Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and macrophage activation syndrome: two rare sides of the same devastating coin

Abstract Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare genetic hyperinflammatory syndrome that occurs early in life. Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) usually refers to a secondary form of HLH associated with autoimmunity, although there are other causes of secondary HLH, such as infections and malignancy. In this article, we reviewed the concepts, epidemiology, clinical and laboratory features, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of HLH and MAS. We also reviewed the presence of MAS in the most common autoimmune diseases that affect children. Both are severe diseases that require prompt diagnosis and treatment to avoid morbidity and mortality.

Artritis idiopática juvenil, forma sistémica. A propósito de un caso

La artritis idiopática juvenil es la enfermedad reumática crónica más frecuente en niños, y una de las enfermedades crónicas más comunes en la infancia. En Angola no se han realizado revisiones de casos de dicha enfermedad de inicio sistémico, y solo se han reportado escasas publicaciones en el continente africano, en países como Egipto y Sudáfrica. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir un caso de artritis idiopática juvenil sistémica en una paciente de dos años que presentó síntomas como poliartritis, eritema evanescente, adenopatías, fiebre prolongada y visceromegalias. Este es el primer caso de artritis idiopática juvenil reportado en dicho país.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most frequent rheumatic disease and one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. In Angola, there are no reviews reported of this systemic onset disease, and only few publications have been reported on the African continent, in countries such as Egypt and South Africa. The objective of this work is to inform on a case of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in a two-years-old patient who presented symptoms such as polyarthritis, evanescent erythema, lymphadenopathies, prolonged fever and visceromegaly. This is the first case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis reported in that country.

Visual outcome in pediatric uveitis: A retrospective data review in 277 children

Purpose: The research activity in pediatric glaucoma (PG) was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated using a scientometric approach. Methods: The “Web of Science” database was accessed for primary bibliometric data regarding PG using search terms “pediatric glaucoma,” “paediatric glaucoma,” “congenital glaucoma,” and “childhood glaucoma.” The data was analyzed for total research productivity, citations, and scientific output in terms of journals, countries, institutions, and authors. The results were further characterized for coauthorship links and visualized by VOS viewer software. Also, the top 25 cited articles were reviewed with the above bibliometric characteristics. Results: One thousand two hundred and sixty?nine items were obtained from our search query from 1955 to 2022; these received 15,485 citations, originated from 78 countries. The top?3 contributing countries were the United States of America (n = 369), India (n = 134), and China (n = 127). LV Prasad Eye Institute (n = 58), Duke University (n = 44), and King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital (n = 42) were the top?3 productive institutes. The top?3 prolific authors were Mandal AK (n = 53), Freedman, SF (n = 36), and Sarfarazi, M (n = 33). Journal wise, “Investigative Ophthalmology” (n = 187), “Journal of Glaucoma” (n = 92), and “Journal of AAPOS” (n = 68) were the journals in which the most articles were published. The top?25 cited documents received 3564 citations and were published between 1977 and 2016. The key areas of interest were basic sciences (genetics of childhood glaucoma) and surgical management. Conclusion: United States of America, LVPEI, Mandal AK, and “Investigative Ophthalmology” were the top rankers as far as the productivity and publications related to PG are concerned. Articles on molecular genetics in PG have received interest among the ophthalmology community.

A preliminary study on the role of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the expression of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) in peripheral blood of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and its role in the pathogenesis of JIA.@*METHODS@#In this prospective study, peripheral blood was collected from 47 children with different subtypes of JIA and 10 healthy children. Flow cytometry was used to measure the expression levels of VISTA, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on CD14+ mononuclear cells, CD4+ T lymphocytes, and CD8+ T lymphocytes.@*RESULTS@#The children with JIA had a significantly lower expression level of VISTA than the healthy children (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the expression of VISTA between the children with different subtypes of JIA, with the lowest expression level in those with systemic JIA (P<0.05). There was also a significant difference in the expression of VISTA between different immune cells, with a significantly higher expression level on the surface of monocytes (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that VISTA was negatively correlated with the expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α on CD4+ T cells (r=-0.436 and -0.382 respectively, P<0.05), CD8+ T cells (r=-0.348 and -0.487 respectively, P<0.05), and CD14+ mononuclear cells (r=-0.582 and -0.603 respectively, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The insufficient expression of VISTA may be associated with the pathogenesis of JIA, and enhancing the immunomodulatory effect of VISTA might be one option for the treatment of JIA in the future.

