OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the 18-month post-intervention efficacy following a four-month individually tailored, behavioral intervention on daily sitting time in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The four-month post-intervention results showed that patients in the intervention reduced their daily sitting time, improved patient-reported outcomes and total cholesterol levels compared to the control group.

METHODS: In an observer-blinded randomized trial, 150 RA patients were included. During four months, the intervention group (n=75) received three motivational counselling sessions and tailored text messages aimed at increasing light-intensity physical activity through reduction of sedentary behavior. The control group (n=75) maintained usual lifestyle. Primary outcome was change from baseline to 18 months post intervention in objectively measured daily sitting time (ActivPAL). Secondary outcomes included changes in clinical patient-reported outcomes and cardio-metabolic biomarkers. A mixed effect repeated measures ANCOVA model in the intention-to-treat population was applied.

RESULTS: At 22-months follow-up from baseline, 12 participants were lost to follow-up. Compared to baseline, sitting time in the intervention group decreased 1.10 h/day, whereas it increased by 1.32 h/day in the control group; between-group difference of -2.43 h/day (95%CI: -2.99;-1.86; p<0.0001) favoring the intervention group. For most secondary outcomes between-group differences favored the intervention: VAS-pain: -15.51 mm (-23.42;-7.60), VAS-fatigue: -12.30 mm (-20.71;-3.88), physical function: -0.39 HAQ-units (-0.53;-0.26), total cholesterol: -0.86 (-1.03;-0.68), triglyceride: -0.26 (-0.43;-0.09) and average glucose: -1.15 (-1.39;-0.91) mmol/l.

CONCLUSION: Eighteen months after intervention, patients in the intervention group were still significantly less sedentary than controls. Findings suggest that a behavioral approach is beneficial for promoting long-term physical activity and health in patients with RA.

PURPOSE: The Copenhagen Primary Care Laboratory Pregnancy (CopPreg) database was established based on data from The Danish Medical Birth Register and the Copenhagen Primary Care Laboratory (CopLab) database. The aim was to provide a biomedical and epidemiological data resource for research in early disease programming (eg, parental clinical biomarker levels and pregnancy/ birth outcomes or long-term health in the offspring).

PARTICIPANTS: The cohort consisted in total of 203 608 women (with 340 891 pregnancies) who gave birth to 348 248 children and with 200 590 related fathers. In this paper, we focused on women and fathers who had clinical test requisitions prior to and during pregnancy, and on all children. Thus, the cohort in focus consisted of 203 054 pregnancies with requisitions on 147 045 pregnant women, 39 815 fathers with requisitions during periconception and 65 315 children with requisitions.

FINDINGS TO DATE: In addition to information on pregnancy and birth health status and general socio-demographic data, over 2.2 million clinically relevant test results were available for pregnancies with requisitions, over 1.5 million for children and over 600 000 test results were available for the fathers with requisitions during periconception. These were ordered by general practitioners in the primary care setting only and included general blood tests, nutritional biomarkers (macronutrients and micronutrients) and hormone tests. Information on tests related to infections, allergies, heart and lung function and sperm analyses (fathers) were also available.

FUTURE PLANS: The CopPreg database provides ready to use and valid data from already collected, objectively measured and analysed clinical tests. With several research projects planned, we further invite national and international researchers to use this vast data resource. In a coming paper, we will explore and discuss the indication bias in our cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the structural effects of weight loss on hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to summarize which structural joint pathologies have been examined and the evidence for the outcome measurement instruments applied.

DESIGN: Based on a pre-specified protocol (available: PROSPERO CRD42017065263), we conducted a systematic search of the bibliographic databases, Medline, Embase and Web of Science identifying longitudinal articles reporting the effects of weight loss on structural imaging outcomes in OA of the hip or knee in people who are overweight or obese.

RESULTS: From 1625 potentially eligible records, 14 articles (from 6 cohorts) were included. 2 cohorts were derived from RCTs. Evaluated pathologies were: articular cartilage (n = 7), joint space width (n = 3), bone marrow lesions (n = 5), synovitis (n = 2), effusion (n = 1), meniscus (n = 3), bone marrow density (n = 1) and infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP; n = 2). Cartilage showed conflicting results when evaluating cartilage thickness by direct thickness measurements. Compositional dGEMRIC and T2 mapping measures in early knee OA showed trends towards reduced cartilage degeneration. Joint space width on conventional radiographs showed no change. Weight loss reduced the size of the IPFP. Synovitis and effusion were not affected. Following weight loss DXA showed bone loss at the hip.

CONCLUSION: We did not find consistent evidence of the effects of weight loss on OA structural pathology in people who are overweight or obese. There is a need to achieve consensus on which structural pathologies and measurements to apply in weight loss and OA research.

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of weight loss on inflammation in individuals with overweight and knee osteoarthritis (OA) using both static- and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI and assess the association of these changes to pain.

DESIGN: Individuals with overweight (BMI > 27) and knee OA were examined before and after a >5% weight loss over 8 weeks (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02905864). Using 3-T MRI, inflammation was quantified from non-contrast enhanced static-MRI according to MOAKS and contrast enhanced static MRI according to BLOKS and 11-point whole-knee synovitis score. DCE-MRI was used to assess the inflammation in the infra patellar fat pad (IPFP). Pain was assessed using KOOS.

RESULTS: Complete data were available in 117 participants with a mean age of 60 years, BMI of 35 kg/m2 and KOOS pain score of 64. Mean weight loss was 12 kg and KOOS pain was improved by 13 points at follow-up. Change in inflammation was not associated with weight loss in static MRI. None of the MRI variables correlated with the change in KOOS pain.

CONCLUSION: Weight loss did not induce a significant change in inflammation in individuals with overweight and OA. The significant clinical beneficial effect of weight loss on knee pain in individuals with overweight and knee OA seems uncoupled to changes in imaging markers of synovitis.