Prediction of improvement in skin fibrosis in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: a EUSTAR analysis

OBJECTIVES Improvement of skin fibrosis is part of the natural course of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). Recognising those patients most likely to improve could help tailoring clinical management and cohort enrichment for clinical trials. In this study, we aimed to identify predictors for improvement of skin fibrosis in patients with dcSSc. METHODS We performed a longitudinal analysis of the European Scleroderma Trials And Research (EUSTAR) registry including patients with dcSSc, fulfilling American College of Rheumatology criteria, baseline modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) ≥7 and follow-up mRSS at 12±2 months. The primary outcome was skin improvement (decrease in mRSS of >5 points and ≥25%) at 1 year follow-up. A respective increase in mRSS was considered progression. Candidate predictors for skin improvement were selected by expert opinion and logistic regression with bootstrap validation was applied. RESULTS From the 919 patients included, 218 (24%) improved and 95 (10%) progressed. Eleven candidate predictors for skin improvement were analysed. The final model identified high baseline mRSS and absence of tendon friction rubs as independent predictors of skin improvement. The baseline mRSS was the strongest predictor of skin improvement, independent of disease duration. An upper threshold between 18 and 25 performed best in enriching for progressors over regressors. CONCLUSIONS Patients with advanced skin fibrosis at baseline and absence of tendon friction rubs are more likely to regress in the next year than patients with milder skin fibrosis. These evidence-based data can be implemented in clinical trial design to minimise the inclusion of patients who would regress under standard of care

Produljen tijek Creutzfeldt -Jakobove bolesti uz opsežnu degeneraciju središnjega živčanog sustava

In Slovak genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients with E200K mutation in the prion protein gene the mean duration of clinical stage is significantly shorter in methionine homozygous then in methionine / valine heterozygous patients (3.70±2.00 vs. 7.84±7.30 months). An atypical prolonged course (13 months) of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease complicated by malignant neuroleptic syndrome in a 48-year-old methionine homozygous carrier of E200K mutation is reported. Progression was documented by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, functional-biochemical magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electroencephalography. Post mortem neurohistologic findings confirmed the definitive diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and revealed severe reduction of cerebral and cerebellar cortex with almost complete depletion of neuronal cells. The possible explanation of unusual duration of the disease in genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is discussed. The importance of early diagnosis and timely therapeutic intervention (when effective treatment becomes available) sufficiently preceding the development of irreversible degenerative changes if the central nervous system is emphasized.Srednje trajanje kliničkog stadija u slovačkih bolesnika s genetskom Creutzfeldt-Jakobovom bolešću s mutacijom EZOOK u genu prionskog proteina (PRNP) značajno je kraće u bolesnika homozigotnih za metionin nego u onih heterozigotnih za metionin/valin (3,70±Z,OO prema 7,84±7,30 mjeseci). Opisuje se atipičan produljeni tijek (13 mjeseci) Creutzfeldt-jakobove bolesti komplicirane malignim neurolepticnim sindromom u 48-godišnjeg nositelja mutacije EZOOK homozigotnog za metionin. Progresija je dokumentirana kompjutoriziranom tomografijom, magnetskom rezonancom, funkcionalno biokemijskom spektroskopijom magnetskom rezonancom i elektroencefalografijom. Neurohistološki nalazi pri obdukciji potvrdili su definitivnu dijagnozu Creutzfeldt-Jakobove bolesti i otkrili teško smanjenje cerebralnog i cerebelarnog korteksa uz gotovo potpun nestanak neuronskih stanica. Raspravlja se o mogućem objašnjenju neuobičajenog trajanja bolesti u slučaju genetske Creutzfeldt-Jakobove bolesti. Naglašava se važnost rane dijagnoze i terapijske intervencije (kad učinkovita terapija bude dostupna), koje ce dostatno prethoditi razvoju zapaženih ireverzibilnih degenerativnih promjena središnjega živčanog sustava

Factors associated with disease progression in early-diagnosed pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis: longitudinal data from the DETECT cohort

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). In this longitudinal study, we aimed to identify factors associated with an unfavourable outcome in patients with SSc with early PAH (SSc-PAH) from the DETECT cohort. METHODS: Patients with SSc-PAH enrolled in DETECT were observed for up to 3 years. Associations between cross-sectional variables and disease progression (defined as the occurrence of any of the following events: WHO Functional Class worsening, combination therapy for PAH, hospitalisation or death) were analysed by univariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 57 patients with PAH (median observation time 12.6 months), 25 (43.9%) had disease progression. The following factors (OR (95% CI)) were associated with disease progression: male gender (4.1 (1.2 to 14.1)), high forced vital capacity % predicted/carbon monoxide lung diffusion capacity (DLCO)% predicted ratio (3.6 (1.2 to 10.7)), high Borg Dyspnoea Index (1.7 (1.1 to 2.6)) and low DLCO% predicted (non-linear relationship). CONCLUSION: More than 40% of early-diagnosed patients with SSc-PAH had disease progression during a short follow-up time, with male gender, functional capacity and pulmonary function tests at PAH diagnosis being associated with progression. This suggests that even mild PAH should be considered a high-risk complication of SSc

