Italian version of the Occupational Depression Inventory: Validity, reliability, and associations with health, economic, and work-life characteristics.

Background: The Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI) reflects a new approach to job-related distress centered on work-attributed depressive symptoms. The instrument was developed with reference to the characterization of major depression found in the , fifth edition. The ODI has been validated in English, French, and Spanish.

Safety of treatment options for spondyloarthritis: a narrative review.

Introduction: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) are chronic inflammatory diseases with overlapping pathogenic mechanisms and clinical features. Treatment armamentarium against SpA includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs, including sulfasalazine, methotrexate, leflunomide, cyclosporine), targeted synthetic DMARDs (apremilast) and biological DMARDs (TNF inhibitors, anti-IL 12/23 and anti-IL-17 agents).

Areas Covered: A narrative review of published literature on safety profile of available SpA treatment options was performed.

Golimumab for the treatment of axial spondyloarthritis.

Anti-TNF drugs have represented an epochal revolution in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis. In the field of axial spondyloarthritis, golimumab, a fully human monoclonal anti-TNFα administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks, has shown significant efficacy and good safety in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. More recently, it was also indicated as an effective treatment for patients suffering from non-radiographic axial spondyloarthitits.

Improvements in diagnostic tools for early detection of psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a wide clinical spectrum. The early diagnosis of PsA is currently a challenging topic. Areas covered: The literature was extensively reviewed for studies addressing the topic area "diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis".

Rheumatic manifestations of hepatitis C virus chronic infection: Indications for a correct diagnosis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepato- and lymphotropic agent that is able to induce several autoimmune rheumatic disorders: vasculitis, sicca syndrome, arthralgias/arthritis and fibromyalgia. The severity of clinical manifestations is variable and sometimes life-threatening. HCV infection can mimic many primitive rheumatic diseases, therefore, it is mandatory to distinguish HCV-related manifestations from primitive ones because the prognosis and therapeutic strategies can be fairly dissimilar.

Relationship of Psoriatic Arthritis to Other Spondyloarthritides.

In the early 1970s, Moll and co-workers formulated the unified concept of spondyloarthritides, a group of conditions sharing similar clinical features. Subsequently, criteria for their classification have been proposed by Amor and coworkers, the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group, and the Assessment in SpondyloArthritis international Society. Opinion, however, is divided between those who believe that the different entities of the complex represent the variable expression of the same disease ("lumpers") and those who think that these should be considered separately but under the same umbrella ("splitters").

Pharmacological therapy of spondyloarthritis.

Introduction: The current pharmacological therapy of spondyloarthritis (SpA) includes several drugs: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biologic drugs.

Areas Covered: A systematic literature search was completed using the largest electronic databases (Medline, Embase and Cochrane), starting from 1995, with the aim to review data on traditional and biologic agents commercialised for SpA treatment. Randomised controlled trials and large observational studies were considered.

An update on the management of hepatitis C virus-related arthritis.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related arthritis is an uncommon disease belonging to the autoimmune disorders due to the chronic stimulus exerted by the virus on the immune system. It shows two clinical subsets: a symmetrical polyarthritis resembling rheumatoid arthritis but less aggressive and an intermittent mono-oligoarthritis involving the lower limbs.

Areas Covered: We extensively review the current literature using the largest electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE) with regard to HCV-related arthritis (HCVrA) and studies focusing on the co-existence of HCV and other kinds of arthritides.

Advances in the management of psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which affects musculoskeletal structures, skin and nails, is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease with a wide clinical spectrum and variable course. Patients with PsA are more likely than healthy individuals to have metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular disease. To include these comorbidities, 'psoriatic disease' has been suggested as an umbrella term.

Safety of anti-tumor necrosis factor agents in psoriatic arthritis - an update.

Introduction: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers have represented a real revolution in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritides (SpAs). In the case of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), anti-TNF agents are much more effective than conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drugs on all manifestations of the disease, that is, axial involvement, peripheral arthritis, peripheral enthesitis, dactylitis and skin lesions. A complete understanding of their safety is fundamental in clinical practice.

Spondyloarthritis with onset after age 45.

The ASAS (Assessment in SpondyloArtrhritis international Society) classification criteria for axial and peripheral spondyloarthritis permit to classify patients with age at disease onset less than 45 years. Nevertheless, these two forms of spondyloarthritis may begin after the age of 45. With the longer duration of the life expectancy, patients with this late-onset form of spondyloarthritis may be more frequently recognized in the near future.

High prevalence of Behçet's disease in southern Italy.

Objectives: This paper aims to estimate the prevalence of Behçet's disease (BD) in the city of Potenza, the regional capital of Basilicata (or Lucania) Region, in southern Italy.

Methods: Patients with BD living in Potenza for at least 12 months prior to diagnosis were identified through the following sources: general practitioners, community-based specialists, San Carlo Hospital specialists, the Basilicata centralised index and the Basilicata database for rare diseases. All identified patients were contacted by phone and were recalled to our outpatient clinic for re-evaluation.

Can we reduce the dosage of biologics in spondyloarthritis?

TNF blockers have revolutionized the management of spondyloarthritis (SpA). To date, four anti-TNFα agents (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab) have been approved for the management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The first objective in the management of AS and PsA with TNF inhibitors is to reduce disease activity to clinical remission or low disease activity.

Pharmacoeconomic issues in psoriatic arthritis.

Therapies for psoriatic arthritis were inadequate until a short time ago. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs are helpful in relieving symptoms but do not prevent joint damage. Traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are used to control symptoms, but there is no evidence that they prevent or significantly slow the progression of structural damage in peripheral joints.

The radiological assessment of axial involvement in psoriatic arthritis.

This article summarizes the state of radiological assessment of axial involvement in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The definition and measurement of axial disease in PsA remain problematic and this situation in turn could affect the choice of approach to evaluate radiological findings of the spine. At present, the radiological assessment has been evaluated by using scoring systems borrowed from ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

New insights in occult psoriatic arthritis.

Since the 1970s, asymptomatic involvement of several musculoskeletal structures was described in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We recently designated this clinical condition as occult PsA. This concept addresses an "underground" inflammatory process that can eventually cause structural damage.

Low frequency of axial involvement in southern Italian Caucasian children with HLA-B27 positive juvenile onset undifferentiated spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: To establish how many children with HLA B27-positive juvenile undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (JuSpA) living in southern Italy develop axial disease after 5 years of disease.

Methods: All children with B27-positive enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) consecutively seen in a 7-year period were entered in a special register and were followed prospectively. Each patient was examined at 6-month intervals, even if asymptomatic.

Autoantibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: pitfalls for the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases.

Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is one of the best mimes in medicine. About 40-70% of patients suffering from this disorder develop at least one extra-hepatic disorder that can have a rheumatic nature (arthralgias, arthritis, vasculitis and sicca syndrome) and must be differentiated from the primitive rheumatic diseases. In addition, HCV infection can also alter the laboratory tests.

Etanercept in spondyloarthopathies. Part II: safety and pharmacoeconomic issues.

Etanercept (ETN) and other anti-TNF-α agents have revolutionised the management of spondyloarthropathies (SpA). With the increasingly widespread and prolonged use of these drugs an assessment of their long-term safety is extremely important. An additional concern regarding biological agents is their higher costs compared with conventional drugs.