Drug-Drug Interactions Between DAAs and Anticoagulants or Antiplatelets: A Position Paper of the Italian Anticoagulation Clinics.

The natural history of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has changed after the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Screening programs have been ongoing to reach the World Health Organisation's goal of HCV elimination by 2030, and most infected people are eligible for treatment. Given the increased cardiovascular risk in people with HCV infection and the metabolic pathways of DAAs, it is not uncommon to face the issue of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.

F-FDG PET reveals unique features of large vessel inflammation in patients with Takayasu's arteritis.

Purpose: The object of this study was to assess whether F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT (FDG PET/CT) provides novel information in patients with Takayasu's arteritis (TA) in addition to that provided by current activity assessment, to analyse the effects of possible confounders, such as arterial grafts, and to verify whether PET/CT could be informative in lesions <4 mm thick.

Methods: We studied 30 patients with TA, evaluated from October 2010 to April 2014 by both PET/CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All arterial lesions were evaluated by PET both qualitatively (positive/negative) and semiquantitatively (maximum standardized uptake value, SUV), and the thickness of lesions in the MRI field of view was evaluated.

FDG Uptake by Prosthetic Arterial Grafts in Large Vessel Vasculitis Is Not Specific for Active Disease.

Objectives: This study investigated the incidence and clinical significance of arterial graft-associated uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose in large-vessel vasculitis (LVV).

Background: The role of F-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([F]FDG-PET/CT) in the management of LVV remains to be defined. Although [F]FDG uptake at arterial graft sites raises concerns regarding active arteritis or infection, its clinical significance in LVV has never been formally studied.

Chromogranin-A production and fragmentation in patients with Takayasu arteritis.

Background: Chromogranin-A (CgA) is a secretory protein processed into peptides that regulate angiogenesis and vascular cells activation, migration and proliferation. These processes may influence arterial inflammation and remodelling in Takayasu arteritis (TA).

Methods: Plasma levels of full-length CgA (CgA439), CgA fragments lacking the C-terminal region (CgA-FRs) and the N-terminal fragment, CgA1-76 (vasostatin-1, VS-1) were analysed in 42 patients with TA and 20 healthy age-matched controls.