Anti-pentraxin 3 antibodies and residual disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: This study quantified anti-PTX3 antibodies in the serum of seropositive and seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, examining their associations with disease activity and patient-reported outcomes (PROMs).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, RA patients diagnosed per ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria were recruited. Seronegative RA was defined as ACPA < 7 kU/l.

A long-term nationwide study on mortality associated to rheumatoid arthritis in Italy.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate trends of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) mortality reported as the underlying cause of death (UCD) and as multiple causes of death (MCD) in Italy between 2003 and 2015.

Methods: Analyses were carried out on the Italian National Cause of Death Register, managed by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). Deaths from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2015 with any mention of RA were included.

Adherence in rheumatoid arthritis patients assessed with a validated Italian version of the 5-item Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology.

Objectives: The 5-item Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology (CQR5) proved reliability and validity in respect of identification of patients likely to be high adherers (HAs) to anti-rheumatic treatment, or low adherers (LAs), i.e. taking<80% of their medications correctly.

Cause-specific mortality in a large population-based cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Italy.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate cause-specific mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subjects living in Italy.

Methods: We identified in the electronic archive of the Veneto Region patients aged 20-89 years who were exempt from co-payment for RA in January 2010, and linked them with the archive of causes of deaths of the period 2010-2015. Causes of death were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition.

Grade and location of power Doppler are predictive of damage progression in rheumatoid arthritis patients in clinical remission by anti-tumour necrosis factor α.

Objectives: To investigate power Doppler (PD) signal, grade and location and their association with radiographic progression in RA patients in remission.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in 125 consecutive RA patients in stable 28-joint DAS (DAS28) remission (⩾6 months) achieved on anti-TNF-α. At baseline, patients in stable remission underwent radiographic and US examination of the wrists and MCP, PIP and MTP joints.

Calprotectin in rheumatic diseases.

Calprotectin is a heterodimer formed by two proteins, S100A8 and S100A9, which are mainly produced by activated monocytes and neutrophils in the circulation and in inflamed tissues. The implication of calprotectin in the inflammatory process has already been demonstrated, but its role in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and monitoring of rheumatic diseases has gained great attention in recent years. Calprotectin, being stable at room temperature, is a candidate biomarker for the follow-up of disease activity in many autoimmune disorders, where it can predict response to treatment or disease relapse.

Impact of 24 months of anti-TNF therapy versus methotrexate on body weight in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective observational study.

To evaluate the impact of anti-TNF-α therapy on the body weight of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients following 24 months of treatment. Data were collected on all RA patients included in the Veneto Region's Registry of Biological Therapy from January 2007 to July 2012. Inclusion criteria were: start of monotherapy with adalimumab, etanercept, or methotrexate, no previous use of biologic therapy, and at least 24 months of treatment.

Pixel-based approach to assess contrast-enhanced ultrasound kinetics parameters for differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Inflammatory rheumatic diseases are the leading causes of disability and constitute a frequent medical disorder, leading to inability to work, high comorbidity, and increased mortality. The standard for diagnosing and differentiating arthritis is based on clinical examination, laboratory exams, and imaging findings, such as synovitis, bone edema, or joint erosions. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) examination of the small joints is emerging as a sensitive tool for assessing vascularization and disease activity.

Effects of half dose etanercept (25 mg once a week) on clinical remission and radiographic progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission achieved with standard dose.

Objectives: This prospective long-term follow-up study evaluated the effects of half-dose etanercept (25 mg weekly) on clinical remission and radiographic progression in a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical remission after etanercept 25 mg bi-weekly.

Methods: 524 biologic-naïve RA patients were treated with etanercept 25 mg bi-weekly after failure of conventional drugs. Patients achieving remission (DAS28 <2.

Inefficacy or paradoxical effect? Uveitis in ankylosing spondylitis treated with etanercept.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is presented with axial and peripheral articular involvement. Uveitis is a severe and rather specific manifestation of AS. Biologics targeting tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α are effective on both articular and ocular manifestations of disease.

MR and CEUS monitoring of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis treated with biological agents: a preliminary study.

Purpose: This study was done to propose a study protocol for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with biological agents, by evaluating the contribution of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (CE-MR) imaging, a software programme that calculates the volume of synovitis on CE-MR images, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Materials And Methods: Sixteen patients with RA receiving treatment with biologics were analysed. The patients underwent clinical examination, CE-MR imaging and CEUS on the same day.