Effects of beta-alanine supplementation on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal and cognitive function: an exploratory study

Objectives: Two independent studies were conducted to examine the effects of 28 d of beta-alanine supplementation at 6.4 g d-1 on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal in omnivores and vegetarians (Study 1) and on cognitive function before and after exercise in trained cyclists (Study 2). Methods: In Study 1, seven healthy vegetarians (3 women and 4 men) and seven age- and sex-matched omnivores undertook a brain 1H-MRS exam at baseline and after beta-alanine supplementation. In study 2, nineteen trained male cyclists completed four 20-Km cycling time trials (two pre supplementation and two post supplementation), with a battery of cognitive function tests (Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm, Rapid Visual Information Processing task) being performed before and after exercise on each occasion. Results: In Study 1, there were no within-group effects of beta-alanine supplementation on brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal in either vegetarians (p = 0.99) or omnivores (p = 0.27); nor was there any effect when data from both groups were pooled (p = 0.19). Similarly, there was no group by time interaction for brain homocarnosine/carnosine signal (p = 0.27). In study 2, exercise improved cognitive function across all tests (P0.05) of beta-alanine supplementation on response times or accuracy for the Stroop test, Sternberg paradigm or RVIP task at rest or after exercise. Conclusion: 28 d of beta-alanine supplementation at 6.4g d-1 appeared not to influence brain homocarnosine/ carnosine signal in either omnivores or vegetarians; nor did it influence cognitive function before or after exercise in trained cyclists

Development and validation of a patient-reported outcome measure for systemic sclerosis: the EULAR Systemic Sclerosis Impact of Disease (ScleroID) questionnaire

OBJECTIVES: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important for clinical practice and research. Given the high unmet need, our aim was to develop a comprehensive PROM for systemic sclerosis (SSc), jointly with patient experts. METHODS: This European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)-endorsed project involved 11 European SSc centres. Relevant health dimensions were chosen and prioritised by patients. The resulting Systemic Sclerosis Impact of Disease (ScleroID) questionnaire was subsequently weighted and validated by Outcome Measures in Rheumatology criteria in an observational cohort study, cross-sectionally and longitudinally. As comparators, SSc-Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), EuroQol Five Dimensional (EQ-5D), Short Form-36 (SF-36) were included. RESULTS: Initially, 17 health dimensions were selected and prioritised. The top 10 health dimensions were selected for the ScleroID questionnaire. Importantly, Raynaud's phenomenon, impaired hand function, pain and fatigue had the highest patient-reported disease impact. The validation cohort study included 472 patients with a baseline visit, from which 109 had a test-retest reliability visit and 113 had a follow-up visit (85% female, 38% diffuse SSc, mean age 58 years, mean disease duration 9 years). The total ScleroID score showed strong Pearson correlation coefficients with comparators (SSc-HAQ, 0.73; Patient's global assessment, Visual Analogue Scale 0.77; HAQ-Disability Index, 0.62; SF-36 physical score, -0.62; each p<0.001). The internal consistency was strong: Cronbach's alpha was 0.87, similar to SSc-HAQ (0.88) and higher than EQ-5D (0.77). The ScleroID had excellent reliability and good sensitivity to change, superior to all comparators (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.84; standardised response mean 0.57). CONCLUSIONS: We have developed and validated the EULAR ScleroID, which is a novel, brief, disease-specific, patient-derived, disease impact PROM, suitable for research and clinical use in SSc

Produljen tijek Creutzfeldt -Jakobove bolesti uz opsežnu degeneraciju središnjega živčanog sustava

In Slovak genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients with E200K mutation in the prion protein gene the mean duration of clinical stage is significantly shorter in methionine homozygous then in methionine / valine heterozygous patients (3.70±2.00 vs. 7.84±7.30 months). An atypical prolonged course (13 months) of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease complicated by malignant neuroleptic syndrome in a 48-year-old methionine homozygous carrier of E200K mutation is reported. Progression was documented by computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, functional-biochemical magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electroencephalography. Post mortem neurohistologic findings confirmed the definitive diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and revealed severe reduction of cerebral and cerebellar cortex with almost complete depletion of neuronal cells. The possible explanation of unusual duration of the disease in genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is discussed. The importance of early diagnosis and timely therapeutic intervention (when effective treatment becomes available) sufficiently preceding the development of irreversible degenerative changes if the central nervous system is emphasized.Srednje trajanje kliničkog stadija u slovačkih bolesnika s genetskom Creutzfeldt-Jakobovom bolešću s mutacijom EZOOK u genu prionskog proteina (PRNP) značajno je kraće u bolesnika homozigotnih za metionin nego u onih heterozigotnih za metionin/valin (3,70±Z,OO prema 7,84±7,30 mjeseci). Opisuje se atipičan produljeni tijek (13 mjeseci) Creutzfeldt-jakobove bolesti komplicirane malignim neurolepticnim sindromom u 48-godišnjeg nositelja mutacije EZOOK homozigotnog za metionin. Progresija je dokumentirana kompjutoriziranom tomografijom, magnetskom rezonancom, funkcionalno biokemijskom spektroskopijom magnetskom rezonancom i elektroencefalografijom. Neurohistološki nalazi pri obdukciji potvrdili su definitivnu dijagnozu Creutzfeldt-Jakobove bolesti i otkrili teško smanjenje cerebralnog i cerebelarnog korteksa uz gotovo potpun nestanak neuronskih stanica. Raspravlja se o mogućem objašnjenju neuobičajenog trajanja bolesti u slučaju genetske Creutzfeldt-Jakobove bolesti. Naglašava se važnost rane dijagnoze i terapijske intervencije (kad učinkovita terapija bude dostupna), koje ce dostatno prethoditi razvoju zapaženih ireverzibilnih degenerativnih promjena središnjega živčanog sustava

