The Use of "Acellbia"-A Biosimilar of Rituximab in Systemic Sclerosis.

The possibilities of modern therapy for systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains limited, since most of the used drugs do not have a disease-modifying effect. This encourages the study of new approaches that potentially affect the fundamental pathological processes underlying the disease. One example is anti-B-cell therapy, in particular rituximab (RTX).

Safety and Tolerability of Rituximab in the Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis.

Rituximab (RTX) has been used for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSс) for a long time and has shown good efficacy for skin fibrosis and interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, data on tolerability and long-term adverse events (AEs) during RTX therapy in SSc are insufficient. The objective of this study was to assess the tolerability and safety of RTX in patients with SSс in a long-term prospective follow-up.

Systemic Sclerosis and Atherosclerosis: Potential Cellular Biomarkers and Mechanisms.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, which is characterized by endothelial dysfunction, pathologic vasculopathy, and increased tissue fibrosis. Traditionally, SSc has been regarded as a prototypical fibrotic disease in the family of systemic autoimmune diseases. Traditionally, emphasis has been placed on the three components of the pathogenesis of SSc: vascular, immune, and mesenchymal.

Anti-topoisomerase 1 Antibody Level Changes after B Cell Depletion Therapy in Systemic Sclerosis.

The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between the changes of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANAs) and autoantibodies to topoisomerase 1 (anti-Topo 1) in systemic sclerosis (SSs) patients on rituximab (RTX) therapy. The prospective study included 88 patients (73 women) with a mean age of 47 (17-71) years. The mean disease duration was 5.

Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion/Systolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure Ratio and Cardiorenal Syndrome Type 2 in the Systemic Sclerosis EUSTAR Cohort.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)/systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and their association with mortality in the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) cohort.

Methods: Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) from the EUSTAR database with TAPSE, sPAP, and parameters required to calculate eGFR were included. Logistic regression and Cox regression analysis were performed to evaluate TAPSE/sPAP as a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and overall survival.

Cohort Enrichment Strategies for Progressive Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Sclerosis From European Scleroderma Trials and Research.

Background: Enrichment strategies from clinical trials for progressive systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) have not been tested in a real-life cohort.

Research Question: Do enrichment strategies for progressive ILD impact efficacy, representativeness, and feasibility in patients with SSc-ILD from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) database?

Study Design And Methods: We applied the inclusion criteria of major recent SSc-ILD trials (Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Tocilizumab in Participants With Systemic Sclerosis [focuSSced], Scleroderma Lung Study II [SLS II], and Safety and Efficacy of Nintedanib in Systemic Sclerosis [SENSCIS]) and assessed progressive ILD, which was defined as absolute change in FVC and as significant progression (FVC decline ≥10%). Data were compared with all patients and with patients who did not fulfill any inclusion criteria.

Application of Barophoresis in Chronic Generalized Periodontitis: a Mathematical Substantiation.

Unlabelled: was to evaluate the use of barophoresis for the delivery of liquid-air drug substances to the gums using a mathematical model of the interaction of the drug mixture with periodontal tissues.

Materials And Methods: The solution to the problem was preceded by generation of a geometric CAD model of the device and nozzle for barophoresis, including the nozzle and injector geometry. The Ansys SpaceClaim software package was used to generate the CAD geometry.

[Scleromyxedema as a systemic disease of glycosaminoglycan accumulation].

Scleromyxedema is a rare mucinosis with a primary skin lesion due to diffuse mucin deposition, sclerosis, and lichenoid eruptions in the absence of hypothyroidism. The paper describes scleromyxedema cases and gives recommendations for the histological diagnosis of the disease by histochemical reactions to detect acid and neutral glycosaminoglycans.

[The influence of STAT4 rs7574865 (G/T) polymorphism on the risk of clinical and immunological phenotypes of systemic sclerosis in a Russian patient population: Results of a pilot study].

Aim: To examine the association of signal transducer and activator transcription 4 (STAT4) rs7574865 G/T polymorphism with a predisposition to systemic sclerosis (SSC) and associated clinical and autoimmune phenotypes in a Russian population.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 102 patients with SSC and 103 healthy individuals as controls were examined. STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism was investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

[Multidisciplinary problems of rheumatology and pulmonology].

Damage to the respiratory system worsens prognosis and increases mortality in all systemic immunoinflammatory rheumatic diseases (SIRDs). Leading pulmonary manifestations in each disease are different, so the typical picture of each nosological entity is very peculiar. In all SIRDs, the disease starts with lung involvement in 10-20% of cases, preceding the expanded clinical presentation of a systemic disease.

[Efficacy and safety of sildenafil in patients with systemic scleroderma].

Aim: To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and safety of sildenafil (Sf) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SS).

Subjects And Results: Sf was used in 16 patients (including 14 women) aged 20-66 years (mean 48.6 +/- 14.

"To be or not to be," ten years after: evidence for mixed connective tissue disease as a distinct entity.

Objectives: To determine if mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) can be considered an independent clinical entity, to compare 3 different classification criteria for MCTD (Kasukawa, Alarcón-Segovia, and Sharp), and to define predictors (clinical features and autoantibodies) of potential evolution toward other connective tissue diseases (CTDs).

Methods: One hundred sixty-one MCTD patients were evaluated retrospectively at the diagnosis and in 2008. They were classified, at the diagnosis, according to the 3 classification criteria of MCTD (Sharp, Alarcón-Segovia, and Kasukawa) and reclassified in 2008 according to their evolution.

Outcomes of Barrett's oesophagus related to systemic sclerosis: a 3-year EULAR Scleroderma Trials and Research prospective follow-up study.

Objective: Barrett's oesophagus (BE) is the major risk factor for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). SSc is associated with an increased risk of BE related to chronic reflux. The aim of this study is to determine the outcomes of BE and estimate the EAC risk in SSc patients over a 3-year prospective study.