Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare and debilitating, systemic, autoimmune disease. While heterogenous in presentation and severity, DM is primarily characterised by a spectrum of skin and muscle disease, which may include proximal muscle weakness and recalcitrant cutaneous eruptions. DM may also be associated with joint pain and stiffness, inflammatory arthritis, dysphagia, fatigue, and calcinosis. The current standard of care for DM includes glucocorticoids, immunosuppressants, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Unfortunately, these medications are not uniformly effective and can lead to adverse events, particularly with chronic use, necessitating discontinuation of therapy. Therefore, a substantial unmet need exists for more tailored and efficacious therapies that target DM pathogenesis. Brepocitinib is an oral, once-daily, novel, and specific TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor. Brepocitinib's potent inhibition of TYK2 and JAK1 reduces the signalling of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IFN-α/β, IL-12, IL-23, and IFNγ, that have been implicated in the pathogenesis of DM. Other JAK inhibitors have been used off-label in both case series and open-label clinical trials in patients with DM; and brepocitinib has demonstrated efficacy in phase 2 clinical trials of several other autoimmune diseases, including plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, hidradenitis suppurativa, and ulcerative colitis. Therefore, there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale for the utility and potential effectiveness of brepocitinib in the treatment of DM patients. Currently, the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of brepocitinib is being evaluated in the largest (n=225) double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trial in DM patients to date (VALOR - NCT0543726).
- MeSH
- Dermatomyositis * drug therapy diagnosis immunology MeSH
- Protein Kinase Inhibitors * therapeutic use adverse effects MeSH
- Janus Kinase 1 * antagonists & inhibitors MeSH
- TYK2 Kinase * antagonists & inhibitors MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Signal Transduction drug effects MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
OBJECTIVES: The phase 3 ProDERM study demonstrated intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) was safe and effective in patients with dermatomyositis (DM). This analysis assessed clinical and serological predictors of IVIg response in DM patients from ProDERM. METHODS: ProDERM was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study of DM patients. For weeks 0-16, patients received 2.0 g/kg IVIg (Octagam, 10%) or placebo every 4 weeks. Eligible patients entered the open-label extension phase, where all received IVIg to week 40. Univariate and multivariate analyses examined associations between baseline variables and total improvement score (TIS), including myositis disease activity assessment tool (MDAAT; assessing different organ involvement), and myositis-specific and myositis-associated autoantibodies. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients were enrolled. Univariate analyses found no significant association between TIS at week 16 or 40 and age; sex; ethnicity; disease duration/activity; cutaneous, skeletal, gastrointestinal or muscle disease activity; or previous failed or concomitant medications. Multivariate analysis found patients with higher MDAAT cutaneous scores had a better chance of at least minimal TIS improvement. Higher MDAAT pulmonary scores were associated with a lower, but still considerable, chance of improvement. Patients with TIF1-γ antibodies had a better TIS response; however, after controlling for cutaneous disease activity, there was no significant association between antibody classification (including anti-TIF1-γ) and efficacy outcome. CONCLUSION: IVIg was effective in treating DM patients regardless of demographic features and autoantibody status (for most autoantibodies). Patients with higher cutaneous disease activity and/or anti-TIF1-γ responded best to IVIg, while pulmonary disease activity predicted a lower, but still effective, IVIg response, warranting further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, http://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02728752.
- MeSH
- Autoantibodies blood immunology MeSH
- Dermatomyositis * drug therapy immunology MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Double-Blind Method MeSH
- Immunologic Factors * therapeutic use MeSH
- Immunoglobulins, Intravenous * therapeutic use MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Prospective Studies MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Severity of Illness Index MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Clinical Trial, Phase III MeSH
- Multicenter Study MeSH
- Randomized Controlled Trial MeSH
Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) is an opportunistic pathogen with growing clinical relevance due to its increasing level of antimicrobial resistance in the last few decades. In the event of an AB hospital outbreak, fast detection and localization of the pathogen is crucial, to prevent its further spread. However, contemporary diagnostic tools do not always meet the requirements for rapid and accurate diagnosis. For this reason, we report here the possibility of using gallium-68 labeled siderophores, bacterial iron chelators, for positron emission tomography imaging of AB infections. In our study, we radiolabeled several siderophores and tested their in vitro uptake in AB cultures. Based on the results and the in vitro properties of studied siderophores, we selected two of them for further in vivo testing in infectious models. Both selected siderophores, ferrioxamine E and ferrirubin, showed promising in vitro characteristics. In vivo, we observed rapid pharmacokinetics and no excessive accumulation in organs other than the excretory organs in normal mice. We demonstrated that the radiolabeled siderophores accumulate in AB-infected tissue in three animal models: a murine model of myositis, a murine model of dorsal wound infection and a rat model of pneumonia. These results suggest that both siderophores radiolabeled with Ga-68 could be used for PET imaging of AB infection.