Role of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells in the disease activity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the expression levels of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and NKG2D soluble ligands, the soluble MHC class I chain-related molecules A and B (sMICA/sMICB) in the active stage and stable stage of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and their role in the disease activity of JIA.@*METHODS@#Nineteen children with systemic JIA and 20 children with articular JIA who were diagnosed in Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled in this prospective study. Six healthy children were enrolled as the control group. After peripheral blood samples were collected, ELISA was used to measure the levels of sMICA and sMICB, and flow cytometry was used to measure the percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells. Systemic Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score-27 (sJADAS-27)/Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score-27 (JADAS-27) was used to evaluate the disease activity in children with JIA. The Pearson correlation analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the role of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells, sMICA and sMICB in the disease activity of JIA.@*RESULTS@#The active systemic JIA and active articular JIA groups had a significant increase in the percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells compared with the control group and their corresponding inactive JIA group (P<0.05). The JIA groups had significantly higher levels of sMICA and sMICB than the control group (P<0.05), and the active articular JIA group had a significantly higher level of sMICB than the stable articular JIA group (P<0.05). In the children with JIA, the percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and the levels of sMICA and sMICB were positively correlated with sJADAS-27/JADAS-27 disease activity scores (P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that sMICB had an area under the curve of 0.755 in evaluating the disease activity of JIA, with a specificity of 0.90 and a sensitivity of 0.64.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The percentage of CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and the levels of sMICA and sMICB increase in children with JIA compared with healthy children and are positively correlated with the disease activity of JIA, suggesting that CD4+NKG2D+ T cells and NKG2D ligands can be used as potential biomarkers for evaluating the disease activity of JIA.

Does the use of panoramic radiography add information in the temporomandibular joint evaluation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients? A case control study

Abstract Objective To determine the frequency of radiographic changes in the temporomandibular joint, in a representative population of patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and to compare with findings in healthy controls matched by sex and age. Patients and Methods One hundred and thirty-seven panoramic radiographies (PR) from JIA patients of a pediatric rheumatology outpatient clinic were prospectively evaluated and compared to 137 PR from healthy individuals. Results 102 (74.5%) JIA patients and 47 (34.3%) controls showed at least one radiological alteration (p < 0.001). The following radiographic alterations were more frequently observed in JIA patients than in controls: erosion (p < 0.001), altered condylar morphology (p < 0.001), disproportion between condylar process and the coronoid process (p < 0.001) and accentuated curve in the antegonial notch (p = 0.002). Twenty patients (14.6%) presented the four radiographic alterations simultaneously compared to only two controls (1.5%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion Due to the difference in the frequency of findings in the PR of patients and controls, we concluded that PR has value as a screening tool. In the presence of major changes in the mandible head in the PR of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of JIA, MRI should be considered to detect an active inflammatory process in this joint.

Clinical observation of early-onset antinuclear antibody-positive juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, treatment and follow-up of children with early-onset antinuclear antibody (ANA)-positive juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).Methods:Eighty-six oligoarticular JIA patients with early-onset arthritis (≤6 years old) admitted to the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics from January 2017 to December 2019 were included in this study. According to ANA titer, these patients were divided into two groups: ANA-positive group (44 cases) and ANA-negative group (42 cases). Clinical data including demographic data, clinical features, laboratory testing results, treatment and follow-up data were statistically analyzed.Results:The ratio of male to female was 7∶37 in the ANA-positive group and 15∶27 in the ANA-negative group and there was significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.035). The proportions of patients with increased C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were higher in the ANA-positive group than in the ANA-negative group [18.18% (8/44) vs 16.67% (7/42) and 29.55% (13/44) vs 19.05% (8/42), both P>0.05]. The most commonly involved joints in the ANA-positive group were knee (95.45%, 42/44), ankle (20.45%, 9/44) and wrist (18.18%, 8/44), and unilateral asymmetric joint involvement accounted for 81.8% (36/44). In the ANA-negative group, the involved joints were knee (85.71%, 36/42), ankle (14.29%, 6/42), wrist (14.29%, 6/42) and hip (11.90%, 5/42), and 27 out of the 42 cases (64.29%) had unilateral asymmetric joint involvement. There was no significant difference in the above indexes between the two groups (all P>0.05). There were seven cases (15.91%) with uveitis in the ANA-positive group and two cases (4.76%) in the ANA-negative group, and the difference between the two groups was significant ( P=0.045). Before treatment, the ANA-positive group had a significantly higher disease activity score (JADAS27) than the ANA-negative group (14.43±2.87 vs 12.09±3.32, P=0.002). After treatment, the JADAS27 score in both groups decreased (both P<0.05). After six months of treatment, the two groups had similar clinical remission rates [70.45% (31/44) vs 76.19% (32/42), P>0.05]. Conclusions:Early-onset ANA-positive JIA was more common in female children, and asymmetric knee joint involvement was the most common clinical manifestation. The incidence of ophthalmic complications was high, and ophthalmological examination should be performed more frequently during follow-up. The prognosis of early-onset ANA-positive JIA was good with early treatment. Positive ANA was not a risk factor for poor prognosis.

