Primary heart involvement is a common complication of systemic sclerosis by Margarida Maia, PhD | February 11, 2025

Immunosuppressive medications may help to reduce inflammation in the heart and the overall burden of primary heart involvement that is associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc), a retrospective study suggests.

Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings, its researchers stated.
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The study, “Immunosuppressive therapy to treat newly diagnosed primary heart involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis: An Italian cardiac magnetic resonance based study,” was published in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Researchers used machine learning algorithms to analyze data
by Margarida Maia, PhD | February 4, 2025

​The CCL2 gene, which codes for a signaling protein of the same name, is “a common characteristic gene” of both systemic sclerosis (SSc) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a serious complication of SSc that causes the lungs to become inflamed and scarred, according to a study by researchers in China.

“We identified CCL2 as a common biomarker from IPF and SSc, revealing the common mechanism of these two diseases,” the researchers wrote in “Common biomarkers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and systemic sclerosis based on WGCNA and machine learning,” published in the journal Scientific Reports.

According to the researchers, their study provides “clues for the study of the treatment and mechanism of these two diseases.” However, these findings need to be confirmed by lab and clinical testing, given that the study “used data from a public database and lacked support from clinical data,” in addition to other limitations, the team noted.
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The researchers used machine learning algorithms, a type of artificial intelligence, to analyze the data from that database.

Sex differences uncovered in US study for protein tied to wound healing
by Andrea Lobo, PhD | January 28, 2025

​Autotaxin, a protein involved in wound healing and scarring, or fibrosis, was found at higher levels in women with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) than in men with the condition, per a new U.S. study.

According to the researchers, “this study is the first to report sex-specific … protein differences in patients with SSc-ILD.”

Overall, 40 proteins were found to be present at different levels in men and women with SSc-ILD, with the team noting that “none of these proteins have been previously associated with sex-related hormones.”

However, only autotaxin was shown to be present at “significantly different” levels between the sexes in a subsequent analysis, the researchers noted.
“These proteins could influence disease progression and treatment response and underscore the importance of personalized therapeutic strategies and further research into sex-related molecular pathways in SSc-ILD,” the team wrote.

Their study, “An exploratory analysis of differences in serum protein expression by sex in patients with systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease,” was published in the journal BMC Pulmonary Medicine.