Deaths induced by compassionate use of hydroxychloroquine during the first COVID-19 wave: an estimate.

BACKGROUND: During the first wave of COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was used off-label despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits. Since then, a meta-analysis of randomised trials showed that HCQ use was associated with an 11% increase in the mortality rate. We aimed to estimate the number of HCQ-related deaths worldwide. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We estimated the worldwide in-hospital mortality attributable to HCQ use by combining the mortality rate, HCQ exposure, number of hospitalised patients, and the increased relative risk of death with HCQ. The mortality rate in hospitalised patients for each country was calculated using pooled prevalence estimated by a meta-analysis of published cohorts. The HCQ exposure was estimated using median and extreme estimates from the same systematic review. The number of hospitalised patients during the first wave was extracted from dedicated databases. The systematic review included 44 cohort studies (Belgium: k = 1, France: k = 2, Italy: k = 12, Spain: k = 6, Turkey: k = 3, USA: k = 20). HCQ prescription rates varied greatly from one country to another (range 16-84%). Overall, using median estimates of HCQ use in each country, we estimated that 16,990 HCQ-related in-hospital deaths (range 6267-19256) occurred in the countries with available data. The median number of HCQ-related deaths in Belgium, Turkey, France, Italy, Spain, and the USA was 240 (range not estimable), 95 (range 92-128), 199 (range not estimable), 1822 (range 1170-2063), 1895 (range 1475-2094) and 12739 (3244- 15570), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although our estimates are limited by their imprecision, these findings illustrate the hazard of drug repurposing with low-level evidence.

Peripheral but not axial muscle mass is associated with early mortality in bone metastatic lung cancer patients at diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES: Identification of sarcopenia is a key issue in oncology. Several methods may be used to evaluate muscle mass in patients. Routine cancer follow-up computed tomography (CT) provides axial muscle mass whereas whole-body densitometry (DEXA) measures appendicular lean mass (ALM). Up to now, no studies have assessed, in cancer patients, the correlation between CT and DEXA muscle mass indicators and compared their prognostic value. METHODS: We included patients with synchronous bone metastases from lung adenocarcinoma at diagnosis. Diagnosis was confirmed by bone biopsy. Skeletal muscle area was determined semi-automatically on initial CT scan at the T7, T12, and L3 vertebral level using Osirix® software. The skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated as the ratio of muscle area to height squared. Standardised ALM/height squared data were obtained by DEXA assessment within a 30-day window of CT. RESULTS: A total of 65 patients were included; 47 (72%) were male. Mean±SD age was 65±11.4years. DEXA was available for 46 patients. The performance status was good (<1) for 39 patients. SMI indicators were significantly correlated with each other (rho from 0.3 to 0.7) but moderately correlated with ALM (rho from 0.1 to 0.7). ALM had a good discriminatory ability on 6-month survival (AUC 0.87 [0.76; 0.97]). ALM was associated with early mortality (<6months) (HR=0.29, 95% CI [0.15; 0.57]; P<0.001) but not with later mortality (>6months). In contrast, no significant effect was found for SMI. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral muscle mass (standardized ALM by DEXA) but not axial muscle mass (SMI assessed by CT) was associated with early mortality (<6months) suggesting that cancer-induced muscle loss would affect differently appendicular muscles and axial muscles.

Serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease treated with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: A cohort study and a meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccination is considered as a cornerstone of the management of COVID-19 pandemic. However, while vaccines provide a robust protection in immunocompetent individuals, the immunogenicity in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) is not well established. METHODS: A monocentric observational study evaluated the immunogenicity of a two-dose regimen vaccine in adult patients with IRD (n=123) treated with targeted or biological therapies. Serum IgG antibody levels against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike proteins were measured after the second vaccination. In addition, a search for observational studies performed in IRD under biologic or targeted therapies up to September 31, 2021 (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021259410) was undertaken in publication databases, preprint servers, and grey literature sources. Studies that reported sample size, study date, location, and seroprevalence estimate were included. A meta-analysis was conducted to identify demographic differences in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. RESULTS: Of 123 patients (median age 66 IQR 57-75), 69.9% have seroconverted after vaccination. Seroconverted patients were older than non-seroconverted ones in our cohort. Rituximab was associated with a significantly low antibody response. Besides, we identified 20 seroprevalence studies in addition to our cohort including 4423 participants in 11 countries. Meta-analysis confirmed a negative impact of rituximab on seroconversion rate and suggested a less substantial effect of abatacept, leflunomide and methotrexate. CONCLUSION: Rituximab impairs serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with IRD. This work suggests also a negative impact of abatacept, methotrexate or leflunomide especially when associated to biological therapy.

