{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,6]],"date-time":"2026-09-06T05:07:11Z","timestamp":1788671231613,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,26]],"date-time":"2024-02-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1708905600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>This was an ambispective cohort study evaluating the prognostic significance of lymphocytic foci and its lymphoid composition in minor salivary gland biopsy (MSGB) for short-term disease flare and severity in Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome (SS).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>The inclusion criteria comprised individuals meeting the ACR\/EULAR 2016 criteria who underwent MSGB with an infiltration of more than 50 lymphocytes and received clinical diagnosis between September 2017 and December 2018. Patients with inadequate biopsy samples were excluded. The number of lymphocytic foci and their lymphoid composition in MSGB were assessed using immunofluorescence staining. Major organ damage and improvements in the EULAR Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) were measured. Statistical analyses, including Cox and linear regressions, were conducted.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 78 patients with at least one lymphocytic focus were included in the study. The presence of higher T-cell counts in lymphocytic foci in MSGB was associated with severe disease flare, and a logarithmic transformation of T-cell count indicated increased risk (HR 1.96, 95% CI 0.91-4.21). Improvements in the ESSDAI were associated with higher total lymphocyte count and T- and B-cell numbers in the lymphoid composition of the lymphocytic foci. Seropositive patients exhibited higher T CD4+ cell numbers. Correlation analysis showed negative associations between age and lymphocytic foci and the T-cell count. Positive correlations were observed between antinuclear antibody (ANA) titers and total lymphocyte numbers.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Patients with a higher number of T cells in the lymphocytic infiltrates of lymphocytic foci may have a two-fold risk of severe disease flare. The number of B cells and T CD4+ cells in the lymphocytic infiltrates of lymphocytic foci showed a weak but positive relation with the ESSDAI improvement during follow-up. Age and seropositivity appeared to influence the lymphoid composition of the lymphocytic foci.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2024.1332924","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,26]],"date-time":"2024-02-26T04:44:56Z","timestamp":1708922696000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Prognostic significance of lymphocytic foci composition in minor salivary gland biopsies for severe disease flare and severity in Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s syndrome: a 3-year follow-up cohort study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Hye-Sang","family":"Park","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Mart\u00ednez-Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Berta","family":"Magallares L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivan","family":"Castellv\u00ed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Patricia","family":"Moya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Helena","family":"Codes-Mendez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nerea","family":"Hernandez Sosa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cesar","family":"Diaz-Torne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Laiz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luis","family":"Sainz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jose Luis","family":"Tandaipan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana\u00eds","family":"Mariscal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Teresa","family":"Franco-Leyva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jordi","family":"Casademont","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Candido","family":"Juarez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hector","family":"Corominas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-017-0837-1","article-title":"The 2016 classification criteria for primary Sjogren\u2019s syndrome: what\u2019s new","volume":"15","author":"Franceschini","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Med"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/art.23579","article-title":"Safety and usefulness of minor salivary gland biopsy: retrospective analysis of 502 procedures performed at a single center","volume":"59","author":"Caporali","year":"2008","journal-title":"Arthritis Rheum"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103425","DOI":"10.1016\/j.autrev.2023.103425","article-title":"Is minor salivary gland biopsy still mandatory in Sjogren\u2019s syndrome? 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