{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T16:53:51Z","timestamp":1770137631215,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1770076800000},"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>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Interleukin (IL)-38 has been recently identified as an anti-inflammatory cytokine. Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are two prevalent clinical inflammatory myopathies. This study aims to investigate the serum concentrations of IL-38 in patients with PM\/DM and their association with these conditions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Serum IL-38 levels were quantified using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method in a cohort of 117 subjects, comprising 77 patients with myositis (8 with PM and 69 with DM) and 40 healthy controls. A comprehensive assessment of preliminary clinical characteristics was conducted for each participant through physical examination and review of medical records. The diagnostic utility of IL-38 in PM\/DM was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings revealed that serum IL-38 concentrations were significantly elevated in patients with PM\/DM compared to the control group, irrespective of the presence of interstitial lung disease. No significant difference was observed between the PM and DM groups. Furthermore, IL-38 demonstrated a positive correlation with the visual analogue scale, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and other inflammatory markers. Finally, IL-38, either independently or in conjunction with LDH, exhibits significant diagnostic potential.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The study\u2019s findings reveal that patients with PM\/DM who present elevated serum levels of IL-38 also show a positive correlation with LDH levels. This suggests IL-38 may participate in modulating inflammatory immune responses in PM\/DM and could serve as a potential candidate indicator for these conditions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1716099","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T05:21:52Z","timestamp":1770096112000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Elevated serum interleukin-38 levels in polymyositis and dermatomyositis: diagnostic implications and correlations with inflammatory markers"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Wen","family":"Qin","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University","place":["Ningbo, 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Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University","place":["Ningbo, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mengxi","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University","place":["Ningbo, China"]},{"name":"Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Health Science Center, Ningbo University","place":["Ningbo, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiudi","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University","place":["Ningbo, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mingcai","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University","place":["Ningbo, 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