Reduced Deltex1 expression in T cells indicates increased disease activity in Sjögren's disease.

Objectives: Deltex1 is a transcriptional target of NFAT that promotes T cell anergy. However, whether Deltex1 affects the properties of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which are involved in the pathogenesis of Sjögren's disease (SjD), is unknown.

Methods: T cells were purified from peripheral blood using a negative selection method.

Real-world risk factors for herpes zoster in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing tofacitinib treatment.

Background: This study sought to assess the risk factors of herpes zoster (HZ) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with tofacitinib (TOFA).

Methods: This retrospective study reviewed RA patients receiving TOFA. We compared clinical characteristics, laboratory profiles, concomitant medication use, and HZ incidence in patients with and without recent biologic synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) treatment, which is defined as their administration ≤180 days before the initiation of TOFA treatment.

Interstitial fibrosis increases the risk of end-stage kidney disease in patients with lupus nephritis.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in LN patients using tubulointerstitial lesion scores.

Methods: Clinical profiles and histopathological presentations of 151 biopsy-proven LN patients were retrospectively examined. Risk factors of ESKD based on characteristics and scoring of their tubulointerstitial lesions [e.

Increased risk of malignancy in HLA-B27-positive patients with ankylosing spondylitis requiring biologics for sustained inflammation: A long-term, single-center retrospective study.

Objectives: To assess the link between the administration of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and the risk of malignancy in human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27)-positive patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) experiencing sustained inflammation.

Methods: Between 2006 and 2021, 1445 HLA-B27-positive patients with AS were retrospectively evaluated. Among them, 112 patients required bDMARD therapy.

Immune-mediated diseases after vaccinations with AZD1222, BNT-162b2, &/or mRNA-1273: An observational investigation of 78 patients.

Background: Immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) after nucleic acid-based vaccines have been sporadically reported since their introduction during the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. Confirming their cause-effect association remains challenging. We analysed the effects of AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), BNT-162b2, and/or mRNA-1273 on the development &/or deterioration of IMDs in terms of the time of clinical onsets of IMDs after exposure to these vaccines.

DUSP8 induces TGF-β-stimulated IL-9 transcription and Th9-mediated allergic inflammation by promoting nuclear export of Pur-α.

Dual-specificity phosphatase 8 (DUSP8) is a MAPK phosphatase that dephosphorylates and inactivates the kinase JNK. DUSP8 is highly expressed in T cells; however, the in vivo role of DUSP8 in T cells remains unclear. Using T cell-specific Dusp8 conditional KO (T-Dusp8 cKO) mice, mass spectrometry analysis, ChIP-Seq, and immune analysis, we found that DUSP8 interacted with Pur-α, stimulated interleukin-9 (IL-9) gene expression, and promoted Th9 differentiation.

Risk Factors and Incidence of Serious Infections in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Undergoing Rituximab Therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the risk and protective factors of serious infection (SI) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) within 180 days of rituximab (RTX) treatment.

Methods: Patients with SLE treated with RTX were analyzed. SI was defined as any infectious disease requiring hospitalization.

Rituximab induction and reinduction in granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis: A retrospective multicenter study in Taiwan.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) under rituximab induction and reinduction therapy in Taiwan.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study in patients with GPA or MPA receiving rituximab therapy from August 2008 to July 2020 in seven medical centers in Taiwan. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of these patients were analyzed.

Dual-specificity phosphatases 22-deficient T cells contribute to the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: Dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) can dephosphorylate both tyrosine and serine/threonine residues of their substrates and regulate T cell-mediated immunity and autoimmunity. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential roles of DUSPs in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: Sixty AS patients and 45 healthy controls were enrolled in this study.

NLRP12 is an innate immune checkpoint for repressing IFN signatures and attenuating lupus nephritis progression.

Signaling driven by nucleic acid sensors participates in interferonopathy-mediated autoimmune diseases. NLRP12, a pyrin-containing NLR protein, is a negative regulator of innate immune activation and type I interferon (IFN-I) production. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients expressed lower levels of NLRP12, with an inverse correlation with IFNA expression and high disease activity.

Risk factors for mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: Analysis of adult and pediatric cohorts in Taiwan.

Background: Overall survival of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients significantly increased in recent decades, however, the relative risk of mortality is still high. Long-term survival outcome of pediatric SLE remains unclear. This study aims to explore the long-term survival rate and its predictors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor TSPO needs to be reconsidered before using as a drug target for a pigmentary disorder.

The peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (TSPO/PBR) is highly conserved among different species but with perplexing biochemical functions. Multiple ligands of TSPO show commendable regulatory activities in lots of biological functions, such as neuro-protection, cholesterol transport, and so on. These researches support that TSPO may be a potential target for disease treatment and drug development.

Novel immunoprofiling method for diagnosing SLE and evaluating therapeutic response.

Objective: Diagnosis of SLE is based on clinical manifestations but is heterogeneous in early onset. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the feature of the immunoprofiling in patients with SLE and apply it to develop an immune signature algorithm for supporting SLE diagnosis.

Methods: We enrolled 13 newly diagnosed patients with SLE and 9 healthy controls (HCs) followed by analysing their immunoprofilings within their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) through flow cytometry.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin to Suppress Progression in a Patient With Advanced Breast Cancer.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used to treat various diseases and has anticancer effects that suppress metastases in animal models of sarcoma and melanoma. However, these effects have been observed in a limited number of clinical cases. We report the case of a patient with metastatic breast cancer in which long-term IVIG treatment stopped disease progression in the absence of salvage chemotherapy.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of golimumab in rheumatoid arthritis treatment: A two-center study in Taiwan.

Background: The real-world outcomes of golimumab (GLM) use have been rarely studied in Asian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study assessed the real-world effectiveness and safety of GLM in a Taiwanese cohort.

Methods: One hundred and eight GLM-treated RA patients were enrolled.

BPI overexpression suppresses Treg differentiation and induces exosome-mediated inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Serum-derived exosomes are correlated with disease severity of human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The proteins in the T-cell-derived exosomes from SLE patients could contribute to inflammation. We characterized proteins of T cell-derived exosomes from SLE patients and healthy controls by proteomics.

High Risk of Viral Reactivation in Hepatitis B Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

HBV reactivation (HBVr) can occur in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive and negative patients. Here, we determined the incidence of HBVr and its related hepatitis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). From 2000 to 2017, 3307 SLE cases were retrospectively reviewed for episodes of hepatitis.

Periodontal conditions in patients with Sjögren's syndrome: A meta-analysis.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by a progressive lymphocytic infiltration of salivary glands, resulting in xerostomia and other oral diseases. The pathogenesis and mechanisms of SS on periodontal tissues are not well understood. Furthermore, results of two systemic reviews and meta-analyses in which compared periodontal parameters of patients with SS to healthy subjects were different.

Significance of high serum IgG4 in complete or non-full-fledged IgG4-related disease-a retrospective investigation of 845 patients and its clinical relevance.

Objective: Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognized heterogeneous, subacute, and usually silent autoimmune disease involving many organs with protean manifestations. However, high IgG4 in serum is not necessarily indicating an IgG4-RD. The aims of this study were to investigate the clinical relevance of high serum IgG4 level in IgG4-RD or non IgG4-RD patients, and to see if IgG4-RD in Taiwan differs from that in other parts of the world.

Induction of Interferon-γ and Tissue Inflammation by Overexpression of Eosinophil Cationic Protein in T Cells and Exosomes.

Objective: T cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Serum-derived exosomes are increased in SLE patients and are correlated with disease severity. This study was undertaken to investigate whether T cell-derived exosomal proteins play a role in SLE pathogenesis.