Prevalence of psoriatic arthritis in Chinese population with psoriasis: A multicenter study conducted by experienced rheumatologists / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Reports on the prevalence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) among Chinese patients with psoriasis are very limited. This study, conducted by rheumatologists, estimated the prevalence of PsA in a large number of Chinese patients with psoriasis.@*METHODS@#Consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis attending nine dermatology clinics in five hospitals were recruited. All psoriasis patients were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising 16 questions to identify possible cases of PsA. All patients with one or more positive answers to the questionnaire were evaluated by two experienced rheumatologists.@*RESULTS@#A total of 2434 psoriasis patients, including 1561 males and 873 females, were enrolled. Both the questionnaire and rheumatologists' examinations were completed in the dermatology clinics. The results identified 252 patients with PsA, comprising 168 males and 84 females. The overall prevalence of PsA among psoriasis patients was 10.4% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 9.1%-11.7%). By sex, the prevalence was 10.8% (95% CI, 9.2%-12.5%) for males and 9.6% (95% CI, 7.7%-11.9%) for females and there was no significant sex difference in the prevalence of PsA (P = 0.38). Of the 252 PsA patients, 125 (49.6%, 95% CI, 41.3%-59.1%) were newly diagnosed by rheumatologists. Consequently, the prevalence of undiagnosed PsA among psoriasis patients was 5.2% (95% CI, 4.4%-6.2%).@*CONCLUSION@#The prevalence of PsA in the Chinese population with psoriasis is about 10.4%, which is almost double that of previous reports in the Chinese population, but lower than that in Caucasians.

Continuation, reduction, or withdrawal of tofacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis achieving sustained disease control: a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, is characterized by synovitis and progressive damage to the bone and cartilage of the joints, leading to disability and reduced quality of life. This study was a randomized clinical trial comparing the outcomes between withdrawal and dose reduction of tofacitinib in patients with RA who achieved sustained disease control.@*METHODS@#The study was designed as a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients who were taking tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily) and had achieved sustained RA remission or low disease activity (disease activity score in 28 joints [DAS28] ≤3.2) for at least 3 months were enrolled at six centers in Shanghai, China. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to one of three treatment groups: continuation of tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily); reduction in tofacitinib dose (5 mg daily); and withdrawal of tofacitinib. Efficacy and safety were assessed up to 6 months.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 122 eligible patients were enrolled, with 41 in the continuation group, 42 in the dose-reduction group, and 39 in the withdrawal group. After 6 months, the percentage of patients with a DAS28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of <3.2 was significantly lower in the withdrawal group than that in the reduction and continuation groups (20.5%, 64.3%, and 95.1%, respectively; P  < 0.0001 for both comparisons). The average flare-free time was 5.8 months for the continuation group, 4.7 months for the dose reduction group, and 2.4 months for the withdrawal group.@*CONCLUSION@#Withdrawal of tofacitinib in patients with RA with stable disease control resulted in a rapid and significant loss of efficacy, while standard or reduced doses of tofacitinib maintained a favorable state.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#Chictr.org, ChiCTR2000039799.

A novel treatment for psoriatic arthritis: Janus kinase inhibitors / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis which is associated with psoriasis. The early recognition and treatment for PsA are of critical importance. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, as a kind of orally small molecules, have emerged as an encouraging class of drug in PsA treatment. This review provides a discussion of the role and current status of JAK inhibitors in the control of PsA. There are three JAK inhibitors approved for use in autoimmune diseases, for example, tofacitinib, baricitinib, and upadacitinib, and only tofacitinib has been approved in PsA treatment. The clinical trials of upadacitinib and filgotinib in PsA patients are undergoing. The efficacy and safety of these agents were briefly discussed. Although there are still issues in terms of their efficacy and safety currently, JAK inhibitors are expected to benefit more PsA patients in future.