Association study between HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 alleles and Psoriatic arthritis in southern France.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a type of inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis. HLA association studies performed in northern Europe, comparing patients with control populations, have shown that the highest risk for PsA is carried by HLA-C*06, HLA-B*57 and HLA-B*27 alleles. This retrospective association study compared HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DR alleles of 500 patients from southern France, who fulfilled the CASPAR criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), with 2346 controls from healthy blood donors, using the chi-square test. We classified PsA patients into three different subgroups according to disease: purely axial, purely peripheral and combined axial and peripheral. The 'axial' subgroup was associated with HLA-B*27 (OR = 16.3, p = 2.7 × 10-28) and its haplotypes: HLA- B*27-C*01 (OR = 12.4, p = 1.7 × 10-12) and HLA-B*27-C*02 (OR = 8.7, p = 10 × 10-9). The 'axial and peripheral' and the 'peripheral' subgroups were associated with HLA-C*06 (respectively OR = 1.5, p = 3.6 × 10-10 and OR = 2.4, p = 3.6 × 10-12) and its haplotypes HLA-C*06-B*13 (respectively OR = 2.4, p = 1.2 × 10-6 and OR = 2.8, p = 6.4 × 10-11). This association study on a southern French PsA cohort identifies HLA-C*06 as a marker for peripheral PsA and HLA-B*27 as a marker for purely axial PsA.

[Rheumatic immune adverse events related to immune checkpoint inhibitors-(IrAEs related to ICI)]. / Effets secondaires rhumatologiques immuno-induits par les inhibiteurs de points de contrôle de la réponse immunitaire.

New anti-cancer therapeutics have been developed in the recent years and dramatically change prognosis and patient management. Either used alone or in combination, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), such as anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD1/PD-(L)1, act by removing T-cell inhibition to enhance their antitumor response. This change in therapeutic targets leads to a break in immune-tolerance and a unique toxicity profile resulting in immune complications. These side effects, called Immune-Related Adverse Events (IrAEs), can affect all organs, with a wide range of clinical and biological presentations and severity. Various rheumatic and musculoskeletal manifestations have been reported in the literature, ranging from mild arthralgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, to genuine serodefined rheumatoid arthritis and myositis. Tolerance studies suggest some correlations between IrAEs occurrence and tumor response. Assessment of patient musculoskeletal status prior to the start of the ICI is warranted. Management of rheumatic IrAEs does not usually request ICI discontinuation, exception for myositis or very severe forms where it should be discussed. Treatment relies on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or low dose glucocortioids (<20mg per day). Dose should be adjusted according to severity. The use of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), either conventional and/or biological should be very cautious and result from a shared decision between oncologist and rheumatologist to best manage dysimmunitary complications without hampering the antitumor efficacy of ICI.

Peptidylarginine Deiminase Autoimmunity and the Development of Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibody in Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Hapten-Carrier Model.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of autoantibodies to citrullinated proteins (ACPAs) often precedes the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Citrullines are arginine residues that have been modified by peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs). PAD4 is the target of autoantibodies in RA. ACPAs could arise because PAD4 is recognized by T cells, which facilitate the production of autoantibodies to proteins bound by PAD4. We previously found evidence for this hapten-carrier model in mice. This study was undertaken to investigate whether there is evidence for this model in humans. METHODS: We analyzed antibody response to PAD4 and T cell proliferation in response to PAD4 in 41 RA patients and 36 controls. We tested binding of 65 PAD4 peptides to 5 HLA-DR alleles (DRB1*04:01, *04:02, *04:04, *01:01, and *07:01) and selected 11 PAD4 peptides for proliferation studies using samples from 22 RA patients and 27 controls. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from an additional 10 RA patients and 7 healthy controls were analyzed by flow cytometry for CD3, CD4, CD154, and tumor necrosis factor expression after PAD4 stimulation. RESULTS: Only patients with RA had both antibodies and T cell responses to PAD4. T cell response to peptide 8, a PAD4 peptide, was associated with RA (P = 0.02), anti-PAD4 antibodies (P = 0.057), and the shared epitope (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: ACPA immunity is associated with antibodies to PAD4 and T cell responses to PAD4 and PAD4 peptides. These findings are consistent with a hapten-carrier model in which PAD4 is the carrier and citrullinated proteins are the haptens.

Long term treatment with abatacept or tocilizumab does not increase Epstein-Barr virus load in patients with rheumatoid arthritis - A three years retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a widely disseminated lymphotropic herpes virus implicated in benign and malignant disorders. In transplant patients, immunosuppressive drugs (cyclosporine) diminish control of EBV replication, potentially leading to lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have impaired control of EBV infection and have EBV load ten times higher than controls. As post transplant patients, patients with RA have increased risk of developing lymphomas. Immunosuppressive drugs used to treat RA (conventional disease modifying drugs cDMARDs or biologics bDMARDs) could enhance the risk of developing LPD in RA patients. We have previously shown that long term treatment with Methotrexate and/or TNF alpha antagonists does not increase EBV load in RA. Our objective was to monitor the Epstein-Barr Virus load in RA patients treated with Abatacept (CTLA4 Ig), a T cell coactivation inhibitor, and Tocilizumab, an anti IL6 receptor antibody. METHODS: EBV load in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 55 patients under Abatacept (in 34% associated with Methotrexate) and 35 patients under Tocilizumab (in 37% associated with Methotrexate) was monitored for durations ranging from 6 months to 3 years by real time PCR. The influences of treatment duration and disease activity score 28 (DAS28) index on EBV load were analyzed. RESULTS: Abatacept did not significantly modify EBV load over time. Tocilizumab significantly diminished EBV load over time. No patient (of 90) developed EBV associated lymphoma. CONCLUSION: Long term treatment with Abatacept or Tocilizumab does not increase EBV load in the PBMNCs of patients with RA.