Clinical Significance of Gut Microbiota Community Types for Long-term Response to Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis.

Objective: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) holds promises as a beneficial supplement to methotrexate in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We therefore investigated how gut bacterial signatures in patients and donor strain engraftment associated with long-term response to FMT.

Methods: This exploratory study is based on the FLORA trial cohort encompassing 31 patients with moderate-to-high PsA disease activity and four FMT donors.

How to become partners. Ways to enhance the quality of patient and public involvement in healthcare research.

There is a growing emphasis on involving patients and the public in healthcare research. This is especially true in qualitative healthcare research, where partnerships are encouraged between patients with lived experiences and researchers with academic expertise. The rationale is that collaboration can enhance the study's relevance to healthcare users and improve the research quality.

Gut-specific histamine 3 receptor signaling orchestrates microglia-dependent resolution of peripheral inflammation.

Chronic inflammatory diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been described to cause central nervous system (CNS) activation. Less is known about environmental factors that enable the CNS to suppress peripheral inflammation in RA. Here, we identified gut microbiota-derived histamine as such factor.

Impact of Obesity on Treatment Response in Patients With Chronic Inflammatory Disease Receiving Biologic Therapy: Secondary Analysis of the Prospective Multicentre BELIEVE Cohort Study.

Biological therapy is used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs); however, up to 50% of patients fail to achieve an adequate clinical response. This study aimed to access the impact of obesity on clinical treatment response in CID patients after 14-16 weeks of biological therapy. This multicentre prospective cohort study enrolled 233 adults between 2017 and 2020 diagnosed with Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis (PsA), psoriatic arthritis or psoriasis scheduled for biologic therapy.

Culture performance of Fastidious Anaerobe Agar for frequently-encountered anaerobic bacteria, and potential application in EUCAST antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

The culture performance of Fastidious Anaerobe Agar (FAA-HB) was evaluated for fecal samples and candidate-species for EUCAST antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Thirty-six anaerobic species were cultured from fecal samples and most EUCAST candidate-species exhibited confluent growth within 16-20 h. The FAA-HB performed excellent for both culture and AST of a broad spectrum of anaerobic bacteria.

Increased retinal thickness in sarcoidosis patients with ocular system involvement visualized with optical coherence tomography: a cross-sectional study.

This study investigates the thickness of retinal structures in patients with neurosarcoidosis (NS) and ocular sarcoidosis (OS). We compared the central macular thickness (CMT), retinal thickness (RT), central nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, and ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness using optical coherence tomography. In a cross-sectional study, we categorized 97 sarcoidosis patients (185 eyes) into four groups: patients without ocular or central nervous system sarcoidosis (Non-Ocular/Non-CNS, n = 53), patients with OS (Ocular, n = 13), patients with NS (CNS, n = 16), and patients with combined OS and NS (Ocular/CNS, n = 15).

Detecting respiratory impairment in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis by MRC dyspnoea scale and microfibrillar-associated protein 4.

Objectives: To evaluate the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale and serum Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) levels for the detection of respiratory impairment in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients underwent blood tests, pulmonary function tests (PFT) and dyspnoea assessment using the MRC scale. Respiratory impairment was defined as a diffusion capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) <80% predicted or FEV1/FVC <70%.

Safety and efficacy of faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis: study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Little is known about the involvement of gut microbiota in the disease course of diverticulitis and the potential benefits of manipulating the gut milieu. We propose to conduct a randomised placebo-controlled feasibility trial of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) given as capsules to patients with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis.

Objectives: The objective is primarily to investigate the feasibility of clinical safety, explore efficacy associated with FMT in this patient population, and examine changes in patient-reported quality of life and the composition and function of the gut microbiota.

Joint swelling in the hand in rheumatoid arthritis: agreement between clinical evaluation, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging and patient self-evaluation.

Objective: To describe agreement in detection of joint swelling as the mandatory key of the diagnostic algorithm used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This was done by comparing clinical examinations, ultrasonography (US), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and patient self-evaluation of the joints in the wrist and fingers (metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal joints (PIP)) in an early untreated RA cohort.

Methods: 14 patients (8 women and 6 men, mean age ± standard deviation: 54.

Influence of study characteristics on harm estimates from randomised controlled trials in patients with inflammatory arthritis receiving biological or synthetic antirheumatic drugs: a meta-epidemiological study.

Objective: To examine the association between study characteristics and the harms reported in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE for all Cochrane reviews and for systematic reviews published since April 2015. RCTs were eligible if they included patients with IA receiving b/tsDMARD, compared with any comparator arm.

Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 as a predictive biomarker of treatment response in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases initiating biologics: secondary analyses based on the prospective BELIEVE cohort study.