Angiotensin II contents in plasma, and cardiac and renal tissues of sinoaortic denervated rats / 生理学报

Our previous data demonstrate that impairment of arterial baroreceptor reflex (ABR) plays an independent role in hypertension target organ damage. To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the dysfunction of ABR associated organ damage, sinoaortic denervated (SAD) rats were used as an animal model of ABR dysfunction. Twenty-four-hour continuous blood pressure (SBP and DBP), blood pressure variability (BPV), heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) were measured in conscious and unrestrained rats. Angiotensin II (Ang II) in plasma, heart and kidney was assayed by raio-immunological assay (RIA) 1 or 18 weeks after denervation. In short-term SAD rats, twenty-four-hour mean SBP and DBP increased compared with that of sham-operated rats and long-term SAD rats. No significant difference in SBP, DBP or HR was found between long-term SAD rats and sham-operated ones. Compared with the sham-operated rats, long-term SAD rats had elevated BPV. No significant change in Ang II levels of caridiac and renal tissues was found in short-term SAD rats. In long-term SAD rats, Ang II level of plasma was not increased while the Ang II content in the heart and kidney increased. Ang II contents of plasma and tissues in long-term SAD rats exposed to chronic stress were higher than those in the control rats. These results show (1) in short-term SAD rats blood pressure increased, while in long-term SAD rats 24 h mean blood pressure did not increase, although BPV elevated in long-term SAD rats; (2) in long-term SAD rats, secretion of Ang II in cardiac and renal tissues was enhanced and more Ang II released when the animals were exposed to chronic stress. These results suggest that elevated BPV and secretion of Ang II may be related to the development of organ damage induced by ABR dysfunction.

Misdiagnosis analysis of POEMS syndrome and its early diagnosis / 第二军医大学学报

Objective:To study the causes of misdiagnosis of patients with POEMS syndrome and to discuss the clues for its early diagnosis.Methods:The clinical and laboratory data of 26 inpatients with POEMS syndrome,who were treated in Changhai hospital over the last decade,were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The misdiagnosis rate of our group was 100%. The misdiagnosis was made in(3.31?0.97)hospitals and in(3.31?0.93)clinical departments;the misdiagnosis period was (19.42?10.86)months and it had been misdiagnosed as 18 other diseases.The initial symptoms included polyneuropathy in 21 (80.8%)cases,edema of lower extremity in 22(84.6%)cases,and body weight loss in 8(30.8%)cases.The typical clinical symptoms included polyneuropathy in 26(100%)cases and organomegaly in 24(92.3%).Two cases had newly-identified uterine hypertrophy,one had adrenal gland hypertrophy,and one had gastric wall thickening mimicking advanced gastric cancer.Hypothyroidism,impotence,skin pigmentation and sclerosis occurred in 76.9%(20/26),60%(6/10),92.3%(24/ 26)and 65.4%(17/26)cases,respectively.Monoclonal plasma cell proliferation was documented in 18(81.8%);M proteins were positive in 14(63.6%)cases by serum immunofixation,and only 2(9.1%)cases also positive by serum protein electrophoresis.One patient was positive of M protein by urine immunofixation and one had abnormal infiltration of plasma cells in the gastric wall.Lymph node biopsy were performed in 8 patients and 3 were found to have Castleman disease;the other 5 cases had lymphocyte infiltration,with 3 complicated with plasma cell proliferation.Nerve biopsy in 4 cases all revealed axonal degeneration and one patient complicated with demyelination.Bone marrow biopsy in 5 cases revealed plasmacytosis in 2 cases and myeloma in one.Excessive radioactivity resorption was found in 10 of the 16 cases(62.5%)and abnormal plasma cells were detected in 2 cases by bone aspiration guided by radioisotope bone scan.Conclusion:Misdiagnosis of POEMS syndrome is very common.Polyneuropathy,edema of lower extremity and body weight loss are the common early symptoms of POEMS syndrome. Early diagnosis can be made by having an intimate knowledge of the progression of the disease and by detecting M protein through various approaches.