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Previous studies have suggested a correlation between uric acid (UA) and lung lesion in some diseases. However, it remains unknown whether UA contributes to the lung injury in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our study aimed to investigate the clinical value of the UA level in the severity of rheumatoid arthritis–associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). We measured UA in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and UA levels of subjects were compared. As for the role of UA on ILD, we incubated A549 cells with UA and the expression of EMT markers was measured by immunofluorescence staining. The concentrations and messenger RNA expression of IL-1, IL-6, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were measured by ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. We observed that serum UA levels in RA were significantly higher than those in controls. And, higher UA was measured in both serum and BALF of patients with RA-ILD, particularly those with interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern. Additionally, the correlation of the serum and BALF UA levels with serum KL-6, a biomarker of ILDs, in RA was significant (r = 0.44, p r = 0.43, p r = −0.61, p r = −0.34, p r = −0.43, p r = −0.30, p p p

Treatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been revealed to suppress CD4+ T cells and autoimmunity in both mouse models and patients with primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS); however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) mediate CD4+ T cell activation, but the mechanism is not understood, particularly for CD4+ T cells treated with MSCs. Characterization of miRNAs may reveal pSS pathogenesis, guide MSC treatment and provide more personalized management options. The present study aimed to perform an miRNome analysis of quiescent and T cell receptor (TCR)‑activated CD4+ T cells treated with MSCs via miRNA profiles and bioinformatics. Following 72 h of co‑culture, MSCs inhibited TCR‑induced CD4+ T cell activation and decreased IFN‑γ levels. The numbers of aberrant miRNAs in pSS naive (vs. healthy naive), pSS activation (vs. pSS naive), MSC treatment and pre‑IFN‑γ MSC treatment (vs. pSS activation) groups were 42, 55, 27 and 32, respectively. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that 259 pathways were associated with CD4+ T cell stimulation, and 240 pathways were associated with MSC treatment. Increased miRNA‑7150 and miRNA‑5096 and decreased miRNA‑125b‑5p and miRNA‑22‑3p levels in activated CD4+ T cells from patients with pSS were reversed by MSC treatment. Notably, the proliferation of CD4+ T cells and CD4+ IFN‑γ+ cells, expression levels of miRNA‑125b‑5p and miRNA‑155 in CD4+ T cells and supernatant IFN‑γ secretion were associated with disease activity. miRNA may play a vital role in MSC treatment for activated CD4+ T cells. The results indicated that the expression levels of miRNA‑125b‑5p and miRNA‑155 in TCR‑activated CD4+ T cells from patients with pSS may provide insight regarding autoimmune diseases and offer a novel target for prospective treatment. Therefore, these results may be crucial in providing MSC treatment for pSS.

Background Primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) is a commono systemic autoimmune disease, characterised by lymphocytic infiltration of the secretory glands and different extraglandular manifestations. Besides haematological disorders are prevalent but not well recognised in patients with pSS. Objectives Our aim is to determine the existence of cytopenia at diagnosis or during follow-up of our pSS patients as well as the associated factors. Methods A cohort of pSS patients that had been followed-up in the Department of Rheumatology, Tongji hospital of Tongji University, from 2011 to 2017 was retrospectively assessed. Clinical and laboratory findings about the patients were recorded. Results Out of 232 pSS patients composing the cohort, cytopenia was already present in 55.60% (n=129) at the time of diagnosis. Anaemia was detected in 30.17% (n=70), leukopenia in 37.5% (n=87), neutropenia in 22.41% (n=52), and thrombocytopenia in 26.72% (n=62) of patients. The proportion of patients with cumulative cytopenia was 6.47% (n=15). Cumulative cytopenia was disease-related in 5.60% (n=13) and medication-related in 0.86% (n=2) of the patients. In patients with cytopenia at the time of diagnosis, erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR) were higher (p Conclusions The most common haematological disorders in pSS patients are leukopenia, and cytopenia in pSS patients might be related to disease activity. References [1] Tim Both, et al. Reviewing primary Sjogren’s syndrome: beyond thedryness – From pathophysiology to diagnosis and treatment. Int. J. Med. Sci. 2017, 14(3): 191–200. [2] Garcia-Carrasco M, et al. Serologic features of primary Sjogren’s syndrome: Clinical and prognostic correlation. Int J Clin Rheumtol2012;7(6):651–659. Acknowledgements We would like to thank all of the participants who took part in the studies featured in this research. The present work was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81273295, 81302562, 81671598), China International Medical Exchange Foundation (Z-2014–06–2–1620), and Shanghai Sailing Program (No.17YF1417200). Disclosure of Interest None declared