- Roflumilast mitigates cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis by activating CFTR-mediated anti-apoptotic signaling. [Journal Article]
- Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disorder marked by progressive cartilage loss, synovial inflammation, and remodeling of the subchondral bone. Although roflumilast, a selective phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, has shown clinical benefits in chronic inflammatory diseases, its potential role in OA has not been defined. Here, we examined whether roflumilast can protect chondrocytes …
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- CYBB regulates synovial fibroblast inflammatory activation and sEV-mediated synovial-cartilage communication in osteoarthritis. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: CYBB serves as a pivotal mediator linking synovial inflammation to cartilage damage in osteoarthritis (OA), by mechanistically regulating the sEV-mediated communication from FLS to chondrocytes. Targeting CYBB could potentially represent a novel therapeutic strategy for OA.
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- Age-dependent effects of TRPA1 deficiency on pain and osteoarthritis pathology following joint injury in mice. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: TRPA1 contributes to early post-injury mechanical sensitivity and gait mechanics following joint injury. TRPA1 deficiency results in altered gait biomechanics and more severe OA development in young mice but not in adult mice. These findings indicate an age-dependent interaction between sensory signaling and joint degeneration, with implications for TRPA1-targeted analgesic strategies in joint disease.
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- Minor salivary gland biopsies in childhood-onset Sjögren's disease show greater inflammation and more frequent fibrotic changes than in adult-onset Sjögren's disease. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: MSG biopsies in cSjD show a more inflammatory, lymphoid-organizing B-enriched phenotype, with more frequent fibrosis than in adults. These findings are in keeping with previous observations in pediatric parotid tissue and highlight frequent fibrotic remodelling alongside marked inflammation despite shorter disease duration in children.
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- Proteomic landscape of IGF-I gene transfer in osteoarthritis-derived human bone marrow stromal cells undergoing chondrogenesis. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first proteomic characterization of rAAV-mediated IGF-I gene therapy in OA-derived BM-MSCs undergoing chondrogenesis. The IGF-I gene transfer was associated with broad proteomic changes involving metabolic and protein processing pathways, and enhanced cartilage-specific matrix deposition, highlighting molecular mechanisms of potential relevance to cartilage repair in OA.
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- Temporal dynamics of inflammatory proteins in the pre-symptomatic phase of rheumatoid arthritis related to seroconversion. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Proteomic alterations are detectable years before RA onset and linked to autoantibody development. Seroconverters differ from those who remain seronegative even in the pre-symptomatic period, supporting the notion that seropositive and seronegative RA represent biologically distinct entities from the earliest stages of the pathogenesis.
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- Reversing detrimental effects of OA-related terminal maturation in high-throughput in vitro and biomimetic ex vivo human models. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: This study introduces a scalable and reproducible preclinical screening strategy using human OA tissues for compound evaluation. The platform enables efficient dose-response testing and identifies thyroid signaling as a promising therapeutic axis for modulating chondrocyte maturation. These findings suggest a novel approach to slow OA progression, preserve joint function, and improve mobility and quality of life in affected individuals.
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- Differential regulation of SOCS signalling and immunoproteasome pathways by JAK inhibitors and TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: JAK inhibition drives a treatment-specific suppression of SOCS family members not observed under TNFi, reflecting differential remodelling of cytokine feedback networks. Baseline and early SOCS3 dynamics emerge as candidate biomarkers of treatment response. These findings may inform future efforts to personalise treatment selection in RA and warrant validation in larger, randomised cohorts.
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- Macrovascular damage in polymyalgia rheumatica: integrated vascular phenotyping in the POLYMYACARD cohort. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PMR exhibited increased aortic stiffness and elevated carotid pulsatility and resistance in the ECA compared with controls, independent of traditional CV risk factors. These non-invasive vascular markers may help identify PMR patients at increased CV risk and support integrated CV risk assessment in clinical care.
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- Allogeneic CD19 CAR-NK cell therapy for a patient with relapsed and refractory lupus nephritis. [Case Reports]
- CONCLUSIONS: CD19-targeted CAR-NK cell therapy achieved durable remission in a patient with relapsed/refractory LN and showed favorable safety and tolerability.
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- Elevated pro-BNP and low-grade inflammation are associated with low bone mineral density in systemic sclerosis, a case control study. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: This large case-control study finds elevated NT-proBNP, indicators of low-grade inflammation and of disease severity negatively associated with BMD in SSc patients, in addition to several established risk factors. This highlights the importance of BMD assessment to identify at-risk SSc patients beyond traditional risk stratification.
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- Early risk stratification in lupus nephritis based on established prognostic factors: association with outcomes under triple therapy. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that baseline risk stratification identified subgroups in which triple therapy was associated with higher CR rates. Prospective validation in independent cohorts is required before this approach can inform treatment selection.
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- Inflammation-driven bone erosion and reactive remodeling in experimental arthritis revealed by cortical bone surface analysis. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: By integrating longitudinal gene expression profiling with high-resolution structural analysis, this study defines coordinated phases of inflammation-driven bone damage and reactive bone formation in experimental inflammatory arthritis. BRAVO provides a robust and sensitive approach for quantifying erosion-associated cortical surface changes and evaluating therapeutic effects on structural outcomes.
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- Effect of apremilast on entheseal bone damage in psoriasis patients at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis - data from the prospective, interventional EPOS study. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: In PsO patients at increased risk of PsA, no significant change in subclinical entheseal bone or inflammatory imaging was observed over 24 weeks of apremilast treatment, while skin disease activity and pain outcomes improved. These findings support further investigation of disease-interception strategies in early psoriatic disease.
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