Heterogeneity in systemic sclerosis/SSc confounds clinical trials. We previously identified ‘intrinsic’ gene expression subsets by analysis of SSc skin. Here we test the hypotheses that skin gene expression signatures including intrinsic subset are associated with skin score/MRSS improvement during mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) treatment. Gene expression and intrinsic subset assignment were measured in 12 SSc patients’ biopsies and ten controls at baseline, and from serial biopsies of one cyclophosphamide-treated patient, and nine MMF-treated patients. Gene expression changes during treatment were determined using paired t-tests corrected for multiple hypothesis testing. MRSS improved in four of seven MMF-treated patients classified as the inflammatory intrinsic subset. Three patients without MRSS improvement were classified as normal-like or fibroproliferative intrinsic subsets. 321 genes (FDR <5%) were differentially expressed at baseline between patients with and without MRSS improvement during treatment. Expression of 571 genes (FDR <10%) changed between pre- and post-MMF treatment biopsies for patients demonstrating MRSS improvement. Gene expression changes in skin are only seen in patients with MRSS improvement. Baseline gene expression in skin, including intrinsic subset assignment, may identify SSc patients whose MRSS will improve during MMF treatment, suggesting that gene expression in skin may allow targeted treatment in SSc.

Objective Many patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments used in systemic sclerosis (SSc) trials are limited by lack of validation, licensing fees, and complicated scoring systems. We assessed the construct validity for discriminative purposes of two new PRO instruments-the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Health Profile (PROMIS-29) and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea short form (FACIT-Dyspnea), measuring health status and dyspnea in SSc patients. Methods Seventy-three patients participated in a cross-sectional study at a tertiary SSc program. PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and legacy PRO instruments used in clinical trials (Medical Research Council [MRC] Dyspnea Score, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ], Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index [HAQ-DI] and Short-Form 36 [SF-36]) were administered. Composite severity scores using an adaptation of the Medsger Disease Severity Index were generated using clinical, diagnostic and laboratory information. PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea scores were compared with legacy PRO measures and composite severity scores. Results The mean (range) patient age (84% women) was 51 years (22–72). The mean (range) SSc disease duration from the onset of the first non-Raynaud symptom was 7 years (0–45). Spearman correlation coefficients across FACIT-Dyspnea and PROMIS Physical Functioning scores with legacy PRO instruments were generally high (range=0.64–0.86); those between PROMIS and FACIT-Dyspnea with composite disease severity scores were more modest, but statistically significant (range=0.33–0.48, p<0.01). Conclusion PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea are valid instruments to measure the health status of SSc patients. PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea may be preferable to legacy instruments because they are freely available in multiple languages, and simple to administer, score and interpret.

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Objective To assess the sensitivity of Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Health Profile (PROMIS-29) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Dyspnea 10-item short form (FACIT-Dyspnea) for measuring change in health status and dyspnea in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods One hundred SSc patients completed PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and traditional instruments (Medical Research Council Dyspnea Score [MRC-DS], St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ], Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index [HAQ-DI] and Short-Form 36 [SF-36]) at baseline and 1-year visits. PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, and traditional instrument change scores were compared across composite modified Medsger Disease Severity and modified Rodnan Skin score change groups. Results Moderately high Spearman correlation coefficients were observed between FACIT-Dyspnea and SGRQ (r=0.57), FACIT-Dyspnea Functional Limitations and SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) (r=0.51), and PROMIS-29 Physical Functioning and HAQ-DI (r=0.50), and SF-36 PCS (r=0.52) change scores. In most validity comparisons, PROMIS-29, FACIT-Dyspnea, HAQ-DI and SF-36 scores performed similarly. While PROMIS-29 covers more content areas than SF-36 (e.g., sleep), it may do so at the expense of responsiveness of its 4-item Physical Function Scale as compared to the multi-item derived SF-36 PCS. Statistically significant increases in SF-36 Role Physical (p=0.01) and Physical Component Scale (p=0.016) but not PROMIS-29 were observed in patients with mRSS improvement. Conclusions PROMIS-29 and FACIT-Dyspnea are valid instruments to measure health status and dyspnea in SSc patients. In physical function assessment, longer PROMIS short forms or computer adaptive testing (CAT) should be considered to improve responsiveness to the impact of skin disease changes on physical function in SSc patients.

Inflammation in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a prominent, but incompletely characterized feature in early stages of the disease. The goal of these studies was to determine the circulating levels, clinical correlates and biological effects of the acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA), a marker of inflammation, in patients with SSc. Circulating levels of SAA were determined by multiplex assays in serum from 129 SSc patients and 98 healthy controls. Correlations between SAA levels and clinical and laboratory features of disease were analyzed. The effects of SAA on human pulmonary fibroblasts were studied ex vivo. Elevated levels of SAA were found in 25% of SSc patients, with the highest levels in those with early-stage disease and diffuse cutaneous involvement. Significant negative correlations of SAA were found with forced vital capacity and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide. Patients with elevated SAA had greater dyspnea and more frequent interstitial lung disease, and had worse scores on patient-reported outcome measures. Incubation with recombinant SAA induced dose-dependent stimulation of IL-6 and IL-8 in normal lung fibroblasts in culture. Serum levels of the inflammatory marker SAA are elevated in patients with early diffuse cutaneous SSc, and correlate with pulmonary involvement. In lung fibroblasts, SAA acts as a direct stimulus for increased cytokine production. These findings suggest that systemic inflammation in SSc may be linked to lung involvement and SAA could serve as a potential biomarker for this complication.