A case of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis with an early manifestation of pulmonary ground-glass opacities combined with macrophage activation syndrome / 中国综合临床

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis is one of the common rheumatic and immune diseases in children. It has a sudden onset, obvious systemic symptoms, and lung involvement. However, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis with an early manifestation of pulmonary ground-glass opacities combined with macrophage activation syndrome is rare. The clinical data of a child with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis with pulmonary ground-glass shadow and macrophage activation syndrome who was admitted to Hubei Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively in order to improve the understanding of rheumatic diseases and pulmonary lesions. The child was admitted to the hospital for 10 days due to rash and fever. Thoracic CT showed scattered ground glass like shadows in both lungs due to the prevention and control screening of COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic situation. After admission, the child was still repeatedly flaccid with high fever, accompanied by dysfunction of both lower limbs. The knee joint MRI found that there was synovitis in the knee joint, and various laboratory indicators suggested macrophage activation syndrome. After that, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis was diagnosed. After being treated with methylprednisolone, cyclosporine and topzumab, the clinical remission and the ground-glass shadow of the lung basically disappeared. Through the analysis of this case, it is suggested that clinicians should not ignore other diseases that cause ground glass shadow in the lung during the current epidemic of COVID-19.

Advances in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis associated-lung disease / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis(sJIA) is one of the most serious critical illnesses in childhood, characterized by high fever, recurrent rash, and arthritis, etc.Children with sJIA associated-lung disease(sJIA-LD) are more severely ill and have a worse prognosis, the correlation between the mechanism and age, disease activity, anti-rheumatic drug therapy, applications of biologics, infection and other factors is worth exploring.This article reviews the research progress on the mechanism, risk factors, treatment methods and prognosis of sJIA-LD, so as to provide a theoretical basis for improving the diagnosis and treatment of sJIA and improving the prognosis.

Enfermedad de Scheuermann lumbar atípica en rara asociación con artritis idiopática juvenil / Atypical lumbar Scheuermann disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a rarely association

El dolor lumbar en los adolescentes es causa frecuente de motivo de consulta en reumatología y obedece a diferentes causas. Se presenta un caso clínico de un adolescente de 14 años de edad, de procedencia rural que acudió a consulta refiriendo dolor y aumento de volumen de ambas rodillas de 3 meses de evolución, acompañado de dolor lumbar desde hacía más de 2 años y que había requerido tratamiento con antinflamatorios no esteroideos y reposo, sin otros síntomas sistémicos acompañantes. Al examen físico se encontró artritis de rodillas, aumento de la cifosis fisiológica en la columna dorsal y puntos sacroilíacos positivos. En los exámenes complementarios fue significativa la presencia del HLA-B27, sinovitis en bolsa subcuadricipital bilateral detectada mediante ultrasonido de rodillas, así como hallazgos en las radiografías a nivel de los cuerpos de las vértebras lumbares característicos de la enfermedad de Scheuermann, y esclerosis de ambas sacroilíacas, características de artritis idiopática juvenil. Se concluyó que el paciente padecía de dos afecciones que por mecanismos diferentes causan dolor lumbar(AU)

