Arthritis Research & Therapy

Mahler, Michael; Fritzler, Marvin

doi: 10.1186/ar2646pmid: 19351430

Autoantibodies to the polymyositis/scleroderma (PM/Scl) complex have been associated with systemic sclerosis and PM/Scl overlap syndrome. The report of Hanke and colleagues in a recent issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy is the first to describe the separate evaluation of anti-PM/Scl-75c and PM/Scl-100 autoantibodies and their relationship to clinical manifestations of systemic sclerosis. Several observations are of paramount interest, but are not in general agreement with earlier studies. These include the prevalence of anti-PM/Scl antibodies in systemic sclerosis, the association with certain clinical manifestations and prognosis of patients. This report will hopefully trigger systematic multi-centre studies to confirm and/or elucidate the novel line immunoassay and clinical associations.

Gruber, Helen; Ingram, Jane; Hoelscher, Gretchen; Zinchenko, Natalia; Hanley, Edward; Sun, Yubo

doi: 10.1186/ar2660pmid: 19327154

Maxwell, James; Gowers, Isobel; Wilson, Anthony

doi: 10.1186/ar2663pmid: 19439038

In the paper by Dieguez-Gonzalez and colleagues in the present issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, the results of a detailed genetic investigation of the recently identified rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility region at 6q23 containing the TNFAIP3 gene are reported. Their data confirm the complex nature of the association involving both the TNFAIP3 locus and a region >150 kb upstream that does not encode any known gene. These data are consistent with recent studies of systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility confirming the presence of several independent genetic contributions to autoimmune rheumatic diseases arising from 6q23.

Robinson, John

doi: 10.1186/ar2653pmid: 19439055

A recent article by Farkas and colleagues, published in Arthritis Research & Therapy, is from the laboratory of Dr Tibor Glant and his research team in Chicago, who have investigated in considerable depth the immunopathology of experimental arthritis induced by the major cartilage component proteoglycan aggrecan in an animal model that mimics many features of human rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. This present report takes our understanding a significant step forward by questioning whether genetic drift in distinct colonies of the same inbred strains of mice has an impact on the parity between data published by different laboratories.

Dieguez-Gonzalez, Rebeca; Calaza, Manuel; Perez-Pampin, Eva; Balsa, Alejandro; Blanco, Francisco; Cañete, Juan; Caliz, Rafael; Carreño, Luis; de la Serna, Arturo; Fernandez-Gutierrez, Benjamin; Ortiz, Ana; Herrero-Beaumont, Gabriel; Pablos, Jose; Narvaez, Javier; Navarro, Federico; Marenco, Jose; Gomez-Reino, Juan; Gonzalez, Antonio

Erős, Gabor; Ibrahim, Saleh; Siebert, Nikolai; Boros, Mihály; Vollmar, Brigitte

doi: 10.1186/ar2651pmid: 19296835

Elkan, Ann-Charlotte; Håkansson, Niclas; Frostegård, Johan; Cederholm, Tommy; Hafström, Ingiäld

doi: 10.1186/ar2643pmid: 19284557

Beretta, Lorenzo; Scorza, Raffaella

doi: 10.1186/ar2635pmid: N/A

Calafat, Mario; Larocca, Luciana; Roca, Valeria; Hauk, Vanesa; Pregi, Nicolás; Nesse, Alcira; Pérez Leirós, Claudia

doi: 10.1186/ar2671pmid: 19356238

Giles, Jon; Szklo, Moyses; Post, Wendy; Petri, Michelle; Blumenthal, Roger; Lam, Gordon; Gelber, Allan; Detrano, Robert; Scott, William; Kronmal, Richard; Bathon, Joan

doi: 10.1186/ar2641pmid: 19284547