IntroductionTo date, there is no treatment with proven efficacy for cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis (CLV). Several reports have suggested that CLV responds favorably to corticosteroids, colchicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), azathioprine, and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). To the best of our knowledge, the oral small molecule Janus kinase inhibitor, tofacitinib, plays an important role in the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, tofacitinib may be a prospective therapy in patients with CLV.Case PresentationA 29-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 5-year history of symmetric skin lesions mainly affecting both lower extremities. The results for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), anti-extracted nuclear antigens (ENA) autoantibodies, anti-double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) antibodies, and antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were all negative. The definite diagnosis of CLV was determined by a skin biopsy. However, the patient exhibited a poor response to prednisone, HCQ, methotrexate, colchicine, azathioprine, and tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside tablets (TGTs) treatments. She was then treated with oral tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily) and oral prednisone (25 mg daily).OutcomesHer skin lesions gradually improved over a period of 4 weeks. Two months later, the skin ulcers completely resolved. No evidence of recurrence of skin ulcers was observed during a 6-month follow-up.ConclusionWe present the first case of a female patient receiving short-term tofacitinib therapy for refractory CLV. Tofacitinib may be a promising oral alternative for patients with CLV. However, its efficacy and safety require further appraisal through clinical trials.

Background To use a gout-specific quality of life (QoL) tool, the Gout Impact Scale (GIS), to evaluate characteristics of gout affecting QoL in subjects with gout. Material/Methods In this cross-sectional study, 169 individuals with gout completed the 24-item GIS and a general questionnaire regarding gout characteristics. The reliability and validity of the GIS were verified by Cronbach’s α and exploratory factor analysis, respectively. The impact of gout characteristics on the QoL of subjects with gout was assessed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results The 169 subjects with gout included 149 (88.2%) men and 20 (11.8%) women, of median age 43 years. The reliability of the GIS was appropriate (0.84–0.90), except for Gout Medication Side Effects (0.69) and Unmet Gout Treatment Need (0.59). Exploratory factor analysis showed that construct validity was acceptable, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 5 common factors of 70.09% and factor loading >0.5 between each pair of items of the GIS. Univariate analysis showed that male sex was positively correlated with Well-being During Attack (p<0.05), and that source of medical expenses, current cigarette use and drinking were significantly correlated with Unmet Gout Treatment Need (p<0.05 each). A family history of gout, gout flares, and attack frequency were significantly correlated with total GIS, Well-being During Attack, and Gout Concern during Attack (p<0.05 each). Multivariate analysis suggested that history of gouty arthritis, acute attack and attack frequency had a considerable impact on QoL (p<0.05 each). Conclusions The GIS showed acceptable reliability and validity in identifying associations between poor QoL and gout characteristics.

Background. Combination therapy with Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) and conventional medical treatment (CMT) was proposed as a therapeutic strategy for chronic heart failure (CHF) patients complicated with depression. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess effects of this combination therapy on CHF complicated with depression. Methods. RCTs comparing the combination of CHMs and CMT to CMT were retrieved in seven electrical databases till March 30, 2019. The effective rate of cardiac function and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) were marked as the primary outcomes. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) were marked as the secondary outcomes. The methodological quality of eligible RCTs used the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool. Stata 13.0 and Review Manager 5.3 were preferred for synthesizing the results if the results were appropriate. Results. Thirteen RCTs enrolling 1022 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the retrieved RCTs were evaluated to be of low methodological quality. The pooled results of the meta-analysis showed that CHMs plus CMT group created better outcomes compared to CMT alone therapy, as evidenced by the fact that the overall effects of combination therapy strategy were significantly greater than the control group in increasing effective rate of cardiac function (risk ratio (RR) = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.42), in improving depressive symptoms (HAMD) (standard mean difference (SMD) = −1.31; 95% CI: −1.68 to −0.95) and quality of life (MLHFQ) (weighted mean difference (WMD) = −8.42; 95% CI: −10.08 to −6.76), in increasing LVEF scores (WMD = 5.33; 95% CI: 4.30 to 6.35). Conclusion. The combination of CHMs and CMT increased the effective rate of cardiac function and LVEF scores and reduced HAMD and MLHFQ scale scores, which was a potential therapeutic strategy that improved the management of CHF patients complicated with depression. Future trials were needed to verify the above results since abnormal heterogeneity and poor quality of literature have existed in the included studies.

BackgroundThis study was to investigate the correlation between osteoporosis and serum uric acid in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, and to further identify potential factors that might be associated with osteoporosis in AS patients.Material/MethodsWe included 182 AS patients, consisted of 143 male patients and 39 female patients, who visited our hospital from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018. We used dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to measure bone mineral density (BMD) of orthotopic lumbar vertebrae in patients with AS. The gender, age, disease duration, BMD, T-score, Z-score, uric acid, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), blood platelet (PLT), and status of treatment with biologics of the patients were collected. Then, the Spearman correlation coefficient and multivariate liner regression analysis were applied to identify the relationship between the factors and BMD, T-score, and Z-score in AS patients.ResultsMale AS patients between the ages of 16 and 30 years old had a higher risk of osteoporosis (P<0.05). AS patients with uric acid value between 300–360 μmol/L had the highest BMD, T-score, and Z-score. The BMD had a positive correlation with age and disease duration (P<0.01) while had a negative correlation with PLT (P<0.05). BMD in AS patients with elevated ESR was significantly (P<0.05) lower than in AS patients with normal ESR. There were no significant differences in BMD between AS patients with elevated CRP and the patients with normal CRP and PLT. Treatment with TNFi (tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor) did not improve BMD in AS patients.ConclusionsThe relationship between uric acid and BMD in AS patients was observed as inverted “U”-type. Keeping uric acid within 300–360 μmol/L might be helpful in preventing AS patients from developing osteoporosis.