Arthritis Research Canada at
ACR Convergence 2024
November 16
Impact of SGLT2i Initiation on the Need for Urate-Lowering Therapy and Colchicine Among Gout Patients with Type 2 Diabetes:Propensity-Score Matched, Active Comparator, New User Design Study
In this study of 22,000 US adults with gout and type 2 diabetes, those who took sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), a class of medications approved for diabetes, kidney disease, and heart failure, were less likely to be prescribed medication for lowering their blood urate levels or for treating gout flares, and less likely to have outpatient visits for gout. This supports the use of SGLT2i in patients with gout as a medication that benefits both gout and its related conditions, like diabetes.
Research Team: Challener G, Sheng-kai Ma K, Kohler M, Yokose C, Yinh J, McCormick N, Choi HK.
The Incident Risk and Predictors of Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease (SARD) Development in Persistently Antiphospholipid Antibody Positive Patients Without SARDs: Prospective Results from the APS ACTION Clinical Database and Repository (“Registry”)
The APS ACTION Registry is an international study that follows patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) to understand their disease progression, particularly the risk of developing additional autoimmune diseases. The authors followed 614 patients for an average of six years and found that 5% developed a new autoimmune disease, mostly lupus. Key factors for developing a new autoimmune disease included brain abnormalities, specific antibody presence (anti-RNP), and low levels of C4 protein.
Research Team: Cobanoglu RK, Willis R, Paredes-Ruiz D, Tektonidou MG, Pengo V, Sciascia S, Nalli C, Signorelli FV, Fortin PR, Efthymiou M, Belmont HM, Petri M, Cervera R, Barber M, Atsumi T, Lopez-Pedrera C, Knight J, Branch D, Kello N, Ji L, Rodriguez-Almaraz E, Esen BA, Gea JP, Quintana R, Pazzola G, Shi H, Duarte-Garcia A, Meroni P, Roubey R, Bertolaccini ML, Cohen H, Andrade D, Erkan D, and on behalf of APS ACTION.
Three Novel Metabolomic Signatures of Inflammation for Female Gout Risk: A Prospective Cohort Study over 26 Year
This study looked at how diet and inflammation relate to the risk of developing gout in a large group of women followed over 26 years. The authors looked at data from women who did not have gout at the beginning of the study. They found that women who followed a more proinflammatory diet had more than double the risk of gout compared to those with healthier diets. They also identified specific blood metabolites linked to diet and inflammation associated with gout risk.
Research Team: Rai S, Choi HK, Yokose C, McCormick N.
Clinical and Biologic Predictors of Thrombosis in Persistently Antiphospholipid Antibody Positive Patients: Prospective Analysis of the International APS ACTION Clinical Database and Repository (“Registry”)
This study looked at patients with persistently positive antiphospholipid antibodies to determine what factors increase their risk of blood clots. They found that a history of blood clots and certain blood disorders significantly increased the risk of new clots.
Research Team: Thaler J, Parides M, Andrade D, Paredes-Ruiz D, Tektonidou MG, Pengo V, Sciascia S, Nalli C, Ramires de Jesús G, Fortin PR, Efthymiou M, Belmont HM, Petri M, Cervera R, Skeith L, Atsumi T, Lopez-Pedrera C, Zuo C, Branch D, Willis R Kello N, Zhang Z, Rodriguez-Almaraz E, Artim Esen B, Pardos-Gea J Pons-Estel G, Pazzola G, Shi H, Duarte-Garcia A, Barbhaiya M, Yelnik C, Meroni P, Roubey R, Bertolaccini ML, Cohen H, Rand J, Erkan D, and on behalf of APS ACTION.
Cardiac Manifestations in Patients with Anti-Synthetase Syndrome: Analysis from the “Classification Criteria for Anti-synthetase Syndrome (CLASS)” Project Database
This study examined how common heart problems are in people with anti-synthetase syndrome, a rare form of autoimmune muscle disease. They followed almost 2000 patients and found that it involved the heart (a muscle!) and the blood vessels feeding it in 15% of patients. The probability of heart involvement was comparable to other autoimmune muscle diseases.
Research Team: Bae S, Sambataro G, Ventura J, Bozan F, Dourado E, Faghihi-Kashani S, Loganathan A, Rivero Gallegos D, Yoshida A, Zanframundo G, Bonella F, Corte TJ, Doyle TJ, Forentino D, Gonzalez-Gay MA, Hudson M, Kuwana M, Mammen A, McHugh N, Miller F, Montecucco C, Notarnicola A, Oddis C, Rojas-Serrano J, Schmidt J, Scire CA, Gil-Vila A, Werth V, Cavagna L, Aggarwal R.
