Current status of the IAG working group 4.3.7 on geodetic GNSS-R

Presentación realizada online en el Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Geodesy (2021) celebrado del 28 de junio al 2 de julio en Beijing

No evidence of association between genetic variants of the PDCD1 ligands and SLE

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldPDCD1, an immunoreceptor involved in peripheral tolerance has previously been shown to be genetically associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). PDCD1 has two ligands whose genes are located in close proximity on chromosome 9p24. Our attention was drawn to these ligands after finding suggestive linkage to a marker (gata62f03, Z=2.27) located close to their genes in a genome scan of Icelandic families multiplex for SLE. Here, we analyse Swedish trios (N=149) for 23 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the genes of the PDCD1 ligands. Initially, indication of association to eight SNPs was observed, and these SNPs were therefore also analysed in Mexican trios (N=90), as well as independent sets of patients and controls from Sweden (152 patients, 448 controls) and Argentina (288 patients, 288 controls). We do not find support for genetic association to SLE. This is the first genetic study of SLE and the PDCD1 ligands and the lack of association in several cohorts implies that these genes are not major risk factors for SLE.Genes and Immunity (2007) 8, 69-74. doi:10.1038/sj.gene.6364360; published online 30 November 2006

2021 DORIS definition of remission in SLE: final recommendations from an international task force

OBJECTIVE: To achieve consensus on a definition of remission in SLE (DORIS). BACKGROUND: Remission is the stated goal for both patient and caregiver, but consensus on a definition of remission has been lacking. Previously, an international task force consisting of patient representatives and medical specialists published a framework for such a definition, without reaching a final recommendation. METHODS: Several systematic literature reviews were performed and specific research questions examined in suitably chosen data sets. The findings were discussed, reformulated as recommendations and voted on. RESULTS: Based on data from the literature and several SLE-specific data sets, a set of recommendations was endorsed. Ultimately, the DORIS Task Force recommended a single definition of remission in SLE, based on clinical systemic lupus erythematosus disease activitiy index (SLEDAI)=0, Evaluator's Global Assessment <0.5 (0-3), prednisolone 5 mg/day or less, and stable antimalarials, immunosuppressives, and biologics. CONCLUSION: The 2021 DORIS definition of remission in SLE is recommended for use in clinical care, education, and research including clinical trials and observational studies

Associations of baseline use of biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs with COVID-19 severity in rheumatoid arthritis: Results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate baseline use of biologic or targeted synthetic (b/ts) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and COVID-19 outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We analysed the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry (from 24 March 2020 to 12 April 2021). We investigated b/tsDMARD use for RA at the clinical onset of COVID-19 (baseline): abatacept (ABA), rituximab (RTX), Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), interleukin 6 inhibitors (IL-6i) or tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi, reference group). The ordinal COVID-19 severity outcome was (1) no hospitalisation, (2) hospitalisation without oxygen, (3) hospitalisation with oxygen/ventilation or (4) death. We used ordinal logistic regression to estimate the OR (odds of being one level higher on the ordinal outcome) for each drug class compared with TNFi, adjusting for potential baseline confounders. RESULTS: Of 2869 people with RA (mean age 56.7 years, 80.8% female) on b/tsDMARD at the onset of COVID-19, there were 237 on ABA, 364 on RTX, 317 on IL-6i, 563 on JAKi and 1388 on TNFi. Overall, 613 (21%) were hospitalised and 157 (5.5%) died. RTX (OR 4.15, 95% CI 3.16 to 5.44) and JAKi (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.60 to 2.65) were each associated with worse COVID-19 severity compared with TNFi. There were no associations between ABA or IL6i and COVID-19 severity. CONCLUSIONS: People with RA treated with RTX or JAKi had worse COVID-19 severity than those on TNFi. The strong association of RTX and JAKi use with poor COVID-19 outcomes highlights prioritisation of risk mitigation strategies for these people

Data descriptor: Spatial distribution of arable and abandoned land across former Soviet Union countries

