Citations

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of abatacept to that of placebo for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA).MethodsIn this multicenter trial, patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing GCA were treated with abatacept 10 mg/kg intravenously on days 1, 15, and 29 and week 8, together with prednisone administered daily. At week 12, patients in remission underwent a double‐blinded randomization to continue to receive abatacept monthly or switch to placebo. Patients in both study arms received a standardized prednisone taper, with discontinuation of prednisone at week 28. All patients remained on their randomized assignment until meeting criteria for early termination or until 12 months after enrollment of the last patient. The primary end point was duration of remission (relapse‐free survival rate).ResultsForty‐nine eligible patients with GCA were enrolled and treated with prednisone and abatacept; of these, 41 reached the week 12 randomization and underwent a blinded randomization to receive abatacept or placebo. Prednisone was tapered using a standardized schedule, reaching a daily dosage of 20 mg at week 12 with discontinuation in all patients at week 28. The relapse‐free survival rate at 12 months was 48% for those receiving abatacept and 31% for those receiving placebo (P = 0.049). A longer median duration of remission was seen in those receiving abatacept compared to those receiving placebo (median duration 9.9 months versus 3.9 months; P = 0.023). There was no difference in the frequency or severity of adverse events, including infection, between the treatment arms.ConclusionIn patients with GCA, the addition of abatacept to a treatment regimen with prednisone reduced the risk of relapse and was not associated with a higher rate of toxicity compared to prednisone alone.

Objective To compare the efficacy of abatacept to that of placebo for the treatment of Takayasu arteritis (TAK). Methods In this multicenter trial, patients with newly diagnosed or relapsing TAK were treated with abatacept 10 mg/kg intravenously on days 1, 15, and 29 and week 8, together with prednisone administered daily. At week 12, patients in remission underwent a double‐blinded randomization to continue to receive abatacept monthly or switch to placebo. Patients in both study arms received a standardized prednisone taper, reaching a dosage of 20 mg daily at week 12, with discontinuation of prednisone at week 28. All patients remained on their randomized assignment until meeting criteria for early termination or until 12 months after enrollment of the last patient. The primary end point was duration of remission (relapse‐free survival). Results Thirty‐four eligible patients with TAK were enrolled and treated with prednisone and abatacept; of these, 26 reached the week 12 randomization and underwent a blinded randomization to receive either abatacept or placebo. The relapse‐free survival rate at 12 months was 22% for those receiving abatacept and 40% for those receiving placebo ( P = 0.853). Treatment with abatacept in patients with TAK enrolled in this study was not associated with a longer median duration of remission (median duration 5.5 months for abatacept versus 5.7 months for placebo). There was no difference in the frequency or severity of adverse events, including infection, between the treatment arms. Conclusion In patients with TAK, the addition of abatacept to a treatment regimen with prednisone did not reduce the risk of relapse.

ObjectiveTo describe the perception of the current role of systemic glucocorticoids in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by examining their importance and the current level of evidence in recent guidelines, and to identify open questions to be addressed in future guidelines and research projects.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature review using the databases Ovid Embase, PubMed Medline, and Cochrane Library for guidelines on the pharmacologic treatment of RA. Retrieved articles were evaluated regarding their quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool and scrutinized for all relevant information concerning the use of glucocorticoids.ResultsAll guidelines agree that glucocorticoids, especially if given at low doses and for a short duration, are an appropriate option in the treatment of RA. However, many recommendations remain vague, as reliable and detailed evidence is scarce. Important aspects of glucocorticoid therapy are partially or completely neglected, and the existing nomenclature is not used uniformly. Quality evaluation revealed flaws in many articles, concerning not only glucocorticoid‐specific recommendations but also guideline quality in general.ConclusionCurrent recommendations for use of glucocorticoids in the management of RA are suboptimal. More rigorous evaluation of doses, timing, and duration of their use is needed. Existing nomenclature on glucocorticoid therapy should be used uniformly.