Low back pain in adolescents is a frequent reason for consultation in rheumatology and is due to different causes. A clinical case of a 14-year-old adolescent from rural origin who comes to the clinic reporting pain and volume increase in both knees of three months of evolution accompanied by low back pain of more than two years of evolution that had required treatment is presented. with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and rest, without other accompanying systemic symptoms, physical examination revealed knee arthritis, increased physiological kyphosis in the thoracic spine and positive sacroiliac points. In the complementary tests, the presence of HLA-B27, synovitis in the bilateral sub quadriceps bursa on ultrasound of the knees, findings in the radiographs at the level of the bodies of the lumbar vertebrae characteristic of Scheuermann's disease, and sclerosis of both sacroiliacs' characteristic of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, it is concluded that the patient suffers from two conditions, which by different mechanisms cause low back pain(AU)

Esclerodermia localizada en escolar de 10 años / Localized scleroderma in a 10-year-old schoolgirl

Dentro del grupo de enfermedades reumáticas la esclerodermia es una de las de menor frecuencia de presentación, por lo que muchos autores la consideran una enfermedad rara. Aunque afecta predominantemente a pacientes adultos, en ocasiones se presenta en edades pediátricas y sus formas localizadas son las manifestaciones más frecuentes a estas edades. El objetivo del presente reporte es presentar el caso de una escolar de 10 años de edad, con un cuadro de lesión en la piel de 3 años de evolución a la cual se le diagnostica, mediante las características clínicas y los resultados de estudios anatomopatológicos una esclerodermia localizada profunda. En la actualidad la paciente se mantiene en régimen de seguimiento multidisciplinario. Este reporte de caso es importante para compartir con la comunidad médica los elementos básicos relacionados con el diagnóstico y tratamiento de esta enfermedad, como alternativa a la reducción de las complicaciones que genera(AU)

Within the group of rheumatic diseases, scleroderma is one of those with the lowest frequency of presentation; being considered a rare disease by many authors. Although it has a predominance of affectation in adult patients, it sometimes occurs in pediatric ages, its localized forms being the most frequent forms of presentation. The objective of this report is to present the case of a 10-year-old schoolgirl, with a 3-year history of skin lesions, which was diagnosed, through clinical characteristics and results of pathological studies, as deep localized scleroderma. The case report is considered important to share with the medical community the basic elements related to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as an alternative to reducing the complications it generates(AU)

Optic neuromyelitis in relation with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A case report

Optic neuromyelitis (ONM), also called neuromyelitis optica spectrum (Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders, NMOSD) is recognized as an inflammatory autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, mediated by autoantibodies against the aquaporin-4 receptor (AQP4-IgG). It predominantly affects the optic nerves and the spinal cord.1-3 It is known that patients with immune disorders are more likely to present other autoimmune diseases, but the relation between juvenile idiopathic arthritis and ONM has not been completely described.5 In this paper, we report a case of a patient with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, presenting with a rapidly progressive neurological condition, who is treated with biological drugs.1-4

La neuromielitis óptica (NMO), también llamada espectro de la neuromielitis óptica (neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders) se reconoce como una enfermedad inflamatoria, autoinmune, desmielinizante del sistema nervioso central, mediada por autoanticuerpos contra el receptor de acuaporina 4 (AQP4-IgG) que afecta predominantemente a los nervios ópticos y la médula espinal1-3. Es conocido que los pacientes con trastornos inmunitarios tienen más probabilidades de presentar otras enfermedades autoinmunes; sin embargo, no está completamente descrita la asociación entre artritis idiopática juvenil y NMO5. En este escrito se reporta el caso de una paciente que cursa con artritis idiopática juvenil, inició con compromiso neurológico rápidamente progresivo, y es tratada con medicamentos biológicos1-4.

Afectación articular en adolescente con artritis idiopática juvenil / Joint involvement in an adolescent with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

La artritis idiopática juvenil es una enfermedad inflamatoria sistémica y crónica que se caracteriza por el daño articular y la presencia de manifestaciones extraarticulares que afectan distintos órganos y sistemas de órganos del cuerpo humano. Como enfermedad tiene varias formas clínicas de presentación que se corresponden con posibles enfermedades en la edad adulta. El objetivo de la presente investigación es presentar el caso de un adolescente de 14 años de edad con historia de cuadro inflamatorio poliarticular de más de 3 años de duración con deformidad articular en ambas rodillas, lo cual es poco frecuente y que es expresión del proceso inflamatorio mantenido. Después del tratamiento fue dado de alta con una mejoría notable de los rangos de movimiento articular. En la actualidad evoluciona satisfactoriamente y lleva alrededor de un año en seguimiento en consulta externa sin exacerbaciones de la actividad clínica de la enfermedad. Se considera importante el reporte del caso para concientizar a la comunidad médica en relación con el diagnóstico precoz de esta enfermedad para minimizar el riesgo de aparición de complicaciones articulares y sistémicas(AU)

