Background JIA-associated uveitis (JIAU) is a serious, sight-threatening disease with significant long-term complications and risk of blindness, even with improved contemporary treatments. The MIWGUC was set up in order to propose specific JIAU activity and response items and to validate their applicability for clinical outcome studies. Methods The group consists of 8 paediatric rheumatologists and 7 ophthalmologists. A consensus meeting took place on November 2015 in Barcelona (Spain) with the objective of validating the previously proposed measures. The validation process was based on the results of a prospective open, international, multi-centre, cohort study designed to validate the outcome measures proposed by the initial MIWGUC group meeting in 2012. The meeting used the same Delphi and nominal group technique as previously described in the first paper from the MIWGUC group (Arthritis Care Res 64:1365–72, 2012). Patients were included with a diagnosis of JIA, aged less than 18 years, and with active uveitis or an uveitis flare which required treatment with a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug. The proposed outcome measures for uveitis were collected by an ophthalmologist and for arthritis by a paediatric rheumatologist. Patient reported outcome measures were also measured. Results A total of 82 patients were enrolled into the validation cohort. Fifty four percent (n = 44) had persistent oligoarthritis followed by rheumatoid factor negative polyarthritis (n = 15, 18%). The mean uveitis disease duration was 3.3 years (SD 3.0). Bilateral eye involvement was reported in 65 (79.3%) patients. The main findings are that the most significant changes, from baseline to 6 months, are found in the AC activity measures of cells and flare. These measures correlate with the presence of pre-existing structural complications and this has implications for the reporting of trials using a single measure as a primary outcome. We also found that visual analogue scales of disease activity showed significant change when reported by the ophthalmologist, rheumatologist and families. The measures formed three relatively distinct groups. The first group of measures comprised uveitis activity, ocular damage and the ophthalmologists’ VAS. The second comprised patient reported outcomes including disruption to school attendance. The third group consisted of the rheumatologists’ VAS and the joint score. Conclusions We propose distinctive and clinically significant measures of disease activity, severity and damage for JIAU. This effort is the initial step for developing a comprehensive outcome measures for JIAU, which incorporates the perspectives of rheumatologists, ophthalmologists, patients and families.

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Purpose: To assess the long-term outcome of uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Design: Population-based, multicenter, prospective JIA cohort, with a cross-sectional assessment of JIAassociated uveitis (JIA-U) 18 years after the onset of JIA.Participants: A total of 434 patients with JIA, of whom 96 had uveitis, from defined geographic areas of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.Methods: Patients with onset of JIA between January 1997 and June 2000 were prospectively followed for 18 years. Pediatric rheumatologists and ophthalmologists collected clinical and laboratory data.Main Outcome Measures: Cumulative incidence of uveitis and clinical characteristics, JIA and uveitis disease activity, ocular complications, visual outcome, and risk factors associated with the development of uveitis-related complications.Results: Uveitis developed in 96 (22.1%) of 434 patients with JIA. In 12 patients (2.8%), uveitis was diagnosed between 8 and 18 years of follow-up. Systemic immunosuppressive medication was more common among patients with uveitis (47/96 [49.0%]) compared with patients without uveitis (78/338 [23.1%]). Active uveitis was present in 19 of 78 patients (24.4%) at the 18-year visit. Ocular complications occurred in 31 of 80 patients (38.8%). Short duration between the onset of JIA and the diagnosis of uveitis was a risk factor for developing ocular complications (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1e1.8). Patients with a diagnosis of uveitis before the onset of JIA all developed cataract and had an OR for development of glaucoma of 31.5 (95% CI, 3.6e274). Presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) was also a risk factor for developing 1 or more ocular complications (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.2e7.7). Decreased visual acuity (VA) <6/12 was found in 12 of 135 eyes (8.9%) with uveitis, and 4 of 80 patients (5.0%) with JIA-U had binocular decreased VA <6/12.Conclusions: Our results suggest that uveitis screening should start immediately when the diagnosis of JIA is suspected or confirmed and be continued for more than 8 years after the diagnosis of JIA. Timely systemic immunosuppressive treatment in patients with a high risk of developing ocular complications must be considered early in the disease course to gain rapid control of ocular inflammation.