Objective To identify risk alleles relevant to the causal and biologic mechanisms of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV). Methods A genome‐wide association study and subsequent replication study were conducted in a total cohort of 1,986 cases of AAV (patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis [Wegener's] [GPA] or microscopic polyangiitis [MPA]) and 4,723 healthy controls. Meta‐analysis of these data sets and functional annotation of identified risk loci were performed, and candidate disease variants with unknown functional effects were investigated for their impact on gene expression and/or protein function. Results Among the genome‐wide significant associations identified, the largest effect on risk of AAV came from the single‐nucleotide polymorphism variants rs141530233 and rs1042169 at the HLA–DPB1 locus (odds ratio [OR] 2.99 and OR 2.82, respectively) which, together with a third variant, rs386699872, constitute a triallelic risk haplotype associated with reduced expression of the HLA–DPB1 gene and HLA–DP protein in B cells and monocytes and with increased frequency of complementary proteinase 3 (PR3)–reactive T cells relative to that in carriers of the protective haplotype. Significant associations were also observed at the SERPINA1 and PTPN22 loci, the peak signals arising from functionally relevant missense variants, and at PRTN3 , in which the top‐scoring variant correlated with increased PRTN3 expression in neutrophils. Effects of individual loci on AAV risk differed between patients with GPA and those with MPA or between patients with PR3‐ANCAs and those with myeloperoxidase‐ANCAs, but the collective population attributable fraction for these variants was substantive, at 77%. Conclusion This study reveals the association of susceptibility to GPA and MPA with functional gene variants that explain much of the genetic etiology of AAV, could influence and possibly be predictors of the clinical presentation, and appear to alter immune cell proteins and responses likely to be key factors in the pathogenesis of AAV.

Genome-wide association studies have identified >50 common variants associated with kidney function, but these variants do not fully explain the variation in eGFR. We performed a two-stage meta-analysis of associations between genotypes from the Illumina exome array and eGFR on the basis of serum creatinine (eGFRcrea) among participants of European ancestry from the CKDGen Consortium ( n Stage1 : 111,666; n Stage2 : 48,343). In single-variant analyses, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms at seven new loci associated with eGFRcrea ( PPM1J , EDEM3, ACP1, SPEG, EYA4, CYP1A1 , and ATXN2L ; P Stage1 <3.7×10 −7 ), of which most were common and annotated as nonsynonymous variants. Gene-based analysis identified associations of functional rare variants in three genes with eGFRcrea, including a novel association with the SOS Ras/Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 2 gene, SOS2 ( P =5.4×10 −8 by sequence kernel association test). Experimental follow-up in zebrafish embryos revealed changes in glomerular gene expression and renal tubule morphology in the embryonic kidney of acp1- and sos2 -knockdowns. These developmental abnormalities associated with altered blood clearance rate and heightened prevalence of edema. This study expands the number of loci associated with kidney function and identifies novel genes with potential roles in kidney formation.

AbstractContext:Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity is considered the rate-limiting step of very-low-density-lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL-TG) tissue storage, and has been suggested to relate to the development of obesity as well as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Objective:The objective of the study was to assess the relationship between the quantitative storage of VLDL-TG fatty acids and LPL activity and other storage factors in muscle and adipose tissue. In addition, we examine whether such relations were influenced by type 2 diabetes.Design:We recruited 23 men (12 with type 2 diabetes, 11 nondiabetic) matched for age and body mass index. Postabsorptive VLDL-TG muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue (abdominal and leg) quantitative storage was measured using tissue biopsies in combination with a primed-constant infusion of ex vivo triolein labeled [1-14C]VLDL-TG and a bolus infusion of ex vivo triolein labeled [9,10-3H]VLDL-TG. Biopsies were analyzed for LPL activity and cellular storage factors.Results:VLDL-TG storage rate was significantly greater in men with type 2 diabetes compared with nondiabetic men in muscle tissue (P = 0.02). We found no significant relationship between VLDL-TG storage rate and LPL activity or other storage factors in muscle or adipose tissue. However, LPL activity correlated with fractional VLDL-TG storage in abdominal fat (P = 0.04).Conclusions:Men with type 2 diabetes have increased VLDL-TG storage in muscle tissue, potentially contributing to increased intramyocellular triglyceride and ectopic lipid deposition. Neither muscle nor adipose tissue storage rates were related to LPL activity. This argues against LPL as a rate-limiting step in the postabsorptive quantitative storage of VLDL-TG.