Objective. To refine the previously developed scleroderma (systemic sclerosis [SSc]) gastrointestinal tract (GIT) instrument (SSC-GIT 1.0).Methods. We administered the SSC-GIT 1.0 and the Short Form 36 to 152 patients with SSc; 1 item was added to the SSC-GIT 1.0 to assess rectal incontinence. In addition, subjects completed a rating of the severity of their GIT involvement (from very mild to very severe). Evaluation of psychometric properties included internal consistency reliability, testretest reliability (mean time interval 1.1 weeks), and multitrait scaling analysis. Results. Study participants were mostly women (84%) and white (81%); 55% had diffuse SSc. Self-rated severity of GIT involvement ranged from no symptoms to very mild (39%), mild (21%), moderate (31%), and severe/very severe (9%). Of an initial 53 items in the SSC-GIT 1.0, 19 items were excluded, leaving a 34-item revised instrument (the University of California, Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium GIT 2.0 [UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0]). Analyses supported 7 multi-item scales: reflux, distention/bloating, diarrhea, fecal soilage, constipation, emotional well-being, and social functioning. Test-retest reliability estimates were >0.68 and coefficient alphas were >0.67. Participants who rated their GIT disease as mild had lower scores on a 0 -3 scale on all 7 scales. Symptom scales were also able to discriminate subjects with corresponding clinical GIT diagnoses. The Total GIT Score, developed by averaging 6 of 7 scales (excluding constipation), was reliable and provided greater discrimination between mild, moderate, and severe self-rated GIT involvement than individual scales. Conclusion. This study provides support for the reliability and validity of the UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0, an improvement over the SSC-GIT 1.0, and supports a Total GIT Score in SSc patients with GIT.

Purpose Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by calcification, vasculopathy, and endothelial wall damage, all of which can increase the risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine if atherosclerosis is increased in patients with SSc compared to healthy individuals. Methods We performed a systematic search of studies published in PubMed and the Cochrane database up to May 2010, and reviewed recently-published abstracts. Two reviewers independently screened articles to identify studies comparing rates of atherosclerosis in SSc patients vs. healthy controls using one of the following modalities: angiography, doppler ultrasound to assess plaque and carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT), computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, flow mediated dilation (FMD), ankle-brachial index, or autopsy findings. For CIMT and FMD, we computed a pooled estimate of the summary mean difference (MD) and explored predictors of CIMT using random-effects meta-regression. Results Of 3,156 articles initially identified, 33 were selected for the systematic review. Meta-analysis included 14 CIMT and 7 FMD studies. Compared to healthy controls, SSc patients had higher prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis, peripheral vascular disease, and cerebrovascular calcification. Meta-analysis showed SSc subjects had increased CIMT [MD 0.11mm (95% CI 0.05, 0.17), P=0.0006] and lower FMD [MD -3.07% (95%CI -5.44, -0.69), P=0.01]. There was marked heterogeneity between the studies, namely from variations in disease duration and difference in mean/median age between SSc and control groups. Conclusion Patients with SSc have increased atherosclerosis compared to healthy controls. Further studies should elucidate the mechanism of this increased risk.

In this observational cohort of community RA patients an increasing number of patients reported comorbidities, independently correlated with less CDAI improvement over time. These results reaffirm that comorbidities may be an important factor in consideration of treat-to-target recommendations and aid in understanding achievable RA therapeutic goals.

Objective. Exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) may represent an early but clinically relevant phase in the spectrum of pulmonary vascular disease. There are limited data on the prevalence of exerciseinduced PH determined by right heart catheterization in scleroderma spectrum disorders. We undertook this study to describe the hemodynamic response to exercise in a homogeneous population of patients with scleroderma spectrum disorders at risk of developing pulmonary vascular disease. Methods.Patients with normal resting hemodynamics underwent supine lower extremity exercise testing. A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to assess combinations of variables collected during resting right heart catheterization that best predicted abnormal exercise physiology, applicable to each individual subject.Results. Fifty-seven patients who had normal resting hemodynamics underwent subsequent exercise right heart catheterization. Four distinct hemodynamic groups were identified during exercise: a normal group, an exercise-induced pulmonary venous hypertension (ePVH) group, an exercise out of proportion PH (eoPH) group, and an exercise-induced PH (ePH) group. The eoPH and ePVH groups had higher pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) than the ePH group (P < 0.05). The normal and ePH groups had exercise PCWP <18 mm Hg, which was lower than that in the ePVH and eoPH groups (P < 0.05). During submaximal exercise, the transpulmonary gradient and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were elevated in the ePH and eoPH groups as compared with the normal and ePVH groups (P < 0.05). CART analysis suggested that resting mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) >14 mm Hg and PVR >160 dynes/seconds/cm ؊5 were associated with eoPH and ePH (positive predictive value 89% for mPAP 14-20 mm Hg and 100% for mPAP >20 mm Hg).Conclusion. We characterized the exercise hemodynamic response in at-risk patients with scleroderma spectrum disorders who did not have resting PH. Four distinct hemodynamic groups were identified during exercise. These groups may have potentially different prognoses and treatment options.

Objective. To assess the course of the modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS) in 3 large, multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) with different baseline disease durations, as defined from the date of onset of the first dcSSc symptom (excluding Raynaud's phenomenon) or from the date of onset of the first dcSSc-related symptom (including Raynaud's phenomenon). Conclusion. Our study confirms recent findings that in patients entered into these 3 RCTs, skin thick- Methods. Data from 3 RCTs examining high-dose versus low-dose D-penicillamine (D-Pen