Publications by authors named "Achille Aouba"

Objectives: In this large multicentre study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of intravenous infliximab vs subcutaneous adalimumab in patients with Takayasu arteritis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicentre study across referral centers in France, Italy, Spain, Armenia, Israel, Japan, Tunisia, and Russia, analyzing biological-targeted therapies in TAK from January 2017 to September 2019.

Results: A total of 135 TAK patients who received adalimumab (n = 34) or infliximab (n = 101) for at least 3 months were included.

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Introduction: Neurosarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease affecting 10% of patients with sarcoidosis. In lack of standardized guidelines, various therapeutic strategies exist. Beyond corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, infliximab, or methotrexate are available options.

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Objective: To compile a list of approved training sites for the Residency Training Program [Diplôme d'Études Spécialisées] in Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology (DES-MIIC) in France.

Method: All local coordinators of the DES-MIIC were contacted to establish the list of approved internship sites for the MIIC DES within their geographical subdivision.

Results: We listed 244 approved training sites, of which 87 (35.

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Background: Efficacy and tolerance of anakinra (ANK) in the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) need to be assessed.

Methods: This phase 3 study (NCT02902731) was a prospective multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted over a 52-week period. GCA patients were randomized 1:1.

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Objectives: IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a multisystem fibro-inflammatory disorder for which glucocorticoids (GC) represent the initial therapeutic intervention. Second-line treatments are not currently codified. The use of dupilumab, an inhibitor of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 signalling, has recently been described as a potential alternative treatment.

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Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a clonal-inflammatory neoplasm driven by mutations in MAPK pathway proto-oncogenes, such as BRAF. Clinical manifestations are protean, affecting virtually every system. This cohort study analyzed 661 patients with ECD to classify them based on clinical features and mutational profiles using unsupervised clustering.

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VEXAS (Vacuoles, E1 Enzyme, X-Linked, Autoinflammatory, Somatic) syndrome is a severe monogenic disorder caused by somatic UBA1 mutations, characterized by inflammation, cytopenias and frequent association with myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS). Steroid dependence is common, and targeted therapies have demonstrated limited efficacy. Azacitidine (AZA), a hypomethylating agent used in MDS, has shown potential in VEXAS but data remain limited.

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Background: To determine whether hierarchical unsupervised cluster analysis identifies a phenotypic distinction in adult patients with primary CNS vasculitis (PCNSV).

Methods: An agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis based on the Ward method was conducted, including 153 patients with complete baseline phenotypic characterization in the COVAC' registry.

Results: The hierarchical analysis identified two main clusters.

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Objective: To describe the main features and outcomes of a large cohort of adult familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients with one pathogenic MEFV mutations and compare them to FMF patients displaying 2 pathogenic MEFV mutations.

Methods: In a retrospective single-referential French center cohort of 581 patients with FMF, 178 FMF patients with one pathogenic mutation were retrieved and compared to 403 patients with 2 pathogenic MEFV mutations. The diagnosis of FMF was based on the Eurofever/PRINTO classification criteria for all patients, and they had all been sequenced for MEFV.

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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease whose pathophysiology remains incompletely understood, involving genetic and epigenetic factors. However, an increasing small subset of patients present with monogenic lupus, providing insight into the pathogenesis of the disease. This systematic review focuses on SLE associated with A20 haploinsufficiency (HA20), a monogenic disorder associated with tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 gene (TNFAIP3) variants.

