Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38652572›Full record

ArticleRheumatology (Oxford, England)2025

Association of the multi-biomarker disease activity score with arterial 18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in rheumatoid arthritis.

Jon T Giles, Daniel H Solomon, Katherine P Liao, Pamela M Rist, Zahi A Fayad, Ahmed Tawakol, Joan M Bathon

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 37% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
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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

7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Jon T GilesDivision of Rheumatology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8792-0402
Daniel H SolomonDivision of Rheumatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Katherine P LiaoDivision of Rheumatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4797-3200
Pamela M RistDivision of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Zahi A FayadBioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3439-7347
Ahmed TawakolCardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9211-5483
Joan M BathonDivision of Rheumatology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Brigham and Women's Hospital · USCedars-Sinai Medical Center · USHarvard University · USIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · US

Funding

Treatments Against RA and Effect on FDG PET CT: The TARGET TRIALU01AR068043 · NIAMS · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI BATHON, JOAN MARIE, SOLOMON, DANIEL HAL · 2015 to 2021
$8.7M
Crescendo BiosciencesLaboratory Corporation of America and Rules Based Medicine, Inc.Merck & Co.NIAMS NIH HHS U01 AR068043NIAMS NIH HHS U01-AR068043NIHRegeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.The Arthritis Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesRheumatoid arthritis (RA) and atherosclerosis share many common inflammatory pathways. We studied whether a multi-biomarker panel for RA disease activity (MBDA) would associate with changes in arterial inflammation in an interventional trial.

methodsIn the TARGET Trial, RA patients with active disease despite methotrexate were randomly assigned to the addition of either a TNF inhibitor or sulfasalazine+hydroxychloroquine (triple therapy). Baseline and 24-week follow-up [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/CT scans were assessed for change in arterial inflammation measured as the maximal arterial target-to-blood background ratio of FDG uptake in the most diseased segment of the carotid arteries or aorta (MDS-TBRmax). The MBDA test, measured at baseline and weeks 6, 18 and 24, was assessed for its association with the change in MDS-TBRmax.

resultsInterpretable scans were available at baseline and week 24 for 112 patients. The MBDA score at week 24 was significantly correlated with the change in MDS-TBRmax (Spearman's rho = 0.239; P = 0.011) and remained significantly associated after adjustment for relevant confounders. Those with low MBDA at week 24 had a statistically significant adjusted reduction in arterial inflammation of 0.35 units vs no significant reduction in those who did not achieve low MBDA. Neither DAS28-CRP nor CRP predicted change in arterial inflammation. The MBDA component with the strongest association with change in arterial inflammation was serum amyloid A.

conclusionAmong treated RA patients, achieved MBDA predicts changes in arterial inflammation. Achieving low MBDA at 24 weeks was associated with clinically meaningful reductions in arterial inflammation, regardless of treatment.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidFluorodeoxyglucose F18AdultAgedAntirheumatic AgentsAortaBiomarkersCarotid ArteriesClinical Trials, Phase IV as TopicDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHumansHydroxychloroquineMaleMethotrexateMiddle AgedAntirheumatic AgentsBiomarkersFluorodeoxyglucose F18HydroxychloroquineMethotrexateRadiopharmaceuticalsSulfasalazineTumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitorsatherosclerosisbiomarkerscardiovascular diseasedisease modifying antirheumatic drugsinflammationpositron emission tomographypredictionrheumatoid arthritisserum amyloid Atumour necrosis factor inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID38652572
PMCPMC11879324
OpenAlexW4395025693

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.