| 1. |
- Wasén, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Smoking Is Associated With Low Levels of Soluble PD-L1 in Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-3224. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Smoking is a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the mechanism remains uncertain. We previously demonstrated that smoking lowers the T cell activation threshold by limiting programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) expression. Aim: To investigate how smoking influence the levels of soluble PD-1 ligand (sPD-L1). Method: Serum levels of sPD-L1 were measured in 246 RA patients and in 168 healthy subjects. The analysis was done with respect to inflammation, smoking, treatments, and autoantibody status. The effect of therapeutic TNF-inhibiting antibodies (TNFi) on sPD-L1 was studied in 16 RA patients at their first infliximab infusion. The expression of Fc gamma-receptor (Fc gamma R) subclass IIB and IIIA was analyzed with quantitative polymerase chain reaction in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 12 RA patients and 15 healthy controls, and in healthy PBMC exposed to IgG containing antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (aCCP). Results: The negative association between smoking and sPD-L1 in RA patients was established by multiple logistic regression (OR = 0.52, p = 0.038). Other covariates in the regression model were serum levels of IL-1 beta representing inflammation (OR = 1.6, p = 0.0076) and aCCP positivity (OR = 1.9, p = 0.047). First infliximab infusion repressed sPD-L1 (p = 0.023) in patients, and low levels of sPD-L1 were found in patients with early RA treated with TNFi (p = 0.018). Treatment with TNFi was associated with higher sPD-L1 in patients with long disease duration (p = 0.041) and restored levels in smokers. In vitro exposure to aCCP+ IgG suppressed sPD-L1 (p = 0.036), but aCCP+ patients with long disease duration had higher sPD-L1 (p = 0.016). High ratio of the inhibitory Fc gamma R subclass IIB over the stimulatory IIIA resulted in low sPD-L1 release (p = 0.029). Smoking was associated with a higher Fc gamma R IIB/IIIA ratio (p = 0.00062) and lower levels of sPD-L1 (p = 0.013). Conclusion: In RA, serum sPD-L1 was related to systemic inflammation and aCCP positivity. Smoking altered the expression of Fc gamma Rs and limited sPD-L1 in RA patients, permitting inappropriate T cell responses. Differential regulation of sPD-L1 during the early and late RA may indicate transposition from acute to chronic inflammation.
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| 2. |
- Ali, Abukar, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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Antibiotic-killed Staphylococcus aureus induces destructive arthritis in mice.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.). - : Wiley. - 2326-5205 .- 2326-5191. ; 67:1, s. 107-116
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Permanent reduction in joint function is a severe post-infectious complication in patients with Staphylococcus aureus septic arthritis. This reduction in joint function might be caused by persistent joint inflammation after the adequate eradication of bacteria by antibiotics. Methods: We studied whether antibiotic-killed S. aureus induced joint inflammation in mice and elucidated the molecular and cellular mechanism of this type of arthritis. Results: The intraarticular injection of antibiotic-killed S. aureus induced mild to moderate synovitis and bone erosions that lasted for a minimum of 14 days. The frequency and severity of synovitis were significantly reduced in tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE), and toll like receptor 2 (TLR2) knockout mice compared with wild-type animals. The combined depletion of monocytes and neutrophils resulted in a significantly lower frequency of synovitis. Among bacterial factors, insoluble cell debris played a more important role than bacterial DNA or soluble components in inducing joint inflammation. Importantly, anti-TNF therapy abrogated the joint inflammation induced by antibiotic-killed S. aureus. Conclusion: Antibiotic-killed S. aureus induced and maintained the joint inflammation that is mediated through TLR2, TNFR1, and RAGE receptor. The cross-talk between neutrophils and monocytes is responsible for this type of arthritis. Anti-TNF therapy might be used as a novel therapeutic strategy, in combination with antibiotics, to treat staphylococcal septic arthritis. © 2014 American College of Rheumatology.
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| 3. |
- Ali, Abukar, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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CTLA4-Ig but not anti-TNF therapy promotes staphylococcal septic arthritis in mice.
- 2015
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Ingår i: The Journal of infectious diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1537-6613 .- 0022-1899. ; 212:8, s. 1308-1316
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of biologics has greatly increased the quality of life as well as the life expectancy of many RA patients. However, a large number of these patients are at an increased risk of developing serious infections. The aim of this study was to examine differential effects of anti-TNF versus CTLA4-Ig treatment on both immunological response and host defense in a murine model of septic arthritis.
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| 4. |
- Ali, Abukar, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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IL-1 Receptor Antagonist Treatment Aggravates Staphylococcal Septic Arthritis and Sepsis in Mice.
- 2015
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Ingår i: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is the primary therapy against autoinflammatory syndromes with robust efficacy in reducing systemic inflammation and associated organ injury. However, patients receiving IL-1Ra might be at increased risk of acquiring serious infections.
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| 5. |
- Amirbeagi, Firoozeh, et al.
