-TIRADS guidelines in identifying benign from malignant thyroid nodules. A total of 2064 nodules were collected from 1627 patients undergoing thyroid ultrasonography in our center between October 2019 and November 2021. Nodules were divided into two groups: "≥1 cm" a...

Mar 16th, 2023 - Tacrolimus (TAC)-mediated renal disease occurs in up to 70% of pediatric liver transplant (LT) recipients. The safety and efficacy of renal-sparing immunosuppression using anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) induction and delayed TAC administration has not been studied in children. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of ATG induction on preserving renal function in children within the first year (Y1...

Mar 16th, 2023 - Fibromyalgia and opioid use disorder (OUD) are highly impactful chronic illnesses with substantially overlapping psychosocial, biological, and clinical features. Little previous research has examined interactions between fibromyalgia and OUD. Limiting such research has been the previous requirement of a clinical examination to diagnose fibromyalgia. The 2011 American College of Rheumatology Fib...

Mar 16th, 2023 - Actionable incidental findings (AIFs) are common in radiologic imaging. Imaging is commonly performed in emergency department (ED) visits, and AIFs are frequently encountered, but the ED presents unique challenges for communication and follow-up of these findings. The authors formed a multidisciplinary panel to seek consensus regarding best practices in the reporting, communication, and follow-...

Mar 16th, 2023 - Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) remain the cornerstone of maintenance immunosuppression (IS) after lung transplantation (LTx), although CNI-related life-threatening toxic effects may occur. Belatacept, a novel immunosuppressant that blocks a T-cell co-stimulation pathway, is a non-nephrotoxic drug indicated as an alternative to CNIs in kidney Tx. In LTx, there are only a few reports of belatacept...

Mar 16th, 2023 - Follow established management guidelines from the ACR and improve adherence to follow-up recommendations for incidental liver lesions (ILLs) for all patients undergoing CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast (CTAPw) examinations, with advocacy from a multidisciplinary care team. A mandatory structured radiology reporting module was developed for use in CTAPw reports for ILL recommendations. Data f...

Mar 16th, 2023 - The ACR Learning Network was established to test the viability of the learning network model in radiology. In this report, the authors review the learning network concept, introduce the ACR Learning Network and its components, and report progress to date and plans for the future. Patterned after institutional programs developed by the principal investigator, the ACR Learning Network was compose...

Mar 15th, 2023 - To evaluate the role of improvement in inflammatory oxidative stress by periodontal therapy (NSPT) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) subjects. 50 stable subjects of CKD (stage III-IV) and having chronic periodontitis were enrolled for the present study. Group A (control group) subjects who did not receive NSPT and Group B (test group) subjects who received NSPT. Oral hygiene instructions were giv...