© The Author(s) 2018. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of agricultural abandonment following the collapse of the Soviet Union is highly uncertain. To help improve this situation, we have developed a new map of arable and abandoned land for 2010 at a 10 arc-second resolution. We have fused together existing land cover and land use maps at different temporal and spatial scales for the former Soviet Union (fSU) using a training data set collected from visual interpretation of very high resolution (VHR) imagery. We have also collected an independent validation data set to assess the map accuracy. The overall accuracies of the map by region and country, i.e. Caucasus, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Ukraine, are 90±2%, 84±2%, 92±1%, 78±3%, 95±1%, 83±2%, respectively. This new product can be used for numerous applications including the modelling of biogeochemical cycles, land-use modelling, the assessment of trade-offs between ecosystem services and land-use potentials (e.g., agricultural production), among others

Trans-Ancestral Studies Fine Map the SLE-Susceptibility Locus TNFSF4

We previously established an 80 kb haplotype upstream of TNFSF4 as a susceptibility locus in the autoimmune disease SLE. SLE-associated alleles at this locus are associated with inflammatory disorders, including atherosclerosis and ischaemic stroke. In Europeans, the TNFSF4 causal variants have remained elusive due to strong linkage disequilibrium exhibited by alleles spanning the region. Using a trans-ancestral approach to fine-map the locus, utilising 17,900 SLE and control subjects including Amerindian/Hispanics (1348 cases, 717 controls), African-Americans (AA) (1529, 2048) and better powered cohorts of Europeans and East Asians, we find strong association of risk alleles in all ethnicities; the AA association replicates in African-American Gullah (152,122). The best evidence of association comes from two adjacent markers: rs2205960-T (P = 1.71×10-34, OR = 1.43[1.26-1.60]) and rs1234317-T (P = 1.16×10-28, OR = 1.38[1.24-1.54]). Inference of fine-scale recombination rates for all populations tested finds the 80 kb risk and non-risk haplotypes in all except African-Americans. In this population the decay of recombination equates to an 11 kb risk haplotype, anchored in the 5′ region proximal to TNFSF4 and tagged by rs2205960-T after 1000 Genomes phase 1 (v3) imputation. Conditional regression analyses delineate the 5′ risk signal to rs2205960-T and the independent non-risk signal to rs1234314-C. Our case-only and SLE-control cohorts demonstrate robust association of rs2205960-T with autoantibody production. The rs2205960-T is predicted to form part of a decameric motif which binds NF-κBp65 with increased affinity compared to rs2205960-G. ChIP-seq data also indicate NF-κB interaction with the DNA sequence at this position in LCL cells. Our research suggests association of rs2205960-T with SLE across multiple groups and an independent non-risk signal at rs1234314-C. rs2205960-T is associated with autoantibody production and lymphopenia. Our data confirm a global signal at TNFSF4 and a role for the expressed product at multiple stages of lymphocyte dysregulation during SLE pathogenesis. We confirm the validity of trans-ancestral mapping in a complex trait. © 2013 Manku et al

Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Third Vaccine in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Had No Seroconversion After Primary 2-Dose Regimen With Inactivated or Vector-Based Vaccines

Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the immune response after a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with undetectable antibody titers after the primary regimen of 2 doses. Methods. Patients with RA with no seroconversion after 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and who received a third dose of either an mRNA or vector-based vaccine were included. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, neutralizing activity, and T cell responses were assessed after the third dose. Results. A total of 21 nonresponder patients were included. At the time of vaccination, 29% were receiving glucocorticoids and 85% biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (including 6 taking abatacept [ABA] and 4 taking rituximab [RTX]). The majority (95%) received the BNT162b2 vaccine and only one of them received the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. After the third dose, 91% of the patients presented detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and 76% showed neutralizing activity. Compared to other treatments, ABA and RTX were associated with the absence of neutralizing activity in 4 out of 5 (80%) patients and lower titers of neutralizing antibodies (median 3, IQR 0-20 vs 8, IQR 4-128; P = 0.20). Specific T cell response was detected in 41% of all patients after the second dose, increasing to 71% after the third dose. The use of ABA was associated with a lower frequency of T cell response (33% vs 87%, P = 0.03). Conclusion. In this RA cohort, 91% of patients who failed to seroconvert after 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine presented detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG after a third dose. The use of ABA was associated with a lower frequency of specific T cell response.Fil: Isnardi, Carolina A.. No especifíca;Fil: Cerda, Osvaldo L.. No especifíca;Fil: Landi, Margarita. Austral University Hospital; LiberiaFil: Cruces, Leonel Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Schneeberger, Emilce E.. No especifíca;Fil: Montoro, Claudia Calle. Austral University Hospital; LiberiaFil: Alfaro, María Agustina. No especifíca;Fil: Roldán, Brian M.. No especifíca;Fil: Gómez Vara, Andrea B.. No especifíca;Fil: Giorgis, Pamela. No especifíca;Fil: Ezquer, Roberto Alejandro. No especifíca;Fil: Crespo Rocha, María G. No especifíca;Fil: Reyes Gómez, Camila R.. No especifíca;Fil: de Los Ángeles Correa, Mária. No especifíca;Fil: Rosemffet, Marcos G.. No especifíca;Fil: Abarza, Virginia Carrizo. No especifíca;Fil: Pellet, Santiago Catalan. Austral University Hospital; LiberiaFil: Perandones, Miguel. No especifíca;Fil: Reimundes, Cecilia. Austral University Hospital; LiberiaFil: Longueira, Yesica Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Turk, Gabriela Julia Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Laufer, Natalia Lorna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Quintana, Rosana Maris. No especifíca;Fil: de la Vega, María Celina. No especifíca;Fil: Kreplak, Nicolás. No especifíca;Fil: Pifano, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Maid, Pablo. Austral University Hospital; LiberiaFil: Pons Estel, Guillermo J.. No especifíca;Fil: Citera, Gustavo. No especifíca

Physician Global Assessment International Standardisation COnsensus in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: the PISCOS study

The Physician Global Assessment International Standardisation COnsensus in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (PISCOS) study aimed to obtain an evidence-based and expert-based consensus standardisation of the Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scoring of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). An international panel of 79 SLE experts participated in a three-round Delphi consensus process, in which 41 statements related to the PGA in SLE were rated, using a 0 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree) numerical rating scale. Statements with agreement of 75% or greater were selected and further validated by the expert panel. Consensus was reached on 27 statements, grouped in 14 recommendations, for the use of the PGA in SLE, design of the PGA scale, practical considerations for PGA scoring, and the relationship between PGA values and levels of disease activity. Among these recommendations, the expert panel agreed that the PGA should consist of a 0-3 visual analogue scale for measuring disease activity in patients with SLE in the preceding month. The PGA is intended to rate the overall disease activity, taking into account the severity of active manifestations and clinical laboratory results, but excluding organ damage, serology, and subjective findings unrelated to disease activity. The PGA scale ranges from "no disease activity" (0) to the "most severe disease activity" (3) and incorporates the values 1 and 2 as inner markers to categorise disease activity as mild (&gt;= 0.5 to 1), moderate (&gt;1 and &lt;= 2) and severe (&gt;2 to 3). Only experienced physicians can rate the PGA, and it should be preferably scored by the same rater at each visit. The PISCOS results will allow for increased homogeneity and reliability of PGA ratings in routine clinical practice, definitions of remission and low disease activity, and future SLE trials

Transancestral mapping and genetic load in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with marked gender and ethnic disparities. We report a large transancestral association study of SLE using Immunochip genotype data from 27,574 individuals of European (EA), African (AA) and Hispanic Amerindian (HA) ancestry. We identify 58 distinct non-HLA regions in EA, 9 in AA and 16 in HA (∼50% of these regions have multiple independent associations); these include 24 novel SLE regions (P<5 × 10-8), refined association signals in established regions, extended associations to additional ancestries, and a disentangled complex HLA multigenic effect. The risk allele count (genetic load) exhibits an accelerating pattern of SLE risk, leading us to posit a cumulative hit hypothesis for autoimmune disease. Comparing results across the three ancestries identifies both ancestry-dependent and ancestry-independent contributions to SLE risk. Our results are consistent with the unique and complex histories of the populations sampled, and collectively help clarify the genetic architecture and ethnic disparities in SLE.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio