Patients achieving sustained deep remission, deep remission or sustained remission of rheumatoid arthritis are more likely than other responders to maintain remission or low disease activity after dose reduction or withdrawal of etanercept

Background Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are important options for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Once patients achieve disease control, clinicians may consider dose reduction or withdrawal of the bDMARD. Results from published studies indicate that some patients will maintain remission; however, others will flare. We analyzed data from three etanercept down-titration studies in patients with RA to determine what extent of remission provides the greatest predictability of maintaining remission following dose reduction or discontinuation. Methods Patients with moderate to severe RA from the PRESERVE, PRIZE, and Treat-to-Target (T2T) randomized controlled trials were included. We determined the proportion of patients achieving remission with etanercept at the last time point in the induction period, and sustained remission (last two time points), according to the Disease Activity Score 28-joints (DAS28), the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Boolean criteria, and the clinical disease activity index (CDAI). We also calculated the proportion achieving DAS28 deep remission (DAS28 ≤ 1.98), sustained deep remission (last two time points), and low disease activity (LDA), and LDA according to the CDAI. Then, we evaluated whether they maintained remission or LDA following etanercept dose reduction or withdrawal. Results Patients achieving sustained and/or deep remission were more likely than patients achieving remission or LDA to maintain remission/LDA after etanercept dose reduction or withdrawal. In PRESERVE, the proportions of patients with DAS28 sustained deep remission, deep remission, sustained remission, remission, and LDA who maintained remission following etanercept dose reduction were 81%, 67%, 58%, 56%, and 36%, respectively, P < 0.001 for trend. In PRESERVE, this trend was significant when etanercept was discontinued and when ACR/EULAR Boolean and CDAI remission criteria were used. Although some sample sizes were small, the PRIZE and T2T studies also demonstrated response trends according to ACR/EULAR Boolean and CDAI remission criteria, and T2T demonstrated response trends according to DAS28. Conclusions These results suggest that patients achieving disease control according to a stringent definition, such as sustained ACR/EULAR Boolean or CDAI remission, or a new definition of sustained deep remission by DAS28, have a higher probability of remaining in remission or LDA following etanercept dose reduction or withdrawal

Temporary interruption of baricitinib: characterization of interruptions and effect on clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background In clinical practice, temporary interruption of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy is common for various reasons including side effects, non-compliance, or necessity for surgery. To characterize temporary interruptions of baricitinib and placebo-matched tablets in phase 3 studies of patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and describe their impact on efficacy and safety. Methods During 4 baricitinib phase 3 studies, investigators documented timing, reason, and duration of investigator-initiated temporary interruptions of study drug. In 2 studies, patients recorded RA symptoms in daily diaries for 12 weeks. Post hoc analyses investigated changes in symptom scores during interruptions and resumption of treatment. Interruptions were evaluated for reoccurrence of adverse events or laboratory abnormalities after retreatment. Results Across the placebo-controlled studies, interruptions occurred in larger proportions of baricitinib- (2 mg, 18%; 4 mg, 18%) vs placebo-treated (9%) patients in only one study (bDMARD-inadequate responder patients, RA-BEACON). In the active comparator-controlled studies, the lowest rates of interruption were in the baricitinib monotherapy arm (9%) of RA-BEGIN (vs methotrexate monotherapy or combination therapy), and proportions were similar for baricitinib (10%) and adalimumab (9%) in RA-BEAM. Adverse events were the most common reason for interruption, but their reoccurrence after drug restart was infrequent. Most interruptions lasted ≤ 2 weeks. Daily diaries indicated modest symptom increases during interruption with return to pre-interruption levels or better after resumption. Interruptions had no impact on long-term efficacy outcomes. Conclusions Consistent with its pharmacologic properties, brief interruptions of baricitinib during phase 3 studies were associated with minor increases in RA symptoms that resolved following retreatment. This analysis provides useful information for clinicians, as temporary interruption of antirheumatic therapy is common in the care of patients with RA

Correction to: Temporary interruption of baricitinib: characterization of interruptions and effect on clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background In clinical practice, temporary interruption of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy is common for various reasons including side effects, non-compliance, or necessity for surgery. To characterize temporary interruptions of baricitinib and placebo-matched tablets in phase 3 studies of patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and describe their impact on efficacy and safety. Methods During 4 baricitinib phase 3 studies, investigators documented timing, reason, and duration of investigator-initiated temporary interruptions of study drug. In 2 studies, patients recorded RA symptoms in daily diaries for 12 weeks. Post hoc analyses investigated changes in symptom scores during interruptions and resumption of treatment. Interruptions were evaluated for reoccurrence of adverse events or laboratory abnormalities after retreatment. Results Across the placebo-controlled studies, interruptions occurred in larger proportions of baricitinib- (2 mg, 18%; 4 mg, 18%) vs placebo-treated (9%) patients in only one study (bDMARD-inadequate responder patients, RA-BEACON). In the active comparator-controlled studies, the lowest rates of interruption were in the baricitinib monotherapy arm (9%) of RA-BEGIN (vs methotrexate monotherapy or combination therapy), and proportions were similar for baricitinib (10%) and adalimumab (9%) in RA-BEAM. Adverse events were the most common reason for interruption, but their reoccurrence after drug restart was infrequent. Most interruptions lasted ≤ 2 weeks. Daily diaries indicated modest symptom increases during interruption with return to pre-interruption levels or better after resumption. Interruptions had no impact on long-term efficacy outcomes. Conclusions Consistent with its pharmacologic properties, brief interruptions of baricitinib during phase 3 studies were associated with minor increases in RA symptoms that resolved following retreatment. This analysis provides useful information for clinicians, as temporary interruption of antirheumatic therapy is common in the care of patients with RA

