Impacts of Antarctic summer sea-ice extremes.

Antarctic sea ice plays many crucial roles in the physical environments and ecosystems of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. In this study, we synthesize the physical, biogeochemical, ecosystem, and societal impacts of summers with extreme low Antarctic sea-ice coverage. These extreme events result in the loss of multiyear landfast ice and changes in sea-ice seasonality.

Coupling Genetic and Demographic Data to Reveal Dispersal Processes in Emperor Penguins.

Dispersal is a ubiquitous phenomenon that affects the dynamics of the population and the evolution of natural populations; however, it is challenging to measure in most species. Furthermore, the influence of informed dispersal behaviors, referring to the nonrandom selection of breeding habitats by individuals, on species' responses to rapid global change is substantial but difficult to comprehend. Here, we present a modeling framework to assess the dispersal characteristics and behaviors of a metapopulation when observations provide information on its neutral genetic structure for a restricted sampling of locations.

Where to live? Landfast sea ice shapes emperor penguin habitat around Antarctica.

Predicting species survival in the face of climate change requires understanding the drivers that influence their distribution. Emperor penguins () incubate and rear chicks on landfast sea ice, whose extent, dynamics, and quality are expected to vary substantially due to climate change. Until recently, this species' continent-wide observations were scarce, and knowledge on their distribution and habitat limited.

Outcomes of COVID-19 in people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease in Ireland over the first 2 years of the pandemic.

Background: Poor COVID-19 outcomes occur with higher frequency in people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD). Better understanding of the factors involved is crucial to informing patients and clinicians regarding risk mitigation.

Aim: To describe COVID-19 outcomes for people with RMD in Ireland over the first 2 years of the pandemic.

Antarctic calving loss rivals ice-shelf thinning.

Antarctica's ice shelves help to control the flow of glacial ice as it drains into the ocean, meaning that the rate of global sea-level rise is subject to the structural integrity of these fragile, floating extensions of the ice sheet. Until now, data limitations have made it difficult to monitor the growth and retreat cycles of ice shelves on a large scale, and the full impact of recent calving-front changes on ice-shelf buttressing has not been understood. Here, by combining data from multiple optical and radar satellite sensors, we generate pan-Antarctic, spatially continuous coastlines at roughly annual resolution since 1997.

Temporal trends in COVID-19 outcomes in people with rheumatic diseases in Ireland: data from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance registry.

Objectives: Although evidence is accumulating globally, data on outcomes in rheumatic disease and COVID-19 in Ireland are limited. We used data from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance (C19-GRA) to describe time-varying COVID-19 outcomes for people with rheumatic disease in Ireland.

Methods: Data entered into the C19-GRA provider registry from Ireland between 24 March 2020 and 9 July 2021 were analysed.

Predictors of hospitalization in patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 in Ireland: data from the COVID-19 global rheumatology alliance registry.

Objectives: Given the limited data regarding the risk of hospitalization in patients with rheumatic disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ireland, we used the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance (GRA) registry data to study outcomes and their predictors. The primary objective was to explore potential predictors of hospitalization.

Methods: We examined data on patients and their disease-related characteristics entered in the COVID-19 GRA provider registry from Ireland (from 24 March 2020 to 31 August 2020).

Monitoring the Sialome on Human Immune Cells.

The sialome or display of sialic acids on the surface of human immune cells can vary according to immune response and activation state. Here, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and activated with anti-CD3 antibody and the cell surface sialome was quantified using a combination of click chemistry, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry techniques. Carbohydrate click chemistry was used to detect and measure the incorporation of an azido-m65odified sialic acid precursor molecule, N-acetylmannosamine (ManNaz) sugar into the PBMC surface sialome.

Landfast ice: a major driver of reproductive success in a polar seabird.

In a fast-changing world, polar ecosystems are threatened by climate variability. Understanding the roles of fine-scale processes, and linear and nonlinear effects of climate factors on the demography of polar species is crucial for anticipating the future state of these fragile ecosystems. While the effects of sea ice on polar marine top predators are increasingly being studied, little is known about the impacts of landfast ice (LFI) on this species community.

Prevalence and treatment of gout among patients with chronic kidney disease in the Irish health system: A national study.

Background: Gout is a common inflammatory arthritis associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Under treatment is common in the general population. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gout and its treatment among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

New insights into Behçet's disease in Ireland: the Midwest cohort study.

Objectives: The epidemiology of Behçet's disease (BD) remains poorly understood with limited international data on disease burden, progression and treatment outcomes. The aims of this study were to determine the natural history of BD in the Midwest region of Ireland and compare our findings with those from other European and Mediterranean studies.

Methods: We established a cohort of patients with BD in the Midwest Region of Ireland based on ISGBD and/or ICBD criteria.

Temporal trends in hyperuricaemia in the Irish health system from 2006-2014: A cohort study.