- MeSH
- Acinetobacter baumannii * MeSH
- Acinetobacter Infections * diagnostic imaging microbiology MeSH
- Rats MeSH
- Disease Models, Animal MeSH
- Mice MeSH
- Positron-Emission Tomography * methods MeSH
- Gallium Radioisotopes * chemistry MeSH
- Siderophores * chemistry pharmacokinetics MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Rats MeSH
- Mice MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Comparative Study MeSH
BACKGROUND: Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with several autoimmune diseases. A growing body of evidence supports the association of vitamin D with skeletal muscle damage, regeneration, and energy and lipid metabolism. The aim was to analyse vitamin D and its receptor (VDR) in the muscle tissue of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) and to relate them to clinical parameters and muscle lipid and energy metabolism. METHODS: Forty-six patients with IIM and 67 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. 27 IIM patients participated in a 24-week exercise intervention. Muscle biopsies were obtained from 7 IIM patients before/after training, 13 non-exercising IIM controls, and 21 HC. Circulating concentrations of 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)D were measured. Gene expression of VDR and CYP27B1, the enzyme converting 25(OH)D to hormonally active 1,25(OH)D, was determined by qPCR in muscle tissue and primary muscle cells. Lipid oxidative metabolism was assessed in muscle tissue (mRNA, qPCR) and primary muscle cells (radioactive assays). RESULTS: Lower levels of active 1,25(OH)D were observed in IIM patients compared with HC (mean ± SD: 125.0 ± 45.4 vs. 164.7 ± 49.2 pmol/L; p < 0.0001). 25(OH)D was associated with CRP (r = -0.316, p = 0.037), MITAX (r = -0.311, p = 0.040) and HAQ (r = -0.390, p = 0.009) in IIM. After 24 weeks of training, active 1,25(OH)D was associated with MMT8 (r = 0.866, p < 0.0001), FI-2 (r = 0.608, p = 0.013) and HAQ (r = -0.537, p = 0.032). Gene expression of both VDR and CYP27B1 in primary muscle cells decreased after training (p = 0.031 and p = 0.078, respectively). Associations of VDR mRNA in muscle tissue with MMT-8 (IIM: r = -0.559, p = 0.013), serum CK (HC: r = 0.484, p = 0.031), myoglobin (IIM: r = 0.510, p = 0.026) and myostatin (IIM: r = -0.519, p = 0.023) were observed. The expression of VDR in differentiated muscle cells correlated negatively with the complete oxidation of palmitic acid (r = -0.532, p = 0.028). Muscle mRNA of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 (CPT1) (downregulated in IIM, p = 0.001) correlated positively with serum 1,25(OH) vitamin D (r = 0.410, p = 0.042). CONCLUSION: Reduced biologically active vitamin D in circulation suggests its impaired metabolism in IIM. Serum vitamin D levels and gene expression of its receptor and activating enzyme in muscle tissue were modified by regular exercise and associated with disease manifestations, physical fitness, and muscle lipid metabolism of IIM patients.