Prospective evaluation of the capillaroscopic skin ulcer risk index in systemic sclerosis patients in clinical practice: a longitudinal, multicentre study.

Nailfold capillaroscopy (NC) is an important tool for the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The capillaroscopic skin ulcer risk index (CSURI) was suggested to identify patients at risk of developing digital ulcers (DUs). This study aims to assess the reliability of the CSURI across assessors, the CSURI change during follow-up and the value of the CSURI in predicting new DUs. This multicentre, longitudinal study included SSc patients with a history of DUs. NC images of all eight fingers were obtained at baseline and follow-up and were separately analysed by two trained assessors. Sixty-one patients were included (median observation time 1.0 year). In about 40% of patients (assessor 1, n = 24, 39%; assessor 2, n = 26, 43%) no megacapillary was detected in any of the baseline or follow-up images; hence the CSURI could not be calculated. In those 34 patients in whom CSURI scores were available from both assessors (26% male; median age 57 years) the median baseline CSURI was 5.3 according to assessor 1 (IQR 2.6-16.3), increasing to 5.9 (IQR 1.3-12.0) at follow-up. According to assessor 2, the CSURI diminished from 6.4 (IQR 2.4-12.5) to 5.0 (IQR 1.7-10.0). The ability of a CSURI ≥ 2.96 category to predict new DUs was low (for both assessors, positive predictive value 38% and negative predictive value 50%) and the inter-assessor agreements for CSURI categories were fair to moderate. In this study, around 40% of patients could not be evaluated with the CSURI due to the absence of megacapillaries. Clinical decisions based on the CSURI should be made with caution. Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN04371709 . Registered on 18 March 2011

Polymorphisms of glutathione-S-transferase M1, T1, P1 and the risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been suggested that polymorphisms in glutathione-<it>S</it>-transferases (GST) could predispose to prostate cancer through a heritable deficiency in detoxification pathways for environmental carcinogens. Yet, studies linking <it>GST </it>polymorphism and prostate cancer have so far failed to unambiguously establish this relation in patients. A retrospective study on healthy, unrelated subjects was conducted in order to estimate the population <it>GST </it>genotype frequencies in the Slovak population of men and compare our results with already published data (GSEC project-Genetic Susceptibility to Environmental Carcinogens). A further aim of the study was to evaluate polymorphisms in <it>GST </it>also in patients with prostate cancer in order to compare the evaluated proportions with those found in the control subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We determined the <it>GST </it>genotypes in 228 healthy, unrelated subjects who attended regular prostate cancer screening between May 2005 and June 2007 and in 129 histologically verified prostate cancer patients. Analysis for the <it>GST </it>gene polymorphisms was performed by PCR and PCR-RFLP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that the <it>GST </it>frequencies are not significantly different from those estimated in a European multicentre study or from the results published by another group in Slovakia. Our results suggest that <it>Val/Val </it>genotype of <it>GSTP1 </it>gene could modulate the risk of prostate cancer, even if this association did not reach statistical significance. We did not observe significantly different crude rates of the <it>GSTM1 </it>and <it>GSTT1 </it>null genotypes in the men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those in the control group.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Understanding the contribution of <it>GST </it>gene polymorphisms and their interactions with other relevant factors may improve screening diagnostic assays for prostate cancer. We therefore discuss issues of study feasibility, study design, and statistical power, which should be taken into account in planning further trials.</p

First order reversal curves and intrinsic parameter determination for magnetic materials; Limitations of hysteron-based approaches in correlated systems

The generic problem of extracting information on intrinsic particle properties from the whole class of interacting magnetic fine particle systems is a long standing and difficult inverse problem. As an example, the Switching Field Distribution (SFD) is an important quantity in the characterization of magnetic systems, and its determination in many technological applications, such as recording media, is especially challenging. Techniques such as the first order reversal curve (FORC) methods, were developed to extract the SFD from macroscopic measurements. However, all methods rely on separating the contributions to the measurements of the intrinsic SFD and the extrinsic effects of magnetostatic and exchange interactions. We investigate the underlying physics of the FORC method by applying it to the output predictions of a kinetic Monte-Carlo model with known input parameters. We show that the FORC method is valid only in cases of weak spatial correlation of the magnetisation and suggest a more general approach