Volume 14 Issue 3, March 2018

A new publication by the GRAPPA–OMERACT group provides recommendations and a useful framework for physicians on the use of composite measures and treatment targets in psoriatic arthritis. However, these recommendations highlight the need for more research in order to improve patient care and health-related quality of life.

New evidence strengthens the hypothesis that exposure to trauma and the associated physiological responses contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus.

Biologic agents targeting key proteins involved in bone homeostasis are revolutionizing the management of osteoporosis. New clinical data support the use of these novel therapies to rapidly increase bone mass and decrease the risk of fractures.

Outcome assessment of disease modification represents a major challenge to the development of therapies and management of spondyloarthritis, particularly for patients with axial disease. Could a new approach to imaging assessment of the spine using low-dose CT provide an answer to this perennial problem?

Primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) is characterized by B cell infiltrates in the salivary glands and an increased risk of B cell lymphoma. In this Review, the authors describe the myriad ways that B cells are involved in the pathogenesis of pSS.

Osteoimmunology, the study of the complex interactions between bone and the immune system, is progressing rapidly as a field. In this Review, the authors highlight key advances in osteoimmunology and discuss how they relate to rheumatic diseases.

The presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) is a useful biomarker in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). New technological advances are helping to unravel the role of the anti-citrullinated antigen response in RA pathogenesis, in particular, the contribution of ACPAs, ACPA glycosylation and ACPA-expressing B cells.

Proteinases orchestrate many processes in inflammatory arthritis, but their ability to signal via proteolytically activated receptors is often overlooked. This Review provides an overview of proteinases and their receptors in inflammatory arthritis, alongside suggestions for therapeutically targeting these pathways.