Welcome to This Week in Rheumatology. This week we're covering 10 notable papers spanning emerging cellular and molecular targets in systemic autoimmune diseases, real-world evidence and imaging in inflammatory arthritis, and system-level insights into care pathways and drug regulation. Let's dive in.

This week's papers:

1. Predictors of rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease in anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis: a meta-analysis — Rheumatology (Oxford, England) 2026
2. Persistence and Effectiveness of upadacitinib and TNFi for rheumatoid arthritis using pooled data from Canadian and Swiss registries — Rheumatology (Oxford, England) 2026
3. Fibroblast Mitochondrial Ca2+ Overload Drives Skin Fibrosis via mtDNA Leakage and cGAS-STING Activation in Systemic Sclerosis — Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) 2026
4. Diagnostic Value and Treatment Responsiveness of Ultrasound Features in correlation with clinical findings in Early Peripheral Spondyloarthritis — Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) 2026
5. Referral pathways and duration of care for musculoskeletal complaints across Europe: an analysis of primary and secondary care — Annals of the rheumatic diseases 2026
6. Aligning approaches to rheumatoid arthritis drug development: a comparison of FDA and EMA guidance — The Lancet. Rheumatology 2026
7. TLR7 in systemic lupus erythematosus: genetics and emerging therapies — Nature reviews. Rheumatology 2026
8. Predictors of unacceptable pain and the impact of sociodemographic factors and comorbidities-results from a large, nationwide cohort of early rheumatoid arthritis — Annals of the rheumatic diseases 2026
9. Teclistamab for treatment-refractory autoimmune diseases: a multicentre case series — Annals of the rheumatic diseases 2026
10. The association between ethnicity, socioeconomic position and outcomes following initiation of TNF inhibitors in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Results from the UK JIA Biologics Register — Rheumatology (Oxford, England) 2026

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