Sudden improvement of alopecia universalis and psoriatic arthritis while receiving upadacitinib: a case-based review.

Alopecia universalis (AU), an advanced form of alopecia areata (AA), is a condition characterized by the complete loss of hair over the entire skin surface. Recent progress has significantly enhanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of AU. In particular, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-15 seem to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Rational approach to the prescription of anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis: a product leaflet-based strategy in Italy.

The treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has dramatically changed in the past 30 years. Currently, numerous conventional, biologic, and targeted synthetic DMARDs have been licensed and used following recommendations provided by international and national scientific societies. However, the availability of biosimilars and the increasing necessity of savings impacted on the local/national prescription of these drugs.

Salivary gland biopsy as a prognostic tool in Sjögren's syndrome.

Introduction: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disorder primarily affecting salivary and lacrimal glands, although about 40% of patients experience systemic complications. In this setting, the identification of patient phenotypes characterized by increased risk of extra-glandular involvement still represents an unmet need.

Areas Covered: The aim of this paper is to review the scientific evidence on the utility of salivary gland biopsies in pSS, emphasizing their role in defining prognosis.

Sjögren's syndrome: one year in review 2022.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a complex disabling systemic autoimmune disorder. The hallmark of pSS is the T-cell-mediated hyperactivation of B-cells, evolving from asymptomatic conditions to systemic complications and lymphoma development. On tissue level, the typical feature is the lymphocytic infiltration of the salivary gland by B-, T- and antigen presenting cells, as mirrored by the diagnostic cornerstone role of minor salivary gland (MSG) biopsy.

Ultrasound scoring systems affect the distribution of sialadenitis scores in Sjögren's syndrome: an inter-system reproducibility study.

Objectives: Salivary gland ultrasonography (SGUS) is commonly employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and multiple scoring systems have been developed to quantify the grade of sialadenitis of major salivary glands (SG). Their diagnostic performance seems overall comparable, however, the parameters evaluated by the various systems are different. The objective of this study was to compare how four different scoring systems affect the distribution of sialadenitis grades.

Traditional and disease-related non-computed variables affect algorithms for cardiovascular risk estimation in Sjögren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Several cardiovascular (CV) risk algorithms are available to predict CV events in the general population. Their performance and validity in rheumatic disease patients is suboptimal as some disease-specific variables which strongly contribute to the pathogenesis of CV disease are not included in these CV algorithms. We aimed to evaluate the performance of two CV algorithms and investigate which variables not included in the score contribute to CV risk score in a cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) patients.

One year in review 2021: pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterised by local and systemic inflammation where the close interaction between immune cells and soluble mediators leads to amplification and perpetuation of inflammatory and remodelling processes. The research carried out in the last year in the field of RA has made it possible to identify new mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of the disease, enabling the discovery of new potential therapeutic targets. Thus, in this review we summarise new insights in RA pathogenesis, resulting from a literature research date published in the last year.

Contribution of Janus-Kinase/Signal Transduction Activator of Transcription Pathway in the Pathogenesis of Vasculitis: A Possible Treatment Target in the Upcoming Future.

Janus-kinase (JAK) and signal transduction activator of transcription (STAT) signal transduction pathway is involved in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes, including in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases. Data supporting the role of JAK/STAT in the development of vasculitis are limited and mostly focused on large vessel vasculitis and Behçet's disease. In this review, we provide a thorough picture of currently available evidence on the topic, gathered from experiments, animal models and human real-life data, analyzing the rationale for the use of JAK inhibitors for the management of vasculitis.