Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29148407›Full record

ArticleClinical and experimental rheumatology

Minor salivary gland fibrosis in Sjögren's syndrome is elevated, associated with focus score and not solely a consequence of aging.

Kerry M Leehan, Nathan P Pezant, Astrid Rasmussen, Kiely Grundahl, Jacen S Moore, Lida Radfar, David M Lewis, Donald U Stone, Christopher J Lessard, Nelson L Rhodus and 5 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and experimental rheumatology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
54citing papers in PubMed
4.5field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

54 citing papers in PubMed, 62 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Fibrosis in Immune-Mediated and Autoimmune Disorders.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025
    Review
  12. Insights into Patient Heterogeneity in Sjögren's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Observational
  16. Exploring Salivary Epithelial Dysfunction in Sjögren's Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Kerry M LeehanArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF); Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Nathan P PezantArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Astrid RasmussenArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Kiely GrundahlArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Jacen S MooreArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Lida RadfarCollege of Dentistry, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
David M LewisCollege of Dentistry, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Donald U StoneDepartment of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD,USA; and King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, KSA.
Christopher J LessardArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF); Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Nelson L RhodusDivision of Oral Medicine and Diagnosis, Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, MN, USA.
Barbara M SegalDivision of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota, MN, USA.
R Hal ScofieldArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation; Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Department of Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Kathy L SivilsArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF); Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Courtney MontgomeryArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
A Darise FarrisArthritis and Clinical Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF); Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), Oklahoma City, OK, USA. farrisd@omrf.org.
Sheba Medical Center · ILMeir Medical Center · ILOklahoma Medical Research Foundation · US

Funding

Tracking and Evaluation CoreU54GM104938 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · PI TIMOTHY M VANWAGONER · 2013 to 2026
$68.2M
Pathogenic B Cells in Sjogren's SyndromeP50AR060804 · NIAMS · OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION · PI SCOFIELD, ROBERT HAL · 2011 to 2015
$7.9M
Quantitative Analysis Core P30GM110766 · NIGMS · OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION · PI GAFFNEY, PATRICK M · 2014 to 2018
$6.1M
Genetic Association in Sjogren's SyndromeR01DE015223 · NIDCR · OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION · PI HARLEY, JOHN BARKER · 2004 to 2008
$1.9M
Gene Expression Profiling in Sjogren's SyndromeR01AR050782 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TWIN CITIES · PI SIVILS, KATHY L. · 2003 to 2006
$1.3M
Susceptibility Genes in Primary Sjogren's SydromeR01DE018209 · NIDCR · OKLAHOMA MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION · PI HARLEY, JOHN BARKER, SIVILS, KATHY L. · 2009 to 2010
$489k
NIAMS NIH HHS P50 AR060804NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR050782NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE015223NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE018209NIGMS NIH HHS P30 GM110766NIGMS NIH HHS U54 GM104938
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesEvaluate the presence of minor salivary gland (SG) fibrosis in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) as a function of disease pathology or a consequence of ageing.

methodsSubjects with sicca symptoms attending a Sjögren's research clinic were classified by American European Consensus Group (AECG) criteria as either pSS or non-SS (nSS). Discovery (n=34 pSS, n=28 nSS) and replication (n=35 pSS, n=31 nSS) datasets were evaluated. Minor SG cross-sections from haematoxylin and eosin stained slides were imaged, digitally reconstructed and analysed for percent area fibrosis. Relationships between SG fibrosis, age, and clinical measures were evaluated using Spearman correlations. Association with SS was assessed by: ROC curve, Variable Selection Using Random Forests (VSURF) and uni- and bi-variate regression analyses.

resultsSS subjects had significantly more fibrotic tissue in their minor labial salivary glands (median 24.39%, range 5.12-51.67%) than nSS participants (median 16.7%, range 5.97-38.65%, p<0.0001); age did not differ between groups (average ± SD pSS 50.2 ±13.9 years, nSS 53.8±12.4 years). In both the discovery and replication data sets, multiple regression models showed that the area of minor salivary gland fibrosis predicted pSS significantly better than age alone. Age-corrected linear regression revealed that the area of minor salivary gland fibrosis positively associated with vanBijsterveld score (p=0.042) and biopsy focus score (p=0.002). ROC curve and VSURF analyses ranked fibrosis as a significantly more important variable for subject discrimination than age.

conclusionsSG fibrosis is an element of pSS pathology that is related to focus score and is not solely attributable to age.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAge FactorsArea Under CurveBiopsyCase-Control StudiesFemaleFibrosisHumansLinear ModelsLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsPrognosisROC Curve

Identifiers

PMID29148407
PMCPMC5913007
OpenAlexW2972056909

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.