Multicenter observational study on the efficacy of selective Janus Kinase-1 inhibitor upatacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Upadacitinib (UPA) is a selective, reversible Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) approved for the treatment of RA. However, there is still no solid evidence on the long-term efficacy of UPA in treated patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of UPA to obtain remission or low disease activity (LDA) in a series of UPA patients in patients with RA after 6 and 12 months of treatment in a real-world setting.

Analysis of survival rate and persistence predictors of baricitinib in real-world data from a large cohort of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objectives: The persistence in therapy of rheumatoid arthritis drugs and particularly bDMARD is a limiting factor for their long-term use. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may not reflect real-world contexts due to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Baricitinib, which targets both JAK1 and JAK2, has been used in Italy for several years.

Oocyte competence is comparable between progestin primed ovarian stimulation with Norethisterone acetate (NETA-PPOS) and GnRH-antagonist protocols: A matched case-control study in PGT-A cycles.

Objective: To outline oocyte competence after progestin primed ovarian stimulation with Norethisterone acetate (NETA-PPOS) compared to conventional GnRH-antagonist protocol.

Study Design: Retrospective matched case-control study involving advanced-maternal-age women undergoing ICSI with PGT-A. 89 NETA-PPOS were matched with 178 control patients based on maternal age and ovarian reserve biomarkers.

Long-Term Retention Rate of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Italian Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

: Tofacitinib (TOFA) was the first Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) to be approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, data on the retention rate of TOFA therapy are still far from definitive. : The goal of this study is to add new real-world data on the TOFA retention rate in a cohort of RA patients followed for a long period of time.

Reliability assessment of the definition of ultrasound enthesitis in SpA: results of a large, multicentre, international, web-based study.

Objectives: To investigate the reliability of the OMERACT US Task Force definition of US enthesitis in SpA.

Methods: In this web exercise, based on the evaluation of 101 images and 39 clips of the main entheses of the lower limbs, the elementary components included in the OMERACT definition of US enthesitis in SpA (hypoechoic areas, entheseal thickening, power Doppler signal at the enthesis, enthesophytes/calcifications, bone erosions) were assessed by 47 rheumatologists from 37 rheumatology centres in 15 countries. Inter- and intra-observer reliability of the US components of enthesitis was calculated using Light's kappa, Cohen's kappa, Prevalence And Bias Adjusted Kappa (PABAK) and their 95% CIs.

Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological status of infertile couples.

Objective(s): to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on infertile couples' emotions, anxiety and future plans.

Study Design: An observational study was perfomed by Italian ART centers and online forums. In this study, infertile couples candidate to ART and whose treatment was blocked due to the COVID-19 lockdown were enrolled through an online survey.

Assessment of enthesis in patients with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia using clinical examination and ultrasound.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of clinical and particularly ultrasonographic signs of enthesitis in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), fibromyalgia (FM), or both. The secondary aim was to assess the impact of FM on disease activity and clinimetric scores.

Methods: This single-centre, observational cross-sectional study involved 101 consenting patients: 39 with PsA (CASPAR criteria), 23 with FM (2016 criteria), and 39 with both.

Cardiovascular Consequences of Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases.

The increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus has been extensively documented. Sub-clinical atherosclerosis can be assessed using various non-invasive imaging techniques. However, the mechanisms underlying the higher risk of atherosclerotic CVD in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases are not fully known, although they seem to include chronic low-grade systemic inflammation leading to prolonged endothelial activation, accompanied by a pro-thrombotic/pro-coagulant and autoantibody state.

Recurrent intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: an atypical case of Neuro-Behçet's Syndrome.

We report the case of a 22-year-old man with an history of headaches, seizures, cognitive impairment associated with recurrent intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), acute ischemic stroke (AIS), worsened over the last eighteen months for a new onset of uveitis and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). After excluding common causes of lobar ICH, and some rare ones according to the diagnostic protocol proposed by Beuker et al, in the suspicion of Primary Angiitis of the Central Nervous System (PACNS), the gradual development of a low-grade fever, a cutaneous rash, and a papulopustular manifestation on lower back after rachicentesis (pathergy phenomenon), allowed us to make a diagnosis of Neuro-Behçet's Syndrome (NBS) without oral/genital aphthous ulcerations, according to the International Study Group for Behçet's Disease classification criteria for BD (ICBD).

The role of recombinant LH in women with hypo-response to controlled ovarian stimulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To study the role of recombinant human LH supplementation in women with hypo-response to ovarian stimulation.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective clinical trials in which recombinant FSH monotherapy protocols were compared with LH-supplemented protocols in hypo-responders. A search was conducted of the Scopus, MEDLINE databases without time or language restrictions.

Clinical, autoimmune, and psychiatric parameters correlate with sleep disturbance in patients with systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Sleep disturbance is an important contributor to poor quality of life in rheumatic disorders. This study aims to test whether clinical, autoimmune and psychological factors are associated with sleep disturbance in systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and controls.

Methods: 101 female subjects (SSc=33, RA=34, healthy controls=34) participated in this observational, cross-sectional, parallel group study.

Skin fibrosis correlates with circulating thyrotropin levels in systemic sclerosis: translational association with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease, characterized by cutaneous and multi-organ fibrosis, and vascular abnormalities. Skin thickening is a characteristic feature of SSc and resembles myxedematous skin. Our aim was to correlate the degree of skin involvement in SSc patients with serum TSH levels, since TSH receptors are widely expressed in human tissues, including the skin.