Performance of SCORE2, QRISK3 and PREVENT equations in systemic lupus erythematosus.

BackgroundAssessment of contemporary cardiovascular risk scores using clinically relevant endpoints is lacking in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).AimThis study aimed to assess and compare the performances of SCORE2, QRISK3 and PREVENT equations in SLE.MethodsSLE patients with no prior atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who underwent a baseline cardiovascular risk assessment including coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring at the French national SLE reference center between 2014 and 2024 were retrospectively included.

Serum interferon-beta level determined by an ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence immunoassay is increased in clinically active and inactive systemic lupus erythematosus.

Type I interferons, which play an important role in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), are expressed at very low levels under physiological conditions. In this study, we focused on IFN-beta (IFN) β-for its potential use as a biomarker of SLE activity and compared three different technologies for its quantification in the serum of healthy donors and patients with SLE. A total of 93 serum samples from healthy donors and 463 serum samples from lupus patients were tested using either ELISA, digital ELISA based on Single Molecule Array (Simoa®) technology, or a novel ultrasensitive immunoassay (S-Plex®) based on electrochemiluminescence.

Indications, efficacy and safety of rituximab in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective study of the JIR cohort.

Objectives: Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a rare autoimmune disease with significant morbidity. Although B cell-depleting agents show promise for refractory cSLE, there is limited research on rituximab therapy in children. This study aimed to retrospectively assess the indications, efficacy, and safety of RTX in cSLE, using data from the Juvenile Inflammatory Rheumatism (JIR) cohort database.

Improving organisation to improve care: ERN ReCONNET organisational reference model for systemic sclerosis patients' care pathway.

Objective: To optimise the organisation of care and encourage the adoption of good clinical practices, the RarERN Path methodology was designed within ERN ReCONNET. The aim of our work was to report the application of RarERN Path on systemic sclerosis within the ERN ReCONNET centres, providing a feasible and flexible organisational reference model for optimising the systemic sclerosis care pathway in different countries.

Methods: RarERN Path is a six-phase methodology which enables the creation of a reference organisational model co-designed on the basis of the expertise of different stakeholders.

Lymphadenopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus: no microbial trigger found by shotgun metagenomics in a retrospective study on 38 patients.

Objectives: Lymphadenopathy is a classical manifestation of SLE flare, occurring in approximately half of patients during the course of the disease. Lymphadenopathy in SLE is frequently associated with fever. Microbial infection may play a role in SLE onset and flares.

Risk of flare in patients with SLE in remission after hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine withdrawal.

Objective: Previous studies have provided evidence that the discontinuation of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and chloroquine (CQ), in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with an increased risk of disease flares, with limited information on the level of disease activity at the time of HCQ/CQ discontinuation. Here we aimed to describe the risk of SLE flare after withdrawal of HCQ or CQ in patients with SLE in remission.

Methods: Case-control study (1:2) comparing the evolution of patients with SLE after HCQ/CQ withdrawal for antimalarial retinopathy (cases) with patients with SLE matched for sex, antimalarial treatment duration and age at SLE diagnosis, whose antimalarial treatment was continued throughout the entire follow-up period (controls).

Identification of new risk factors for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine retinopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Background: Long-term hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) or chloroquine (CQ) intake causes retinal toxicity in 0.3-8 % of patients with rheumatic diseases. Numerous risk factors have been described, eg, daily dose by weight, treatment duration, chronic kidney disease, concurrent tamoxifen therapy and pre-existing retinal or macular disease.

Impaired metabolism predicts coronary artery calcification in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit a high risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) which is not fully explained by the classical Framingham risk factors. SLE is characterized by major metabolic alterations which can contribute to the elevated prevalence of CVD.

Methods: A comprehensive analysis of the circulating metabolome and lipidome was conducted in a large cohort of 211 women with SLE who underwent a multi-detector computed tomography scan for quantification of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a robust predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD).

[The transitional care from pediatrics to adult medicine within the rare autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases network].

The committee involved in transitional care within the French network on rare autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases has developed tools and published recommendations for the care during the transition of adolescents and young adults suffering from these chronic diseases which often demonstrate flares. As the challenge is the compliance to the continuation of care in the adult world, the therapeutic alliance between the young patient and his/her pediatrician and then his/her adult doctor is particularly important. The working group thus carried out a survey on how doctors and young patients perceive their relationship during the period of transition in medical supervision.

Lower disease activity but higher risk of severe COVID-19 and herpes zoster in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with pre-existing autoantibodies neutralising IFN-α.

Objectives: Type-I interferons (IFNs-I) have potent antiviral effects. IFNs-I are also overproduced in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Autoantibodies (AAbs) neutralising IFN-α, IFN-β and/or IFN-ω subtypes are strong determinants of hypoxemic COVID-19 pneumonia, but their impact on inflammation remains unknown.

Weaning of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy in lupus nephritis (WIN-Lupus): results of a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a frequent complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Severe (proliferative) forms of LN are treated with induction immunosuppressive therapy (IST), followed by maintenance IST, to target remission and avoid relapses. The optimal duration of maintenance IST is unknown.

Clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential and cardiovascular events in systemic lupus erythematosus (HEMATOPLUS study).

Objective: The detection of somatic mutations among the genes of myeloid cells in asymptomatic patients-defining clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP)-is associated with a predisposition to cardiovascular events (CVEs) in the general population. We aimed to determine whether CHIP was associated with CVEs in SLE patients.

Methods: The study is an ancillary study of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre PLUS trial conducted from June 2007 through August 2010 at 37 centres in France, involving 573 SLE patients.

BNT162b2 vaccine-induced humoral and cellular responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity and SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses after BNT162b2 vaccination.

Methods: In this prospective study, disease activity and clinical assessments were recorded from the first dose of vaccine until day 15 after the second dose in 126 patients with SLE. SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses were measured against wild-type spike antigen, while serum-neutralising activity was assessed against the SARS-CoV-2 historical strain and variants of concerns (VOCs).

COVID-19-associated collapsing glomerulopathy: a report of two cases and literature review.

Nephrotic range proteinuria has been reported during the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, the pathological mechanisms underlying this manifestation are unknown. In this article, we present two cases of collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) associated with acute tubular necrosis during the course of COVID-19, and review the literature for similar reports.

Highly sensitive serum cardiac troponin T and cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (TROPOPLUS study).

Objective: Identification of biological markers able to better stratify cardiovascular risks in SLE patients is needed. We aimed to determine whether serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels measured with a highly sensitive assay [high sensitivity cTnT (HS-cTnT)] may predict cardiovascular events (CVEs) in SLE.

Method: All SLE patients included between 2007 and 2010 in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre PLUS trial were screened.