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a systemic and chronic inflammatory disease characterized by joint involvement and the presence of extra-articular manifestations that occur in different organs and organ systems of the human body. As a disease, it includes a series of clinical forms of presentation that correspond to possible diseases in adulthood. The objective of this research is to present the case of a 14-year-old adolescent with a history of polyarticular inflammatory symptoms lasting more than three years with the presence of rare joint deformity in both knees, which is an expression of the sustained inflammatory process. The case report is considered important to raise awareness in the medical community regarding the early diagnosis of this disease to minimize the risk of the appearance of joint and systemic complications(AU)

Enthesitis-related arthritis: monitoring and specific tools

Abstract Objective: In this article, the authors aimed to review the different tools used in the monitoring of enthesitis-related arthritis. Sources: The authors performed a literature review on PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. The dataset included the original research and the reviews including patients with enthesitis-related arthritis or juvenile spondylarthritis up to October 2020. Summary of finding: Enthesitis-related arthritis is a category of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It is characterized by the presence of enthesitis, peripheral arthritis, as well as axial involvement. The only validated tool for disease activity measurement in juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the Disease Activity Score: It has proven its reliability and sensitivity. Nevertheless, due to an absence of validated evaluation tools, the extent of functional impairment, as well as the children and parents' perception of the disease, could not be objectively perceived. Despite the great progress in the field of imaging modalities, the role they play in the evaluation of disease activity is still controversial. This is partially due to the lack of validated scoring systems. Conclusion: Further work is still required to standardize the monitoring strategy and validate the outcome measures in enthesitis-related arthritis.

Artritis reumática juvenil idiopática: características y criterios diagnósticos / Idiopathic juvenile rheumatic arthritis: characteristics y diagnostic criteria

RESUMEN La artritis idiopática juvenil es la enfermedad reumática crónica más común en la infancia y es de causa desconocida. La artritis idiopática juvenil abarca varios subgrupos diferentes y se presenta predominantemente con artritis periférica. Se han descrito siete tipos de artritis idiopática juvenil que se distinguen por sus signos y síntomas, la cantidad de articulaciones afectadas, los resultados de las pruebas de laboratorio y los antecedentes familiares. El objetivo de este trabajo es revisar las principales características de la enfermedad y los criterios para el diagnóstico de la enfermedad reumática crónica más común en la infancia.

ABSTRACT Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common chronic rheumatic disease in childhood and is of unknown etiology. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis encompasses several different subgroups and presents predominantly with peripheral arthritis. Seven types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis have been described, distinguished by their signs and symptoms, the number of joints affected, laboratory test results, and family history. The objective of this work is to review the main characteristics of the disease, the diagnosis criteria for the most common chronic rheumatic disease in childhood.

Changes and significance of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺ regulatory B cells in peripheral blood of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To explore the changes and significance in JIA-U and to detect the levels of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺ regulatory B cells(Breg)in the peripheral blood of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis(JIA-U).<p>METHODS: From April 2018 to May 2020, 95 children with JIA-U were selected as JIA-U group; 70 children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA)were selected as JIA group, and all of them were diagnosed and treated in our hospital; another 75 healthy children in the same period were selected as the control group. The ratio of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg in peripheral blood was detected by flow cytometry; the level of IL-10 in peripheral blood was detected by ELISA; the correlation between CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg ratio and the expression of IL-10, the severity of JIA-U patients was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient method; the influencing factors of JIA-U were analyzed by Logistic regression. <p>RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the proportion of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg in peripheral blood of children in JIA group and JIA-U group was significantly lower(all <i>P</i><0.01), while the level of IL-10 was significantly higher(all <i>P</i><0.01); compared with JIA group, the proportion of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19^+Breg in JIA-U group was significantly lower(<i>P</i><0.01), while the level of IL-10 was significantly higher(<i>P</i><0.01); compared with the stationary phase, the ratio of CD1d^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg in the active phase of JIA and JIA-U patients was significantly reduced(all <i>P</i><0.01), and the IL-10 level was significantly increased(all <i>P</i><0.01); the ratio of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg was negatively correlated with the expression of IL-10 and the severity of JIA-U; multivariate analysis showed that low proportion of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg, less-joint JIA subtype, duration of arthritis < 4a, high levels of IL-10 were risk factors for JIA-U. <p>CONCLUSION: The proportion of CDld^(hi)CD5⁺CD19⁺Breg in peripheral blood of children with JIA-U is significantly decreased, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of JIA-U, and has the potential to be used as an index to judge the severity of JIA-U.

