SLE is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the kidneys in about 50% of patients. Lupus nephritis is a major risk factor for overall morbidity and mortality in SLE, and despite potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapies still ends in CKD or ESRD for too many patients. This review highlights recent updates in our understanding of disease epidemiology, genetics, pathogenesis, and treatment in an effort to establish a framework for lupus nephritis management that is patient-specific and oriented toward maintaining long-term kidney function in patients with lupus.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) represents a group of small vessel vasculitides characterized by granulomatous and neutrophilic tissue inflammation, often associated with the production of antibodies that target neutrophil antigens. The two major antigens targeted by ANCAs are leukocyte proteinase 3 (PR3) and myeloperoxidase (MPO). AAV can be classified into 3 categories based on patterns of clinical involvement: namely, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic GPA (EGPA). Clinically, AAV involves many organ systems including the lungs, kidneys, skin, and nervous system. The prognosis of AAV has improved dramatically due to advances in the understanding of its pathogenesis and treatment modalities. This review will highlight some of the recent updates in our understanding of the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and treatment options in patients with AAV focusing on kidney involvement.

Objective: Increased treatment options and longer survival for lung cancer have generated increased interest in patient preferences. Previous studies of patient preferences in lung cancer have not fully explored preference heterogeneity. We demonstrate a method to explore preference heterogeneity in the willingness of patients with lung cancer and caregivers to trade progression-free survival (PFS) with side effects. Patients and Methods: Patients and caregivers attending a national lung cancer meeting completed a discrete-choice experiment (DCE) designed through a collaboration with patients. Participants answered 13 choice tasks described across PFS, short-term side effects, and four long-term side effects. Side effects were coded as a one-level change in severity (none-mild, mild-moderate, or moderate-severe). A mixed logit model in willingness-to-pay space estimated preference heterogeneity in acceptable tradeoffs (time equivalents) between PFS and side effects. The study was reported following quality indicators from the United States Food and Drug Administration's patient preference guidance. Results: A total of 87 patients and 24 caregivers participated in the DCE. Participants would trade 3.7 month PFS (95% CI (CI): 3.3-4.1) for less severe functional long-term treatment side effects, 2.3 months for less severe physical long-term effects (CI: 1.9-2.8) and cognitive long-term effects (CI: 1.8-2.8), 0.9 months (CI: 0.4-1.4) for less severe emotional long-term effects, and 1.8 months (CI: 1.4-2.3) for less severe short-term side effects. Most participants (90%) would accept treatment with more severe functional long-term effects for 8.4 additional month PFS. Conclusion: Participants would trade PFS for changes in short-term side effects and longterm side effects, although preference heterogeneity existed. Lung cancer treatments that offer less PFS but also less severe side effects might be acceptable to some patients.

Objective The rarity of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is a major factor limiting randomized controlled trials in LVV, resulting in treatment choices in these diseases that are guided mainly by observational studies and expert opinion. Further complicating trials in LVV is the absence of validated and meaningful outcome measures. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) vasculitis working group initiated the Large Vessel Vasculitis task force in 2009 to develop data-driven, validated outcome tools for clinical investigation in LVV. This report summarizes the progress that has been made on a disease activity assessment tool and patient-reported outcomes in LVV as well as the group’s research agenda. Methods The OMERACT LVV task force brought an international group of investigators and patient research partners together to work collaboratively on developing outcome tools. The group initially focused on disease activity assessment tools in LVV. Following a systematic literature review, an international Delphi exercise was conducted to obtain expert opinion on principles and domains for disease assessment. The OMERACT vasculitis working group’s LVV task force is also conducting qualitative research with patients, including interviews, focus groups, and engaging patients as research partners, all to ensure that the approach to disease assessment includes measures of patients’ perspectives and that patients have input into the research agenda and process. Results The preliminary results of both the Delphi exercise and the qualitative interviews were discussed at the OMERACT 12 (2014) meeting and the completion of the analyses will produce an initial set of domains and instruments to form the basis of next steps in the research agenda. Conclusion The research agenda continues to evolve, with the ultimate goal of developing an OMERACT-endorsed core set of outcome measures for use in clinical trials of LVV.

Transition readiness in AYA patients as measured by TRAQ is associated with female gender, older age, and higher patient activation. Though gender and age are non-modifiable, interventions to boost patient activation represent a promising opportunity to improve transition readiness and outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.