The aim of this study was to compare the pull-out forces of bioabsorbable polylactide/glycolide (PLGA) tacks and screws in human cadaver parietal bones. Parietal bone pieces (c. 6 cm x 20 cm) were collected from five human male cadavers (age range: 47-75 years). Forty-nine BioSorbPDX (self-reinforced [SR] PLGA 80/20) tacks (1.5-mm diameter, 4.0-mm length), 47 BioSorbPDX (SR-PLGA 80/20) screws (1.5-mm diameter, 4.0-mm length), and 46 LactoSorb (PLGA 82/18) screws (1.5-mm diameter, 4.0-mm length) were applied. The tacks were applied to drill holes using a special applicator gun (no tapping or tightening). The screws were applied to drill holes in the traditional way using tapping and tightening with a screwdriver. A tensile testing machine was used. All the implants were tested thus: the head of the implant was held by an aluminum jig, and the jig was pulled with wire until implant failure. The testing pull speed was 10 mm/min. Means and SDs were calculated, and the data were analyzed using ANOVA. The pull-out force of the tacks was 115.9 +/- 8.3 N, that of Lactosorb screws was 112.9 +/- 12.1 N, and that of Biosorb screws was 110.4 +/- 8.9 N (statistically insignificant difference between the three groups). The most common reason for failure in the case of tacks was barb breakage (55.1%); it was thread breakage in the case of BioSorb screws (66%) and stem split in the case of Lactosorb screws (56%). Tacks seem to have a similar, perhaps even a little better, holding power to cranial bone as screws and can hence be recommended for clinical application, as the procedure saves time and, consequently, costs.

Antibiotics-plus bioactive glass-containing bioabsorbable self-reinforced (SR) polylactide screws have been developed for antibacterial osteoconductive bone fixation. The aim of the present study was to test the pullout properties of these recently developed miniscrews. Ciprofloxacin-plus bioactive glass-containing SR-polylactide miniscrews (BC) were compared with miniscrews made of neat SR-polylactide (A), SR-polylactide with bioactive glass (B), and ciprofloxacin-containing SR-polylactide (C). BC miniscrews and their controls (A, B, C) (all of length 6.0 mm, core diameter 1.45 mm, thread diameter 2.0 mm) were applied to one pair of cadaveric fibulae. Pullout force was measured using a materials testing machine. We carried out 49-50 pullout tests for each implant type. The Mann-Whitney test and Student's t-test were used for statistical evaluation. The pullout force for BC miniscrews was 114.9 +/- 34.0 (SD) N. Pullout forces for control miniscrews were 162.7 +/- 37.8 N (A), 99.1 +/- 16.2 N (B), and 142.9 +/- 26.9 N (C). Differences between the four groups were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Ciprofloxacin-plus bioactive glass-containing polylactide miniscrews have good holding power to human cadaver fibulae. However, adding bioactive glass and ciprofloxacin components to neat SR-polylactide results in lower pullout values.

IMPORTANCEThe majority of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitic glaucoma require surgery to control intraocular pressure. Trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC) is a major treatment option, although both chronic inflammation and young age increase risk of filtration failure. Factors that potentially protect from filtration failure are important to identify.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the potential effect of treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor on the success of an MMC-augmented trabeculectomy for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitic glaucoma.

Fluocinolone acetonide implant is a valuable option in the treatment of persistent macular edema associated with JIA-related uveitis refractory to systemic treatments.

Several bioabsorbable internal fixation systems are currently in use in the field of bone surgery. To test the mechanical properties of recently developed amorphous self-reinforced poly-L/DL-lactide [SR-P(L/DL)LA] 70/30 tacks in comparison with commercially available SR-P(L/DL)LA 70/30 (BioSorbFX; Bionx Implants Ltd) miniscrews, SR-P(L/DL)LA miniscrews (length = 6.0 mm, core diameter = 1.5 mm, thread diameter = 2.0 mm) and tacks (length = 5.4 mm, core diameter = 1.5 mm, thread diameter = 2.0 mm) were applied to human cadaveric metatarsal (MT) bones (6 pairs of fourth MT bones and 6 pairs of fifth MT bones from donors who were from 29 to 56 years of age at the time of death). Pullout force was measured using a mechanical testing machine. Forty-eight pullout tests were carried out for each implant type. The Student test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman coefficient were used for statistical evaluation. The pullout force of tacks was 135.0 +/- 26.1 N, and that of the miniscrews was 119.3 +/- 26.1 N ( = 0.04, statistically significant difference). Accordingly novel SR-P(L/DL)LA 70/30 tacks have a statistically better pullout strength than the SR-P(L/DL)LA 70/30 miniscrews when tested in cadaver MT bones.