(författare)
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Olfactomedin-4 autoantibodies give unusual c-ANCA staining patterns with reactivity to a subpopulation of neutrophils.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of leukocyte biology. - 1938-3673. ; 97:1, s. 181-189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Testing for the presence of ANCAs in circulation is part of the clinical examinations routinely performed upon suspected autoimmune disorders, mainly vasculitis. The autoantibodies are typically directed toward neutrophil MPO or PR3. These are major granule-localized proteins, and similar to all hitherto-described ANCA antigens, they are expressed by all neutrophils, and ANCA-containing sera thus give rise to uniform reactivity toward all neutrophils in a sample. In this paper, we describe sera from 2 unrelated patients with diffuse inflammatory symptoms that gave rise to peculiar c-ANCA patterns, only reacting with a subpopulation (roughly 30%) of human neutrophils. By immunoblotting, both sera reacted to the same antigen, which was expressed in intracellular granules. The antigen could be released to the extracellular milieu through secretion but also through the formation of NETs. Neutrophils have long been considered a homogenous cell population, but it is becoming increasingly clear that distinct subpopulations, defined by the presence or absence of certain proteins, exist. One such marker that defines a neutrophil subset is the granule protein OLFM4. The unusual, subset-restricted c-ANCA sera reacted only with OLFM4-positive neutrophils, and MS analysis revealed that the autoantigen was, in fact, OLFM4. These data describe for the first time a c-ANCA pattern reactive to only a subpopulation of neutrophils and identify the granule protein OLFM4 as a novel autoantigen.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Karin, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Pathogenic Transdifferentiation of Th17 Cells Contribute to Perpetuation of Rheumatoid Arthritis during Anti-TNF Treatment.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1528-3658 .- 1076-1551. ; 21, s. 536-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- T-helper cells producing interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F cytokines (Th17 cells) are considered the source of autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this study, we characterized specific pathogenic features of Th17 cells in RA. By using nano-string technology, we analyzed transcription of 419 genes in the peripheral blood CCR6(+)CXCR3(-) CD4(+) cells of 14 RA patients and 6 healthy controls and identified 109 genes discriminating Th17 cells of RA patients from the controls. Th17 cells of RA patients had an aggressive pathogenic profile and in addition to signature cytokines IL-17, IL-23 and IL-21, and transcriptional regulators RAR-related orphan receptor gamma of T cells (RORγt) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), they produced high levels of IL-23R, C-C chemokine ligand type 20 (CCL20), granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF ) and transcription factor Tbet required for synovial homing. We showed that Th17 cells are enriched with Helios-producing Foxp3- and IL2RA-deficient cells, indicating altered regulatory profile. The follicular T-helper (Tfh) cells presented a functional profile of adaptor molecules, transcriptional regulator Bcl-6 and B-cell activating cytokines IL-21, IL-31 and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF ). We observed that anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment had a limited effect on the transcription signature of Th17 cells. Patients in remission retained the machinery of receptors (IL-23R and IL-1R1), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-17F, IL-23, IL-21 and TNF ) and adaptor molecules (C-X-C chemokine receptor 5 [CXCR5] and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 [CTLA-4]), essential for efficient transdifferentiation and accumulation of Th17 cells. This study convincingly shows that the peripheral blood CCR6(+)CXCR3(-) CD4(+) cells of RA patients harbor pathogenic subsets of Th17 and Tfh cells, which may transdifferentiate from Tregs and contribute to perpetuation of the disease.
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| 7. |
- Bozovic, Gracijela, et al.
(författare)
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Exocrine pancreatic function is preserved in systemic sclerosis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Arthritis Research & Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6354 .- 1478-6362. ; 21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been suggested to cause exocrine pancreatic dysfunction. However, a case-control-based autopsy study failed to associate systemic sclerosis with any pancreatic histopathology. The primary objective of this study was to examine the exocrine pancreatic function in consecutive SSc patients in relation to an age- and sex-matched control group. A secondary objective was to relate exocrine pancreatic function to radiological, laboratory, and clinical SSc characteristics. Methods: One hundred twelve consecutive patients fulfilling the 2013 American Congress of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria for SSc and 52 control subjects were matched for sex and age. Exocrine pancreatic function was assessed by ELISA-based measurement of fecal elastase, and levels <= 200g/g were considered pathological, i.e., representing exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Patients were characterized regarding SSc manifestations including gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary function, by use of laboratory and clinical examinations. Pancreas parenchyma characteristics were evaluated by high-resolution computer tomography (HRCT). Results: A similar proportion of subjects exhibited pathological levels of fecal elastase among SSc patients (6/112; 5.4%) and control subjects (3/52; 5.8%). Patients with fecal elastase <= 200g/g did not differ from other SSc patients with respect to laboratory and clinical characteristics, including malnutrition. SSc subjects with low levels of fecal elastase displayed significantly lower pancreas attenuation on HRCT examinations compared to the control subjects. Conclusions: In this study encompassing 112 consecutive SSc patients and 52 matched control subjects, we were unable to associate systemic sclerosis with clinically significant exocrine pancreatic dysfunction.