- MeSH
- 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-Hydroxylase metabolism MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Muscle, Skeletal * metabolism MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Lipid Metabolism * physiology MeSH
- Myositis * metabolism MeSH
- Receptors, Calcitriol * metabolism MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Physical Fitness * physiology MeSH
- Vitamin D * blood metabolism MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), or myositis, are a heterogeneous group of systemic autoimmune disorders that are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Conducting high-quality clinical trials in IIM is challenging due to the rare and variable presentations of disease. To address this challenge, the Myositis Clinical Trials Consortium (MCTC) was formed. MCTC is a collaborative international alliance dedicated to facilitating, promoting, coordinating and conducting clinical trials and related research in IIM. This partnership works to advance the discovery of effective evidence-based treatments for IIM by integrating a diverse group of clinical investigators, research professionals, medical centres, patient groups, and industry partners. The Steering Committee, Core Group, and Paediatric Subcommittee of MCTC are comprised of myositis experts and junior investigators from around the world, representing a diversity of genders, geographies, and subspecialties. MCTC works alongside other current myositis organisations to complement existing work by concentrating on the operationalisation of clinical trials. Our pilot Myositis Investigators' Information Survey gathered responses from 173 myositis investigators globally and found considerable variability in proficiency with outcome measures, geographic disparities in patient recruitment, and a significant disconnect between investigators' routine myositis patient load and clinical trial enrolment. MCTC will meet the need to support and diversify myositis clinical trials by facilitating trial planning, feasibility assessments, site selection, and the training and mentoring of junior investigators/centres to establish their readiness for clinical trial participation. Through experienced leadership, strategic collaborations, and interdisciplinary discussions, MCTC will establish standards for IIM clinical trial design, protocols, and outcome measures in myositis.
- MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Clinical Trials as Topic * MeSH
- Cooperative Behavior MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- International Cooperation * MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Myositis * therapy diagnosis MeSH
- Research Design MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Adolescent MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs, myositis) are rare systemic autoimmune disorders that lead to muscle inflammation, weakness, and extramuscular manifestations, with a strong genetic component influencing disease development and progression. Previous genome-wide association studies identified loci associated with IIMs. In this study, we imputed data from two prior genome-wide myositis studies and analyzed the largest myositis data set to date to identify novel risk loci and susceptibility genes associated with IIMs and its clinical subtypes. METHODS: We performed association analyses on 14,903 individuals (3,206 patients and 11,697 controls) with genotypes and imputed data from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine reference panel. Fine-mapping and expression quantitative trait locus colocalization analyses in myositis-relevant tissues indicated potential causal variants. Functional annotation and network analyses using the random walk with restart (RWR) algorithm explored underlying genetic networks and drug repurposing opportunities. RESULTS: Our analyses identified novel risk loci and susceptibility genes, such as FCRLA, NFKB1, IRF4, DCAKD, and ATXN2 in overall IIMs; NEMP2 in polymyositis; ACBC11 in dermatomyositis; and PSD3 in myositis with anti-histidyl-transfer RNA synthetase autoantibodies (anti-Jo-1). We also characterized effects of HLA region variants and the role of C4. Colocalization analyses suggested putative causal variants in DCAKD in skin and muscle, HCP5 in lung, and IRF4 in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed lymphocytes, lung, and whole blood. RWR further prioritized additional candidate genes, including APP, CD74, CIITA, NR1H4, and TXNIP, for future investigation. CONCLUSION: Our study uncovers novel genetic regions contributing to IIMs, advancing our understanding of myositis pathogenesis and offering new insights for future research.
Kreatínkináza (CK) predstavuje intracelulárny enzým zapojený do energetického metabolizmu buniek, ktorý je lokalizovaný v tkanivách s vysokými energetickými nárokmi ako sú kostrové svaly alebo myokard. Sérová hladina CK odráža integritu svalovej membrány, v dôsledku čoho možno hyperCKémiu označiť ako nešpecifický marker svalového poškodenia. Diferenciálna diagnostika hyperCKémie v detskom veku zahŕňa nielen neuromuskulárne ochorenia, ale tiež spektrum ochorení, ktorých iniciálna diagnostika patrí aj do rúk skúseného pediatra. Korešpondujúci autorka: MUDr. Patrícia Balážová Klinika detskej neurológie LF UK a NÚDCH v Bratislave patricia.balazova@nudch.eu
Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme located in tissues with high energy demands, such as skeletal muscles or myocardium. It plays an essential role in cells’ energy metabolism. The level of CK in the blood reflects the muscle membrane’s integrity, and elevated CK levels can indicate muscle damage. However, diagnosing the cause of elevated CK levels in children requires the expertise of an experienced pediatrician. This may be due to not only neuromuscular diseases but also a range of other diseases.