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Background And Aims: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective disease characterised by excessive extracellular matrix deposition and widespread skin and internal organ fibrosis including various cardiac manifestations. Heart involvement is one of the leading causes of death among patients with SSc. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of various vasodilator treatments.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates how serum levels of ceruloplasmin, an inhibitor of myeloperoxidase, affect the prognosis of patients with anti-MPO antibody-positive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV).
  • - It analyzed data from 92 patients, revealing that those with lower ceruloplasmin levels had a significantly higher death rate (40% vs. 12%) during a median follow-up of 40 months.
  • - The findings suggest that ceruloplasmin levels at diagnosis could be an important marker for survival in patients with anti-MPO AAV, while similar analyses in anti-PR3 antibody patients showed no differences.
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Article Synopsis
  • ApoE mice serve as a model for studying atherosclerosis, with a focus on the effects of a Western diet and uremia.
  • Five groups of mice were analyzed based on their diet and kidney conditions, and various imaging and histological methods were utilized to assess atherosclerosis.
  • While immunostaining revealed greater inflammation in ApoE mice compared to control mice, with a Western diet showing stronger effects, F-FDG PET-MR imaging did not indicate any increased glucose uptake in the aortas of the different ApoE groups.
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Objectives: Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory and somatic (VEXAS) syndrome is an adult-onset autoinflammatory disease associated with somatic ubiquitin-like modifier-activating enzyme 1 (UBA1) mutations. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of targeted therapies.

Methods: Multicentre retrospective study including patients with genetically proven VEXAS syndrome who had received at least one targeted therapy.

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Seventy-seven patients with antiphospholipid syndrome were tested for autoantibodies against C1q, C3, FB, FH, and C4bp. Fifty-seven patients had at least one anti-complement antibody. IgM anti-FH positivity was associated with thrombosis when anti-C3 and anti-FB were, negatively or positively, associated with various noncriteria manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome.

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Introduction: Idiopathic Multicentric Castleman Disease (iMCD) is a complex and poorly understood pathophysiological entity, which encompasses a variety of conditions and can mimic or be associated with autoimmune/autoinflammatory diseases, making it challenging to diagnose and treat. Vacuoles, Enzyme E1, X-linked, Autoinflammatory, Somatic (VEXAS) syndrome is an adult-onset autoinflammatory disorder associated with hematological abnormalities and caused by acquired somatic mutations in the ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1 gene (UBA1) which shares several common clinical and biological signs with iMCD. In this article, we report a patient with VEXAS syndrome initially presenting as iMCD, questioning the link between these two entities.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to identify factors contributing to the progression of aortic dilations in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).
  • Among 47 analyzed patients, 28% experienced fast-progressive aortic dilations, while 34% had slow-progressive and 38% were not progressive, with no significant differences in baseline characteristics across these groups.
  • Fast-progressive patients were more likely to have atheromatous disease and used statins and antiplatelet agents more frequently; inflammation in the aorta was linked to dilation in the majority of patients with GCA-related aortitis.
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Background And Aims: Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is characterized by the accumulation of atypical mast cells (MCs) in organs. Liver histology of SM has been marginally described and accurate histological classification is critical, given the consequences of aggressive SM diagnosis. We aimed to describe the histological features associated with liver SM using updated tools.

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Objectives: To assess the frequency and characteristics of severe relapse in patients with GCA in a real-life setting.

Methods: In a monocentric database of 530 patients, we retrospectively analysed patients who experienced at least one relapse and distinguished severe from non-severe relapses. Severe relapse was defined by the occurrence of an ischaemic event (ophthalmologic, neurologic, digestive, limb ischaemia), the occurrence of an aortic complication (i.

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Introduction: This study aimed to provide an updated analysis of the different prognostic trajectories of patients with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibodies.

Methods: Among a cohort of 70 patients, baseline characteristics and phenotypes, treatments and outcomes were analyzed. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors associated with poor outcomes, i.

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Article Synopsis
  • VEXAS syndrome is a poorly understood, acquired autoinflammatory disease linked to serious infections, highlighting significant risks for susceptible patients.
  • A study of 74 patients revealed that the most frequent infection sites were the lungs, skin, and urinary tract, with a notable microbiological confirmation rate.
  • Key risk factors for serious infections included age over 75, specific genetic mutations, and treatment with JAK inhibitors, with 36% of patients dying during the study, often due to these severe infections.
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