NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of serious infections, myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD), an analysis of Medicare claims data suggests. “Higher disease activity as measured by a panel of biomarkers was associated with higher rates of hospitalized infections, MI and CHD events. These findings add…
CCL2 Cytokine Serves as Biomarker in Interstitial Lung Disease
A recent prospective, observational cohort study of potential clinical biomarkers for progression to interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc) found that higher levels of CCL2 circulating in their plasma predicted both faster ILD progression and poorer survival rates than in those with lower levels.1 CCL2, also known as monocyte chemoattractant…
Potential Biomarker for APS Identified
New research examines the role of factor Xa in the pathology of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and systemic lupus erythematosus-associated APS. Researchers found that FXa stimulation was mediated by protease-activated receptors and enhanced by IgG from FXa reactive antibody positive patients, which may make IgG FXa reactivity a novel biomarker for future research…
Research Links Macrophages with Pathogenesis of Inflammation, Fibrosis
MADRID—Research into pharmacodynamic biomarkers has shown that macrophages may have an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including systemic sclerosis, an expert said at the 2017 Annual European Congress on Rheumatology (EULAR). The findings were discussed in a session that also covered how an understanding of M1 macrophages’ role in fibrosis has evolved…
The Biomarkers of Lupus Disease Study
Most SLE clinical trials continue standard background medications being taken by patients at entry, based on assumptions that this minimizes the risk of serious flares and that immunologic interference is minimal. These assumptions are not evidence based, but eliminating polypharmacy in trials studying patients with active lupus remains controversial. These researchers tested the withdrawal of immunosuppressants to make SLE trial results more interpretable…
Biomarkers, Genetic Clues to Higher Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Patients with Lupus
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Experts at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting session, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus—Clinical Aspects and Treatment IV: Biomarkers, reported on a number of recent studies showing advancement in our understanding of the disease mechanisms underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that place these patients at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other comorbidities. Mechanisms of CVD Risk…
Metabolomic Profiles: A Biomarker for the Biological Treatment of RA
A recent study suggests that metabolites may be a biomarker for disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For the first time, researchers identified serum metabolomic profiles and 16 clinical parameters that serve as a reasonably predictive model for a patient’s therapeutic response to biological treatment of RA, specifically TNF-α inhibitor therapy…
Progress Slow in Development of Useful Biomarkers for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
LONDON—Josef Smolen, MD, chair of rheumatology at the University of Vienna and former president of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), expressed a “personal disappointment” in the development of useful biomarkers in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Even though a good portion of his life’s work has been researching biomarkers to help with targeting…
Biomarkers Differentiate Crohn’s Disease from Ulcerative Colitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Newly identified biomarkers could aid in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and help guide therapy, Canada-based researchers report. Accurately differentiating between Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is important for ensuring early and appropriate treatment. However, the conditions can’t be reliably distinguished based on clinical symptoms, site of disease,…
More Evidence Biomarkers Predict RA Relapse with DMARD Taper
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—For rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in stable remission, a panel of inflammatory markers in blood can help predict the odds of relapse when disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy is tapered, say researchers from Germany. The multibiomarker disease activity (MBDA) score, when combined with anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) testing, can predict relapse in…