Background: Elevated serum uric acid (sUA) concentrations are common in the general population and are associated with chronic metabolic conditions and adverse clinical outcomes. We evaluated secular trends in the burden of hyperuricaemia from 2006-2014 within the Irish health system.

Methods: Data from the National Kidney Disease Surveillance Programme was used to determine the prevalence of elevated sUA in adults, age > 18 years, within the Irish health system.

The impact of exercise on sleep (time, quality, and disturbance) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Poor sleep is an issue for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which may curtail their ability to function appropriately and reduce their activity levels. This paper describes a protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial of an aerobic exercise intervention compared with exercise advice designed to improve sleep in people with RA. Objectives are to obtain reliable estimates regarding recruitment rates, participant retention and protocol adherence and to generate potential effect size estimates for a main trial.

Coastal polynyas: Winter oases for subadult southern elephant seals in East Antarctica.

Antarctic coastal polynyas are regions of persistent open water and are thought to be key bio-physical features within the sea-ice zone. However, their use by the upper trophic levels of ecosystems remains unclear. A unique bio-physical dataset recorded by southern elephant seals reveals that East Antarctic polynyas are a key winter foraging habitat for male seals.

The real-world use of different anti-tumor necrosis factor agents in a Northern European population of patients with Behçet's disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate prescription practices, treatment responses, and serious adverse events of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies in Behçet's disease (BD).

Material And Methods: Patients with BD satisfying the International Study Group for Behçet's Disease or the International Criteria for Behçet's Disease criteria were recruited from a regional rheumatology program. The choice of anti-TNF, treatment response, and adverse events were specified.

Knitting the Threads of Silk through Time: Behçet's Disease-Past, Present, and Future.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a chronic relapsing vasculitis that affects vessels of all types and sizes with a broad spectrum of phenotypic heterogeneity and complex immunopathogenesis. Efforts by the scientific community to resolve the unmet needs of BD and gaps in our knowledge have been hampered by considerable challenges that primarily relate to the rare nature of the disease in many parts of the world and its heterogeneity. Controversies remain in many aspects of the disease including the diagnostic criteria, immunopathogenesis and biomarker discovery, geographical variation, and therapeutic considerations.

High Vitamin D Levels May Downregulate Inflammation in Patients with Behçet's Disease.

Vitamin D plays a significant role in the immune system modulation and may confer a protective role in autoimmune diseases. We conducted a case-control study to compare 25(OH)D levels in patients with BD who were managed at a regional rheumatology programme in the midwest region of Ireland compared to matched controls. Healthy controls were selected from the Irish health system and matched in 1 : 5 ratio for age, sex, and the month of the year.

Variability in sea ice cover and climate elicit sex specific responses in an Antarctic predator.

Contrasting regional changes in Southern Ocean sea ice have occurred over the last 30 years with distinct regional effects on ecosystem structure and function. Quantifying how Antarctic predators respond to such changes provides the context for predicting how climate variability/change will affect these assemblages into the future. Over an 11-year time-series, we examine how inter-annual variability in sea ice concentration and advance affect the foraging behaviour of a top Antarctic predator, the southern elephant seal.

Early- and late-stage morphea subtypes with deep tissue involvement is treatable with Abatacept (Orencia).

Objectives: This case series explores the potential efficacy of Abatacept in patients presenting with morphea subtypes and deep tissue involvement.

Methods: Three patients with established morphea subtypes and deep tissue involvement and with no contraindication to Abatacept were included in this prospective open-label study. The index patient was exceptionally severely affected with a mean Modified Rodnan Skin Score (MRSS) of 38/51.

Relationship between self-efficacy, beliefs, and physical activity in inflammatory arthritis.

Background: The benefits of physical activity (PA) in inflammatory arthritis (IA) patients are well-established. However, levels of PA in the IA population are suboptimal and the psychological determinants of PA are poorly understood.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the self-reported PA levels and psychological determinants of PA for the IA population.

Significant laryngeal destruction in a northern European cohort of Behçet's disease patients.

Objectives: Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem autoimmune disease of unknown origin typically affecting the triad of oral and genital mucosa and the eye. Limited data are available in the literature regarding the otolaryngology-related manifestations of BD, particularly in northern Europeans. This is a novel study detailing surprising and significant laryngeal structural changes in a northern European cohort of BD.

Impact of outpatient clinic ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis and treatment for shoulder impingement: a randomized prospective study.

The use of musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSUS) in guiding subdeltoid injection has been shown to improve outcome up to 6 weeks in a few small studies. A recent meta-analysis identified the need for further studies with longer-term outcome and larger sample size. This randomized prospective study assessed whether clinic-based MSUS can significantly improve diagnostic accuracy in shoulder pain and whether MSUS-guided shoulder injection results in improved long-term outcomes.