At a session of ACR Convergence 2024, speakers shared key elements of the new guideline on the screening, treatment and overall management of lupus nephritis in children and adults.1 This guideline attempts to balance the risks of medication side effects with the important goal of preserving kidney function. This is the ACR’s first lupus guideline…
AURORA 2 Voclosporin, a novel calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), is associated with a favorable metabolic profile with regard to lipids and glucose, and a predictable pharmacokinetic profile, resulting in no need for the therapeutic drug monitoring required of other CNIs. AURORA 2, a double-blind, phase 3 study, evaluated the longterm safety, tolerability and efficacy of voclosporin…
In this study, Fava et al. investigated longitudinal autoantibody profiles in a racially diverse cohort of patients with lupus nephritis to define noninvasive serological biomarkers of histologic class and one-year treatment response to standard of care. In addition, the researchers determined how these biomarkers changed over time to provide further insights into treatment response and…
Syphilis, an ancient disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, has been historically referred to as the great mimicker given its heterogenous presentation. Both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and syphilis can have multi-systemic involvement. Both parvovirus B19 and syphilis have been reported to cause histologic features similar to those seen in lupus nephritis. We present…
“B cells are central orchestraters of autoimmune disease by contributing to autoantibody production, antigen presentation and cytokine production,” says Georg Schett, MD, head of the Department of Medicine 3 (Rheumatology and Immunology) of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. “B cells can be inhibited by monoclonal antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) expressing cells.” Dr. Schett…
Renal arteriosclerosis is common in patients with lupus nephritis and occurs two decades earlier than it does in people without the condition, say investigators in a study that examined the prevalence of renal arteriosclerosis in patients with lupus nephritis compared with healthy controls.1 The finding suggests that renal arteriosclerosis could be used as a biomarker…
Understanding the role of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in gout flares points to potential of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors as new treatment option.
Incoming Arthritis & Rheumatology Editor-in-Chief Dr. S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD, discusses his path to rheumatology and outlines his vision for the journal.
Research from Papazoglou et al. highlights the substantial risk of atherosclerosis progression and incident cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as the importance of prolonged remission and the sustained control of cardiovascular risk factors in mitigating these risks over time.
Patient autonomy in healthcare decisions and physician conflicts of interest are just two areas of ethical concerns that arise frequently in rheumatology. Dr. Kelly Weselman discusses ethical dilemmas and how to address them.