PRagmatic Analysis of Vitamin D in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
ANCA-associated VasculitisGranulomatosis With Polyangiitis2 moreThis prospective study will assess if 12 months of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) supplementation, in patients with AAV (GPA, MPA, and EGPA) who have deficient or insufficient 25(OH)D3 status at enrollment, correlates with improved disease activity and/or lower frequency of relapse (compared to historical data and a previously conducted cross sectional study (part I) that assessed vitamin D status in a cohort of similar patients).
Prevention of Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis in Rheumatic Diseases: Alendronate Versus Alfacalcidol....
Rheumatoid ArthritisPolymyalgia Rheumatica3 moreThe purpose of this study is to determine wich treatment is the most effective in prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in patients with rheumatic diseases. The STOP-study: a randomized placebo controlled trial with alendronate versus alfacalcidol.
BIANCA-SC: A Study of the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Blisibimod in Addition to Methotrexate...
Granulomatosis With PolyangiitisMicroscopic PolyangiitisThe purpose of this study is to evaluate efficacy, safety and tolerability of blisibimod when taken with methotrexate in the induction of remission in ANCA-Associated Small Vessel Vasculitis.
Yellow Fever Vaccine in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases
Systemic LupusRheumatoid Arthritis9 moreAccording to World Health Organization (WHO), since December 2016, Brazil is showing a significant increase in cases of yellow fever in humans. In view of this, vaccination is suitable for residents and travelers to the risk area. However, for immunosuppressed patients there is a formal recommendation not to vaccinate with live virus vaccine. On the other hand, the safety and efficacy of the vaccine has been demonstrated in patients with HIV, and safety and seroconversion have also been demonstrated in patients with rheumatic disease who were inadvertently revaccinated for yellow fever. Faced with the impossibility of leaving the high-risk area for some patients the vaccination could be released to only those who have low level of immunosuppression as suggested by some recommendations of medical societies. The availability of a fractional vaccine in the State of São Paulo, which has proved its efficacy, opens the possibility of exposure to a lower number of copies of the virus in the first exposure of immunosuppressed patients, allowing, if necessary, a safer revaccination, after 28 days to obtain of a more effective immunogenic response. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the immune response of the immunization with fractional yellow fever vaccine (neutralizing antibodies) in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases residing in a high-risk area. Secondarily, evaluate the possible association between immunogenicity and vaccination with: demographic data, clinical and laboratory activity of the disease in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases, evaluate the curve of viremia and report adverse events. Patients and healthy controls will be vaccinated for yellow fever in the Immunization Center of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP). The patients' screening for exclusion and inclusion criteria will be done at the rheumatology outpatient clinic after medical evaluation. For the controls will be the routine screening of the Immunization Center. The vaccination protocol will be a fractional dose of the yellow fever vaccine on day D0 for both groups. Patients will be evaluated on day D0, D5, D10, D30-4 and D365 and controls only on days D0, D10, D30-45 and D365 for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), platelets, urea and creatinine, immunoglobulin M (IgM) by immunofluorescence for Yellow Fever, viremia, autoantibodies.
Low-dose Glucocorticoid Vasculitis Induction Study
Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated VasculitisMicroscopic Polyangiitis1 morePrevious reports suggested conventional immunosuppressants such as cyclophosphamide could not reduce glucocorticoid dose in remission induction in ANCA-associated vasculitis because of lower remission rate and higher relapse rate. However those reports didn't include rituximab. B cell depletion therapy by rituximab is a new strategy for remission induction in ANCA-associated vasculitis. The RAVE and RITUXVAS trial (NEJM 2010, both) showed high-dose glucocorticoid plus rituximab had roughly the same efficacy and safety as high-dose glucocorticoid plus IV-cyclophosphamide. In addition, recent retrospective observational studies reported low-dose glucocorticoid plus rituximab led to re-induction in severe relapsing ANCA-associated vasculitis. Thus, the investigators aim to investigate whether rituximab can reduce glucocorticoid dose in induction remission in ANCA-associated vasculitis (to show non-inferiority for efficacy between low-dose and high-dose glucocorticoid plus rituximab). Participants will be randomised to the "low-dose glucocorticoid plus rituximab" or the high-dose glucocorticoid plus rituximab" groups. Primary endpoint is proportion of remission at 6 months, then data regarding relapse and long-term safety will be collected until 24 months. The study has been designed by the principal and coordinating investigators. It will include 140 participants from 18 hospitals in Japan. It is funded by Chiba University Hospital and Chiba East Hospital.
Cyclophosphamide Versus Methotrexate for Remission Maintenance in Systemic Necrotizing Vasculitides...
Wegener's GranulomatosisChurg-Strauss Syndrome2 moreThe Systemic Necrotizing Vasculitides (SNV) encompass a group of rare diseases which include Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG), Churg-Strauss Syndrome (CSS), Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA)and Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN). Common histological findings are inflammation with fibrinoid necrosis of the small vessels and sporadic or absent immune-deposits. The gold standard therapy for SNV is currently represented by the association of Cyclophosphamide and Prednisone. The limits of this approach are the high frequency of recurrent disease and an increased incidence of malignancy and infections. The aim of the present study is to compare the efficacy of Methotrexate vs Cyclophosphamide for Remission Maintenance in SNV.
Reslizumab in the Treatment of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis (EGPA) Study
AsthmaReslizumab is a type of medicine called a monoclonal antibody that is made in the research clinic; it works by blocking a specific protein in the body called interleukin-5. The study medicine, reslizumab, is not yet approved for doctors to treat patients with EGPA. It is considered an experimental drug in this study.
Rituximab for ANCA-associated Vasculitis (RAVE) Long-Term Follow-Up Study
Granulomatosis With PolyangiitisMicroscopic PolyangiitisRituximab is the first drug approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's granulomatosis) or microscopic polyangiitis. Because it is a relatively new medication, the long-term safety and efficacy of this drug is not yet clear. This study proposes to follow patients who were enrolled in the RAVE study to determine if treatment with rituximab influences long-term outcomes.
Mycophenolate Mofetil for Treatment of Relapses of Wegener's Disease or Microscopic Polyangiitis...
Wegener's GranulomatosisVasculitisThe purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of a new drug, mycophenolate mofetil, for the treatment of relapses of ANCA-associated vasculitis (Wegener's granulomatosis or microscopic polyangiitis). Therefore, we compare the standard therapy with cyclophosphamide to mycophenolate mofetil. The investigators expect mycophenolate mofetil to be less toxic and almost equally effective as cyclophosphamide.
Pharmacokinetic Study of Rituximab Induction Regimen in ANCA-associated Vasculitis
GranulomatosisWegener's1 moreThe aim of the investigators' study is to evaluate whether monitoring serum rituximab levels could be an interesting tool in the follow-up of ANCA-associated vasculitis patients. All consecutive patients, hospitalized for a new diagnosis of ANCA-associated vasculitis or the relapse of a known ANCA-associated vasculitis, in which the decision to start an induction regimen with rituximab has been taken, will be included. Serum rituximab levels (along with serum anti-rituximab antibodies levels) will be determined (at M+1 and M+3) and the correlation with clinical outcome at M+6 will be analyzed.