Progress in the relationship of A20 and NLRP3 inflammasome with juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by chronic inflammatory arthritis of unknown cause, lasting six weeks or longer, and accompanied by organ damages. It is the most common chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease in childhood with unclear aetiology. A20, a protein encoded by the tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein 3 gene (TNFAIP3), regulates cell inflammatory response and apoptosis through suppressing inflammatory NF-κB signaling by acting as an ubiquitin-editing enzyme. NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a multiprotein complex formed by a subgroup of intracellular pattern recognition receptors, mediates the activation of caspase-1 and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 in response to microbial infection and cellular damage. A20 could directly reduce the basal expression of NLRP3 to impair caspase-1 activation and inhibit the assembling of NLRP3 inflammasome by suppressing the activation of NF-κB, playing a crucial anti-inflammatory role in JIA. A20 and NLRP3 inflammasome may be promising prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in JIA. This review summarized the structure and biological function of A20 and NLRP3 inflammasome and analyzed their roles in the genetic susceptibility and pathogenesis of JIA.

Studying Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis through a Network Medicine Approach / Estudando a Artrite Idiopática Juvenil mediante uma abordagem de medicina de redes

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a group of inflammatory conditions of unknown etiology whose underlying molecular pathophysiology is still not well characterized. Several studies have attempted to fill this gap by characterizing the gene expression profiles of JIA patients. However, there is a lack of systematic assessment of the reliability of these transcriptome results on the disease classification, prescription, and monitoring. In addition, despite this disease is more common in females, none of these studies have tried to assess the impact of sex on disease pathophysiology. In this project, we performed a comprehensive systematic review and a gene expression meta-analysis to reveal the core molecular JIA pathophysiology taking into consideration the patient sex. We gathered and cataloged more than 60,000 entries of genomic features reported as JIA-related in the functional genomics literature, and found a dramatic disparity among the JIA transcriptome studies. Near 15,000 genes have been reported as perturbed in JIA leukocytes. Less than one percent of these genes were reported in at least a quarter of the reviewed studies. We then removed the study-specific analytical bias by re-analyzing more than 700 unique pediatric transcriptome profiles from nine JIA studies using a common analytical framework. The differential expression results from different studies were combined using a random effect model meta-analysis approach. We implemented this differential gene expression meta-analysis methodology in the MetaVolcanoR R package that we made available in Bioconductor. Using this package, we confirmed several gene expression signatures previously associated with JIA and uncover new genes whose expression was perturbed in JIA patients. The effect sizes of the topmost reported perturbed genes coincide with our meta-analysis results. Through a meta-coexpression approach, we characterized the cell type signatures of circulating leukocytes in the JIA affected children. Additionally, we characterized the JIA sexual dimorphism. We found that systemic JIA female patients over-activate a gene expression signature which comprises early myelocytes and band neutrophil expression markers. This signature is correlated with the disease status and response to IL-1 receptor blockade. This suggests that sJIA pathophysiology is characterized by a sexually dimorphic neutrophilia that impacts disease progression and the response to anti-IL-1 treatments. We further assessed this immature neutrophil and female-biased signature in other contexts. We found that this signature presents a sex-dependent expression over human lifetime, in other inflammatory diseases, and its expression increases during pregnancy

