Arthritis is a condition which affects joints as well as tissues surrounding the joints and other connective tissues. It affects more than one in five adults and is the most common cause of disability in the USA. It occurs often in people with chronic conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as those who are obese. It broadly covers juvenile arthritis, fibromyalgia, gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and so forth. The inflammatory process is mediated through a complex network of cytokines and chemokines, which is not yet completely understood.

In recent decades, there is emerging evidence showing the epigenetic modifications of the genome and miRNAs as the potential therapeutic targets in autoimmune diseases. Change of metabolic homeostatic condition also greatly influences the severity of disease etiology. Recent therapeutic approaches targeting metabolomics have shown promises at both genetic reprograming and disease dynamics at cellular levels or organ levels. However, understanding the role of important genetic changes and biochemistry behind these changes in autoimmune diseases, for suppressing inflammation and tissue destruction, is need of an hour in the era of personalized medicine.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will highlight the pathogenesis of disease, biomarkers, and therapeutic intervention to manage the disease.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Understanding biomarkers or metabolic markers in the pathogenesis of rheumatic disease
• Role of genetic changes such as haploinsufficiency, microRNA, epigenetic imprinting, and functional gene expression in the immunological affairs and its prevention of autoimmunity
• Recent advancement in the technology for diagnosis of disease in patients and animal model