Methotrexate and Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors Independently Decrease Neutralizing Antibodies After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination: Updated Results from the SUCCEED Study
This study examined how well COVID-19 vaccinations work in people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID), particularly those on medications like methotrexate or tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). Data from patients across Canada showed that those using TNFi and methotrexate had a lower ability to neutralize different COVID-19 virus strains.
Research Team: Hitchon C, Bowdish D, Boire G, Fortin PR, Flamand L, Chandran V, Dayam RM, Gingras AC, Card C, Colmegna I, Larche M, Kaplan G, Lukusa L, Lee J, Bernatsky S, and SUCCEED investigative team.
Overweight and Obesity Are Key Modifiable Risk Factors for Adverse Outcomes in SLE Pregnancies
In this study of 80 pregnancies occurring among women living with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), researchers looked at the association between maternal body mass index (BMI) during the first trimester and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. For women with elevated BMI (≥25 kg/m2), the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes was five times higher when compared to those with lower BMI (<25 kg/m2) during the first trimester of pregnancy. BMI may be a potentially modifiable risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes that should be discussed as part of preconception counselling for women with SLE.
Research Team: Boivin J, Sacre K, Bernatsky S, Clarke AE, Barber M, Fortin PR, Hanly J, Legge A, Bae SC, Vinet E.
Baseline Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Characteristics and Outcomes in Patients with Anti-synthetase Syndrome Related ILD (ASSD-ILD): Analysis from the “Classification Criteria for Anti-synthetase Syndrome (CLASS)” Project Database
Lung involvement varies from person to person in anti-synthetase syndrome, a rare form of autoimmune muscle disease. Older age at diagnosis, smoking and certain antibodies (anti-PL7/PL12) are associated with worse prognosis.
Research Team: Bozan F, Bae S, Rivero Gallegos D, Zanframundo G, Faghihi-Kashani S, Bauer Ventura J, Dourado E, Lim D, Loganathan A, Sambataro G, Yoshida A, Bonella F, Corte TJ, Doyle TJ, Fiorentino D, Gonzalez-Gay MA, Hudson M, Kuwana M, Notarnicola A, Mammen A, McHugh N, Miller F, Montecucco C, Oddis C, Rojas-Serrano J, Schmidt J, Scire CA, Villar A, Werth V, Aggarwal R, Cavagna L.
Pregnancy Outcomes of Biosimilars and Non-TNF Inhibitor Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs: A Scoping Review
This study compiled current evidence on how emerging specialized drugs for arthritis, called biologics, affect pregnancy outcomes. While the use of some biologics was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth or birth defects, evidence remains limited, highlighting the need for more research to guide treatment decisions by pregnant women with arthritis.
Research Team: Cheng V, Amiri N, Cheng V, Ellis U, Cragg JJ, Harrison M, De Vera MA.
Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis Novel Autoantibody and Biomarker Research Utilizing Proteome Microarray and Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Analysis
Sporadic inclusion body myositis is a rare muscle disease that is often challenging to diagnose. This study discovered several novel biomarkers for this disease involved in the immune, inflammatory, and degenerative pathways that may aid in the early diagnosis and our understanding of disease pathogenesis.
Research Team:Moghaddam F, Tarnopolsky M, Leclair V, Hudson M, Mitchell R, Buhler K, Hatcher E, Zhang M, Dufour A, de Almeida L, Fritzler M, Choi M.
Regional and Ethnoracial Differences Among Antiphospholipid Antibody-Positive Patients with No Other Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: Results from AntiPhospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and InternatiOnal Networking (APS ACTION) Registry
This study explored regional differences in clinical characteristics and antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profiles among patients with persistently positive antibody (aPL) but no other autoimmune diseases. Using data from the international APS ACTION Registry, the researchers analyzed information from 1,204 patients across various regions, including Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. They found that certain conditions, like thrombosis and cardiac valve disease, varied by region and ethnicity and that Black patients were the least represented group (2%).
Research Team: Gkrouzman E, Clarke AE, Tektonidou M, Pengo V, Sciascia S, Pardos-Gea J, Kello N, Paredes-Ruiz D, Aguirre-Zamorano MA, Belmont HM, Fortin PR, Ramires de Jesús G, Atsumi T, Zhang Z, Efthymiou M, Branch D, Pazzola G, Andreoli L, Duarte-Garcia A, Rodriguez-Almaraz E, Petri M, Cervera R, Esen BA, Pons-Estel G, Shi H, Knight J, Willis R, Meroni P, Bertolaccini ML, Cohen H, Roubey R, Andrade D, Erkan D, and on behalf of APS ACTION.
