Thornton S, Strait, RT. Head-to-head comparison of protocol modifications for the generation of collagen-induced arthritis in a specific-pathogen free facility using DBA/1 mice. BioTechniques. 2016 Mar 1;60(3):119-28.
Collagen-induced arthritis is a widely used a model of inflammatory arthritis. However, protocols have differed between laboratories and animal facilities, with head-to head comparison of differing protocols not reported to date. Our studies indicated that administering various combinations of arthritis-inducing components, can achieve various grades of arthritic severity to robustly assess factors that predict to either inhibit or exacerbate arthritis. Importantly, by being able to achieve 100% incidence of arthritis in a pathogen free facility, the protocols indicated can reduce the number of mice necessary for an experiment, providing a humane benefit for our arthritis research.
Schulert GS, Zhang M, Fall N, Husami A, Kissell D, Hanosh A, Zhang K, Davis K, Jentzen JM, Napolitano L, Siddiqui J, Smith LB, Harms PW, Grom AA, Cron RQ. Whole-Exome Sequencing Reveals Mutations in Genes Linked to Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Macrophage Activation Syndrome in Fatal Cases of H1N1 Influenza. J Infect Dis. 2016 Apr 1;213(7):1180-8.
Drs. Grant Schulert and Alexei Grom, along with researchers at the University of Alabama Birmingham and the University of Michigan, found that patients with fatal H1N1 influenza infections died after their viral infections triggered a deadly hyperinflammatory disorder in susceptible individuals. According to their study, there is a high incidence of genetic variants in genes linked to familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare genetic inflammatory disorder. HLH causes the immune system to essentially overwhelm the body with inflammation that attacks vital organs, often leading to death. This study is the first to identify mutations of HLH-associated genes in H1N1 cases where patients had clinical symptoms of HLH and a related condition called macrophage activation syndrome (MAS).
Ting TV, Barnett K, Lynch-Jordan A, Whitacre C, Henrickson M, Kashikar-Zuck S. 2010 American College of Rheumatology Adult Fibromyalgia Criteria for Use in an Adolescent Female Population with Juvenile Fibromyalgia. J Pediatr. 2016 Feb;169:181-7.
Drs. Tracy Ting and Susmita Kashikar-Zuck led a project that evaluated the utility of the Widespread Pain Index and Symptom Severity Questionnaire adapted from the 2010 ACR criteria for Adult Fibromyalgia for an adolescent population with Juvenile Fibromyalgia (JFM) in comparison to teenagers with localized pain conditions. This study revealed a sensitivity of 89.4% and specificity of 87.5% for JFM, suggesting that this questionnaire can assist with the classification of JFM without the use of the traditional tender point exam.
Kashikar-Zuck S, Carle A, Barnett K, Goldschneider KR, Sherry DD, Mara CA, Cunningham N, Farrell J, Tress J, Morgan E. Longitudinal evaluation of patient-reported outcomes measurement information systems measures in pediatric chronic pain. Pain. 2016 Feb;157(2):339-47.
The Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is an initiative sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to support the development and validation of precise instruments to assess self-reported health domains across various health conditions (i.e., cross-cutting measures, not disease specific). The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity and responsiveness to change of seven PROMIS domains for the assessment of children with chronic pain – Pain Interference, Fatigue, Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, Mobility, Upper Extremity Function and Peer Relationships. The study administered PROMIS measures over time to patients treated at either an outpatient chronic pain clinic or in an intensive amplified pain day-treatment program. All seven PROMIS domains showed responsiveness to change and results offered initial support for the validity of PROMIS measures in pediatric chronic pain.
Mina R, Harris JG, Klein-Gitelman MS, Appenzeller S, Centeville M, Eskra D, Huggins JL, Johnson AL, Khubchandani R, Khandekar P, Lee J, Liu HM, Pendl JD, Silva CA, Silva MF, Zaal AI, DeWitt EM, Ardoin SP, Brunner HI. Initial Benchmarking of the Quality of Medical Care in Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016 Feb;68(2):179-86.
Drs. Rina Mina and Hermine Brunner assessed the quality of care provided to children with lupus at Pediatric Rheumatology centers in the U.S., Brazil and India. Quality of care measured by the Quality Indicators for childhood-onset lupus, which were previously developed by the Cincinnati Children's team, are based on international consensus. They found marked variation in the quality of care provided at the different U.S. centers with respect to adhering to minimal care standards for lupus nephritis, vaccinations, bone health surveillance, education and transition planning. Overall, larger centers tended to follow the recommended testing, evaluation, education and treatment for children with lupus more consistently than smaller centers, irrespective of country of practice.