Associations of Smoking Status and Serious Psychological Distress with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been a major public health problem due to its high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. Smoking is a major risk factor for COPD, while serious psychological distress (SPD) is prevalent among COPD patients. However, no study focusing on the effect of SPD on COPD has been so far conducted, while few studies have focused on the associations of SPD and behavioral factors with COPD by smoking status. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations of SPD and behavioral factors (such as smoking and physical activity) with COPD. Materials and Methods: Weighted logistic regression models were used for the analysis of 1,248 cases and 39,995 controls from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Results: The prevalence of SPD was 10% in cases and 4% in controls, respectively. The percentages of past and current smoking were higher in cases than controls (50% vs. 24% and 27% vs. 15%, respectively). After adjusting for other factors, smoking (OR = 4.56, 95% CI = 3.41-6.11 and OR = 3.24, 95% CI = 2.57-4.08 for current and past smoking, respectively), physical activity (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.55-0.87), obesity (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.03-1.52), older age (OR = 2.86, 95% CI = 2.15-3.82, and OR = 5.97, 95% CI = 4.42-8.08 for middle-aged and elder groups, respectively), SPD (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.47-3.04), employment (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.51-0.76), race (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.23-0.54, OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.36-0.97, and OR = 0.47, 95% CI=0.29-0.75 for Latino, Asian, and African American, respectively) and lower federal poverty level (OR=1.89, 95% CI = 1.35-2.63, OR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.27-2.14, and OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.12-1.72 for 0-99% FPL, 100-199% FPL and 200-299% FPL, respectively) were all associated with COPD (P \u3c 0.05). Age group, SPD, race, and employment showed significant interactions with smoking status. Stratified by smoking status, aging was the only risk factor for COPD in the never smoking group; whereas, lack of physical activity, older age, SPD, race, unemployment, and lower federal poverty level were associated with COPD in the smoking groups. Conclusions: Smoking and aging were major risk factors for COPD, while lack of physical activity and SPD were strongly associated with COPD in the smoking groups

Down-titration of biologics for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic literature review

Biologic therapies have improved the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the treat-to-target approach has resulted in many patients achieving remission. In the current treatment landscape, clinicians have begun considering dose reduction/tapering for their patients. Rheumatology guidelines in Asia, Europe, and the United States include down-titration of biologics but admit that the level of evidence is moderate. We conducted a systematic literature review to assess the published studies that evaluate down-titration of biologics in RA. The published literature was searched for studies that down-titrated the following biologics: abatacept, adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab, and tocilizumab. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, observational, and pharmacoeconomic studies. The outcomes of interest were (1) efficacy and health-related quality of life, (2) disease flares, and (3) impact on cost. Eleven full-text publications were identified; only three were RCTs. Study results suggest that dosing down may be an option in many patients who have achieved remission or low disease activity. However, some patients are likely to experience a disease flare. Across the studies, the definition of disease flare and the down-titration criteria were inconsistent, making it difficult to conclude which patients may be appropriate and when to attempt down-titration. Studies have evaluated the practice of dosing down biologic therapy in patients with RA; however, a relatively small number of RCTs have been published. Although down-titration may be an option for some patients in LDA or remission, additional RCTs are needed to provide guidance on this practice