High rate of disease remission in moderate rheumatoid arthritis on etanercept therapy: data from GISEA, the Italian biologics register.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of etanercept in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with moderate or severe disease activity. We analyzed data from the Italian biologics register Gruppo Italiano Studio Early Arthritides (GISEA) to investigate the rate of disease remission and functional improvement, based on the 28-Joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) and the (Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score in RA patients with moderate or severe disease activity beginning etanercept therapy. Disease was defined as severe (H-RA) with DAS28 ≥5.

Long-term anti-TNF therapy and the risk of serious infections in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison of adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab in the GISEA registry.

Objective: To evaluate the risk of serious infections (SIs) in RA patients receiving anti-TNF therapy on the basis of the data included in the GISEA register.

Methods: The study involved 2769 adult patients with long-standing RA (mean age 53.2±13.

Longterm retention of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor therapy in a large italian cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis from the GISEA registry: an appraisal of predictors.

Objective: To evaluate 4-year retention rates of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab among patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as derived from an Italian national registry.

Methods: The clinical records of 853 adult patients with RA in the GISEA (Gruppo Italiano Studio Early Arthritis) registry were prospectively analyzed to compare drug survival rates and the baseline factors that may predict adherence to therapy.

Results: In 2003 and 2004, 324 patients started treatment with adalimumab, 311 with etanercept, and 218 with infliximab.

Cost-effectiveness of etanercept treatment in early active rheumatoid arthritis followed by dose adjustment.

Objectives: To explore the cost-effectiveness of early biologic treatment, followed by dose-reduction in the case of remission, of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), compared with standard treatment with methotrexate (MTX) in Sweden.

Methods: Effectiveness (function, disease activity, erosions) in early RA for both alternatives was taken from a clinical trial comparing etanercept (ETA) combined with MTX to MTX alone. Patients discontinuing treatment can switch to another or their first biologic treatment.

Elderly onset of primary Sjögren's syndrome: clinical manifestations, serological features and oral/ocular diagnostic tests. Comparison with adult and young onset of the disease in a cohort of 336 Italian patients.

Objectives: To study and compare the clinical and serological features of patients with elderly versus adult and younger onset of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 336 consecutive pSS patients followed at our unit. They were subdivided into three groups according to the age at disease onset: elderly (>65 years), adult (>40 and ≤65 years), and young (≤40 years).

Infections and autoimmunity: the multifaceted relationship.

Multiple factors are thought to contribute to the development of immune response to self, including differences in genotypes, hormonal milieu, and environmental factors. This review focuses on the pivotal role of infection in the induction of autoimmune disorders. Although the development of autoimmune phenomena linked to infections is a common finding, the onset of autoimmune diseases is a rare event, arising from a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors.

Methods used to assess remission and low disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.

The aim of the treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is to prevent articular damage and functional loss by decreasing the activity of the disease. The overall goal is the full suppression of the activity of the disease, also called clinical remission. The most reliable indices to assess RA activity were defined by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the International League Against Rheumatism (ILAR) and are habitually used for the evaluation of remission.

Safety of tumour necrosis factor and interleukin-1 blocking agents in rheumatic diseases.

The three licensed TNF(alpha) blocking agents (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab) and the recombinant form of human interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (anakinra) have all been shown to be effective in patients with chronic rheumatic autoimmune diseases; they have also been associated with certain types of serious adverse events. As expected, much of the information on serious events have accumulated during the post-marketing period. Certain serious, but uncommon, adverse events have been observed with all three TNF(alpha) blocking agents, including serious bacterial infections, tuberculosis (TB) and certain opportunistic infections, demyelinating syndromes, and lupus-like reactions.

Sensitivity and specificity for primary Sjögren's syndrome of IgA and IgG anti-alpha-fodrin antibodies detected by ELISA.

Objective: To investigate the sensitivity and specificity of anti-alpha-fodrin antibodies in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: IgA and IgG anti-alpha-fodrin antibodies were measured in the sera of 80 patients with pSS, 60 blood donors matched for age and sex, 50 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 30 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 20 with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 10 with polymyositis or dermatomyositis (PM/DM) by an ELISA method employing recombinant human alpha-fodrin as antigen.

Results: The sensitivity of IgA and IgG anti-alpha-fodrin antibodies for pSS was 32.