Volume 15 Issue 11, November 2019

EULAR has published points to consider for the use of big data in rheumatology research that open up discussions and debates that are necessary and important, but are they missing the opportunities presented by cross-discipline collaboration to expand our perspective of disease beyond what is clinically visible?

Immunopathology in autoimmune diseases is promoted by complex interactions between many types of immune cells, and adequate disease inhibition relies on targeting molecules that orchestrate these interactions. One such molecule, IL-7, has well-known effects on lymphoid cells, but could this cytokine also affect innate immune cells to induce immunopathology?

Early diagnosis of primary Sjögren Syndrome (pSS) is difficult but important for long-term disease management. Emerging data support the usefulness of salivary gland ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pSS. But is this imaging tool relevant to clinical practice and should it be added to current classification criteria?

Data from clinical trials of novel targeted therapies for psoriatic arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, which have produced sometimes surprising results, can inform our understanding of the immunopathogenesis of these diseases and help to identify the most relevant therapeutic targets.

Different imaging modalities, such as radiography, MRI and CT, have different advantages and can help the clinician with different aspects in assessing axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). This Review covers imaging aspects relating to the diagnosis, classification and management of axSpA.

This Review outlines several genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that could explain sex bias in rheumatic diseases, including X chromosome inactivation, sex chromosome aneuploidy and microchimerism, considering evidence from clinical and experimental studies.

Palindromic rheumatism has similarities with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its prodromes but also has distinct features. This Review explores the concept of palindromic rheumatism as part of the RA continuum and outlines an updated paradigm for this unique syndrome.