Diagnosis of childhood febrile illness using a multi-class blood RNA molecular signature.

Background: Appropriate treatment and management of children presenting with fever depend on accurate and timely diagnosis, but current diagnostic tests lack sensitivity and specificity and are frequently too slow to inform initial treatment. As an alternative to pathogen detection, host gene expression signatures in blood have shown promise in discriminating several infectious and inflammatory diseases in a dichotomous manner. However, differential diagnosis requires simultaneous consideration of multiple diseases.

Synovial signal intensity on static contrast-enhanced MRI for evaluation of disease activity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis - A look at the bright side of the knee.

Background: Knowledge on the role of synovial signal intensity (SI) grading on static contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI of the knee for assessment of disease activity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is lacking.

Objectives: To assess the value of synovial SI on static CE-MRI of the knee for evaluation of disease activity in children with JIA.

Materials And Methods: Children with clinically inactive and clinically active JIA who underwent static CE-MRI of the knee were included.

Experiences, perspectives and expectations of adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis regarding future work participation; a qualitative study.

Background: Having Juvenile idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) has widespread implications for a person's life. Patients have to deal with recurring arthritis, characterized by pain often accompanied by a loss of energy. Since JIA often persists into adulthood, patients with JIA are likely to encounter difficulties in their working life.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Diffusion-weighted MRI in the Assessment of Arthritis in the Knee.

Background Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can depict the inflamed synovial membrane in arthritis. Purpose To study the diagnostic accuracy of DWI for the detection of arthritis compared with the clinical reference standard and to compare DWI to contrast material-enhanced MRI for the detection of synovial inflammation. Materials and Methods In this institutional review board-approved prospective study, 45 participants with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or suspected of having JIA (seven boys, 38 girls; median age, 14 years [interquartile range, 12-16 years]) were included between December 2015 and December 2018.

MRP8/14 and neutrophil elastase for predicting treatment response and occurrence of flare in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective: To study two neutrophil activation markers, myeloid-related protein (MRP) 8/14 and neutrophil elastase (NE), for their ability to predict treatment response and flare in patients with JIA.

Methods: Using samples from two cohorts (I and II), we determined MRP8/14 and NE levels of 32 (I) and 81 (II) patients with new-onset, DMARD-naïve arthritis and compared patients who responded to treatment (defined as fulfilling ≥ adjusted ACRpedi50 response and/or inactive disease) with non-responders (defined as fulfilling < adjusted ACRpedi50 response and/or active disease) at 6 and 12 months. Secondly, we compared biomarker levels of 54 (I) and 34 (II) patients with clinically inactive disease who did or did not suffer from a flare of arthritis after 6 or 12 months.

T-mapping for assessing knee joint cartilage in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis - feasibility and repeatability.

Background: Ongoing arthritis in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can result in cartilage damage.

Objective: To study the feasibility and repeatability of T for assessing knee cartilage in JIA and also to describe T values and study correlation between T and conventional MRI scores for disease activity.

Materials And Methods: Thirteen children with JIA or suspected JIA underwent 3-tesla (T) knee MRI that included conventional sequences and a T sequence.

Emerging quantitative MR imaging biomarkers in inflammatory arthritides.

Purpose: To review quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) methods for imaging inflammation in connective tissues and the skeleton in inflammatory arthritis. This review is designed for a broad audience including radiologists, imaging technologists, rheumatologists and other healthcare professionals.

Methods: We discuss the use of qMRI for imaging skeletal inflammation from both technical and clinical perspectives.

Prolonged time between intravenous contrast administration and image acquisition results in increased synovial thickness at magnetic resonance imaging in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: Post-contrast synovial thickness measurement is necessary for scoring disease activity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). However, the timing of post-contrast sequences varies widely among institutions. This variation in timing could influence thickness measurements.

Correction to: Diffusion-weighted imaging for assessment of synovial inflammation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a promising imaging biomarker as an alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents.

The original version of this article, published on 12 June 2017, unfortunately contained a mistake.

Imaging of the knee in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), imaging is increasingly used in clinical practice. In this paper we discuss imaging of the knee, the clinically most commonly affected joint in JIA. In the last decade, a number of important steps have been made in the development of imaging outcome measures in children with JIA knee involvement.

Normal MRI findings of the knee in patients with clinically active juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective: In a number of patients with clinically active juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), contrast-enhanced MRI shows no signs of synovitis. The objective of this study was to assess the frequency and the patient characteristics in clinically active JIA patients in which MRI showed no signs of synovitis.

Methods: From our cohort of 313 patients in which contrast-enhanced MRI of the knee had been performed, we selected 72 JIA patients with clinically active disease involving the target joint.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: magnetic resonance imaging of the clinically unaffected knee.

Background: Synovial thickening detected on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is present in a significant number of children with clinically inactive juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Objective: To evaluate patient characteristics and disease activity parameters in a cohort of children with clinically inactive JIA, both with and without synovial thickening, in order to clarify the observed discrepancy between clinical and MRI assessments.

Materials And Methods: We prospectively enrolled 52 clinically inactive JIA patients (median age 13.

Contrast-enhanced MRI findings of the knee in healthy children; establishing normal values.

Objectives: To define normative standards for the knee in healthy children using contrast-enhanced MRI, focusing on normal synovial membrane thickness. Secondly, presence of joint fluid and bone marrow oedema was evaluated.

Methods: For this study, children without disorders potentially resulting in (accompanying) arthritis were included.

Diffusion-weighted imaging for assessment of synovial inflammation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a promising imaging biomarker as an alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents.

Objectives: To compare dynamic-contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in quantifying synovial inflammation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn in the synovium of JIA patients on T1 DCE and T2 DWI, followed by extraction of the maximum enhancement (ME), maximum initial slope (MIS), time to peak (TTP), % of different time intensity curve shapes (TIC) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the ROIs. Mann-Whitney-U test was used for comparing parameters between MRI-active and -inactive patients (defined by the juvenile arthritis MRI scoring system).

Protein array autoantibody profiles to determine diagnostic markers for neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: The aim was to investigate the association between autoantibodies (autoAbs) and neuropsychiatric (NP) involvement in patients with SLE and to evaluate whether any autoAb or a combination of these autoAbs could indicate the underlying pathogenic process.

Methods: Using a multiplexed protein array for 94 antigens, we compared the serum autoAb profiles of 69 NPSLE patients, 203 SLE patients without NP involvement (non-NPSLE) and 51 healthy controls. Furthermore, we compared the profiles of NPSLE patients with clinical inflammatory (n = 38) and ischaemic (n = 31) NP involvement.

Feasibility of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis on 1.0-T open-bore MRI.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the knee of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and, further, to analyze the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) levels to distinguish synovium from effusion.

Materials And Methods: Standard magnetic resonance imaging of the knee including post-contrast imaging was obtained in eight patients (mean age, 12 years 8 months, five females) using an open-bore magnetic resonance imaging system (1.0 T).