Experimental Characterization, Modeling, and Numerical Evaluation of a Novel Friction Damper for the Seismic Upgrade of Existing Buildings.

The paper presents the experimental characterization, the formulation of a numerical model, and the evaluation, by means of non-linear analyses, of a new friction damper conceived for the seismic upgrade of existing building frames. The damper dissipates seismic energy through the friction force triggered between a steel shaft and a lead core prestressed within a rigid steel chamber. The friction force is adjusted by controlling the prestress of the core, allowing the achievement of high forces with small dimensions, and reducing the architectural invasiveness of the device.

Efficacy and safety of baricitinib in 446 patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a real-life multicentre study.

Objectives: Baricitinib, an oral Janus kinase (JAK) 1-2 inhibitor, is currently used along biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) after the failure of methotrexate (MTX) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated the efficacy and safety of baricitinib in real life.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 446 RA patients treated with baricitinib from 11 Italian centres.

Feasibility, acceptability and construct validity of EQ-5D in systemic sclerosis.

Background: Systemic sclerosis is a chronic disabling disease that is often associated with severe physical and psychological impairment. Nonetheless, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with systemic sclerosis is often left behind in clinical practice and research. One of the reasons for this lack of evaluation is the current use of tools, such as the short form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire, that are complete but complicated to use in everyday routine.

Pixel or Paper? Validation of a Mobile Technology for Collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Background: In the management of chronic disease, new models for telemonitoring of patients combined with the choice of electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) are being encouraged, with a clear improvement of both patients' and parents' quality of life. An Italian study demonstrated that ePRO were welcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with excellent matching data.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of agreement between electronic and paper-and-pencil questionnaire responses.

Use of ultrasound in treatment decisions for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an observational study in Italy.

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), treatment response is generally assessed using standard clinical disease activity measures. However, ultrasound has become increasingly popular among rheumatologists to monitor disease activity and response. The purpose of this analysis of ECOgraphic evaluation for STaging ARthritis (ECOSTAR) study data was to determine how ultrasound affects clinicians' decisions about changing treatment in RA.

Adherence to current recommendations on the use of methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis in Italy: results from the MARI study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess how the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with methotrexate (MTX) in Italy is adherent to current national recommendations.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional and retrospective analysis of data collected from the MARI study, a multicentre survey on Italian patients with RA on treatment with MTX for at least 12 months. Retrospective data included patient's clinical history, previous treatment with MTX, screening tests performed before MTX prescription.

Safety of Abatacept in Rheumatoid Arthritis With Serologic Evidence of Past or Present Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with concomitant hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a therapeutic challenge due to the risk of HBV reactivation under immunosuppressive treatment. To date there are few data coming from anecdotal case reports that concern HBV reactivation following treatment with abatacept. This observational retrospective study was aimed to assess the safety profile of abatacept in this particular clinical setting.

Efficacy and safety of rituximab with and without methotrexate in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients: results from the GISEA register.

Introduction: Rituximab (RTX) is a monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in association with methotrexate (MTX).

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of RTX-MTX combination therapy compared with RTX alone in the treatment of RA.

Methods: We analyzed data from a prospective cohort study, the Italian biologic register GISEA, to investigate the efficacy and safety of rituximab.

Interventional ultrasound: a critical overview on ultrasound-guided injections and biopsies.

Over the last decades ultrasound-guided procedures have become increasingly diffused in rheumatology, mainly thanks to the technical advances achieved in the ultrasound (US) field, combined with the greater availability, good portability and reduced cost of US devices, compared to other imaging techniques already used in rheumatology units. The direct visualisation of the tissue under analysis and the real-time imaging performance enabled by US-guidance account for an improved accuracy and directness in needle placement in a number of rheumatology interventions such as tendon and intra-articular injections. Compared with blind procedures, US-guided injections are more accurate and safe and they result in better clinical outcome in terms of joints improvement in function and decreased risk of damages caused by needle misplacement.

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.

Use of ultrasound-assisted arthroscopy in rheumatology: an experience in 11 patients with different rheumatic diseases.

The 'real time' capability of ultrasound (US) allows dynamic assessment of joint and tendon movements, which can often aid in the detection of structural abnormalities. The simultaneous use of arthroscopy (AS) and US is therefore a logical progression. Here the results of a series of 11 patients with different rheumatic diseases in whom a combined use of US and AS was adopted are reported.

Improving diagnosis of early inflammatory arthritis : results of a novel triage system.

Objectives: Early treatment of inflammatory arthritis (IA) leads to reduced disease activity, reduced joint damage, decreased functional impairment and increased chance of remission. However, delay often occurs from referral to rheumatology appointment. This survey evaluated whether a preliminary triage carried out by healthcare workers without formal medical training could be effective in identifying patients with or without early IA.

Clinical and ultrasound evaluation of the response to tocilizumab treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a case series.

This case series evaluates the clinical and ultrasound response to tocilizumab treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Six patients with active RA (DAS28 ≥ 3.2) for ≥6 months, refractory to conventional DMARDs or anti-TNF agents, received tocilizumab 8 mg/kg every 4 weeks, as monotherapy or in combination with DMARDs, for 6 months.

Tight control applied to the biological therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

In the last decade, treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have included the early use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, since prompt suppression of disease activity is associated with a reduction in radiological damage. This strategy has now been incorporated into the broader concept of "tight control", defined as a treatment strategy tailored to each patient with RA, which aims to achieve a predefined level of low disease activity or remission within a certain period of time. To pursue this goal, tight control should include careful and continuous monitoring of disease activity, and early therapeutic adjustments or switches should be considered as necessary.

Imaging in rheumatology: ultrasafe + ultrasure = ultrasound.

Technological advances in ultrasonography (US) in recent years has allowed for improvements to the imaging quality of gray-scale ultrasound and the development of more advanced forms of this imaging technique such as 3D and Doppler US. These improvements mean that US now has an accepted place in rheumatology not only in diagnosis, but also in the determination of disease progression and pathology and in facilitating guidance of interventional therapies. The increasing use of US-guided intervention by rheumatologists in the last 20 years is evidenced by the almost exponential increase in the number of publications in the relevant subjects.

Efficacy of tidal irrigation in Milwaukee shoulder syndrome.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of tidal irrigation in patients with Milwaukee shoulder syndrome (MSS).

Methods: Ten patients with clinical diagnosis of MSS underwent ultrasound examination and tidal irrigation followed by instillation of methylprednisolone and tranexamic acid. A single shoulder was treated in 9 cases; in one patient with bilateral shoulder involvement, both shoulders were treated at different times.

Autoantibodies to heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are among the most abundant proteins in the eukaryotic cell nucleus and play a direct role in several aspects of the RNA life including splicing, export of the mature RNAs and translation. To date, approximately 30 proteins have been identified. A growing body of evidence points to hnRNPs as an important target of the autoimmune response in rheumatic diseases.