Auro Jesus Rodrigues

PReS-FINAL-2021: JADAS-CRP instead of JADAS-ESR...results from REUMA.PT

Recently, Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score (JADAS) was found to be a valid instrument for assessment of disease activity. JADAS was developed with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) because C-reactive protein (CRP) values were not available in all databases used to validate the tool. Nordal et al compared recently in a Nordic population the JADAS based on CRP with JADAS based on ESR and concluded that these instruments correlated closely, indicating that both scores can be recommended for assessing disease activity in JIA.

Predictors of chronicity and the discriminative value of the new ACR/EULAR rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria in an untreated polyarthritis cohort with less than 6 weeks of disease duration

Thirty-seven patients were included. During the follow up most of the patients evolved into RA (57%). The median age of the patients of the RA-group was similar to the median age of the non-RA group (median (IQR) 47 (31-58.5) vs 43 (34-69) years, p=0.74). At the initial visit the DAS 28 in the RA group was significantly higher than in the non-RA group, as well as the VAS and the number of swollen joints. The ESR values did not differ significantly between RA and non-RA groups (Table 1).

Mycophenolate mofetil use in refractory juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus

The optimal immunosuppressive treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains controversial [1]. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has proved to be an efficacious and safe therapy in adult lupus nephritis [2]. Recently, this drug has been suggested as a possible new alternative treatment for juvenile-SLE, especially in cases of lupus nephritis refractory to treatment with corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide azathioprine, methotrexate and/or cyclosporine [3-4]. In this review we describe our experience with six children diagnosed with SLE and treated with MMF.

Eight years of experience with biological treatment in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

The introduction of biological agents has provided a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Upregulation of inflammatory genes and downregulation of sclerostin are key elements for fracture healing

Methods Fifty-six patients submitted to hip replacement surgery after a low-energy hip fracture were enrolled in this study. The patients were stratified according to the time interval between fracture and surgery: bone collected within 3 days after fracture (n=13); between the 4 and 7 day (n=33); and after one week from the fracture (n=10). Inflammationand bone metabolism-related genes were assessed in trabecular bone.

Tumour necrosis factor antagonists and tocilizumab have a higher impact on rheumatoid arthritis osteoclastogenic stimuli than methotrexate

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disease characterised by hyperactivation of the immune system leading to chronic inflammation and joint damage. The inflammatory environment potentiates bone resorption, modulating the balance between RANKL and osteoprotegerin (OPG). Prednisone (PDN), methotrexate (MTX), anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and anti-interleukin 6 (IL6) receptor therapies reduce disease activity, but their differential biological impact …