Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Ahead of Print. Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common form of vasculitis in elderly with multiple cardinal clinical features, such as headache associated with acute visual loss, jaw claudication and high inflammatory markers. GCA is readily treatable with immunosuppressants. Yet, if treated late, GCA could result in significant morbidities, such as aortic aneurysm, dissection, rupture and permanent visual loss. Early initiation of diagnostic evaluations, such as ultrasound of the temporal and axillary arteries and temporal artery biopsy ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Ahead of Print. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complicated multisystem autoimmune disease that carries substantial mortality and morbidity. The development of new therapies is partly hindered by the lack of a flawless instrument to gauge disease activity in different organs for the primary efficacy outcome. Until a global consensus is reached regarding the most preferred assessment tool, application of any of the existing disease activity indices is acceptable in clinical practice and research. However, one should have a more thorough u ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Ahead of Print ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 36-37, November 2023. Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is a significant comorbidity affecting approximately 50-60% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Complete and partial renal response (CRR/PRR) have been recommended as treatment targets in LN. Lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) is also associated with favourable clinical outcomes. This study aims to investigate the LLDAS attainment rate and outcomes in patients with LN. Methods Patients with biopsy-proven LN during 2010-2020 in Queen Mary Ho ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 30-30, November 2023. Background KINE-101, a novel synthetic nonapeptide, is being developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with a distinctive mode of action. A study using a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model showed that KINE-101 suppressed cartilage damage through inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. KINE-101 showed its therapeutic effects in suppressing auto-immune responses by activating Regulatory T cells (Tregs), a specialized subpopulation of T cells, in in-vivo studies using mouse models of RA ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 32-33, November 2023. Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has varying clinical and serological features in juvenile and adult-onset disease groups, depending on the ethnicity. Objectives: To compare the disease characteristics of patients with adult-onset (ASLE) and juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE). Methods It is a cross-sectional study, carried out at Rheumatology department Fauji Foundation Hospital. 184 SLE patients were included. They were divided into adult (n=152) and juvenile (n=32 ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 2-2, November 2023. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that has been associated with the gut microbiota. However, whether and how the gut microbiota plays a pathogenic role in RA remains unexplored. Here, we observed that Fusobacterium nucleatum is enriched in RA patients and positively associated with RA severity. F. nucleatum similarly aggravates arthritis in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). F. nucleatum outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) containing the virulence determinant FadA tra ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 27-28, November 2023. Background Sphingolipids are major components of the plasma membrane which are acted upon by various enzymes to generate signaling molecules. The metabolites of the sphingolipid pathway have been identified to play a major regulatory role in various cellular processes. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is one of the major intermediary molecules of the sphingolipid pathway. Sphingosine-1-phosphate, formed in the cell can be dephosphorylated by S1P-phosphatase (SGPP1 and SGPP2), which is a reversible ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 47-47, November 2023. Background Non-specific neck and shoulder pain is a prevalent condition among working adults. The surge in remote work and online activities following the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the potential increase in such pain due to prolonged usage of electronic devices. However, recent literature has introduced the possibility that desk-bound computer work may not necessarily correlate with neck and shoulder pain. This study aims to explore the relationship between the severity of nec ..read more

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology, Volume 23, Issue Supp01, Page 8-8, November 2023. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), defined as the presence of artery pulmonary artery pressure > 20 mmHg, pulmonary artery wedge pressure [math]15 mmHg, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) > 2Wood units based on expert consensus, is characterized by a progressive and sustained increase in PVR, which may lead to right heart failure and death. PAH is a well-known complication of connective tissue diseases (CTDs), such as systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s synd ..read more