New ACR Open Rheumatology Journal Delivers Science to Wide Audience

• “Anti-Retinoblastoma Protein Antibodies: A New Specificity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated with Protection Against Lupus Nephritis,” a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University that found anti-Rb antibodies, a novel biomarker in lupus, may define a subset of patients protected from kidney involvement and are not associated with antiphospholipid antibodies.³ Anti-retinoblastoma antibodies were present in 15 of 222 lupus patients in the cohort, were strongly negatively associated with proteinuria, renal involvement and anemia, and were positively associated with stroke.
• “Reduced Ovarian Function in Female Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Trying to Conceive,” a study from The Netherlands, found that women in the cohort with rheuma­toid arthritis had lower levels of serum anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH), a useful proxy for ovarian function.⁴ AMH levels were lowest in anti-citrullinated protein antibody-positive patients. Preconception AMH levels were not associated with time to pregnancy in the rheumatoid arthritis patients compared with healthy controls.

ACROR articles will be indexed by PubMed after its first 25 articles are published and PubMed approval is received. When indexed in PubMed, the journal will have an impact factor, which will expand visibility for authors, including those from the initial 25 articles.

“We would like to publish more basic science and translational science, but we are seeing submissions across the full range of rheumatology research,” says Dr. Yelin. “We have left the peak, but the snowball has not yet reached its full velocity. But we are on our way.”

Susan Bernstein is a freelance journalist based in Atlanta.

References

1. Piwowar H, Priem J, Lariviere V, et al. The state of OA: A large-scale analysis of the prevalence and impact of Open Access articles. PeerJ. 2018 Feb 13;6:e4375.
2. Katz P, Yelin E. Opening salvo. ACR Open Rheumatology. 2019 Mar 15;1(1):3.
3. Goules A, Li J, Antiochos B, et al. Anti-retinoblastoma protein antibodies: A new specificity in systemic lupus erythematosus associated with protection against lupus nephritis. ACR Open Rheumatology. 2019 Jun 6;1(5):287–291.
4. Brouwer J, Dolhain RJEM, Hazes JMW, et al. Reduced ovarian function in female rheumatoid arthritis patients trying to conceive. ACR Open Rheumatology. 2019 Jul 4;1(5):327–335.