Background: Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers for predicting treatment response in chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs).

Objective: To determine whether serum microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) levels can predict the treatment response to biological therapy in patients with CIDs.

Methods: The BELIEVE study was originally designed as a prospective, multi-center cohort study of 233 patients with either rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis, initiating treatment with a biologic agent (or switching to another).

'Does this fecal microbiota transplant work?' Quality assurance of capsule based fecal microbiota transplant production.

Background: Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) is an effective treatment for recurring Clostridioides Difficile Infections (rCDI). FMT administered oral capsules (caFMT) offers several practical advantages to conventional liquid FMT. We began using caFMT in 2021 imported from an external institution.

Antibiotics in inflammatory arthritis and background population one year before and after diagnosis: a nationwide drug utilization study.

Objectives: To describe antibiotic use in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and in the background population (BP) within one year before and after IA diagnosis.

Methods: Using data from Danish nationwide registries, we identified all adults with a first-time diagnosis of RA, PsA, or AS/spondyloarthritis (AS/SpA) from 2010 through 2018. For each IA patient, we randomly sampled 10 persons from the BP, matched on sex and birthdate.

Effects of smoking on clinical treatment outcomes amongst patients with chronic inflammatory diseases initiating biologics: secondary analyses of the prospective BELIEVE cohort study.

The prevalence and disease burden of chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) are predicted to rise. Patients are commonly treated with biological agents, but the individual treatment responses vary, warranting further research into optimizing treatment strategies. This study aimed to compare the clinical treatment responses in patients with CIDs initiating biologic therapy based on smoking status, a notorious risk factor in CIDs.

Exploring the effect on primary endpoints in trials testing targeted therapy interventions for rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-epidemiological study on the appropriate use of a core outcome set.

Objectives: To explore which core domain is best associated with the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20% response in trials assessing the effect of targeted interventions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: A meta-epidemiological study was performed on randomised trials investigating biologics and targeted agents compared with placebo or conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with RA. The main outcome measures were ORs for the ACR 20% response and at least one of the eight core domains according to the existing RA core outcome set (COS) analysed based on standardised mean differences.

Detection of Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis by Thoracic Ultrasound: A Diagnostic Test Accuracy Study.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of thoracic ultrasound (TUS) for detecting interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with respiratory symptoms.

Methods: Individuals with RA visiting rheumatologic outpatient clinics in the Region of Southern Denmark were systematically screened for dyspnea, cough, recurrent pneumonia, prior severe pneumonia, or a chest x-ray indicating interstitial abnormalities. Eighty participants with a positive screening were consecutively included.

'I couldn't carry on taking a drug like that': a qualitative study of patient perspectives on side effects from rheumatology drugs.

Objectives: There is growing interest in collecting outcome information directly from patients in clinical trials. This study evaluates what patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) consider important to know about symptomatic side effects they may experience from a new prescription drug.

Methods: Patients with inflammatory arthritis, who had one or more prescribed drugs for their disease for at least 12 months, participated in focus groups and individual interviews.

Associations of gender with sexual functioning, loneliness, depression, fatigue and physical function amongst patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with a particular focus on methotrexate usage.

There is a lack of knowledge regarding methotrexate (MTX) usage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its possible links with gender, disease characterization and sexual functioning, loneliness, fatigue and depression. We, therefore, investigated the associations of gender with physical function, fatigue, depression, loneliness and sexual functioning with a particular focus on MTX usage. A cross-sectional study design was used.

Small Intestinal Permeability and Metabolomic Profiles in Feces and Plasma Associate With Clinical Response in Patients With Active Psoriatic Arthritis Participating in a Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Trial: Exploratory Findings From the FLORA Trial.

Objective: We investigated intestinal permeability and fecal, plasma, and urine metabolomic profiles in methotrexate-treated active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and how this related to clinical response following one sham or fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

Methods: This exploratory study is based on the FLORA trial cohort, in which 31 patients with moderate-to-high peripheral PsA disease activity, despite at least 3 months of methotrexate-treatment, were included in a 26-week, double-blind, 1:1 randomized, sham-controlled trial. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either one healthy donor FMT (n = 15) or sham (n = 16) via gastroscopy.

Outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals with and without inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a Danish nationwide cohort study.

Objective: In a setting with an extensive SARS-CoV-2 test strategy and availability of effective vaccines, we aimed to investigate if patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) face greater risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 and have a worse prognosis of increased risk of hospitalisation, assisted ventilation and death compared with the general population.

Methods: This was a nationwide, population-based register study that compared outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Danish patients with IRD (n=66 840) with matched population controls (n=668 400). The study period was from March 2020 to January 2023.