- Keywords
- hyperCKemie,
- MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Hypothyroidism diagnosis classification metabolism MeSH
- Creatine Kinase * analysis classification blood MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Myositis diagnosis classification metabolism MeSH
- Neuromuscular Diseases * diagnosis classification metabolism MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Review MeSH
- MeSH
- Arthritis diagnosis etiology immunology classification microbiology MeSH
- Myositis diagnosis etiology classification MeSH
- Osteoarthritis diagnosis drug therapy classification MeSH
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid diagnostic imaging diagnosis drug therapy MeSH
- Rheumatology * classification MeSH
- Spondylarthritis diagnosis etiology classification MeSH
- Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic diagnosis classification complications MeSH
- Vasculitis diagnosis etiology classification MeSH
- Publication type
- Review MeSH
Autoimunní revmatická onemocnění jsou rozmanitou skupinou stavů, které se mohou projevovat tvorbou autoprotilátek, funkčními poruchami imunity a systémovými projevy. Diagnostika může být obtížná kvůli mnoha nespecifickým projevům. Klíčovým testem, který v praxi využíváme, je stanovení orgánově nespecifických autoprotilátek. Autoprotilátky vyskytující se u osob se systémovými revmatickými chorobami mohou sloužit nejen jako markery pro klasifikaci, diagnózu a prognózu onemocnění, ale také při hodnocení aktivity onemocnění a při rozhodování o léčebném postupu. Autoprotilátky také často hrají přímou úlohu v patogenezi jednotlivých onemocnění.
Autoimmune rheumatic diseases represent a diverse group of conditions that may manifest with the production of autoantibodies, immune dysfunction, and systemic symptoms. Diagnosis can be challenging due to many nonspecific manifestations. A key test used in practice is the detection of organ-nonspecific autoantibodies. Autoantibodies present in individuals with systemic rheumatic diseases can serve not only as markers for classification, diagnosis, and prognosis but also in assessing disease activity and guiding treatment decisions. Autoantibodies often also play a direct role in the pathogenesis of individual diseases.
- MeSH
- Antigens, Nuclear immunology MeSH
- Antibodies, Antinuclear immunology MeSH
- Autoimmune Diseases diagnosis immunology MeSH
- Autoantibodies * immunology classification MeSH
- Immunologic Techniques methods MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Myositis immunology MeSH
- Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic immunology MeSH
- Antibodies immunology classification MeSH
- Rheumatic Diseases * diagnosis immunology MeSH
- Rheumatoid Factor immunology MeSH
- Scleroderma, Systemic immunology MeSH
- Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic diagnosis immunology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Review MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS) is a rare manifestation of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), characterized by myalgia, fever and elevated inflammatory markers lasting several weeks. As the hallmark of FMF are short episodes of disease symptoms, the long duration of PFMS may lead to a delayed diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVES: 1. To perform a review of literature and rheumatology textbooks focused on clinical features and treatment of PFMS in children. 2. To present our own case. METHODS: All articles in Pub Med generated using the keywords "protracted febrile myalgia" and information on PFMS in seven rheumatology textbooks were collected. The systematic review was supplemented with our own case presentation. RESULTS: In total, 18 articles with 78 pediatric patients (including our own) were retrieved. More than half of the patients presented with PFMS as the first manifestation of FMF. All complained of myalgia, 65% of abdominal pain and 26% had a rash. Corticosteroids (CS) were effective in 77%. In all CS-refractory cases, anakinra was shown efficient. MRI was used in 5 patients and showed myositis in all of them. The scrutiny of seven rheumatology textbooks showed that PFMS presenting with myalgia was mentioned in six. Possible accompanying symptoms were described only once, the long duration of symptoms twice, the efficacy of corticosteroids three times and anakinra only once. The presented 6 year old patient manifested with fever, myalgia, abdominal pain and petechial rash lasting 6 weeks. She had undergone multiple diagnostic procedures before her parents mentioned a positive family history for FMF. The subsequent genetic testing confirmed a homozygosity for M694V pathogenic variant in the MEFV gene. CONCLUSION: The long duration of PFMS may be misleading to clinicians especially if PFMS occurs at manifestation of FMF. The fact that more than half of the reported patients experienced PFMS as the presenting symptom of FMF is one of the key findings of our study. Our case presentation demonstrates the importance of genetic testing early in suspected autoinflammatory diseases. Furthermore, MRI may be an important diagnostic tool showing myositis in PFMS.
- MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Familial Mediterranean Fever * complications diagnosis MeSH
- Fever * diagnosis etiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods MeSH
- Myalgia * diagnosis etiology MeSH
- Syndrome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Case Reports MeSH
- Systematic Review MeSH