A Artrite Idiopática Juvenil (AIJ) é um grupo de condições inflamatórias de etiologia desconhecida, cuja patofisiologia molecular subjacente ainda não está bem caracterizada. Vários estudos tentaram preencher essa lacuna, caracterizando os perfis de expressão gênica de pacientes com AIJ. No entanto, há uma falta de avaliação sistemática desses resultados transcriptômicos na classificação, prescrição e monitoramento da doença. Além disso, apesar de esta doença ser mais comum em mulheres, nenhum desses estudos tentou avaliar o impacto do sexo na fisiopatologia da doença. Neste projeto, realizamos uma revisão sistemática abrangente e uma metanálise de expressão gênica para revelar a fisiopatologia molecular da AIJ levando em consideração o sexo do paciente. Reunimos e catalogamos mais de 60.000 entradas de características genômicas reportadas como relacionadas à AIJ na literatura. Entre os estudos de transcriptoma, encontramos uma disparidade dramática. Cerca de 15.000 genes foram reportados como perturbados nos leucócitos da AIJ, sendo que menos de um por cento desses genes foram relatados em pelo menos um quarto dos estudos revisados. Em seguida, re-analisamos mais de 700 transcriptomas pediátricos de nove estudos usando uma abordagem analítica comum. Os resultados de expressão diferencial foram combinados usando meta-análise de modelo de efeitos aleatórios. Implementamos esta abordagem de meta-análise de expressão gênica diferencial no pacote MetaVolcanoR R que disponibilizamos no Bioconductor. Usando este pacote, confirmamos várias assinaturas de expressão gênica previamente associadas à AIJ e descobrimos novos genes cuja expressão está perturbada em pacientes com AIJ. Os tamanhos dos efeitos dos genes mais reportados como perturbados coincidem com os resultados da nossa meta-análise. Por meio de uma análise de meta-co-expressão, caracterizamos as assinaturas dos tipos de leucócitos circulantes. Além disso, caracterizamos o dimorfismo sexual da AIJ. Descobrimos que pacientes do sexo feminino com AIJ sistêmica super-ativam genes característicos de mielócitos precoces e neutrófilos bastonetes. Esta assinatura está correlacionada com o estado clínico da doença e à resposta ao tratamento por bloqueio do receptor de IL-1. Isto sugere que a fisiopatologia da AIJs é caracterizada por uma neutrofilia sexualmente dimórfica que afeta a progressão da doença e a resposta aos tratamentos anti-IL-1. Avaliamos ainda esta assinatura neutrofílica em outros contextos. Descobrimos que essa assinatura apresenta uma expressão dependente do sexo ao longo da vida humana, em outras doenças inflamatórias, e sua expressão aumenta durante a gravidez

Spotlight on latent tuberculosis infection screening for juvenile idiopathic arthritis in two countries, comparing high and low risk patients

Abstract Background: Rheumatic diseases are associated with an increase in overall risks of tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of TB and the frequency of latent TB infection (LTBI), in clinical practice, for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients from high and low risk of TB incidence endemic countries. Methods: This is an international, multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study of data collection from Brazil and Registry of Portugal at REUMA.PT. The inclusion criteria were patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) with age ≤ 18 years who underwent screening for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection [tuberculin skin test (TST) and/or interferon gamma release assay (IGRA)]. Chest X-rays and history of exposure to TB were also assessed. Results: 292 JIA patients were included; mean age 14.3 years, mean disease duration 7.5 years, 194 patients (66.4%) performed only TST, 14 (4.8%) only IGRA and 84 (28.8%) both. The frequency of LTBI (10.6%) and TB was similar between the two countries. The reasons for TB screening were different; in Brazil it was performed more often at JIA onset while in Portugal it was performed when starting Disease Modified Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARD) treatment (p < 0.001). Isoniazid therapy was prescribed in 40 (13.7%) patients (31 with LTBI and 9 with epidemiologic risks and/or due to contact with sick people). Only three patients (1%) developed active TB. Conclusion: We found nearly 10% of patients with LTBI, a small percentage of patients with treatment due to epide-miologic risks and only 1% with active TB. Distinct reasons and screening methods for LTBI were observed between the two countries.

Recommendations of diagnosis and treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in China / 中华内科杂志

The common clinical subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) include systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SOJIA), oligoarthritis/polyarthritis juvenile idiopathic arthritis and juvenile spondyloarthritis. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis has no specific diagnostic index, and needs to be differentiated from infectious diseases and malignant diseases. The onset of SOJIA is rapid, the disease progresses rapidly, and it is easy to be complicated with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) which is life-threatening. The experience of pediatric rheumatologists in dealing with JIA is still insufficient, and the standardized diagnosis and treatment level of this disease needs to be further improved. Based on the experience and guidelines of diagnosis and treatment in China and abroad, we formulated this diagnosis and treatment standard, aiming at standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of the subtypes of JIA and MAS, so as to reduce the incidence of disability and serious complications and improve the prognosis.