OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The TQCC of Nature Reviews Rheumatology is 11. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2022-01-01 to 2026-01-01.)

Article	Citations
Low-dose rituximab can go even lower	731
No benefit from adding MTX to ustekinumab	469
Inflammatory arthritis affects men’s fertility	397
Bimekizumab effective across the axSpA spectrum	393
SLC26A2 deficiency, matrix stiffness and mechanotransduction linked in osteoporosis	274
Genome-wide mutagenesis reported in systemic sclerosis	244
The role of the patient in rheumatology	219
Osteoarthritis as a systemic disease	190
Reply to ‘Potential benefit of anticoagulation in Behçet syndrome’	180
A role for TGFβ and EBV in MIS-C pathogenesis	162
COVID-19 in people with rheumatic diseases: risks, outcomes, treatment considerations	158
Rheumatic diseases on the rise	150
Biological and clinical roles of IL-18 in inflammatory diseases	149
Towards better management of sterile bone inflammation	140
New drug formulation reduces bone loss	138
Use of platelet-rich plasma for knee OA not supported by RCT results	137
To choose or not? The value of discrete-choice experiments in rheumatology	134
Urchin-like nanoparticles for miRNA therapy of OA	129
The value of comparative efficacy studies in informing rheumatology guidelines	125
The 2022 ACR vaccination guideline: a call-to-action	123
2021 ACR guideline for JIA reflects changes in practice	121
Addressing the challenge of global delays in diagnosis and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus	119
Down syndrome: insights into autoimmune mechanisms	113
Appraising the evolving landscape of protease inhibition in osteoarthritis	112
Inflammation across tissues: can shared cell biology help design smarter trials?	112

Imbalance of threat and soothing systems in fibromyalgia: rephrasing an established mechanistic model?	107
FOXP3 splice variant is associated with autoimmune disease	105
MIS-C: myths have been debunked, but mysteries remain	103
Efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: update for the practising clinician	102
Low-dose glucocorticoids benefit seniors with RA	101
Co-trimoxazole reduces mortality in anti-MDA5-DM	100
Low back pain is a growing concern	98
Pain in systemic lupus erythematosus: emerging insights and paradigms	98
Guiding ILD management in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases	98
Wnt-induced IGF1 drives OA	94
Author Correction: Proposals for the rheumatological use of JAK inhibitors	92
Biologics in rheumatoid arthritis: a lifetime treatment or possibility of drug holidays?	92
A direct link between SARS-CoV-2 and bone loss	89
S100A4 inhibition targets fibrosis in SSc	87
Fumarate drives interferon release in systemic sclerosis monocytes	86
Calprotectin tracks tocilizumab-treated RA	82
Distinct mucosal endotypes as initiators and drivers of rheumatoid arthritis	82
Sexual dimorphism in the prevalence, manifestation and outcomes of axial spondyloarthritis	79
Rheumatic diseases and metabolism: where centre and periphery meet	77
Publisher Correction: Efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis: update for the practising clinician	77
Rheumatology in the digital health era: status quo and quo vadis?	74
Erosive cargo from synovial fibroblasts	74
Targeting the IVD clock to halt degeneration	72
Which DMARD for ICI-associated arthritis?	71
sCD13 role in arthritis mediated via bradykinin receptor	71
Publisher Correction: Recent advances in the diagnosis and management of neuropsychiatric lupus	70
Macrophage-coated nanocarriers for gouty arthritis	69
PGE2 receptor antagonist has potential to treat osteoarthritis	69
A path towards personalized medicine for autoinflammatory and related diseases	67
Insights into IVDD pathogenesis in 2024	67
Cell-free DNA fragmentation signatures link cancer and autoimmunity	66
ERAP1 and the return of the UPR in ankylosing spondylitis	63
Chimeric receptors broaden the therapeutic landscape for autoimmune disease	59
Phase III trial of telitacicept in SLE	58
CAR T cells induce drug-free SLE remission	56
Janus kinase-targeting therapies in rheumatology: a mechanisms-based approach	55
International Guideline for Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy-Associated Cancer Screening: an International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group (IMACS) initiative	55
RA risk from occupational inhalation	54
TASL has a key role in SLE	54
PPIs linked to increased risk of knee replacement	50
Blocking CDK7 attenuates inflammatory arthritis	50
Improving the design of RCTs in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis	48
Repolarizing macrophages using antagomirs	48
Two sides of management recommendations for psoriatic arthritis	48
All fibroblasts are equal, but some are more equal than others	47
New refinements aim to optimize articular cartilage tissue engineering	45
New developments in electronic health record analysis	45
Profiling joint tissues at single-cell resolution: advances and insights	44
A critical view of WHO guidelines on management of low back pain	43
Platelets as drivers of immunothrombosis in rheumatic diseases	43

