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Lupus

Lupus Nephritis study of 136 pts followed 121 mos. Median time to wean GC to 7.5 mg/day, 5 mg/day & D/C was 9, 12 & 29 months post-Dx. Predictors of shorter time to D/C= Sustained CR/SLEDAI-2K≤4, membranous LN, & HCQ. Prolonged GC & renal flares increase damage accrual

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Pulse Steroids and Mycophenolate in Juvenile Dermatomyositis

JAMA Dermatology has published a pilot study demonstrating the safety and efficacy of intermittent intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (IVMP) therapy plus mycophenolate in 28 patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM).

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Review of neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) blockers, being developed by J&J, argenx & UCB, showing utility in autoimmune dz as they reduce autoantibodies. FcRn inhibitor market may be worth USD 3.3 billion by 2035. Approved for myasthenia gravis & being developed in Sjögren’s, SLE, https://t.co/mBUla87dK5
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Postmenopausal women on estrogen hormone therapy (HT) had a modest incr risk (HR 1.33; 1.32-1.35; P < .001). of a new autoimmune Dz over next 5-10 yrs (vs those not on HT) TriNetX study of 889,413 HT vs 2,6 mill (not HT) - 6.7% vs 5.3% developed autoimmune dz at 5 yrs. https://t.co/fsi32XIzLe
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25-Hydroxyvitamin D levels and Lupus Outcomes

MedPage Today

Lupus patients entering a prospective cohort study with low vitamin D levels faced doubled all-cause mortality risk and tripled risk for major cardiovascular events during follow-up averaging 6 years, researchers said.

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+ANA's are common in pregnancy. Study of 2159 Chinese 1st trimester pregnant women found ANAs positivity in 14.7 % (1:100 most common titer; speckled most common pattern). ANA+ assoc w/ smoking, age 30-34 yrs, multiparity, thyroid Dz & hypertension https://t.co/mRQGajVe3g https://t.co/DqE1KC4Kgo
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SLE Prospect. Observational Study of 826 SLE pts over 3 yr for outcomes& IFN signature (IFNGS). 71% were IFNGS-high. IFNGS-high pts were younger. on GC w/ Hi SLEDAI-2K. SLEDAI-2K decreased over time, regardless of IFNGS. By 36mos, 45% had ≥1 flare; higher in IFNGS. https://t.co/CT70CvnOQ9
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Robinson et al has published that Epstein-Barr virus infects and reprograms autoreactive B cells to drive the systemic autoimmune response in SLE https://t.co/vjpvILrJOt https://t.co/JfcycqHvhl
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Beyond malignancy, look out for LICATS with CAR-T CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy took the centre stage in 2022 where data pertaining to a successful case series of 5 patients with refractory SLE were published by Prof Schett’s group. Since then, this area https://t.co/JbTB033gti
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Putting Steroid Tapering into Practice in SLE Drs. Yuz Yusof and Ed Vital discuss abstract 1526 (Guidance For Corticosteroid Tapering In Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Results From An International Delphi Consensus Project) presented at #ACR25. https://t.co/nqMyy3qNto
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Treating During Pregnancy (11.14.2025)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal articles, news and guidelines from this past week on RheumNow.com

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SLE Prospect. Observational Study of 826 SLE pts over 3 yr for outcomes& IFN signature (IFNGS). 71% were IFNGS-high. IFNGS-high pts were younger. on GC w/ Hi SLEDAI-2K. SLEDAI-2K decreased over time, regardless of IFNGS. By 36mos, 45% had ≥1 flare; higher in IFNGS. https://t.co/c3zHT2GfR5
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Hospital Mortality in Dermatomyositis

A cohort study shows that hospitalized patients with dermatomyositis have higher in-hospital mortality in the presence of active rash, interstitial lung disease, and elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio at admission.

Dermatomyositis (DM) has significiant

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Robinson et al has published that Epstein-Barr virus infects and reprograms autoreactive B cells to drive the systemic autoimmune response in SLE https://t.co/vjpvILrJOt https://t.co/HepyZrYW5L
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Western Australia study of 1854 SLE pts (median 40 yrs old). Interstitial lung disease was seen in in 3.8% of SLE, 26 fold more than controls. Risk factors for ILD included older age, smoking and serositis. SLE-ILD pts had higher mortality rates (MR 52.0, CI 37.0–71.1).

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Genentech announced positive results from the phase III DBRPCT ALLEGORY trial showin safety & efficacy of obinutuzumab in ~300 SLE pts on SOC. Results have yet to be presented publicly. https://t.co/4hoT9dBtPq

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New ACR 2025 Guidelines for Non-Renal Lupus

MedPage Today

Written by Lisa Sammaritano, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and a committee of nearly 50 other experts, the new guideline also stipulates that corticosteroids are OK for gaining symptom control in newly diagnosed patients and when flares erupt, but the duration should

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Off the Shelf: CAR-T Dr. Akhil Sood reports on abstract 0663 (iPSC-Derived Off-the-Shelf anti-CD19 CAR T cells Deliver Improved Clinical Outcomes in Lupus with Reduced or No Conditioning Chemotherapy) presented at#ACR25. https://t.co/mj4b5cCInC https://t.co/s34atFCMlx
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The Decade Ahead: Predicting Long-Term Proteinuria Risk in SLE Lupus nephritis affects almost half of patients with SLE and conveys a mortality rate of up to 30% at 10 years, with at least 10-22% of patients developing end-stage kidney disease. Early detection and diagnosis are https://t.co/ggoA2KsqXg
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Belimumab Before or After Immunosuppressant Dr. Yuz Yusof reports on abstract 0803 presented at #ACR25 https://t.co/BVFhDDfTvW https://t.co/F9ZvGXIqVn
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Using AI and LLMs in Qualitative Data Dr. Bella Mehta discusses abstract 0794 (Using AI to Analyze Multilingual Qualitative Data in Lupus Pregnancy Research: A Proof of Concept with Large Language Models) presented at #ACR25 https://t.co/HFBuNxdZOF https://t.co/gKAXURq8xR
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Deucravacitinib and Renal Function: Insights from the PAISLEY Trial

In the phase 2 PAISLEY trial, deucravacitinib met its primary and secondary endpoints, demonstrating efficacy across multiple clinical and patient-reported outcomes. However, the impact on renal function has remained unclear. An abstract presented at ACR provides new insights.

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Beyond malignancy, look out for LICATS with CAR-T

CAR T cell therapy took the centre stage in 2022 where data pertaining to a successful case series of 5 patients with refractory SLE were published by Prof Schett’s group. Since then, this area of therapeutic has expanded exponentially. Our growing enthusiasm was slightly dampened though when

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Taking a closer look: B-Cell depletion beyond the blood

Following the landmark case series by the Erlangen group, multiple cellular therapies have entered the race—each with unique targets, constructs, and mechanisms. Yet, a fundamental question remains: How deep is the B-cell depletion? In clinical practice, peripheral blood counts often serve as

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Topline results of ALLEGORY study (Genentech) - 300 pt. phase 3 DBRPCT obinuntuzumab vs PBO in active SLE w/ SRI-4 primary outcome at wk 52. The anti-CD20, B-cell depleter, Rx met all efficacy endpoints primary and all key secondary endpoints. Gazyva was FDA approved last wk https://t.co/Wd6EFEjvGP
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