An Interlaboratory Variability Study of Detection Methods for Myositis-Specific and Myositis-Associated Autoantibodies in Sera from Patients with Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies
Detection of antibodies plays an important role in the classification and diagnosis of autoimmune muscle disease. While tests to detect some antibodies like anti-Jo1 are fairly robust, tests for others like anti-TIF1γ, -OJ and -EJ have inconsistent results across different labs. Clinicians need to be aware of this when interpreting results.
Research Team: Harvey G, Ashur I, Bossuyt X, Bluethner M, Brusch A, Bundell C, Chinoy H, Coeshott C, Donald C, Dunphy J, Fritzler M, Heaps A, Hudson M, Kuwana M, Landon-Cardinal O, Lu H, McMorrow F, Mayrhofer M, Meyer A, Michiels B, Nespola B, O’Loughlin S, Putova I, Rönnelid J, Sadler R, Sanz-Martinez MT, Sciore P, Selva-O’Callaghan A, Storfors H, Trallero-Araguás E, Troyanov Y, Tyson J, Vencovský J, Yoshida A, Tansley S.
COVID-19 Vaccination and Hospitalization Rates Differ Between People with Diagnosed Immune Mediated Inflammatory Disease and the General Population: A Population-based Study
This study compared COVID-19 vaccination rates and hospitalization between people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) and the general population. Compared to the general population, people with IMIDs had greater COVID-19 vaccine uptake. However, even with higher vaccination rates, people with IMIDs face a greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19. These findings inform vaccine recommendations and highlight the need for ongoing vaccination in people with IMIDs, especially since COVID-19 remains a persistent risk.
Research Team:Hitchon C, Taylor C, Bernstein CN, Peschken C, Avina-Zubieta JA, Bernatsky S, Kaplan G, Lacaille D, Widdifield J, Marrie RA.
Frequencies and Rates of All-Cause Emergency Visits and Hospitalizations in Persons with Inflammatory Arthritis Conditions and Gout: A Systematic Review
Despite advances in the management of inflammatory arthritis (IA) and gout, many patients still need to use the emergency department or be hospitalized for their arthritis or for other chronic conditions and reasons. The authors conducted a systematic review to learn more about how often this occurs. They found that the proportion of persons with inflammatory arthritis conditions using the emergency department or being hospitalized was generally consistent across types of inflammatory arthritis, although rates ranged widely across studies and were higher in people from equity seeking groups. Further studies are needed to understand why people need acute care and to develop interventions to reduce acute care that could be avoided by having better models of care in place, especially for equity deserving groups.
Research Team: Irwin K, Huo R, Barber CEH, Barnabe C.
Anti-Myxovirus Resistance Protein 1: A Novel Biomarker for Autoimmune Myositis and Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
This study investigated the presence of anti-MxA autoantibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who later developed autoimmune myositis (AIM) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Researchers found that a significantly higher percentage of these patients had anti-MxA antibodies than those who did not develop AIM or ILD, suggesting that anti-MxA could serve as a biomarker of these serious conditions. The anti-MxA test showed strong accuracy in identifying patients at risk, outperforming other known biomarkers.
Research Team: Krustev E, Fritzler M, Bernatsky S, St-Pierre Y, Vinet E, Pineau C, Mendel A, Kalache F, Grenier LP, Cotton T, Zahedi O, Choi M.
Sleep Quality Is Associated with Perceived Memory Performance in Females with Osteoarthritis: A Population-based Cross-sectional Study
Osteoarthritis is linked to a higher chance of memory problems, but the exact reasons are unclear. The authors studied 199 women with osteoarthritis and 134 without osteoarthritis in British Columbia. They found that poor sleep was a major factor influencing memory issues for women with osteoarthritis, even after considering other factors. However, sleep was not a factor for women without osteoarthritis. These findings suggest that improving sleep is important for people with osteoarthritis.
Research Team: Li LC, Xie H, Lu L, Prlic H, Lacaille D, Avina-Zubieta JA, Cibere J, Esdaile J, and PRECISION Team.
Deucravacitinib, a First-in-Class, Oral, Selective, Allosteric Tyrosine Kinase 2 Inhibitor, in SLE: Efficacy by Baseline Demographics and Disease Characteristics in the Phase 2 PAISLEY Trial
This study focused on the effectiveness of deucravacitinib, a new oral medication, in treating active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during a phase 2 trial. It found that patients taking deucravacitinib at a 3 mg dose twice daily had significantly more improvement in their disease compared to those on a placebo, regardless of factors like race or prior medication use.