Pooled analysis of TNF inhibitor biosimilar studies comparing radiographic progression by disease activity states in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between disease activity and radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis, three phase III studies of SB4, SB2 and SB5 (biosimilars of etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab) were pooled to assess radiographic progression by disease activity status. Methods: Patients from each study with radiographic data were pooled and grouped based on disease activity state (remission, low disease activity (LDA), moderate disease activity (MDA) and high disease activity (HDA)), determined by disease activity score based on 28-joint count (DAS28) per erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) at different time points. Mean change in modified Total Sharp Score (mTSS) and the proportion of radiographic non-progressors of higher disease activity groups (LDA, MDA and HDA) in reference to remission were summarised descriptively, with comparison of ORs using logistic models. Results: 1265 patients were included. In all treatments combined, the 1 year mean change in mTSS was 0.03, 0.4, 0.3 and 1.3 and proportion of radiographic non-progressors was 79.8%, 78.1%, 74.1% and 58.4% in the week 24/30 DAS28-determined remission, LDA, MDA and HDA groups, respectively. ORs (95% CIs) of the proportion of non-progressors were lowest in the HDA group in reference to remission (0.35 (0.23 to 0.54)), followed by MDA (0.72 (0.50 to 1.05)) and LDA (0.90 (0.55 to 1.48)) groups. Similar trends were observed when disease activity was assessed using SDAI or CDAI. Conclusion: A pooled analysis of radiographic assessment data from three biosimilar studies showed that radiographic progression is small overall but increases with worse disease activity. Trial registration numbers: NCT01895309, NCT01936181 and NCT0216713

Isothermal Recombinase Polymerase amplification (RPA) of Schistosoma haematobium DNA and oligochromatographic lateral flow detection

© 2015 Rosser et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The attached file is the published version of the article

Differential CpG DNA methylation in peripheral naïve CD4+ T-cells in early rheumatoid arthritis patients

Background: The genetic risk associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) includes genes regulating DNA methylation, one of the hallmarks of epigenetic re-programing, as well as many T-cell genes, with a strong MHC association, pointing to immunogenetic mechanisms as disease triggers leading to chronicity. The aim of our study was to explore DNA methylation in early, drug-naïve RA patients, towards a better understanding of early events in pathogenesis. Result: Monocytes, naïve and memory CD4+ T-cells were sorted from 6 healthy controls and 10 RA patients. DNA methylation was assessed using a genome-wide Illumina 450K CpG promoter array. Differential methylation was confirmed using bisulfite sequencing for a specific gene promoter, ELISA for several cytokines and flow cytometry for cell surface markers. Differentially methylated (DM) CpGs were observed in 1047 genes in naïve CD4+ T-cells, 913 in memory cells and was minimal in monocytes with only 177 genes. Naive CD4+ T-cells were further investigated as presenting differential methylation in the promoter of > 500 genes associated with several disease-relevant pathways, including many cytokines and their receptors. We confirmed hypomethylation of a region of the TNF-alpha gene in early RA and differential expression of 3 cytokines (IL21, IL34 and RANKL). Using a bioinformatics package (DMRcate) and an in-house analysis based on differences in β values, we established lists of DM genes between health and RA. Publicly available gene expression data were interrogated to confirm differential expression of over 70 DM genes. The lists of DM genes were further investigated based on a functional relationship database analysis, which pointed to an IL6/JAK1/STAT3 node, related to TNF-signalling and engagement in Th17 cell differentiation amongst many pathways. Five DM genes for cell surface markers (CD4, IL6R, IL2RA/CD25, CD62L, CXCR4) were investigated towards identifying subpopulations of CD4+ T-cells undergoing these modifications and pointed to a subset of naïve T-cells, with high levels of CD4, IL2R, and CXCR4, but reduction and loss of IL6R and CD62L, respectively. Conclusion: Our data provided novel conceptual advances in the understanding of early RA pathogenesis, with implications for early treatment and prevention

Adalimumab reduces hand bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis independent of clinical response: Subanalysis of the PREMIER study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anti-TNF therapy has been shown to reduce radiographic joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) independent of clinical response. This has previously not been examined for periarticular bone loss, the other characteristic feature of bone involvement in RA.</p> <p>The objective of this study was to examine if treatment with the TNF-α inhibitor adalimumab also could reduce periarticular bone loss in RA patients independent of disease activity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>RA patients were recruited from the PREMIER study and included 214 patients treated with methotrexate (MTX) plus adalimumab and 188 patients treated with MTX monotherapy. Periarticular bone loss was assessed by digital X-ray radiogrammetry metacarpal cortical index (DXR-MCI). Change in DXR-MCI was evaluated in patients with different levels of clinical response, as assessed by changes in DAS28 score at 52 weeks and in mean C-reactive protein (CRP) levels during follow-up.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the MTX group, there was a greater median DXR-MCI loss among patients with moderate and high disease activity compared to those in remission or with low disease activity (-3.3% vs. -2.2%, p = 0.01). In contrast, periarticular bone loss was independent of disease activity (-1.9% vs. -2.4%, p = 0.99) in the combination group. In the MTX group patients with a mean CRP of ≥ 10 mg/l lost significantly more DXR-MCI than patients with low CRP (-3.1% vs. -1.9%, p <0.01) whereas in the combination group no significant differences between the two CRP groups was seen (-2.4% vs. -2.0%, p = 0.48).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Adalimumab in combination with MTX reduces periarticular bone loss independently of clinical response. These results support the hypothesis that TNF-α stimulates the osteoclast not only by the inflammatory pathway but do also have a direct effect on the osteoclast.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials (NCT): <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT001195663">NCT001195663</a></p