Trial reportArthritis research & therapy2021
Plasma interferon-alpha is associated with double-positivity for autoantibodies but is not a predictor of remission in early rheumatoid arthritis-a spin-off study of the NORD-STAR randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in Arthritis research & therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01491815 (A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-label, Blinded-assessor, Phase 4 Study in Patients With Early Rheumatoid Arthritis to Compare Active Conventional Therapy Versus Three Biologic Treatments, and Two De-escalation Strategies in Patients Who Respond to Treatment), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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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.
A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-label, Blinded-assessor, Phase 4 Study in Patients With Early Rheumatoid Arthritis to Compare Active Conventional Therapy Versus Three Biologic Treatments, and Two De-escalation Strategies in Patients Who Respond to Treatment
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- BCAT2 links branched-chain amino acids metabolism to interferon signaling to sustain macrophage inflammation.Nature immunology · 2026Article
- Rheumatoid arthritis and gout: a rare combination or overlooked coexistence?Arthritis research & therapy · 2026Article
- The c.64 + 2 T > A Founder Variant Hits Home: Report on 14 Patients Expands the Phenotypic Landscape of Inherited ARPC1B Deficiency - a Comparative Analysis.Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology · 2025Article
- Opportunities and limitations of B cell depletion approaches in SLE.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2025Review
- In early rheumatoid arthritis, anticitrullinated peptide antibodies associate with low number of affected joints and rheumatoid factor associates with systemic inflammation.Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2024Article
- Combined therapy of local recombinant human interferon α1b injection and acupuncture on verruca vulgaris: a retrospective study.Archives of dermatological research · 2023Article
- Serum level of IFNβ distinguishes early from late relapses after biologics withdrawal in rheumatoid arthritis.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Interferon-α-mediated therapeutic resistance in early rheumatoid arthritis implicates epigenetic reprogramming.Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors at 10 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe type I interferon (IFN) gene signature is present in a subgroup of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Protein levels of IFNα have not been measured in RA and it is unknown whether they associate with clinical characteristics or treatment effect.
methodsPatients with early untreated RA (n = 347) were randomized to methotrexate combined with prednisone, certolizumab-pegol, abatacept, or tocilizumab. Plasma IFNα protein levels were determined by single molecular array (Simoa) before and 24 weeks after treatment initiation and were related to demographic and clinical factors including clinical disease activity index, disease activity score in 28 joints, swollen and tender joint counts, and patient global assessment.
resultsIFNα protein positivity was found in 26% of the patients, and of these, 92% were double-positive for rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). IFNα protein levels were reduced 24 weeks after treatment initiation, and the absolute change was similar irrespective of treatment. IFNα protein positivity was associated neither with disease activity nor with achievement of CDAI remission 24 weeks after randomization.
conclusionIFNα protein positivity is present in a subgroup of patients with early RA and associates with double-positivity for autoantibodies but not with disease activity. Pre-treatment IFNα positivity did not predict remission in any of the treatment arms, suggesting that the IFNα system is distinct from the pathways of TNF, IL-6, and T-cell activation in early RA. A spin-off study of the NORD-STAR randomized clinical trial, NCT01491815 (ClinicalTrials), registered 12/08/2011, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01491815 .
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