Research Team:Morand E, Arriens C, Geraldino L, Clarke AE, Pomponi S, Hobar C, Wegman T, Koti R, Banerjee S, Van Vollenhoven R.
Piloting an Adaptation of the Making It Work Program for Systemic Sclerosis: Promising Effects on Job Related Self-efficacy and Risk of Work Disability
This study assessed an online program called Making it WorkTM, adapted for Systemic Sclerosis (MiW-SS), aimed at helping people with systemic sclerosis (SS) stay employed. The program included group discussions, goal-setting, and individual counselling on managing work-related challenges. Program participants showed significant improvements in confidence in their ability to remain employed and reduced measures of risk for future job loss, with many valuing the connection with peers facing similar struggles.
Research Team: Poole J, Carandang K, Thelander Hill M, Salazar J, Koch A, Dionne T, Lacaille D.
Efforts to Harmonize ELISA and Non-ELISA Anticardiolipin and Anti-β2-glycoprotein-I Levels Based on ISTH SSC LA/aPL and APS ACTION International Multicenter Cohorts
This study compared different testing methods for certain antibodies (anticardiolipin and anti-β2-glycoprotein-I) used to diagnose antiphospholipid syndrome. They found that thresholds for low, moderate, and high antibody levels were consistent across two different groups of patients with antiphospholipid syndrome, indicating the testing methods were reliable.
Research Team: Vandevelde A, Meroni P, Cohen H, Andrade D, Amengual O, Atsumi T, Tincani A, Belmont HM, Borghi M, Branch D, Cervera R, Ramires de Jesús G, Fortin P, Gris JC, Grossi C, Knight J, Moore GW, Musiał J, Petri M, Rodriguez-Almaraz E, Paredes-Ruiz D, Roubey R, Tebo A, Tektonidou M, Wahl D, Zuily S, Willis R, Pengo V, Bertolaccini ML, Erkan D, Devreese K.,
Natural History and Clinical Implications of Lupus Autoantibodies in Primary Antiphospholipid Antibody Positive Patients: Results from the AntiPhospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and InternatiOnal Networking (APS ACTION) Clinical Database and Repository (“Registry”)
This international study from the APS ACTION registry investigated the presence of certain lupus-related autoantibodies in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome who don’t have other autoimmune diseases. The researchers found that 0% to 18% of patients tested positive for lupus-related autoantibodies, with anti-dsDNA being the most common. People with specific blood or organ issues showed higher levels of certain antibodies compared to others.
Research Team:Willis R, Tebo A, Skeith L, Kello N, Belmont HM, Fortin PR, Ramires de Jesús G, Branch D, Petri M, Knight J, Cobanoglu RK, Bertolaccini ML, Cohen H, Roubey R, Erkan D, Andrade D, and on behalf of APS ACTION.
Binding Characteristics of Patient Clusters Among Anticardiolipin and Anti-β2-Glycoprotein I ELISA and Non-ELISA Assays: A Survey by the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists.
This study examined how different blood tests for antiphospholipid antibodies vary in their results. Researchers found that samples from patients with broader reactivity across tests often had weaker binding strength. This means how these antibodies behave could help explain the differences in lab results. Understanding these patterns might improve testing consistency for conditions like antiphospholipid syndrome.
Research Team: Willis R, Murthy V, Roye-Green K, Thees A, Choi M, Dier K, Fritzler M, Fink S, Nandakumar V, Snyder M, Tebo A, and the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists.
Rare Germline Variants in Complement Regulatory Genes in Antiphospholipid Antibody Positive Patients: Prospective Results from AntiPhospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and InternatiOnal Networking (APS ACTION) Clinical Database and Repository (“Registry”)
This international study looked at a group of patients with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) to see if rare genetic variations in genes that regulate complements were linked to developing new blood clots. They found that about 31% of patients had these genetic variants, but there was no significant difference in the risk of clots or other health markers between those with and without the genetic variants.
Research Team: Yelnik C, Chaturvedi S, Labreuche J, Pan XY, Belmont HM, Kello N, Fortin PR, Branch D, Zuo Y, Willis R, Brodsky R, Salmon J, Bertolaccini ML, Cohen H, Petri M, Erkan D, and on behalf of APS ACTION.
The Association Between Gout and Gallstone Disease: US General Population Analysis
This study found that about 25% of people with gout in the US (3.3 million) also have stones in their gallbladder, causing gallstone disease. Accounting for sex, age, and other risk factors, people with gout were nearly twice as likely as people without gout to have gallstone disease.
Research Team: Yokose C, Jiang B, McCormick N, Rai S, Choi HK.