Fibroblast heterogeneity in 2025	42
Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis	42
A leading role for interferon as a treatment target in Sjögren syndrome	40
Publisher Correction: The impact of COVID-19 on rare and complex connective tissue diseases: the experience of ERN ReCONNET	40
APOE in fat pad and synovium contributes to knee OA	40
Clarity for the language of race, ethnicity and genetic ancestry in rheumatology	39
Author Correction: Glycobiology of rheumatic diseases	38
AhR promotes suppressor cell function in Sjögren syndrome	38
Piezo1 induces new bone formation in AS	37
Treg cell-inducing nanoparticles show promise for treating OA	36
Pathogenic antibodies target stromal antigens in RA	35
CXCL5 effective in mouse model of SLE	34
The obesity–inflammation axis in psoriatic disease: mechanisms and therapeutic strategies	34
Author Correction: International Guideline for Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy-Associated Cancer Screening: an International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group (IMACS) initiative	34
l-arginine inhibits arthritis and bone loss by reprogramming osteoclast metabolism	33
Sex- and gender-based personalized medicine in rheumatology	33
Unravelling the cellular mechanisms of VEXAS syndrome	32
Imaging for prediction of RA development	29
IL-1 and autoinflammatory disease: biology, pathogenesis and therapeutic targeting	29
Shifting the SLE management paradigm: challenges and implications	29
PDGFR signalling implicated in anti-resorptive effects of sclerostin blockade	28
Interferon disrupts immune and tissue homeostasis in SLE via CXCL13	27
HLA autoimmunity risk alleles influence T cell receptor sequences	27
In vivo CAR-T cell engineering in refractory SLE	27
FABP4 exacerbates RA	25
BiTE therapy for rheumatic diseases	25
STING-driven necroptosis linked to autoinflammatory disease	25
Post-transcriptional checkpoints in autoimmunity	25
Location-specific treatment of chronic inflammatory joint disease	25
Critical appraisal of serum urate targets in the management of gout	25
Parathyroid hormone receptor agonists in the management of osteoporosis	24
PLG nanoparticles target inflammatory monocytes in SSc	24
Mechanisms and clinical implications of intervertebral disc calcification	24
Detachment promotes RA synovial fibroblast survival and invasiveness	23
Notch signalling mediates OA pain in mice	22
Multi-omics reveals distinct MPA subtypes	22
COVID-19 linked to rise in anti-MDA5 autoimmunity	22
Adropin inhibits fibrosis in SSc	22
Complement therapeutics are coming of age in rheumatology	22
Evidence-Based Guideline for the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis	21
Busting the myth of methotrexate chronic hepatotoxicity	20
How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected rheumatology research	20
State-of-the-art evidence in the treatment of systemic sclerosis	20
The potential contribution of in silico studies to improved treatment of osteoarthritis	20
Single-cell RNA sequencing sheds light on cell-type specific gene expression in immune cells	19
Treatment of non-systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis	19
Synovial fluid as a complex molecular pool contributing to knee osteoarthritis	18
Update on the pathophysiology and treatment of primary Sjögren syndrome	18
Citrulline immunity in RA: CD8+ T cells enter the scene	18
The immune health metric as an indicator of health and disease	17
Undiagnosed axSpA is prevalent in IBD	17
Shedding light onto the immunometabolic effects of glucocorticoids	17
Primary care rheumatology: towards sustainable development in health	17
Mechanisms of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis — immune cell–fibroblast–bone interactions	17
Glycosylation switch in synovial fibroblasts promotes ECM degradation	16
The PU.1– IL-9 axis in TH9 cells promotes RA	16
No benefit to intensive urate lowering in gout	16
Lupus ABC spearheading a new era of collaboration to advance lupus drug development	15
More than a leaky gut: how gut priming shapes arthritis	15
Combination therapy for Behçet uveitis	15
UNC93B1 variants promote SLE via TLR activation	15
Bone-modifying drugs slow OA progression	15
Advances in viscosupplementation and tribosupplementation for early-stage osteoarthritis therapy	14
New guide calls for interdisciplinary approach to TMJ arthritis symptoms	14
Cellular metabolic adaptations in rheumatoid arthritis and their therapeutic implications	14
Advances in understanding preclinical rheumatoid arthritis and prospects for prevention	14
The role of the immune system in osteoarthritis: mechanisms, challenges and future directions	14
Reversal of inflammatory priming prevents arthritic flares	14
Rheumatoid arthritis prevention in arthralgia: fantasy or reality?	14
Low-frequency and rare genetic variants associated with rheumatoid arthritis risk	14
T cell differentiation in Sjögren syndrome is regulated by TOX	14
Paediatric glucocorticoid toxicity index: new possibilities in assessment	13
Advances in the calculation of minimal important change estimates for patient-reported outcome measures	12
Current challenges in understanding the epidemiology of calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition	12
Reply to: Is classifying SSc-ILD drugs as either immunosuppressive or anti-fibrotic misleading?	12
Global epidemiology of spondyloarthritis	12
Evidence-Based Guideline for the management of osteoporosis in men	11
Phenotypic heterogeneity in psoriatic arthritis: towards tissue pathology-based therapy	11