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| 8. |
- Erlandsson, Malin, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Low serum IGF1 is associated with hypertension and predicts early cardiovascular events in women with rheumatoid arthritis
- 2019
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Ingår i: BMC Med. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7015. ; 17:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesSince low insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 is often linked to inflammation, we analyze whether serum levels of IGF1 are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a longitudinal observational study.MethodsA CVD risk was estimated (eCVR) in 184 female RA patients (mean age 52years) and in 132 female patients after ischemic stroke (mean age 56years) with no rheumatic disease, using the Framingham algorithm. The median level of IGF1 divided the cohorts in IGF1(high) and IGF1(low) groups. A 5-year prospective follow-up for new CVD events was completed in all RA patients. The Mantel-Cox analysis and event-free survival curves were prepared. Unsupervised clustering of proteins within the IGF1 signaling pathway was employed to identify their association with eCVR.ResultsLow IGF1 resulted in a higher eCVR in RA patients (7.2% and 3.3%, p=0.0063) and in stroke (9.3% and 7.1%, p=0.033). RA had higher rate for new CVD events at prospective follow-up (OR 4.96, p=0.028). Hypertension was the major risk factor associated with low IGF1 in RA and stroke. In hypertension, IGF1 was no longer responsible for intracellular activation and lost its correlation to IRS1/2 adaptor proteins. The clustering analysis confirmed that combination of low IGF1 and IRS1/2 with high IL6, insulin, and glucose predisposed to high eCVR and emphasized the functional role of serum IGF1.ConclusionsLow serum IGF1 precedes and predicts development of early CVD events in female RA patients. Hypertension and aberrant IGF1 receptor signaling are highlighted as the important contributors to IGF1-related CVD events.
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| 9. |
- Erlandsson, Malin, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Survivin improves the early recognition of rheumatoid arthritis among patients with arthralgia : A population-based study within two university cities of Sweden
- 2018
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Ingår i: Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism. - : Saunders Elsevier. - 0049-0172 .- 1532-866X. ; 47:6, s. 778-785
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the use of survivin for preclinical recognition of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among patients with unexplained arthralgia.Methods: Serum levels of survivin and the arthritis-specific autoantibodies RF and ACPA were measured in total of 5046 patients with musculoskeletal complains during 12 consecutive months in Gothenburg and in Umea. Among them, 303 arthralgia patients were identified and prospectively followed.Results: After 48 months, 12.2% of the arthralgia patients developed RA. Most of RA cases had high serum survivin, which increased the relative risk for RA (RR = 5.90,p = 3 x 10(-7)). Combination of survivin with autoantibodies was present in only 4.6% of the arthralgia patients and increased further the risk of RA and shortened time to RA development. Presence of any single autoantibody in the survivin-negative patients was associated with a minor risk for RA and had RA-free survival similar to the reference group.Conclusion: This study shows that measurement of survivin in serum improves estimation of RA risk and prospectively predicts RA development in patients with arthralgia. Survivin may indicate a phase preceding autoantibody production.
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| 10. |
- Erlandsson, Malin, 1972, et al.
(författare)
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Survivin Measurement improves Clinical Prediction of Transition From Arthralgia to RA - Biomarkers to Improve Clinical Sensitivity of Transition From Arthralgia to RA
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Medicine. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-858X. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Arthralgia often predates development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A set of joint symptoms commonly found in patients during their transition from arthralgia to RA, has been recently proposed. Aim: To combine clinical and serological markers and to improve recognition of imminent rheumatoid arthritis (RA) among patients with arthralgia. Methods: The total of 1,743 first-visit patients attending the rheumatology ward in Gothenburg for joint symptoms were identified during 12 consecutive months. Among those, 63 patients were classified as RA, 73 had undifferentiated arthritis and 180 had unexplained arthralgia. New RA cases, which prospectively developed during 48 months, comprised the preclinical (pre) RA group. The joint symptoms of the first-visit were analyzed aiming to distinguish patients with arthralgia and arthritis, and patients with pre-RA, who later developed the disease. The receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed. In the model, symptoms with the odds ratio >2.0 between the arthralgia and pre-RA were combined with information about RA-specific antibodies, C-reactive protein (CRP), and survivin in serum. Results: The proposed set of clinical symptoms distinguished the arthralgia patients from RA and pre-RA. Presence of survivin in serum showed strong association with clinical joint symptoms in arthralgia. A combination of symptoms in several small joint areas, increasing number of joints with symptoms, and patient's experience of swelling in small hand joints at the first visit identified pre-RA cases with 93% specificity. Grouping those symptoms with information about survivin, RA-specific antibodies, and CRP (or gender) in the final algorithm achieved 91% specificity and 55.2% of positive prediction for transition from arthralgia to RA. Conclusion: Clinical and serological parameters in combination aid recognition of imminent RA among arthralgia patients with appropriate sensitivity.
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