- 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]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Aug 08; 28(1).AR
- 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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- Dysregulated IL-6 pathway activity in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 21. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: IIM is characterised by enhanced systemic IL-6 pathway activity that is not explained by circulating IL-6 levels alone but rather reflects a dysregulated cytokine milieu. Reduced levels of endogenous anti-IL-6 autoantibodies, together with their neutralising capacity, suggest a potential role in modulating IL-6 bioactivity.
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- Effects of first-line biologic immunomodulation compared with non-biologic therapies in adult-onset Still's disease: a two-center cohort study. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 20. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: First-line biological treatment is associated with improved sustained event-free remission compared to non-biologic treatments, such as MTX, CNI and JAKi and associated with more favorable long-term outcomes in AOSD.
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- Distinct cytokine and chemokine alterations in bronchoalveolar fluid from patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis associated lung disease (SJIA-LD). [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 17. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SJIA-LD showed a distinct BALF cytokine profile, including significant IL-18, S100A8/9 protein, sCD25, and CCL-17 elevation. The level of IL-18 was higher in patients who required more immunosuppressive medications and were actively treated with anti-cytokine biologics. The relationship between BALF cytokine profiles and anti-cytokine biologics and JAK inhibitors is unclear and should be evaluated further.
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- Defining and validating a high specificity MRI cut-off for the radiographic part of the modified New York criteria in patients with axial spondyloarthritis. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 17. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: A composite MRI-score based on assessing erosion, backfill and ankylosis for five predefined semicoronal SIJ slices (CSDS5) was the optimal high specificity MRI cut-off to rad-mNYc positivity, being potentially usable in both research and clinical settings, with different thresholds depending on whether sensitivity or specificity is prioritized.
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- Evaluating clinical heterogeneity in relapsing polychondritis through unsupervised cluster analysis. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 11. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that relapsing polychondritis is not a single-dimensional disease, but a clinical syndrome with significant heterogeneity. Random forest analysis further identifies that systemic inflammation markers (CRP, CAR, ESR) and sensory organ involvement (hearing impairment and inner ear dysfunction) as the most critical driving factors for distinguishing these subtypes.
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- Real-world treatment patterns and determinants of therapy in systemic sclerosis: findings from the German Network for SSc cohort. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: SSc treatment has evolved over the past 25 years, with prescribing patterns increasingly reflecting evidence and guideline recommendations. However, differences between specialties and care settings highlight the need for broader implementation of multidisciplinary, guideline-based care.
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- DAS28-ESR may underestimate disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a retrospective cohort study. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 08. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with RA classified as having NAFLD, DAS28-ESR may underestimate disease activity compared with CRP-based or clinical indices. In these patients, DAS28-CRP, CDAI, and SDAI may provide complementary information.
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- Differential gene expression of retrotransposons (LTR and non-LTR) in peripheral blood leukocytes of people with gout. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a distinct and dynamic retrotransposon signature in gout, with potential implications priming, immune cell behavior, and gene regulation.
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- Alterations in systemic and skeletal muscle myostatin regulation are most prominent at disease onset and associate with muscle-related outcomes in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 02. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: Early IIM is characterized by dissociation between reduced circulating MSTN and activation of MSTN signalling in skeletal muscle, which diminishes with treatment and disease chronicity. Circulating FSTL3 is associated with systemic inflammation, disease activity and patient-reported outcomes, with pronounced associations in female patients. These findings highlight stage- and sex-dependent alterations of the MSTN regulatory network in IIM.
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- Plasma proteome differences between giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: a pilot study. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jul 01. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: Active PMR and active GCA patients share an unexpectedly small plasma proteome signature related to immune activation (8.9%: 13 proteins). Instead, active PMR is characterized by distinct erythrocyte and muscle contraction proteome changes, whereas active GCA appears driven by mitochondrial and clotting cascade alterations. Prospective, longitudinal validation studies of the described proteomic signatures might support the clinical classification of both diseases.
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- Elucidating the mechanism of taurine in alleviating osteoarthritis progression based on bioinformatics, machine learning algorithm, and experimental validation. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jun 30. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: Taurine exerted significant chondroprotective effects, at least in part, by directly targeting CTH to suppress chondrocyte ferroptosis, thereby ameliorating OA progression.
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- Discovery of biomarkers for primary Sj ögren's syndrome based on multi-omics data, construction of diagnostic models, and clinical correlation analysis. [Journal Article]Arthritis Res Ther. 2026 Jun 29. [Online ahead of print]AR
- CONCLUSIONS: This study systematically defines specific metabolic features of pSS, establishes a validated diagnostic model for SNSS, and confirms the close association between metabolic disturbances and clinical heterogeneity. The findings provide novel metabolic biomarkers and insights for the precise diagnosis and management of pSS.
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